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This dude's extremely boring but the class was easy as pie. He can definetly put you to sleep. He kinda squirms a lot and paces around the room too much. Don't get that. If you do your work you should pass with flying colors.

This teacher is VERY nervous about teaching. So nervous that it slows down his lectures. However, he knows a phenomenal amount about Middle English. Take the poor guys class. He knows his stuff, he's just terrified of us all. When you get over his eccentricities, it's an excellent class.

very good teacher. likes the subject a lot, and that's good. answers questions clearly. i wish people gave him their full attention in class though.

I took Brinegar in 1999. I believe it was his first year. He was nervous as heck then, too. Pacing... lots of ummms. Lots of dead air. Strict lecture. But not a bad guy. Tries to be hard, but isn't.

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Maybe a little ecentric but knows his stuff! Makes it interesting and easier to understand! If you get stuck with Shakespeare...get stuck with this guy.

Very nice man, though he seems a little nervous and anxious. He gives good advice on how to improve your writing. Other than the portfolio you don't do much work in his class.

This guy is great. He's very willing to help and wants you to learn how to write.

Brinegar is a genius, you can tell by the way he struggles to find the exact words he wants for each of his thoughts. He is one of those people who have a million thoughts going at once and cant filter them in time to get them out

really weird guy. Easy class. Turn your papers in for his corrections and make them and you should have no problem getting an A. and i stress the fact that he is REALLY WEIRD

I slept through all but last half hour of the final- he took me to his office and I finished there. He gave me 3 full hours. He can quote entire monologues from memory, but can't say ten words without stuttering. Often laughs uncomfortably, rubs hands together, paces, puts face in hands, or wipes away invisible specks of dust. Kind and funny.

Brinegar is a pretty good teacher for upper level pre 1700 lit classes. Very nervous and he does pace a lot, but for chaucer he is great. the work wasnt that hard and some of the class discussions were awesome once the class got involved. wish he was still teaching

I loved this class (Shakespeare)! He's kinda eccentric, but he's cool. He makes the material fun and brings in movies to show certain scenes. A lot of reading, obviously, online discussion posts.....I recommend this class. Great teacher!!!! Can't stress that enough!

This is definitely a weird individual, and I thought about dropping the class at first because he's so.... weird. As it turns out, he's the most entertaining prof I've had at VCU, and mostly this is unintentional! He's so spastic and witty, I began to look forward to his lectures. He seems very nervous, but the way he blurts things out is funny!

People would generally see him as an odd fellow with a lot of signature Brinegar moves. But he really knows his stuff. It's not his fault if the class is useless. All he really graded were 4 Unit papers and presentations. He's a nice guy and is willing to help if you ask.

Very helpful teacher. Look past his stuttering and weird ways, becuase he's probably one of the best teachers for this section. He's understanding,and often dishes out useful advice when writing essays, doesnt pile the work on either. I suggest him!!!!!!!

He is ODD. but it is an endearing quality. He is an incredible professor whom any student would gain valuable information from. You just gotta get past the strangeness of the man. I sat back and watched him like a train wreck. And I loved every minute of it.

Yeah so Brinegar has a couple strange habits but I know fifty thousand people who do as well. Lets face it, Shakespeare is pretty dry stuff, but Brinegar is the only guy who will make it half interesting. Pretty easy class, nice guy, low work load, worth taking.

Great professor, very helpful.

This man is basically a Shakespeare encyclopedia. I was NOT thrilled about taking this class, because I am not a Shakespeare fan. But, he makes it fun and interesting. The summer session for this class is a little tough because you read 2 plays a week, but it's fun and relatively low-stress.

Easy class, and his quirks make the class even more interesting. Attendance isn't mandatory, but he gives about 20 pop quizzes a semester..Grading seems to take forever even though he has about 3 GTA's.

Very smart and very clear about what he expects from his students. He has a lot of opportunities for grades and very little writing to do. Always responds to emails quickly. There's a lot of reading to do but if you do it, it's impossible to do poorly. Entertaining lecturer and can be very funny. I would love to take another class with him.

Brinegar doesn't get enough credit. He is a bit strange, but he's just eccentric and it's so endearing! He's a sweet guy; his class wasn't super interesting but it WAS Shakespeare. He gives you study guides for the tests and helps you to be prepared. Also has great interactions with students. Love him!

Excellent pacing- never goes through too much info at a time. Go to class and PAY ATTENTION, and you'll do fine. Study for the tests; there aren't that many. There are study guides. Willing to help you if you don't get it.

I had this guy for Shakespeare and from what I can tell he eats, breaths, and****s Shakespeare. This guy is so enthusiastic about the english language and will pratically act out the scenes of plays. He's a little quirky but ultimately he's a fun guy who makes studying this stuff really fun. Highly recommended.

Loved this class. Brinegar is such a passionate teacher. He goes over the material clearly in class. Gives quizzes in class based on the reading (which isn't hard), and the tests are based on those quizzes. Very fair grader, and a stand-up guy!

Brinegar is very eccentric, however I had enjoyed his class very much. Bringing abstract concepts into light was pretty unexpected from a 200-level class. However, I wish there was more variety in the class. Despite that, really loved the subject matter. Most original class I have ever had.

Easy class as long as you do the assignments and do the reading assignments. Exams and quizzes are pretty easy as long as you read the reading assignments required. Attendance is mandatory because he gives random quizzes during class (usually the first 5 mins of class)

Dr. Brinegar is brilliant. He is so passionate about what he does along with being an excellent teacher! He used a variety of multimedia methods of teaching and his class is very creative. I want to take a class of his every semester. He is understanding and helpful if you show him you are willing to work.

Really appreciate this guy. He really is interested in his topics and he tried to incorporate movies to analyze alongside the texts. The analysis one was encouraged to make was not judged poorly or unappreciated. Just reading and doing the work will get you an A.

There are a lot of readings in this class, but if you do all of them, this class is easy and really enjoyable. Brinegar obviously loves the subject and his enthusiasm is contagious.

Great great professor. There is a ton of reading but I just kept up with sparknotes and aced the quizzes. Go to class!!!!! There are short 5 question quizzes every other day at random and they are the easiest ways to earn points! Easiest class I've had so far. Only complaint is that he doesnt respond to emails much so call him during office hours

Dr. Brinegar is quirky, intelligent, and a good lecturer! If you take ENG 215, be warned that you will have to do HOURS of reading a week to keep up. We covered 5+ full books during the Fall semester. He uses in-class quizzes to enforce attendance, has easy tests/final, and very minimal homework other than a few posts on BB and a few short essays.

Brinegar is so smart, and all the input he gives to lectures is so interesting. He always points out something that I didn't necessarily notice in my initial reading. The papers and tests are fair and straightforward and give you a chance to express your thoughts more. Plus, Brinegar's Middle English reading is great!

If you do your work&show up the lowest you'll get is a B. There's 20, 5 question quizzes given randomly during class based on the night before's reading. The questions for quizzes are very easy and can usually be found just by reading spark notes. Tests are similar to the quizzes and pretty easy. Lenient grader are responses and discussion board

First day, I was definitely a little iffy on the class. Went with my gut and stayed, though, and boy am I glad I did. Never before in my life had I taken a class that actually made me want to read. He knew his stuff and he made sure everyone else did, too. I'd marry that man just to keep hearing lectures like that.

Professor Brinegar's class is extremely interesting. I personally hate reading, but he picks interesting books and discusses them in a way that everyone understands. There are a ton of pop quizzes in this class so you have to go, but overall the class is pretty laid back and enjoyable. Definitely recommend him.

Professor Brinegar challenged me quite a bit in this course. His essays are a bit heavy and not as clear as I would have liked. He gives out pop quizzes and you will always have a reading due for the next class. His lectures are a bit difficult to get used to. He is a little spazzy and sometimes hard to follow. TLDR: Good, but HARD.

Very strange in his speaking style, but after a while, you get used to it and his weirdness gets funny. Great guy and really passionate about the literature. As long as you actually read and show up for the pop-quizzes, you'll be fine.

Professor Brinegar was great. The class is mainly discussion based, and has pop quizzes along with short answers and essays. If you don't read, you won't pass because his pop quizzes are hard. A pretty straight forward class.

Brinegar rocks. His class was always entertaining, he randomly bursts into laughing (kinda weird at first) and you can tell he's really passionate about the books he chose for the class. Attendance is mandatory because he gives 20 pop quizzes during the semester. I got away with reading spark notes and still got an A

He is a cool dude, laughs at his own jokes, but loves what he does. I didn't read or buy any of the books, I just googled and sparknoted and got an A. his pop quizzes are only 5 questions and straight from the readings. Really simple class. Just do what he says and listen to lectures and you will not have a problem passing his class.

Dr. Brinegar is THE MAN! His lectures are legit. He gives 20 pop quizzes to track attendance and if you miss 8, you fail the course (English department policy). They're 5 questions and easy. The questions on the pop quizzes appear on the exam so SHOW UP! Overall he's a lenient grader and great professor. Take him. I guarantee you won't regret it!!!

I loved taking Professor Brinegar's class. I learned a lot about Shakespeare from this class. Some people may view him as a bit of a spaz but I think it adds some quirkiness to his character which many dull professors lack. He is extremely knowledgeable on many contents of Shakespeare and I look forward to taking some of his other classes.

I keep signing up for his classes!He's truly the most brilliant & insightful professor I've had. Few assignments, lecture heavy (take good notes, he'll happily clarify/explain things), understanding and lenient grader. Just do the readings (with actual effort) & you'll be fine!! I didn't try as hard as I should've and got a B,and I learned SO much!

He loves what he teaches. Super passionate about it. There are readings for every class (sometimes quizzed on them but you can look the readings up online so theyre super easy to understand - so you dont need to buy the textbook). Pretty lenient grader when it comes to papers. With that being said, would take another class with him in a heartbeat

Kindest & smartest professor. Good bit of reading but not as much as other English courses. Take notes, he'll be more than happy to clarify things if asked. Lenient grader & not many grades aside from short quizzes & 1-2 essays. Provides very useful study guides that make the exams easy. Just read (even sparknotes!) & you'll easily get an A

He's a really good guy; a bit scatterbrained and incoherent at times, but not in a bad way. Welcomes discussion and questions, cracks some jokes occasionally, and is just all around a pleasant professor. Just read the texts or sparknotes, do the little work he requires, and you'll be golden.

He seems a little bit all over the place at first but just go to class. 20 reading quizzes a semester which count for attendance but just read the book/sparknotes. easy 50 point assignments, honestly a really nice guy.

Dr. Brinegar is an incredibly nice professor who very much . cares about what he's teaching. I accidentally missed our last exam due to putting it in my schedule on the wrong date and he allowed me to take it a few days later. As long as you do the assigned reading as well as other assignments, you should be able to get at least a B.

I loved Professor Brinegar. Literally all you have to do is read the books for class and you will be fine. The pop quizzes are so easy as long as you read, and so are the tests. Each test has an essay and if you have a slight idea of what you're talking about, he'll give you 100% on it. You have to go to class bc he gives 20 pop quizzes total.

Dr. Brinegar came off as a little "strange" over the first few lectures, but his unique personality becomes normal very quickly. The theme for our semester's literature was Monsters, which was enjoyable. You must attend classes, due to their being pop reading quizzes that test your knowledge on the text. Overall, a solid professor and course.

This class was interesting! All the reading material was about monsters. This class is pretty easy, especially because there are free audiobooks on YouTube to go with each reading. We had discussions to do each class, but they are graded on participation. The quizzes and exams were extremely easy.

I'm so happy I took Shakespeare with him. I learned so much, didn't feel overwhelmed considering its the first "covid" semester. We read, discuss, and post discussions. We had 2 papers and they were pretty easy. He loves Shakespeare and it shows when he's lecturing. He's a pretty good professor. You put the work in and you get full credit, simple.

This class was such a fun experience! We covered the topic Monsters. You can tell he's very passionate in what he does. Very easy A class. Just do the assignments and you'll be just fine! :)

AMAZING. Loves his job and is so patienate about Shakespeare. Easy grader, read and do the assignments and you're good. He's so laidback and nice.

Dr. Brinegar isn't for everyone. He's so passionate and knowledgeable, but the course material was dense. Be ready to read, and prepare for lots of lecturing. He talks fast and sometimes it was difficult to follow, but overall a very understanding guy and really wanted us all to succeed. Take him if he's teaching something you like!

Dr. Brinegar was a good professor if not a little bit confusing at times during his lectures. He's not super internet savvy and we didn't even have our canvas until after the first class period, but otherwise, his lectures were interesting and very informative. He didn't talk a lot about assignments so there was a lot of confusion around that.

Took this course in the hybrid model and realized I didn't have to show up or even join meetings within the first month. Class consists of discussion of the text (which can be pretty excruciating in a classroom of 100+ people) and attendance isn't taken. All work was online and pretty easy, a few quizzes, short answers, and tests. Easy if you read.

He is a really funny professor and you can tell he's dedicated to his subject. A very easy class to pass as long as you keep up with your readings. Get ready to do LOTS of reading and analysis. Very fun and entertaining class. I 100% recommend him to any students who have the option of choosing him!

the kindest and funniest man who loves his job! so concise with the books and amazing teacher!

All you have to do is read. His lectures aren't as engaging, but that's because people don't participate-- he likes to have open discussion, and if you engage in it, the readings will be so much easier to understand. Quizzes and exams/tests are extremely easy, just read. He's extremely passionate about the books that are presented to students.

Easiest class ive ever taken. Assignments are few and far between. During class he just chats about the reading (participation isnt graded) and hes super cool. Tests are easy as long as you actually read the books and attendance is super easy to cheat.