Excellent teacher, great sense of humour.

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Great humour. Excellent selection of novelist/poets.

Need to work hard in this class. Good class, but workload is alot.

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I love it when he locks the door on latecomers! He is quite supportive but you need to learn to write better on your own.

witty and enthusiastic, his sarcasm serves only to further his already enticing appeal

Excellent teaching abilities, he teaches with flair and a refreshing humor, I love the sarcasm

ok teacher, if you understand the "deeper meaning" of the books/plays/book-play/poems

If you care about doing well he will inspire you to do so. He is funny and likes it when you ask questions and contribute to discussions. You can learn a lot from him, but you have to learn how to listen and follow his instruction. He is so supportive.

An amazing prof with a great sense of humour. He's a fair marker and is always willing to answer a question. I recommend him to anyone planning to take an English course; you won't regret it.

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Funny, makes it intersting, doens't like to teach grammar, so he doesn't. The best english teacher i've ever had.

Decent teacher for American Lit., however, it's difficult to write a good essay for him. His comments are a little unhelpful and he is unclear as to what he wishes to see in an 'A' paper.

great teacher very helpful, interesting choice of course material. always makes class fun and is an easy marker.

Aweomse teacher, hard to get an 'A' but he will help improve your writing! Very funny and makes you love coming to class!

The best English teacher anyone will ever have. He makes class interesting and fun. The course is not 5/5 for easiness because you have to work, but he makes it fun to work. He is also a very funny man. Take him over any other teacher you can!!!

Right away from the first class I could tell that the class wouldn't be as daunting as the other survey courses I had taken. He gives the class alot of power in making them decide how complex/deep an idea should be developed. Highly recommended

He's got the coolest voice! i still have it in my head when i'm reading poetry. don't pick him if ur english skills are poor. he only cares about creativity. he only cares about writing being written in sentences, just so that he can understand it, not the grammar.

Baker is awesome. He has a good way of teaching, and he is interesting. I didn't study at all in his class and pulled an A-. He is funny and pretty easy going. It's not hard to get good grades with him if you read and understand the material, and he loves to talk about sex! Use it to your advantage

Hes great. I was never good at english but this guy made me love it. Hes clear on his instructions and is very helpful if u ask him lots of questions. I highly recommend him and i regret the fact that i didnt take him for 1129 b/c i would have, no questions asked. average marker. do as he says!!!!

everyone will be a better writer after successful completion of Dr. Baker's class

Baker is the best english teacher i've ever had. not only because he's easy, but he's very helpful. as long as you attend his lectures, participate a bit, you're well off with a B. not much studying is required. a paper, exam, and two small presentations which aren't worth anything, just for knowled

I love this guy! TAKE HIM!!!! TAKE HIM!!! pretty easy classes... well....just attend his lectures.. ON TIME! or else OH BOI...

Funny teacher. Fair marker. He swears. Overall, he's a good teacher!

Baker is funny. However, I found that he marked writing assignments hard. He is quite helpful. You gotta attend all his classes. I got the impression that students who tried their best to stand out (by always asking questions or volunteering to read out loud) did well compared to students who just tried to blend into the background.

This teacher seems obsessed about sex and convincing young students that "English Teachers make better lovers" ( just the sort of phrase he wrote on the board when we were looking at sentence structure). Kinda creepy.

He is very funny if you like his mildly twisted humour. Lots of jokes about sex and such. If you read the poetry and understand the basics of poetry, it's very easy to get a good mark. Everything he picked for us to read was interesting, and he brought movies for all the plays.

Good teacher - gives me grades i would expect in an eng class so don't let people tell you he isn't a fair marker, they probably just aren't good in english, he does have a phd. And also a lot of comments say they didn't study in this class but if you ask me i don't think any english class should involve studying, thats not really what its about

He has changed how I look at the English language and I learned more from him that I have in 4 years of english.

Don't be afraid... he's actually awesome and hilarious.

His choice of works were totally screwed, but keeps it interesting for students. he is really clear about what he wants you to do for papers and exams. he marks basically all on your ideas, insight, analysis, and not on ability to write, which was good for me. realy little amount of homework. was an easy B that i spent no time on.

Baker is pretty awesome. He is great to study poetry with because he actually spends time teaching his students how to analyze. If you're not into English, don't bother. I've heard about enough whining about all English profs, Baker included. If you've got half a brain, you'll definitely get something out of his class.

I think Mark Baker is an extremely gifted English professor. He cares about his students and honestly seems to enjoy the job of teaching. He is over-qualified to teach the courses he teaches,(Ph.D from Columbia University) but never appears arrogant or unapproachable. Thank you Dr. Baker for all you bring to the classroom.

Hes excellant. Take him no matter what! very helpful

Fun class. Baker kept it lively.

He was funny and helpful and knew a lot about American literature. I really liked how he taught poetry. He played music sometimes.

He helped me celebrate myself! Clever prof, good books, mostly, perhaps too many student presentations. He seems to like teaching. So the class liked him, mostly

he made poetry clear and fun. and i liked it for the 1st time. best english teacher

There are 2inclass essays/1 paper & he's lenient with in-class marks. However, there were too many presentations..although perhaps if there weren't so many pretentious ppl in the class(& a little less in general)presentations wouldn't be so bad. Overall, he's a passionate and interesting..ohh and funny teacher. Take him!

all poetry all the time. Pretty entertaining about it too.

I loved Baker! Funny, clear...I may have a bit of a crush on him!

The only interesting class I had. He's funny and enthusiastic.

It's hilarious how everyone who disses English profs are those who have extremely crappy grammar. Baker was a clear and hilarious prof who gives you the tools you need to interpret poems. People who blame the teacher for their own lack of skills need to get a reality check. He was enthusiastic and straight up. Awesome guy.

Mark is one of the most passionate and interesting profs I have ever met. Do not take his class unless you are willing to work very hard ... but if you are, you will be rewarded. Don't drink too much before class or you'll pee your pants laughing.

OK class, a bit boring. The poems studied in class are kind of irrelevant, because exams and projects are done on poems that aren't studied in class. I didn't read any of the poems in the book, just listened in class, but still easy to get a good mark. Fair marker, he doesn't like students to write alot of fluff, just straight to the point.

Mark is the best prof I have encountered at this school. He's passionate, witty, and brilliant. His classes were not only exciting but stimulating as well. I would advise any and all to take his class. Tip: if you attend class he recognizes you and it reflects in your grade =)

Baker is a great prof. I am a science student so English is not really my favorite subject, but apparently I am pretty good at writing essays. You cant expect to cruise through this class but its no where near as difficult as my high school teachers told us it would be. He does do certain things not everyone will like but he is a good prof.

Mark is a good prof! Really funny too! I liked how he doesn't expect you to "read into" poetry too deeply and find hidden meanings and things. Straightforward teaching style, and I enjoyed everything we learned about (even poetry, which I've never liked before!).

Can't tell whether I liked him or not tbh. I always did well in English throughout highschool. Usually an A or high B. Got a C+ with Baker. I didn't like his teaching style, but he was definitely a nice guy willing to help. Some of his jokes made me uncomfortable. Horndog...

I don't get all of these recent negative reviews. Mark is a great prof. His personality may cause certain people to clash with him, but most stuff you can just let it slide. He does NOT want you to repeat what his opinions are. In fact he applauds people with other opinions, but they need to be backed up. Being vocal in class will help your grade!

I relearned the art of essay writing from this man after a ten year hiatus. I say art because when you learn from Mark, every sentence can be shaped to near perfection. Although his temperment ran hot and cold, he was very clear about what he expected from his students.

Although his style may be hard to grasp at first, Baker is an extremely helpful and amazing prof...he is not only humorous and appreciates effort, but he is willing to help and you can learn a lot from him if you put effort into his class. He may be a tough marker, but he will teach you not only how to write, but also how to think!

Great teacher. very lenient marker. do the readings, show up to class and you'll be fine. midterms and finals are easy. Chaucer, Shakespeare and Milton are covered in this course. so if you're not interested in those things the class can definitely get boring. overall, great teacher. take this class if you're interested and want to boost up ur GPA

His class is boring bc he asks so many stupid questions and no one wants to answer them cus theyre so stupid. BUT he is a really generous marker. Btw, you'll learn almost nothing. Class is barely worth showing up for and he looks gurmpy almost always. But then again, he gave me a good mark. Hes generous so if all u care about is your mark TAKE HIM

I took Baker for 1127 and 1130 and he is a solid teacher. He is a pretty good teacher, not hard marker (you can get a B easily, but an A is very hard). Just give him what he asks. He is kinda goofy and sometimes funny... but sometimes not. His attendance rule is pretty lax.

Mark is great. His jokes may make some people uncomfortable but I enjoy his crude humor. Marking is quite fair, and he is more than happy to go over mistakes with you. My suggestion for this class would be: to attend. Its an easy course and in-class is where you learn most of the material.Participation is not mandatory but he does take note of it.

Mark was an awesome teacher. He was very clear and helpful, and funny too! I definitely recommend him.

Very interesting classes, you will not be bored. He's funny, very dry sense of humor. Tests are tough but fair.

He was amusing and very helpful, much more than my HS teachers.

Very smart, funny guy. I found class entertaining, but he does have kind of a dirty sense of humor, so be prepared for that. He shows up in my dreams, so must have made an impression. One of my favorite Langara teachers.

Easy grader. He has a dirty mind, and likes to mention sex every second during lectures. Not much homework, just 3 assignments. Not much to read either. AWESOME PROFESSOR.

I really enjoyed the course. Lots of poetry but I finally got the point of it all with Mark's help. He's very amusing, even if sometimes you cant be sure when he's joking. Mostly he is.

he was a fair teacher who seem not to care much - his requirements were very normal and his chill attitude made the classroom environment comfortable

Good guy. Easy-going, fair marker. Adequate re: attendance *if you need to* but you're better off attending. Listen to what he says, write essays with the new knowledge and you'll be fine. 1127 is not an easy A for most, but I'm not pulling my hair out to get B. Reasonable reading workload. Would recommend, esp. given the alternatives.

Although intimidating at first, Baker is a helpful, nice teacher. The course was pretty easy because he guides you every step of the way, and the workload is fairly small. He was always very polite with everyone.

Baker ensures his students are aware of their strengths and weaknesses when it comes to essay writing and literary analysis. By the end of the term I felt like the majority of my first year fluff had been cut out my papers. His class is engaging and his reading list is A+. Got to read DeLillo in a yr 2 course.

I thought the course was great. It was pretty intense but Mark went over everything and made me understand it all. He was pretty amusing. Read what he tells you and you do well.

Mark is a super friendly teacher. He is a great teacher for students who don't write well. He literally starts from writing a paragraph, and slowly progresses to more complicated assignments. I personally am a horrible essay writer. BUT the way taught this class really helped me understand how to write an essay, and I caught onto all my weak points

Baker is hilarious! This engl class is the second class that I've taken wit him and I'm always happy to be in his classes! His lectures, readings, and assignments are super clear. Even if you're not amazing at English, he marks fairly and accordingly, as long as you have an idea of the poem!

I wouldn't take another class with him. He covers material thoroughly, but I found him boring; he lectures without really inviting discussion or alternative viewpoints, and I found him demeaning and misogynistic - only two works by female authors on the syllabus, among other things, and I felt talked down to constantly.

Mark is a very engaging Teacher and quite enthusiastic about his teachings. The class generally consists of poem readingsbook readings and finally transitioning into movie viewings. Attend class,do your readings and participate in group discussions and you'll earn a good mark for that aspect. The rest of the marks are based on essays/term paper

This course really pushed me to be more critical with my writing. Hands down, one of the best professors I have had at UCSC thus far. He's one of the few that actually care about how students are growing as writers. He definitely makes you work for it, but he's helpful throughout the entire process (he gives great feedback).

I took two classes with him, the English survey then american lit because I loved his teaching. He's very organized, tells you exactly what to do, and really knows his stuff. Funny moments in every class. He does most of the talking but he listens and answers any questions. He has these silly questions of the week that make you think. Great prof

Overall he's a good professor. Considering that I got 73 in English 12, and a B in his class, he's a pretty fair marker. To get a decent grade you have to follow his methods of writing. Throughout the whole semester we were graded on only 4 pieces of writing which is not bad for work load. Also, his class was really funny and only 3 hours a week.

Mark Baker is the best. A lot of the content he wants in your writing are what he says in class. Just add more of your interpretation and you'll get a good mark. Just listen and participate (even if your interpretation isn't good; he's really welcoming for participation). He's such a good teacher that we were still a full class at end of the sem.

Great teacher.

Just taking the course now and enjoying it. He's entertaining and making poetry understandable to me for the first time. The reading seems pretty light for an English course. The novel is something called How to be a Good Wife! Not sure yet how easy or hard the grading is

Awesome Prof! Cares about his students and shows it. Show up on time, put the work in and youll succeed. You get what you give. Cheers!

Mark is one of the best professors I have ever had. Funny, but a little strict. Do as he says, and you'll be fine. After every single reading, you guys will have a "surprise" quiz, which will be about 10-15 questions each. First midterm is 2 short essays and the second midterm is a term assignment about one of the novels you'll have to read alone.

Lots of books to read, however that is expected since this is an English course. Be prepared to read a lot and remember small details as you get quizzed on them. DOES NOT provide a breakdown of how you are graded but it seems that participation plays a big part. Can be quite intimidating sometimes but he is nice and witty.