2.5
Quality4.3
Difficulty43%
Would Retake224
Reviews43%
Would Retake
224
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
224 total ratings5
44
4
34
3
25
2
19
1
102
What Students Say
“One of the worst teacher I have ever taken at Pierce”
ENG101 - 2.0 rating“She is very very difficult”
E101 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
90%
Textbook Required
97%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.16 avg changeRatings by Course
ENG21101
5.0
(1)ENGP
5.0
(1)ENGLS101
5.0
(1)ENGLI103
5.0
(1)ENGLI239
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
28
5.0
ENG
5.0
ENG21101
5.0
ENGLISH28
5.0
ENLISH21
5.0
Reviews (223)
Never satisfied and expects too much from students.
A bit by-the-book, but not afraid to veer into unmanned territory. Not a difficult grader if student is familiar with myriad English courses. Good reading selection and fair workload. Beware the midterm!
Not to hard if you are willing to do some work. She help's you learn from your mistakes and get better.
she was a "not nice person" to me. i am a good student and i struggled. she granted me with a b even though i worked my butt off to get the A. WHATEVER! take her if you want to be bored by the book and her long dull lectures. not fun!
not the best but not the worst, try to get a diff teacher but shes not horrible
she is a little bit hard, but she teachs good,if you want to learn she works for you,she take quiz every day and give you 4 essay to write during semester.NORMAL
i thought she was a really good teacher. she gives grammer tests every class, but they are really easy. shes a good teacher and youo should take her
Tough teacher. she keeps everything clear and she is not boreing at all. she is a good example on how a teacher should teach.
She is a tough teacher. Just make sure you know your grammar. In my class she did not really like the opinion of students. You had to agree with her or else..well...too bad for you.
She is a great teacher and actually teaches the info thoroughly. If you're looking to B.S. the class, don't waste yours or her time...
she a nice person once you get to know her. shes tough and will rip apart your essays, but she just trying to help. she definently NOT and easy a. do well on research repot, its everything
she is a **** i hate her dont ever take her she seems nice at first but she SUCKs
This class is cool because you choose the topics for all of your papers. Don't procrastinate and you'll do well...
She was nice, isn't very clear, and a very hard grader. Seems to make everything more difficult then it really is. Not good but not horrible. I am pretty good at English and I had a tough time in her class. Is willing to help you though which is a plus.
SHE IS A VERY HARD GRADER,I HATE HER!
She is a very difficult teacher, but if u want to learn take her. She teaches all about grammer and is very concern about it as well. She is not easy at all, but as a professor she is a nice lady. Her essays are long and hard, but overall u learn a lot. U will write a lot in her class. She's ok
hard graderrrrrrrrrrrr!
she is a nice person, but it was so hard.
she teaches good, and is a nice teacher, but she is a TERRIBLE grader. There is no way to get an "A" in her class. she ruined my GPA. if you are looking for an "A," don't ever take a class with her.
teribble terrible teriible grader. she is a GPA ruiner.
Harddd greater!!! Do not take her if English is your second language.
Extremely hard grader. It is impossable to get an A on a paper. She assigns riduculas journals that don't get graded, and way to many essays
No Comments
She is too much of a subjective grader. In other words, if she likes you, you get a better grade. If she doesn't, you're screwed. You can have a wonderful and sophisticated writing style, but if it's not her style...bad grade. Her lectures are really nice though because it's open discussion, however, she makes you raise your hand like kindergarten.
awesome, awesome, teacher. if you truly desire a teacher who really knows what shes talking about, and are willing to learn how to become a MUCH better writer than prof. burns is for you. super inspiring, and eventhough i didnt get the A grade i wanted, i walked away with such an intense appreciation for the subject because of her.
Not a very good teacher, doesnt help and asigns way too many things at once. She needs to take a class to learn how to talk to people. she talks down to people like she is superior, but she is far far from it. Find a different teacher.
If you want to become a better writer, a more passionate reader, and a near expert at understanding poetry, then prof. burns is the english teacher your looking for. She is indeed challenging, but so inspiring, and so talented in her teaching skills that her tough class was worth it. I wanted an A, but I got a B - she taught me so much I dont mind.
The class is definately doable as long as you do the work.
She is a really hard grader and expects too much.
she sucks and is very unorganized she hardly has any office hours
shes a **** man i worked my ass off in her class and she gave me a C. I recommend that u shouldn't take this class she marks **** on the essays and expects too much!!!!!!!!!!!!
She's hot! But tough. She's a tough grader. She expects more than you can offer, as a student - talk about believing in you. She gave me a 'B' grade. It surely was not an easy 'B'.
Interesting subject. Very smart woman. The coursework is demanding in that there is a lot, but its necessarily tough if you have moderate to strong language abilities. I will say she has VERY strict grading criteria, which can only hurt you. Also she is an active feminist, which I found to be annoying in many cases
Hardest teacher i have ever had!! Honestly her regular classes are taught as if they were a honors class! UNFAIR GRADER!!
SHE IS THE WORST TEACHER I EVER HAD. SHE RUINED MY 4.0 GPA. EVEN IF YOU DO EVERYTHING SHE ASKS FOR, SHE FINDS IT HARD TO GIVE YOU AN A. SHE GIVES YOU A LETTER GRADE FOR EVERY ESSAY YOU WRITE AND I DON'T KNOW HOW SHE TOTALS EVERYTHING FOR YOUR FINAL GRADE. SHE GAVE ME A'S AND B'S AND ENDED UP WITH A FINAL GRADE OF B.
Hard grader. She will always find fault in whatever you submit. I took her class to learn but she expects perfection. There is no learning curve in this class. She wasn't even a good teacher and yet expects too much from her students.
shes very committed and passionate. lectures broadly.if u want to fall in luv with english take her. a hard class. u need 2 put alot of time. if u want an easy A dont take her but want to learn take her. she's good only for serious students.shell make u write better by pointing urerrors. i got a B learned alot&will takeher again.i recommend her
This is an engaging class that fully exercises critical thinking and writing. Prof. Burns is nice but impersonal; however she responds to everything you write personally—and you write a lot! The mechanics of writing are assumed, so come prepared as she's a tough grader. This is good sport if you wish to be challenged.
Class is extremely hard;very picky grader. However very knowledgable about her subject. Overally, you need to study and read a lot. Book is mandatory. Dropped the class way toooooooo demanding.
very hard! i attend her class everyday and pass some of her self quiz, but on the essay she grades hard
EASY, EASY, EASY!! I always slept in her class or I wasn't there. All you need is the instructions on what to write about, do all the class work, and do all the essays and your set. I got a B and I'm Happy =)
Professor Burns is extremely difficult and demanding. Nevertheless, she is merely preparing you for the real world. Students do not seem to realize that they will not survive schools such as UCLA or USC or Yale if they already have a hard time with her. Yes, she gives a lot of homework, but this only benefits you in the long run. I have learned a l
She is a bit difficult & makes it seem like it's impossible to get an A, I did get a B in the class. However, she does provide you with help on the essays & it really does prepare you for harder English classes. But still a little unrealistic.
She is very passionate about what she is teaching. She tends to be quite repetitive, but I guess it helps to secure it in your brain. There is homework every day, and always an essay to work on. She is a fairly tough grader but if you actually put in effort and listen to her comments on the peer edits, you'll do fine.
lots of work, lots of essays, lots of homework, but well worth it, i learned more in that class about English than in HS, very good teacher
She is the best English teacher I have ever had. The reason others rate her is because she truly wants to teach "critical thinking" and the ability to detect fallacies in an argument. She is perfect for those who are passionate about the subject. Four Essays. Two textbooks. Plenty of extra credit!
If you are an English major or are very serious about your studies, Burns is the right professor for you. I am an English major and found her discussion-based classes to be very helpful. She is a harder grader than most, but she is also a very kind person who is very open to helping if you just ask. If you get a B in her class, you did great!
Great teacher! Her main focus is to get you to express yourself on paper, and if you don't know how, she will definately teach you how to do it. HW is not hard at all but the essays are a good challenge and if your looking for one take her!!!
Professor Burns is a great teacher. She does put a lot of input on your essays but the comments are useful. I learn a lot in her class, and she involved the class often regarding journals and homework. Since I took her course during the Summer 5 week, I suffered because there were a lot of work expected, but the full session would actually be fun.
GO BIG OR GO HOME. Her class is demanding; homework every class session, exams, papers. She is, however, AMAZING. If you plan on transfering to a UC/CSU, she preps you for the big leagues. Contrary to popular belief, she is NOT a which- she gives plenty of room for extra credit, curves exams, and urges you to visit her if you are having trouble.
if english is your second language don't take her at all.!!!!!!! She is really hard! No way to get an A on her essays!!!!!!!!! She doesn't teach at all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
She is an amazing teacher, very hard, i love reading and critical thinking, so for me she was ideal. i didnt get the grade i wanted but i have alot of work to do with my writer. she is perfect for anyone who is majoring in english, she is thorough, easy to approach, and tries to involve group discussion for clarity. All in all, brilliant.
She is the best professor ever. I learned a lot about writing different types of essays.You have 3 essays, 1 mid term, research paper, and final essay. She is a tough grader but she helps u with the essays before u turn them in. TAKE HER!!!u won't regret....
I took professor burns during the fall semester and she is a fabulous teacher! You do need all text books she tells you to get (3) and she keeps you busy with continuous papers every week. The good thing is that the first 3 or 4 papers, she allows you to submit as a rough draft. She is very welcoming and you will actually learn in her class!
Definitely a challenge. She is a tough grader. But it helps you a lot, specially if u wanna better ur writting skills. you learn a LOT! and she is super nice! if ur expecting an easy A dont even try..but getting a good grade is def doable, and if ur committed..you'll do good. I'm really happy i took that class. =) i'd do it all over again =D
Be aware of her, she is hardddddddd. No way to get A.If you are satisfied with C or D, then take her.
She's a great teacher! you have to read and answer questions, but she goes over the readings the next day. So if you dont read or didnt understand it, she brakes it down the next day. Which is really helpful! You also have to write like five papers. So if your trying just to slide by, she might not be for you. But if you want to learn she's great!!
worst prof. Very unorganized.
Well, she is nice. But she doesn't have lots of office hours that matches with my time. She grades very hard, and material is very hard to comprehend as well. -_-
gives way too much unnecessary journals everyday which prevent me from doing other class assignments. phew . plus her expectation is extremely high.
nasty awful teacher.
She is not a great teacher, can't teach.
Don't listen to some positive comments about this teacher!!!!
Hardest class ever.
Avoid her at all cost!
She makes easy materials very complicated, which is not fair.
The WORST TEACHER I HAVE EVER HAD IN MY ENTIRE LIFE. SHE IS RUDE, BORING, DRYING AND INCREDIBLY USELESS, SHE LECTURES, GIVES STUDENTS LITTLE INVOLVEMENT. TONS OF HW. TERRIBLE, DO NOT TAKE HER.
THOSE WHO GAVE HER GOOD REVIEW ARE CRAZY!
GPA killer!!!!! never take her if you care about your GPA, but if you don't I totally recommend her. She is very rude & on top of that very mean. Not helpful at all and she gives a lot of Hw to make your life miserable like hers. Big No! & she should be fired from Pierce College immediately!!
Lol. I totally agree with previous comment. She is definitely GPA killer, and plus has bad attitudes towards students. She doesn't care about her students at all.
Bad instructor. Enough said.
NOT WORTH THE POT I PEE IN!
Attendance is mandatory and there was hw due every class, but they ultimately help you come exam time. She knows her material and is open to everyones opinion of the texts. I got an A because of some extra credit opportunities that are worth a lot of points.
Can't teach
she makes your pierce college experience miserable as hell.
I can't believe that students have written good things about her. Duhhhh
Challenging, but pushes you to the next level, works through any minor issue that might be hindering your writing. She prepares you for future classes and professors you'd encounter at UCLA/Berkeley. Simply the best. All you have to do is ask for help and she lights up. Just know she's not warm, but truly does care, she just seems shy.
She is disorganized and favors certain student.
Whatever.
EEhhhhhhhh.
It's funny that She doesn't have lots of office hours by comparing with other teachers in THIS CAMPUS.
I cannot believe what other people have said about Burns. After reading these comments, I went into her class expecting the worst. This is college people! If you despise serious professors then you are in the wrong place. She does not hand out A's to people who do not deserve them.
if you are really serious student or if you want really high level english, take her class. But if you want A or B, don't take, you will regret it for sure.
She can be nice if you are on her good side at least.
Hope she no longer teaches at pierce cuse she gave me terrible grade after arguing with her.
Terrible terrible terrible grader and gpa ruiner.
Hope she gets fired
Omg cant believe pierce still letd her teaching.
She speaks too fast.
One word: terrible.
she needs to become more organized
She gets angry whenwver students ask her questions about class materials. Booo
Even though she seems nice, but she is very rude, ignorany and stubborn. She thinks that she can never be wrong.
If you want to get a bad grade. Then take this class.
Doesn't know how to teach
Only thing that I can say about her is that she does not care about her students and loves to fail her students.
She has bad attitudes toward her students.
I dropped her class cause she gave me so many unnecessary assignmemts.
No way. She has very bad teaching style.
this class is very demanding and requires a little extra time outside of class. there is a lot of hw BUT everything you do on your hw is extremely helpful for tests and papers. she is so insightful and passionate about literature. picks really interesting short stories that you can enjoy.
Be aware of her. She assgined students tons of work in one day. Not a good professor.
She needs to find another job other than teaching english class.
She loves messing up with other people's GPA. I mean she enjoys ruining someone's 4.0 GPA.
I cant beleive the comments about Prof. Burns. I had her in Spring & thought she was great. Her lectures changed the way I saw some of my favorite stories & she was very thorough while critiquing my essays. Those wanting an easy 'A' need not apply but those who are willing to put in some effort will be fine!
She never gives good comment about someone's essay. Phew...
what a bad professor she is.
Loves giving crappy huge assignments in one day. nonononononononononono
Tough grader
Tehehe, I just noticed that many people gave her bad reviews. She deserves to get bad review all the time.
sh4225
very very bery bad. -_-
Muy mal.
Nice, but can't teach.
one of the crazy teacher
She does not care about students at all. Avoid her at all the costs!!!!!
very bad, disorganized, no good teaching methods.
Nothing else that I can say about this professor other than being one of the worst professor.
Her English 101 class is Critical thinking class, folks.
She only expect a lot from her students.
Gives loads of crappy works in one day that are impossible to finish by then.
She makes easiet thing more complicated.
WOW!! awful teacher. Always depressed and sad and doesn't care about anyone. Worst English teacher I have ever had. I dropped the class and got a W and I don't regret it. DON"T TAKE HER PERIOD!!!!
Brilliant professor. her passion for the works she assigns adds to the enjoyment of the discussions. She has a deep understanding of literature and I got SO much interest and enjoyment out of her course. You need to show up, take notes, do the reading and the homework, and you'll do fine on the essays and exams. I would take another of her classes.
Her lectures are not very clear at all, its somewhat hard to understand. -_-
NEVER EVER TAKE HER, YOU WILL REGRET IT..
does she ever smile. bad teacher. she is not organized at all. she is not helpful and sooooo boring.
She is a bad teacher, dosen't care if students understand her material. When she says that if you don't understand you have to look for help some where else.
I stepped down to take this class, bad idea. This teacher is boring..boring..boring. She has a VERY monotone voice making it hard to do anything but yawn and get extremely bored. I do not recommend her at all.
Im smh at some reviews here difficult? just something called teaching unclear? SO clear spoon feeds u information so that ur learning uncaring?!she dedicates so much time and office hours to make sure u understand exactly whats expected of u Best part, she types a note and staples it to ur essay telling u her thoughts the good and bad takeherclass
Absolutely horrible teacher. Her notes are very vague and unhelpful, her class is uneventful, monotonous, and dull. Her grading are utterly ridiculous and go way more in-depth than she ever does.
She only gives As 2 maybe English majors or if someone is publisher grade material.Otherwise u will not get an A in this class.This was a 5 wk course.Dont take it unless you are good at englih already. The readings were interesting,Ive had teachers who were worse at lecturing,shes fine just tough,NOT AN EASY GRADE class.u will learn & become better
So on the first day of class she said getting an A wouldn't be easy. She wasn't kidding. She mentioned that she was a student of UCLA and shed be grading by their standards. I don't think she ever considered that an A at pierce is equivalent to a B there. Regardless, She knows her stuff and is an amazing lecturer. However, don't even hope for an A.
Burns' ENG 103 is not an easy class. I write A papers and have always gotten A's in English. No, my writing is not publishing work but it is to standard, comprehensive, and creative, As mentioned by others, she does grade to a UC level. Every class has assigned hmwk q. from book, which I found very interesting but time consuming,
Professor Burns was a very sweet lady, however, her lectures were very vague and uninteresting. Her essays were also very difficult.Overall,do not take this teacher if you are not a English major.
Loved her 239 class so much I took her for 103 also. She is not easy but if you are capable of showing up to class you will learn a lot! She asks a lot of her students and she gives a lot of work but she also takes the time to not only read everything you turn in but gives insightful comments.
Very nice teacher but gives so much busy work and will put me to sleep in seconds.
she is a very sweet teacher but her grading was bad she counted pules but they didn't help too much busy work , talks very low I wanted to fall asleep I've never gotten anything on an essay bellow a B especially not because I missed a comma here and there because it didn't sound right
Mrs. Burns is a good teacher. She goes over the material right before she gives a quiz and the quizzes are quite simple. You may find yourself starting to fall asleep during class, but if you stay awake and pay attention you'll receive an easy A.
Never ever take class with her, you will regret for sure.
She really needs more office hours in a case if students need any help, questions or concerns.
She is not as bad as everyone says. I was never very good at English and got and A. She only wants 5 paragraph essays which are super easy. And grades on what she covers in class. She could be a little hard to understand but if you read what she assigns you'll know what shes talking about. Shes boring but she does try to keep things interesting.
Do not expect an easy class, if the class was too easy than students would not advance in their writing skills. If you pay attention, understand, and do the hw, you will do just fine. If you are not willing to work, then the class is not for you.
Don't like this class unless your major is English and Literatures. This class is not for ELD/ESL students.
This class was equally my most challenging and most rewarding class I've taken yet. Prof Burns has high expectations for her students but is very clear in what she wants. The HW is time consuming but helpful to the essays. She gives very thorough feedback on all essays. Never miss lecture and buy the textbook. Highly recommend!
School is for learning and in this class you will learn. Slackers beware Im guilty as charged This class is not easy. Prof Burns has high expectations and is one of the profs that go against the status quo of Community College classes being substandard. I would recommend this to those who would want to learn how to write. Grades on a USC level.
She is a fantastic professor Go to class. Work on the assignments. Sit up front. She will go out of her way to grade your paper with great care. She actually cares. I transferred to Cal State and still use her hand-outs for my papers.
Hardest class Ever!!
Professor Burns is not as bad as most of the reviews on here say she is. Her class is hard and you definitely wont get by slacking off. She is a tough grader but takes the time to give really good feedback and encourages coming to her for help with your essays. This class is definitely passable if you put the work in. Enjoyed the class.
Had her for 101 and 102, B and waiting on next grade. Worked with my long distance situation, love her indepth teaching style. Tests are slightly tough BUT ONLY cuz theyr extensive, she asks for good analysis'. No extra credit but she gives u many chances to TRY, and she usually recognizes real effort. Perfect for people who get really descriptive.
If you took Ap Lit and Lang or IB HL eng Lit and got at least a 4 (6-7 for IB) then this class will be okay for you. Maybe a B or A. For those who are CP or Honors classes, slight chance of B most likely C. She's tough but she is so helpful. Made me a better writer.
She is a really helpful teacher, may seem intimidating at first (made us write an essay in first day of class!), however if you do your homework, go to workshops for extra credit, take part in class activities, you can easily get an A, even if you have mostly B's and A-'s like me.
She is sweet, caring, and always helpful during office hours. She tries to engage the class in discussion, but presents the material rather dryly. She is a tough grader, but not impossible to get an A on essays. Go to office hours before essays are due and do the extra credit!! Expect homework every class - Rare quizzes - No pop quizzes
One of the worst teacher I have ever taken at Pierce. First C ever in my entire life. My parents fed me rice for a whole month because of this. DO NOT TAKE HER!
If you want a low grade take her! Very hard class and she gives a lot of work! Be ready to work hard first c that I get because of this class!
Very difficult professor. Very hard grader and rarely helped me out, gives bad grades over the most trivial things.
ok she grades at the UC level first. she's says hmm a lot in her lectures so you would get confuse. You must have her point of view in your essays if you do not she talks about her views.
She grades essays on UCLA and USC level!! A or B students would better expect to receive C as a best grade to pass...
Totally Hard To Deal With Or Understand. Don't Recommend At All!!
I'm typically an A student. I've never gotten anything but A's especially in English, so this class was a wake up for me. She's tough, but she takes a lot of time and care into critiquing your papers. She leaves a lot of notes telling you what mistake you made. If you go to office hours she is more than happy to discuss your papers and help you.
Very tough teacher. Homework is questions assigned from the textbook and kept in a green book to be turned. Generally about half a page to a full page for each question, and I filled up a few green books. The essays are graded harshly but the notes and replies she gives are great and very helpful. I definitely left this class improved.
Prof Burns will make you work for your grade. Improvement and dedication is key in her class. She gives detailed feedback on all submitted work. There're a lot of essays and reading journals throughout the semester. One of the most competent English teachers I've ever taken.
I took 103 with professor Burns. Which was supposed to be a debate class, but we would rarely debate. She talks a lot, and is very confusing. Very hard grader.
She's very serious about English and will grade you as if you yourself are an English major. Don't take Burns if you're just trying to pass the class and get it over with. While her tests are simple, she requires you to write many essays that are worth 15-30% of your grade. I highly recommend staying away from her. Horrible.
Her lectures and homework felt like they were just taking up time rather than providing substance. Personally think her grading system was unfair because it was heavily weighted on essays (and there were only three essays). Her time management felt off as well. She would explain what she wanted from an essay the class before it was due.
You need to get ready to work really hard to pass this class. She is very very difficult! English 101 should not be that difficult, and she makes it so it is. She says its preparing us for University but that's why we are taking English 101 at a CC level. DO not take her if you are an average student. She's tough.
Tough grader! But she is AMAZING! Unlike everyone else who seems to dislike her, they do not know how to work for their grade. I learned so much from her! I will totally take her for another class again!
I think the other students who write negatively about her are LAZY. She is a great teacher and an easy A. Do half the work, and youll get a B. Do all the work and get an A.
Do the extra credit, and you will get an A. She will turn you into an amazing writer, especially if English is your second language. She takes the time to go through everything with you. Take advantage of her office hours too. She loves helping!!
She tells her students at the end of class to write negative reviews. She isnt hard and makes you a better writer. Dont trust the negative reviews.
doesn't care about students, rants about things that don't matter. nothing she tells you to study is important or on any of the tests. DO NOT TAKE HER CLASSES
She made me a better writer. very clear on what she wants. I def recommend taking her class. she offers etra help and extra credit
Should go to office hours when you can. Tells you what she wants in your essays (there are 3) the day before it is due. Feedback is hard to read. Gives you everything you need to be able to study but doesn't tell you what you necessarily need to know (especially on the final). Need to study everything on your own. Make cards for the definitions.
Prof. Burns is the reason behind my newfound appreciation for Kafka. She's passionate about literature and is effective in structuring her lectures in a more accessible manner, which is super helpful when Shakespeare is involved. She's tough, but her grading style will definitely make you a better writer!
She is the worst I repeat worst professor ever! She is so rude and unprofessional. She honestly wrote on my paper 'a waste of time' and that if I was going to keep 'wasting' her time I shouldn't bother. She constantly reminded me that if I had a different thought than her that I was 'extremely wrong'. I advise against taking this professor.
I had her for not only English 101 but also 103. She is a tough grader but she is fair, she grades based off the quality of your work. Showing up to class can only benefit you. She also gives "tests" in class, they are more like quizzes, but she ends up reviewing what is going to be on the "test" the class before as well as right before.
Does she help you becoming a better writer? Yes. Indeed.. is her long detailed feedback useful? Absolutely... Dont take this class if you are just looking for easy A class or if your English is Second Language or so.
Burns truly wants to create students into professional and formal writers, which I am so appreciative for! She means well! I wish I would have taken her English 101 during fall semester instead of a 1 month summer class. Her grading is very helpful but can be tough! I wish her handwriting was more eligible! She provides thoughtful feedback.
Very critical
She's awful. Her lectures are boring, shes way too critical and pompous. She was one of the few professors who made the educational experience worse once COVID hit. The final is filled with short passage analysis accompanied by an essay that will be timed. She wasted 40 minutes of that time and only gave 15 minutes back. 1/10
She assigns 3 essays total & 1 midterm. Essay prompts are given ahead of time; however, her instructions are very vague, & she does not expand on what she's looking for till a few days prior the due date. Expect homework every week; homework is due by the end of class. She gives you lots of feedback on essays, but good luck reading her handwriting!
Wonderful. Everyone should take this class, not just to improve your writing but to learn to be conscientious and judgmental of what you read and know what to look out for. She was able to be neutral in situations while still teaching you why certain things are wrong. Truly an excellent teacher that teaches you to think critically for yourself. :)
This was the hardest class I have ever taken and is the hardest grader. Gives you no credit even if you try. Makes lectures long and talks a lot. She doesnt appreciate you trying and doesnt really care. I would never take another one of her classes. She doesnt explain how she wants things done, the class is much hard. You can never please her.
Experience was kind of awful to be honest. Felt like she was more so a critic rather than an actual teacher/helper. Very judgmental and picky with your word usage on assignments so be prepared for petty and harsh grading . Lectures weren't very useful and boring. If your not a very experienced or skillful writer I suggest you don't take her class.
I've already been to two of her classes and I can tell I won't like her. She talks about her personal opinions and obviously has a very strong bias. She seems like she will find a flaw in any sentence, but I can also tell she cares about the accuracy of your words and is paying attention. She just seems very judgemental if anything.
very insightful and also includes philosophical ideas in the class. I really enjoyed it
My least favorite professor. Heavy workload, lots of busy work, too many papers, criticizes work heavily, harsh grader. Most importantly, you learn absolutely nothing. Looking back on the semester, all the work we did in this class seemed like it was simply meant to fill time.
Very hard class. Easier for me than for most students. i did learn how to write essays better and how to write different types of essays. her lectures are boring and i played minesweeper while half listening but i did lean some stuff like how to cite stuff properly. it's ok
She is rather work heavy, and good grades require genuine effort, so I don't recommend it if you've got a packed schedule. Where she really excels is in being clear in her expectations, in-depth feedback, and working in an impressively timely manner. She may not be for everyone, but deserves a much better score, so don't let it scare you too much!
I don't think she was mean just she wants to know facts and not your opinion on the lesson. The lectures are important to attend as she goes over the reading assignments and homework which helps to clarify anything unclear. She is restricted on grading but will let you redo assignments without taking points off. As for help when needed.
For a college leveled class, it has a decent workload with a few essays. Some may say it classifies as busywork, however course material is paired with current events. She is very lenient and accommodating if a student makes effort to communicate via email or office hours. Although she says she won't answer emails after hours, she still does.
Contradictor. There is no wrong in analyzing she claims, yet gives you a bad grade if you did not include a small thing
The class is okay, she explains things very boringly, too critical and a hypocrite and contradicts some of her explanations. I only chose this professor as it was the one that fit my schedule, this should definitely be a last resort BEWARE
The assignments rubric could be clear as day and you may answer it the same as everybody else and she will still give you a 13/20. This class is IMPOSSIBLE to pass with >90, and very difficult to pass between a 89-80. The best students will get a 82-70 and if you don't put everything into it you will fail this class.
Too much homework, Grading doesn't make sense cant ever get a perfect grade even when using her feedback, lectures were boring, if you willingly chose this class goodluck if you dont drop out
In all due respect this was the hardest english class i ever took not because the work was hard, She was too picky to give anything above a 90% even 85% sometimes. Everything you turn in will be criticized not feedback. If this is your only choice its not even worth it as the class is extremely boring and barely any participants.
She does not put faith in her students, expects you to know what you're doing. If you have a question about your work, get ready to have answers for stuff you didn't ask for.
One of the professors that I would suggest avoiding if you taking English. Professor Burns is rude when asking questions to students and makes us feel dumb. Her lectures are very boring and her grading criteria are very unfair. She doesn't have a full or half class in the middle of the semester for how she teaches. She doesn't care or help students
I dropped the class over midway through because the workload was constant and unforgiving. I felt like everything she said was not actually helpful and I felt really lost. I have been good at English up until her class, and like others she made me feel stupid. DO NOT take Karin Burns if you have other responsibilities in life to attend to.
This class was tough. Lectures are every day and homework is constant. She doesn't give a lot of time to complete papers as she gave one the day before Thanksgiving and it was due the Monday at 8 am when we got back. This workload makes it difficult if you are busy outside of school too. Take an easier teacher.
One of the harder professors I've had, her lectures are boring. Her grading scale is tough and lectures are extremely boring. However, her feedback on assignments is excellent and very thorough in pointing out what you could've done better. Be prepared for several assignments a week and multiple essays towards the end of the semester.
This was honestly a very depressing class to take, awful experience with this professor as well, as much as I tried to take specific notes and cater to her expectations I would always get a 6/10 on every single homework assignment. Overall, I do not recommend taking this class!
Prof. Burns wasn't a bad prof, her lectures just got a bit boring is all. She is a tough grader, as she typically grades at a UC level. Honestly, as long as you show her you care about her class and you do the work and participate she's not a bad prof at all, and she'll actually be more lenient with you.
Professor was a very tough grader and I felt as if her rubric wasn't as clear. Other than that, she gives very good feedback on your assignments and will genuinely help you achieve better writing if you plan on transferring. Essays in the class were fine and not as heavy as. Lecture, however, was extremely boring and something I despised.
Professor Burns runs a tough course, but her detailed feedback is invaluable. While the workload is heavy, using resources like Unstuck ai alongside the textbook can help manage it. Attend class, stay engaged, and you'll learn a lot despite the challenge.
. She often speaks quickly and uses complex vocabulary without offering clear explanations, which makes it difficult to fully grasp the material. her tendency to speed through discussions leaves little time for students to ask questions or engage with the content. The workload is also overwhelming
Extremely boring lectures that just answered all of the questions that we were supposed to have already answered for homework. Poor classroom management - my class was always silent, and she never tried other strategies to get people engaged. Gave super detailed feedback, which was great, but the initial assignment guidelines were weirdly vague.
For someone who's attending college for the first time, she was insanely hard with her assignments, but the worst one was the research paper. It was too early for a first-timer like me to work on that, and the only reason I passed her class was because of the extra credit assignments. Everything else was mostly too hard for my level.
This woman changed my life when she assigned Raymond Carver's What We Talk About When We Talk About Love. I was in an abusive relationship with a drug addict who was 3 years older than me. We started dating when I was 15 turning 16. I finally found the courage to leave. Professor B saved my life. Much love.
My best advice for anyone taking Professor Burns' courses: listen intently, take notes, ask questions, and PARTICIPATE. Participation and asking questions during class discussions will be your greatest assets. While Professor Burns may be "tough," her feedback is invaluable. Attend class, stay engaged, and you'll learn more than you expect.
Not an easy grader, but definitely worth the effort. I learned a lot from her. You'll have fun
Tough grader, perfectionist, Will lecture you about every assignment you turn in, it will never be good enough.
Do not recommend. She was extremely strict on attendance even though her lectures were not even necessary to go to, her class is very hard to keep engaged in. Assignments were fairly easy but she is very picky with her grading and what she likes. Tests are kind of difficult if you aren't 100% prepared. If you do the work your grade will be fine.
If you're willing to put in a modicum of effort, this class shouldn't be an issue. Just show up, write a lot more than you think you need (and I mean more than you think you need and then a little more on top of that) for assignments, review the material, and you will be fine. She wants you to succeed which is evident if you talk to her.
If your high school English wasn't great, Burns will be tough. But I'm glad because my writing has gotten better. Not easy but worth the extra effort. Just be flexible and ready to work hard.
Mrs Burns was tough but fair. Some of the other students seemed to act a little entitlted, and she wasn't having any of it. I put in a lot of work and now my writing is much better.
She doesn't even allow phones on the desk. When it was my first week in class she had an in class essay due in 45 minutes with a minimum of 1 page. Not too difficult but was no necessary because i just finished hs and got slammed because of her class.
Professor Burn does actually help you if you go up to her. Most of the essays are in class written essays, but she make's you take notes and you can use them for the essays. If you just do the assigments, you'll get a good grade. But she is a tough grader, and she like's to give you alot of comments on your paper.
Homework every week and essays every other week, last 2 essays are due within days of each other. Her instructions are confusing because she changes the due date & instructions up quite often & doesn't attend office hours that are written. Overwhelming class with not very good explanations especially for a first year student. Behind in lectures.
Actually awful, I ended up dropping the class, She would tell me to my face what to fix on an assignment or how to do the assignment step by step and would give me a 0 still when she graded it even if she was the one helped me on it. Lectures were also confusing because of that, hypocritical.
Genuinely could be one of the worst instructors I've ever had. Gives great feedback but when I apply the feedback I get returned a 50%. How that works I could never tell you.
If you have to take this class and she is the only person just take it next semester with someone else
She is really heavy with homework and work she is a perfectionist she won't I understand that you have more work to complete from other teachers she is driving me crazy!
her grading is pretty tough and her lectures are sub-par but she knows what she's talking abt. she's nitpicky about the things that matter!
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
90%
Textbook Required
97%
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