Great teacher, highly recommend to take his class, if you have to take one or two LIT class.Easy to get an A if you pay attention to his lecture and do some reading.

Great Professor! He is able to make the subject very interesting, but you have to read! The readings are not difficult, and even though I'm not into literature, I was enjoying them. Take him!!

Fairly easy. I took him for litr 283 which is a writing intensive. We did a lot of short poems, so you dont even need to read before class since he goes over everything. Midterm, blog postings, attendance, and a big paper. lots of extra credit opportunities.

Really nice guy easy to talk to knows his stuff can be hard to interest other people but does an admirable job trying to get people into it lots of stuff to do biweekly blog posts; 3 in class free writing; 1 midterm exam which is just pick 3 questions nd answer; 1 final paper which is easy once you find a good topic

Good professor who really enjoys his subject and tries to make sure you enjoy it too. Also he will read over essays and give comments if you get them to him before they're due, which can be very helpful. Do the reading, it is necessary for the midterm and will help when writing the final paper.

Very interesting class for a literary class. This professor really knows his subject and is involved with the Polish community. My advice to succeed in the class is to make sure you do the reading, take notes, and invest time in your papers. Not a hard class, but can be a challenge to get great grades.

Pretty good class, I recommend reading and taking notes on the readings. The readings are very important to really do well. But besides that its not a hard class and it is a very interesting class that incorporates many elements in it such as political, historical, and literary elements of Poland. Highly recommend it.

Took his class as a writing intensive and all the essays were peer review (in other words easy As). There was a weekly 300 word blog and a several readings. Never read any books and just showed up to class and received a B+. Tells you what is on the midterm and whats on the final. Also curved the midterm. Ask and you shall receive help from him.

This was a very interesting class. Merchant is a great lecturer and incorporates movies, Youtube, webpages. The grades are 3 six-page essays, a bi-weekly one-page blog post, one midterm, one non-cumulative final, and participation, easy for writing intensive! He is a little unclear about the essays but will clear things up in an email or in class.

very easy class. It was writing intensive but there was only a short 5 page paper at the beginning of the semester and a long 8 page paper at the end. Very passionate about the topic. Easy grader. You don't really have to read the things he assigns. Attend class and you will get an A

Professor Merchant is a good professor. Participation really matters, and you need to read the required material and pay attention in class; don't scroll through Facebook in class and you'll do just fine.

Easy class. A bit of a tough grader. Majority of the lectures cover the history related to the literary material. Not that many assignments - only 1 paper, 2 group projects, midterm, and final. So, every point matters.

come to class, do the readings, take notes on lecture, and you'll get an A. He's not too hard or too easy.

Great Professor! Very entertaining and so sweet. Had a few conversations with him and he is so caring! Is very easy to get ahold of and will answer questions in class

John Merchant is a really nice guy. You can't really hate him, but i wouldn't say he is a favorite of mine either although i would take him again. This class can be boring but nothing unbearable. He grades kind of tough on papers but it isn't hard to get a B. Make sure you do the reading and take notes cause what he posts online doesn't help much.

Honestly he was a great teacher and class was very interesting. There is quite a bit of reading, but it is always interesting and you have great class discussions. This was a writing intensive and we had only one big paper, but he is definitely a tough grader. Not an easy A, but a relatively easy A-.

Most of the grade was based on the final paper and preparation for it, making sure you are planning ahead and working on the paper before it is due. Midterm was heavily based on the readings and lectures.

I love Professor Merchant! If you read, show up to class, and pay attention to the lecture, you'll be more than okay. He's really funny and really cares about his students. It'll be a lot harder if you don't show up to class because we usually spend the time talking about what we read the night before.

Fantastic professor and class. Highly recommended easy WI, only real writing assignments are an annotated bibliography and final research paper. Adds 2% to your final grade if you do an EC event. Midterm is based on general lecture material and readings. Even if you're Polish, you will learn a great deal.

Readings assigned each day for class, but they are short and most of the time easy to quickly skim. He gives 2% extra credit to your final grade if you do something relating to the class and write a one page reflection on it. He grades the short essays a little hard, but he grades the tests easier and if you do the study guide, the test is easy

Dr. Merchant is a really nice guy and super chill. The class can have awkward silences at times cause its all about discussion. Thats why participating in class matters. Just do your readings everyday and well on the assignments cause there are only 5 of them. He's not the easiest grader but with a little effort, the class is an easy A.

Very good teacher who really know his stuff (Polish literature is a very specific topic, so think about it). Great choice for WI since you have only 1 paper. Grade is based on participation, midterm (3 short-essay Q's), paper topic proposal, annotated bibliography (min 10 sources), quizzes (easy short answers), and paper (30%, 8-10 pp, your topic).

Really chill dude that knows his stuff. You will truly learn a lot about Poland and Europe in general. Class was very laid back and mostly consisted of talking about last night's reading. There's only one large paper, but he does grade it a little harshly so be sure to not blow it off. Do the work well, and you'll get the A

Super funny and nice, assignments are mostly readings tests are hard, but study material helps a ton

One of the nicest teachers! He cares so much about Irish and Polish literature and wants his students to care too. Even though it is basically graded off of the midterm and final, he WILL answer any and all questions you have.

I really enjoyed him. I was hesitant about taking a class about women in Polish literature, but, with Merchant, it was one of the most interesting and enlightening courses I've taken at Loyola. Very kind, dry sense of humor. I would recommend.

Prof. Merchant is a really great professor. He knows what he's talking about, is great at analyzing literature and getting discussion moving, and has a dry sense of humor. The class was pretty light, we only read 2 novels, and was focused on class discussion. You have to give two group presentations.

He is very passionate about what he teaches. If you do the readings and go along with class discussion you will do well. He reviews all the material before tests and grades very fairly. Overall a really good core UCLR class and you will learn a lot about Ireland and Poland.

Very good, if not one of the best Tier 2 Lit professors. It is a writing intensive with only one long paper (8-10Pg). Along with being very easy with a low amount of work and one easy mostly opinion Midterm. Very good choice and is an easy A if you put the work in. Class attendance is mandatory however and counts for about 15% of final grade.

I highly recommend Professor Merchant. He is super smart and really kind. He gives amazing feedback and his classes are amazing. He gives a lot of reading but it is all really interesting. This was one of my favorite classes I've taken, I learned so much and professor Merchant is a super nice and good guy!

His class is structured very simply but lectures can get boring. He is passionate about the topic and tries to make it interesting but every class is a lecture. You participate in two group projects and his midterm and final were reasonable. It wasn't super difficult but if you don't read the books you probably won't do well.

I have taken Merchant for 2 classes and he is by far my favorite professor at Loyola. For this class you have to complete weekly blog posts and as long as you read at least some of the book and share your ideas in class, you're golden! And you could earn up to 2% extra credit.

Prof Merchant is great. He is very knowledgeable in Polish history and literature and presents the material in an interesting way. He likes detail in writing so make sure to add as much as you can. Many students take his classes again, his lectures are interesting and he really cares about the students.

Prof. Merchant is a very passionate teacher and is willing to help you when you need it. He assigns a lot of reading but it's easy to read because it's actually interesting. He offers a lot of opportunities for extra credit. A midterm, final, weekly forum post, participation, and an individual project at the end. I definitely recommend him!

Professor Merchant is one of Loyola's best. His class was so interesting and the workload was very manageable. You must be engaged in the forums and through participation to get full credit. Couple easy extra credit assignments will bump up your final grade by 2% (which is huge).

Lectures are easy to follow and gives ideas for what to use in future essays. Provides extra credit. Participation is 10%, 2 3-page essays 20% vague prompts, go to office hours for clarification. Midterm/finals are 25%, 2 short answer. He allows corrections to fix essays and gives feedback on the originals. A solid choice if you're okay in writing.

Professor was very passionate about the topic which made learning fun. There's readings due each class but they're not terribly long, and they're all provided by the professor so you only have one small book to buy. Discussion posts due each week with comments on other posts. Midterm exam and final portfolio project on what you've learned in class

At first i was worried about taking a random irish and polish lit. class but i genuinely enjoyed it! professor merchant was super chill and the readings are done together in class and the essays are simple and easy (2 papers, midterm, and an optional 3rd paper). you're allowed to miss three lectures but is understanding if something comes up

Professor Merchant is very passionate about Irish and Polish literature and that's evident in his teaching. Overall, I really enjoyed the topics we covered and pieces we read. There's a lot of reading, 4 essays, a midterm, and a final that determines your grade. By no means an easy grader, but definitely a good teacher. I would recommend.

It was hard to be interested in some of the material presented in class and during lectures. Since many of us wouldnt read the night before the discussions were dry. The class would hang in silence for 10 seconds while Professor Merchant would wait an answer to his question. Other than that, make sure you show up to review and do your reflections.

I LOVE professor Merchant and his class. He gives great feedback, and is the kindest man ever. You have so many opportunities for extra credit, but you will probably not need it. My class did a virtual exchange with students in Poland, and it was the best thing I have ever been part of. Please take him, he is so amazing!!!

Great guy exams are straight forward on material read in class, read/skim the readings before class and participate the class goes by quick and easy.

He is very passionate about what he teaches. The class is super easy, theres only 2 group projects and then weekly assignments that are super easy. As long as you take notes during class you dont even need to do the readings. But I will say his grading is outrageous and he will take off .03 points for no reason.

Class discussions often revolved around our own relationship with immigration and America, and all of it tied back to the stories we read by Polish-American authors. Overall, course is very predictable, yet has a variety of readings. Lectures tend to be a bit dry due to lack of participation. Professor Merchant is very passionate though.

not my favorite prof ever, but I like him. nice guy, but his lectures and the readings can get a little boring. he's a pretty tough grader, it seems like there's always something you can change. however, if you participate and try on your essays I think you'll be fine. this class writing intensive so that also changes things

this guy is great I got a B because I was bad at attendance, and im not the best writers however his way of presenting ideas makes them extremely interesting. pretty nice and caring professor. take him no reason not to

Professor Merchant was a very chill and nice professor. He was very passionate about the subject which makes his class interesting because of how he teaches it. He likes to have the class participate and when no one raises their hand he will just stand there and wait till someone raises their hand. Very chill dude and class.

Not a bad choice for lit classes but he makes you work for your grade. Participation is super important.

He does want participation and wont move on until someone answers but is such a good lecturer. After the class, you know the material. He provided all the readings and I didn't have to buy a single book. We also watched like 3 movies throughout the semester, the material is also interesting. Highly recommend

He is very sweet and passionate about the topics. There is no homework, but you are expected to read short passages before each class. There are weekly quizzes but they are easy. There are 2 assignments (papers), a midterm, and a final. I'd recommend!

Dr. Merchant is really a great guy. Although he grades a little weird (you will never get a 100%) you will still do good as long as you participate and take notes. He does a review before the midterm and final which really helps. Graded off of 10 quizzes (easy), 2 projects, 1 midterm, 1 final, participation, and extra credit(if you choose to do it)

Easy class, the hardest part is the lectures are extremely boring and it's lot of reading. Personally, I barely did any of the readings and was able to do well, so if you can look pass the boring bit and want a relatively easy class then I would suggest taking it. Side note you can only miss 3 days of class or you risk penalty.

Prof Merchant was a good teacher and he really tries to engage his students. If you take his class please be ready to participate; it sucks when only two ppl actually participate. UCLR M is about polish/irish lit and while it is intersting it is also so boring if you have no personal connection to it. Overall tho he was a good prof just take notes!

Dr. Merchant was a great professor for UCLR 100M, his class mainly focuses on Irish and Polish literature. Personally, I found it very engaging, but again not everyone's interest. I really only recommend taking him if (1) you are interested in the topics (2) you are willing to participate, and (3) won't miss class. Overall he's a great professor!

Great teacher.

Chill dude who's definitely passionate about what he teaches; I think he also is a secret Cillian Murphy stan; only thing I regret is not participating as much in discussions because I was genuinely interested in his lectures (+ he'll wait for people to raise their hands), but I would also zone out a lot; midterm + final easy; overall fair grader

Prof merchant is a really sweet teacher who is willing to go above and beyond to help his students. He met me outside of class to explain the readings and when I said I did not comprehend he would send summaries.

he was fine a nice guy who cares

Low key this professor is very boring like SUPER SUPER boring. Super boring. But what makes him good is a flexibility on due dates and easy grading. I had his class once a week for 3 hours again very boring but he a easy grader and flexible.

Professor Merchant is very passionate about the courses he teaches and does a good job in explain the material he assigns. The material is easy to comprehend for the most part, but he grades pretty harsh. If you are not perfect you will not get an A. Graded on two bluebook tests, one essay, one group project, and in-class participation.

He clearly is passionate about his topic (comp. Irish/Polish lit.) but some times was a bit stingy in his grading/openmindedness. He always graded based on argument quality tho and not opinion, which I appreciated. Nitpicky grader- i came to all classes and talked every time and still did not get 10/10 participation, so class can b a lotta work.

He was super easy to take as a professor. Kind of lecture heavy but relates the material to help better understand it, and going to the class helps with understanding the class. Not a ton of homework and has clear paper outlines and not a tough grader. Get ready to write and not very picky. I would take his class again if I could.

Easiest class ever. I never read the books he assigned and showed up to class and sat there and listened to him storytell, which was never too boring. He is really nice and there is very few assignments through the semester, not a harsh grader either. Attendance was mandatory but other than that it was a perfectly smooth class. Cheap books too!

very interesting class, i really loved all the material and the movies were really amazing. pretty harsh grader and doesn't explain what he was looking for until you get the grade back. i was pretty involved but you can def get away with not ever saying anything in class and get participation. he takes attendance EVERYDAY. he has all the readings.

VERY passionate about Polish culture so it was easy to become passionate about the topic myself. Grading criteria was very vague. If you in the effort and participate in class, you will be fine. Halfway through the semester we began meeting with students at a university in Poland so be prepared to use time outside of class to do that.