1.9
Quality4.3
DifficultyN/A
Would Retake187
ReviewsN/A
Would Retake
187
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
15
4
13
3
23
2
43
1
93
What Students Say
“Fellow students do not take this course…had essays repeatedly regraded by Dean of English devision in order to receive an adequate grade…”
ENG1B - 1.0 rating“I could not understand him at all”
ENGL1B - 2.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
100%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.23 avg changeRatings by Course
ENG1ABC
5.0
(1)ENGLISH1C
3.2
(6)ENGLI1A
3.0
(1)ENGLISH1A
2.6
(25)ENG1A
2.2
(47)Difficulty by Course
1C
5.0
ENGL0789
5.0
ENGSECT
5.0
ENG4315
5.0
ENG4659
5.0
Reviews (187)
Suppose to be an English class but turned out more like a music class. Very Hard
Jazz music fanatic.
Very hard professor, and grades your papers really hard, but fair. He does have a point when he progressively marks your paper down for stupid mistakes. Online course catalogs now will state the theme of the course.
No Comments
Lectured more on music rather than writing process. Took long time to grade papers.
self-centered professor who doesn't admit student's opinions and appreciations which conflict with his narrowminded views. If a student is forced to take his class for any unfortunate reason, I would suggest that he/she tells him what he wants to hear.
He's a sweet guy, but should probably be a music teacher/ music appreciation teacher.
Great person. Horrible teacher. Love the material covered, little to no help on how to improve. Will not give out an A. Dont count on one no matter how good at Writing you think you are.
Scary!!!!
Grrrrrrrrrrrr! Didn't like him then dont' like him now!
This guy should be a music teacher. If you don't like jazz, you are in for the worst class of your life. Read his book and you might get a B, but forget about getting an A. Booring and tedious class. One of the worst classes at PCC.
This class was the most painful class of my college career. Unless you are paid for it, do not take it.
Can’t teach. Difficult getting good grades on papers and took long time to grade them. Very disorganized. Little help offered and confusing response to your questions. Boring and tedious lecture that I didn’t look forward to. Narrow point of view, insults
Don't take his class. He will bore you to death. He likes to drag his time, and you will learn nothing from this class because he is so unorganized. He doesn't make his point clear when he wants you to write essays. He had quizzes about reading assignment
The worst class I have ever taken in my life. He forces you to do pointless writing without offering much explanation. Don't try to ask for clarification to an assignment because he will just demean you. He taught absolutely nothing about English writing.
He's not easy. But being objective, he teaches students to write good papers, since he grades hard. Pastras always read students' paper carefully, which is better than some other teachers. want good grade? must have very little mechanic errors in pape
Not great, not as bad as most reviews say -- he did help my writing and I actually do like jazz music better now.
1 word: Scarrrrry!!!!
I should start by saying that if you're looking for a yes or no answer as to whether or not to take this man, NO! Pastras is a very sloppy teacher, I wouldn't even call him professor, but teacher and his style of grading is one that upsets the entire cla
The first words out of his mouth were "people think going to a junior college is easy. I teach this class as if you were at UCLA".He has no concideration for the people he is teaching.Half the class couldn't speak english and he thought he was a
Mr. Pastras is a teacher who knows his jazz history w/ passion and likes 2 teach. Yes he can be somewhat unclear at times & unorganized but he ASKS if people understand after explanations-when they say nothing, it's on them...c'mon UR in college. cont...
I had him my very first sem.@ PCC. OMG, his class is impossible. Talks about jazz non-stop. BORING. never enjoyed 1 min. Dropped his class. At the end only about 6 ppl left in the class.
He isnt all that bad. In fact, I think he's pretty easy compared to all the other Eng 1B professors. Unlike them, Pastras only grades on grammer and not critical thinking. You can write a bullshit paper in 20 min. as long as its error free and Ace it!
i love jazz so his class was very interesting, i had fun, except for writing papers, he never seem to be impress or satisfy, no matter how good of an essay u think u wrote he will make u feel like all ur efforts are not good enough =(
Unorganized? YES, but I liked his class because he taught about interesting things like oral history (and the way to go about doing it) and Jazz! He gardes hard, but you come out knowing grammer way better if you keep up.
Pastras does not tolerate lazy students who do not do their work or pay attention in class. Simple as that. He is a very smart man that engages his students. Yes, a bit disorganized at times. Do your readings and you'll do fine. He can be sweet and funny.
if you are into jazz...take it. Otherwise STAY AWAY! I found it soooo boring. I felt as if i were in a music class, and not an English one.
Although not the nicest professor at first, I think he eventually warms up. Grades hard, yes, but fair. Had him for English 1C, The Search For The Historical Jesus. Very interesting subject. As long as you do your reading, a great teacher.
i usually recommend him to someone i hate
Shows no mercy! DROP AFTER 2ND ESSAY if you're not getting a B or better. Other than that, stick with it, listen to the jazz and enjoy.
He is too hard, and not fair in the grading process. He marks down entire grades for a simple error or missing a class. He is not clear in what he wants even after you talk to him. Most people dropped his class. Those of us that are left struggle.
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GET OUT AS FAST AS YOU CAN!! His grades are opinionated--they have nothing to do with you as a student! A friend of mine got a D on her papers just because he didn't agree with her!
He is out to fail you.
Horrible. He was cancelled several classes which put us behind so he expedited essays. Made me HATE JAZZ!!
Very interesting at times, but also sometimes hard to follow.
at first you will think he is the meanest and hardest teacher ever, if you do you work though and put in the effort, it will pay off, the important thing is to DO THE WORK and before and essay is due, visit him in his office and have him look over it, he'll tell you what needs to be done
unless youre *extremely* into literature drama or poetry take his class. otherwise if you just need an english class to satisfy prereq. or gen. ed to pass/move on don't take this teacher. he is not easy at all, somewhat helpful, self-absorbed in his own world, and grades on his opinion only
Irrational, not very clear on what he wants. Papers are difficult. Hardest class I ever took. Stay away, seriously. Moved final to a later time without telling us beforehand. Not someone you want to have as gen. ed.
If you don't like thinking, or learning, or becoming anything near to what resembles a decent human being, don't take this class. If you think Pastras is unclear it's because you are not listening, if you didn't know what he wanted you should have asked. He was always helpful. Always! Grow up!
Pastras rocks, ***ches! He makes you think, even if you don't want to. Believe me, I don't like to, but Pastras makes it interesting. He is helpful and available for critique and guidance. I don't understand what people mean "not clear." Its an English class, read and write g-ddammit. Pastras rocks
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Took him years ago. Gave great rating because he was exceptionally kind & gracious to me. Never stopped caring. But I am a natural at writing. Others who needed help struggled profoundly. If you are a natural, take him. You'll find a friend. If not, try another. Grades firmly on product produced.
Fundamental Theorem of Why Anyone Would Take Him: 1) You are extremely arrogant; 2) You enjoy having lazy AND bad teachers; 3) You do not know about this website.
He is poorly prepared. Never returns anything on-time. Grades as if he gets a check for every bad grade he dishes out. Teaches nothing. Expects too much. I got an A. Hate this teacher.
No Comments
I took this prof. for Eng1A and now again for 1C because he is passionate about English and cares about his students. He welcomes students during office hours, hates laziness and arrogance. Take Pastras' 1C if you would like a fascinating study on the New Testament. It is critical thinking, friends!
Pastras is a very community college type of professor.. The course material itself is somewhat interesting, but he fails to deliver it in an interesting fashion. If you're good at learning on your own, and don't mind an extremely boring and droning professor, you should go for it.
I signed up for an English got and got music history instead! He even makes you read his book on Jelly Roll Morton. AVOID!!
Horrible, Horrible teacher. Totally bad at grading, very boring. Even when I went to visit his office, he wouldn't even help me!!
I took him my first semester at PCC! He gave everyone D's on our first paper. When as a class we complained he pretty much said he's had smarter classes. And instead of reading what we wrote he docked points for not dotting our "i"'s or other petty stuff.
Pastras knows his stuff. If you want an easy grade then don't take his class. The way to get good grades is to go to his office hours and get your essay revised. Not just once, sometimes not even twice. You gotta pay attention. You wont spend too much money on books either. He's a bit tough!
Do not take! Do not take!! Do not even think about taking this! Just skip English for a semester if you can't add somewhere else.
This teacher is one of the worst. Only ppl who don't know about this site register for his classes. Look at all these lousy ratings before taking the plunge into misery.
Nice interesting person if you take the time to get to know him. A bit impatient with students who are unmotivated and lazy but he will help in every way those who work hard. Its not an easy A but you learn a lot and he prepares you for 1B. Very fair grader.
Overall, he's well knowledged, and makes an attempt to convey the material in a simplistic manner. BUT, whenever you have a quiz, and you're giving a detailed explanantion of a certain poem, or passage, nothing will be good enough for him. Even if it's the exact same as his, it wont be good enough.
zzz...that is how it is in his class...he has this boring droning voice.he ruins poetry and gives quizzes on it and gives everyone Cs or Ds. he is also very religious. our first quiz was to summerize the parable of the talents...he expected everyone to have a bible at home...try NOT to take him
Pastras teaches at a level that is beyond many community college students. If you are a thinker and seek an intellectual challenge, then you will enjoy him. If you are looking for an easy class with a few poems and essays to interpret without much thought then this is not the class for you, my frien
boring as can be. i signed up for english, not this music crap. i thought i'd have fun with the music at first but then i realized i haven't learned jack. all i've learned is that he likes the blues and black people.
Great professor. Unlike other professors, he doesn't regard PCC students as little "Community College" children; he teaches as though he were teaching at a quality university. If you are up for the challange and don't mind putting a lot of time and effort into it, take his class!
Do not take Pastras! Spread the word!
Professor Pastras is extremely hard just because his lectures are so hard to focus on. Why? Because all he talks about is jazz and the history of how jazz music was born. I must admit it is a little interesting because I personally love music but he all his essays are based on books all about jazz and the history of jazz. After awhile, it gets old.
his class is soooo boring. i would never have taken his class if i knew he was this boring. he talks about the same thing for the whole class time....DON'T TAKE HIS CLASS!!!!!!!!!
It was incredibly boring in his class. His whole theme was based on blues and jazz. He didn't teach much and talks about jazz history too much. Instead of learning English, which why I took the class, I learned about jazz. His grading on essay is hard. And he doesn't really explain to you why you got your mistakes, maybe in the writing center only.
i am an english major and i HATED his class! he is so unlikable,irresponsible,and extremely unprepared! do not take him! the students that like him just believe his long overdramatic stories about how is tough for your own good. i've had tough teachers and loved the experience, this guy is just tough because he is insecure about being incompetent.
His class IS hard, personally, I'm fine with the methods. But the material is just unbearable. Instead of focusing into English, he focuses into Jazz and Blues excessively. If he'd consider updating his teaching material, covering other subjects, it would be better.
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I had his class last semester and still hear horror stories from other students about this Prof. He is definitely hard, esp. if you cannot articulate well and write essays. At times, I thought I was taking Eng 1C. This is how Starbucks stays in business, he will bore u with his lectures, so drink up more caffeine.
Worst english class i have ever taken. I got all A's last year but I was FAILING his class so i had to drop it. Im still at a 4.0 because i dropped him. DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS you will waste your symester! Unless your looking for a teacher that is as interesting as a stump.
Miserable little man! He is supposed to teach Critical thinking. Instead he teaches Pastras thinking. Worst class ever!
not very helpful. in class, all we do is talk about the reading - Jazz History! he grades essays STRICT, he spends ZERO time helping us how to write a better essay or better writing, just to always refer to the "Rules For Writers" handbook. don't take his summer class - it's extremely hard.
omg! this class is way boring! i worked my ass of the summer semester, did all the work, didnt miss a class and he couldnt even give me a A. if you're going to take this class be ready for a music appreciation class because that's all you're going to get. i learned nothing! this teacher should be your last resort.
It seems to me that everyone who has whined about Mr. Pastras' class foolishly expected him to spell out every little detail concerning his reading and writing assignments. What all the complainers wanted was an easy A with mininal work involved. Mr. Pastras encouraged his students to learn to how to critically analyze his material Jazz/Blues.
EXTREMELY difficult teacher. Picky. Demanding. Lots of pop quizzes (DO YOUR READINGS!) I think he'll die before he hands out an A to any of his students...
I was falling asleep in his class. On the first day!
I haven't taken his class, but i have been warned from so many students and even FACULTY to STAY AWAY from this guy! He must have added the last entry because I have heard nothing but bad things about this professor.
WARNING: Mr. Pastras is "old school". He doesn't spoonfeed uninterested students who are obviously in his class to fulfill a prerequisite. IWhen I attended his class in the summer, I noticed many children of entitlement more concerned with their stupid cellphones and socializing with the idiot sitting next to them than class. By the way, I recei
By far the worst professor I have EVER had. totally unhelpful and uninterested in anything any student had to say. Do NOT take ANY courses with this professor if you can, even if you are really into music for his Jazz/english class. Avoid him at ALL costs.
Those who appreciate Mr. Pastras' teaching are bright students with a keen intellectual curiosity, are highly motivated and know they are in college, not high-school. They are excellent students, challenged and PCC's best. Pastras hates ghe lazy and unprepared. Just do the work!
He is boring!!!!!! need i say more.....
Holy cow, man. Not only does he go off on random tangents for the whole class period, but he has a mad stutter as well. He's your typical Charlie Brown adult... Wah wah wah wah wah wah...
he grades opinion papers based upon your opinion. If he doesnt like it...too bad for you. Typical liberal teacher DO NOT TAKE
The worst "professor" ever!!! He does not teach a thing about how to write an essay, yet grades them very unfairly. Moreover, his lectures are extremely boring. All he does is talk about very narrow subjects related to jazz/blues. Do yourself a favor and stay away from this dull "professor".
worst worst worst prof!!! you will not learn anything from him...your better of yourself or take someone else...he is so so boring!!! all he do is read the reading assignments in the class...what for??? its an assignment you are suppose to read it at home...barely explain anything...very unapproachable!
Prof. Pastras is one of the worst english teachers I've ever had to take. He gives pop quizzes asking specific points on one or two stories when he assigned 7 stories to read that week. He give no productive criticism on papers WHEN he assigns them, and proceedes to berade you when you ask for help. DO NOT TAKE THIS TEACHER!
Complete Ass. Likes to flunk his students. Plays favorites too. Uncompromising
DO NOT GET THIS TEACHER!!!!!!
He is very obssesed with the whole jazz thing I feel like I am taking a history class rather than an eng class. He plays favorites alot, He is not very helpful or empathetic to students situations.
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He mumbles most of his lectures. The class itself wasn't hard, it was just his critiques. He grades you more on the works cited and html formats and all that stupid stuff. The worst thing has to be the fact taht you CANT really have an opinion, it has to go by his observations. Kissing up wont help, and he doesn't like knowitalls.
He is sooo hard... it is literally impossible to get an A in his class!!! A lot of pop quizzes too...
we were watching a movie on king henry...i caught him sleeping during his own class. he's incredably boring. he'll talk to you to sleep.
he's pretty tough at grading, but then again it was an eng 1B class. overall, he's a fair grader, you just cant expect an easy A without hard work, but it is possible! :D besides that, he does kno his stuff!
This prof. is terrible!The whole focus of his class was jazz.Excuse me but for an elemantary English class the topics should be more centered around literature and basic writing skills not someone's personal obsession. Subjective, biased and plain lousy teacher
This instructor is boring and he grades so hard. He is tough on essays! You will have to work extremely hard to pass his class. Take him if you are willing to work extremely hard.
No Comments
this "professor" is horrible... Do yourself a favor and stay away from him.. as far as you can. He can hardly stay awake in his class, and talks as if he's half awake. Even ten cups of coffee won't keep you awake... Plus, very unfair grader. You have all the reasons not to take his class!
this guy (I can't call him a professor, it makes me feel guilty) is the most accurate definition of a moron. That's pretty much says it all.
Omg!!! He's horrible! I hate him. He failed me for no reason. And he's an unfair grader.
hes a horrible teacher who cant teach, doesnt teach, and who really wants to teach a music history class about his idol, mr jelly role morton. its ridiculous i worked my ass off in his class and he doesnt even care and all i get are C-s and Ds.. hes a horrible teacher, and all you do is read his interest, nothing good. DO NOT TAKE HIM. BAD CHOICE!!
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Sucks. Death would be a lot more interesting than his class. I do not recommend at all. Shows up late... if he shows up at all. One of the worst English teachers I have ever had. You will die of boredom. Has favorites and is an unequal grader.
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Expects a lot from students, good if you enjoy writing. Not to clear on verbal assignments. In class essays - write as much as you can on the subject, that gets the grade
Honestly, Pastras gets a bad rep because he grades papers like an actual college professor. If you are a bad writer (basically, if you got lower than a high B in 1A and 1B), do not take this class-- you will most likely fail. If you want a challenge and want to see how you would fair at real university level, then take his class.
I've always done well in my english classes, but his class is the exception! either all my other english teachers SUCKED or he's just a bad teacher. he grades really really hard, and he is extremely boring...if you want an A, you should take another class...trust.
The worst teacher I have ever had. Never explains anything he wants you to do. He didn't return any of my papers. Doesn't teach and doesn't care about the students.
this teacher is not good for english... he is good as a music teacher.... all he talks about is jazz, and he is a very hard grader.... he grades like a college professor should grade... so thats a point for him there.... he doesn't help much though... and his lectures are very boring.... had a terrible time taking his class!!!!
This is the worst class i've ever taken. He grades unfairly on the essays and never does anything to help you become a better writer. His idea of teaching is to read whatever story/poem the homework was and explain it back to you. He never analyzes it in depth so you'd understand it. If you want to be a better reader or writer dont take his class!!
Everyone here is so harsh and bitter! I believe that he is an excellent teacher. It isn't the easiest class though, so you cannot be an idiot or slack off in this class. I personally got A's on almost all my papers. You just have to put in some effort. Take his class if you aren't looking for an "easy" class. I look forward to taking him for 1B&1C
Worse class ever.It can't be more boring.ESL students DO NOT take him, you won't learn anything but jazz.
I liked his class, but don't take it unless you're willing to work hard! He gives quizzes almost every class session so do the reading he assigns. Lots of essays, but gives 2 weeks to complete, there's thorough class discussion, and he drops the lowest :) I learned a lot and refined my writing--good teacher!
apparently I am not allowed to write my real thoughts about this guy. Girls-watch yourselves.He has favorites and doesn't hesitate to play them.
i can tell that he "tried" to help students' writing. However, his class is boring and all he talk about is Jazz .... In addition, he grades essay very harsh. If you cant write an essay well, then i recommand not to take his class, but doing all of his works will at least guarantee u a C
AWFUL TEACHING STYLE. INSENSITIVE TO CLASS NEEDS. NOT A PROFESSIONAL
I've earned A's in both 1A and 1B until I took Pastras 1C class. I took the class out of interest in learning about the Bible. I did not learn a thing in his class, he has a terrible method of teaching. He grades unreasonably as well as plays favorites. Unless he likes you, you can't get an A.
he is the worst teacher i have seen so far. I have never got a such low grade on my essay. Dont take his class or else you may have to retake English
absolutely dreadful teaching style. in his own world and does not reach out to students
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be prepared to get marked down for stupid MLA mistakes
DO NOT TAKE HIS CLASS! He's a tough grader on essays, and he cannot communicate well (which is odd considering that he is an English teacher). Save yourself the stress and find a different professor.
I was really scared when I took his class because I wasn't a senior in high school yet, so I was very intimidated. I never did very well on my essays. I hoped for at least a C, but ended up with a B. I guess he appreciated the effort I put into my work.I learned more about jazz then i ever thought I would. I thought it was worth taking all the same
I took this class two years ago, and I have to say Dr. Pastras taught me so much about writing. He's tough, but he's really a kind-hearted and brilliant guy. Go seek his help during his office hours, and he will help you write a better paper. Do everything he suggests for your paper. You won't be sorry!
This class was pointless. In all honesty the guy is a failed jazz musician who claims to know everything about jazz. His entire class was a jazz lecture, and not an English class. Granted there are readings and vocabulary, but you might as well take a music course.
This class was uninteresting and difficult. It seems that you have to have his beliefs about everything to get a good grade. For example, we had to write interpretive essays on a few poems. Most people in the class didn't get a good grade on the paper because they weren't like his opinions. Don't take him if you want a good grade. SERIOUSLY!
I think I was in the same class as the student with the comment below. Never have received anything less than an A on my essays and in my first two he gives me C+ and a D. He's not organized and the prompts he gives tend to be ambigous. Avoid this professor.
I took his English 1C class, its supposed to be a critical thinking class, but he tells you what your opinion is supposed to be. If you try to write an essay that does not share his opinion, you pretty much can't get higher than a C. He does the monotone thing,stutters, and picks out every grammatical error. Aside from that,hes actually a nice guy
Dr. Pastras is a great guy. Most of the 1A material is centered around oral history and jazz and is extremely interesting. There's also some rhetorical analysis of political speeches. He's a published writer and jazz pianist - very knowledgeable of the subject matter. Do not take him if you want an easy A. Prepare to work and do the reading.
he doesn't speak clearly. kinda mumbled. his voice is hard to hear. his words are not well articulated. monotone.
He is a difficult teacher, very hard to get an A in his class. You have to REALLY work for it. I suggest that you attend his office hours to prove to him you're willing to do whatever it takes. Always get reading quizes so disect the reading to the T. And for the essays, be very clear and careful with grammar.
I took this professor yrs. ago and was curious to see what people wrote since he was so boring and also gave out horrible grades. Every sad face on this is deserved and I have been cracking up reading people's comments because they are so true!
By far, the WORST English professor at PCC. Turned critical thinking class into a bible studies course. This teacher enforced his opinions, and dare you disagree you're looking at a C!
The only good ratings this man received are from 1A students, who claim he "challenges" your thinking. Well, I took 1A in high school, so you're "challenged minds" don't mean a whole lot. I'd say Pastras should be teaching children, on his behalf, but children being our future, that's not a very good idea either.
Worst teacher ever!!!! DO NOT TAKE HIM!!! He mumbles,gives pointless quizzes and at times looks like he is going to fall asleep himself. His quizzes are not clear on what exactly he is looking for and the essays he assigns are basically essays he wants to back up his own opinion. Don't bother with him unless you want to fail and waste your time!
Do yourself a favor, if you want to pass ENGL1A, avoid this teacher whatever it takes!!!
people make bad mistakes and people make good choices. and you my friend have made an excellent choice by looking up this teacher's rating. and im giving it to you in a nutshell! DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS! if that's the last thing you do in your lifetime! and you are welcome!
This professor has a well deserved blue sad face. He mumbles a lot, doesn't teach, and gives you a low grade if you don't share the same views as him on essays. What a waste of my life. I should have dropped his class when I had the chance.
Shows no passion whatsoever in what he's teaching. Assigns tedious reading assignments, expects students to understand the material right away and quizzes on the reading. Do NOT take him.
It never seemed as though I could EVER pass his essay papers. I went to him for help, often, and I still could not pass his class. He is very difficult. I do not recommend him.
I would just like to say he ruined my life. Because of him... i may get my acceptance into a college recinded. Worst teacher I have ever had in my life. Do yourself a favor and DO NOT TAKE THE CLASS!!!
if you want to fail then take this teacher.i barely passed his class and worked my a$$ off in doing so.your self proclaimed "awesome writing skills" will not earn you an A in his course. If you want to read a ridiculous amount and be quizzed every class meeting, then take his class.good luck you'll probably fail.
the best grade you can EVER get is a C. dont even think about getting anything higher than that. he gives a f*ckload of assignments and quizzes. he tries to help you but it does nothing. all the assignments are BORING. DONT TAKE HIS CLASS.
Just one suggestion...since PCC is laying off teachers, I suggest we start with this horrible one.
Though a scholar and an interesting person outside of academia, Pastras has no sense of engaging his students whatsoever. Too liberal with giving Cs & Ds even when students apply themselves causing apathy and stress, something NOT needed in a community college environment with students striving to transfer with the BEST grades not mediocre ones.
Was warned by my other english professor not to take him. Pretty bad when even the faculty warns you.
Wow this professor is awesome. Your writing skills are guaranteed to improve if you try to meet his standards. Granted, the majority of the class sessions are kinda eh and jazz/oral history related, but this guy's great. If you're a straight up dumbass then of course dont take this class but if you're lazy it's do-able because I'm lazy and I did it
Wow, there is NOTHING to say about him besides he is super horrible.
Worst profesor EVER! Please, Please listening to everyone on this site. They dont lie!!! you will never get anything higher then a C/D in class, which is always boring beyond all reason.
I recently applied to universities, and my English 1A grade was a C while the rest of my grades were A's. It made me sick and feel stupid because I love English. I don't remember anything but listening to Bob Dylan. Don't do it.
I just wonder...Did any natural human ever get an A from this professor in any eng 1A , 1B, or 1C class???
worst professor ever!!!!! you dont learn anything in this class and he talks about things that have nothing to do with english...
I am so glad that I dropped this teacher. He was horrible, by far the worst professor I have ever had. Doesn't care, is very unclear in what he wants, and he disguises his dream bible study class as English 1C. Take Mr. Reinhartsen instead and LEARN SOMETHING!
Dudes,if you are reading my comment and still wondering why other previous comments say things so bad about him, trust me dudes, that's true.I took his class in fall 2009 and i barely got a C. He's hard and even more,very hard. But somehow he's willing to help you on his office hours,1 plus for him.
HORRIBLEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!! RUN AWAY AND DON'T LOOK BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :O
Horrible, i wish i would've read these comments before taking him. On the first day of class we already had to write a paper. Second day of class already had a quiz. Third day a quiz as well, and on the fourth day, we would've had a paper due but i dropped. Dont take him.. just dont do it
I really think this professor means well... but he really needs to retire. He's disorganized, very forgetful, and tires easily. I mean, he tried to unlock the wrong room. He may come off as soft and easy going but he grades very strictly. He's very unclear with what he wants. I'm not sure if he was good before, but he's just burnt out now.
I'm currently enrolled in his class.Yesterday was the ONLY day he didn't give us an ESSAY quiz;the other quiz I missed on purpose.You should have seen my classmate's faces of joy.Anyways,to the main points:lots of reading(boring texts),lots of essay quizzes/weekly,doesn't teach for sh*t.I've been getting C's on all my quizzes and a D on Essay #1.
How I regret getting in this professor's hands! I've been doing so poorly for the past two semesters because of my laziness and procrastination. Last semester I decided to get myself on the right path. And now I bumped right into this wall. How ironic: now that I'm putting so much effort into my school work, I am doing poorly! Working ass off-fail
DO YOURSELF A FAVOR, DO NOT TAKE THIS GUY!!
This is the worst teacher in the history of PCC. Be warned!
i still regret taking this professor for my first freshmen english class. english is my favorite subject but he made it unbelievably dull and boring.. do.not.take.him. you have been warned.
I now understand what hell is like thanks to this man.
Worst teacher at pcc! all the previous comments are completely true! I've always done well in English and with Pastras I never got higher than a C on anything!! DO NOT TAKE HIM unless you reallyyy want to lower your GPA.
If your trying to fail, take this class!
Essays were graded unfairly based on his biased opinions. Useless when it comes to answering questions about your essays in office hours. Everyone in my class earned nothing but C and below. I don't understand why this professor is still here.
strongly suggested!(if you want to get bad grades )
Is really chill, but OMG I think he just looks at people's essays and your name and marks C or worse..except if you get on his good side, and your 40 years old, then he might think your experienced or something. He thinks he is all high and mighty because he is a Dr. so yeah goodluck to those who are young and attempt to pass!
Told us on the first day of class that he does not give out A's. The class I'm in as of now is probably averaging a C-. Do not take him whatsoever. I'm withdrawing this week. Ridiculous professor.
HORRIBLE! HORRIBLE! HORRIBLLLLE PROFESSOR. He should NOT be teaching. I do not like being mean but honestly he does not know how to teach. He wants you to interpret what he understand in essays and expects explanations defining what he got out of the story. He picks one person in the class and gives them a A and the rest of the class gets C's or lo
Despite his giving most of my paper's a C I stayed with this professor for as long as I could in the hope that my writing skills might actually improve. They did not. I learned nothing and I wasted half of my semester listening to him re-read all of the homework passages. Do yourself a favor and stay as far away from this professor as possible.
Listen to the previous comments, i wish i did. Honestly this is the worst professor i've ever taken. He's a nice guy but WORST professor ever. He's unclear with what he wants and only he knows what he wants, he's disorganized, and is extremely strict on any little grammatical error for essays. So take my advice, DO NOT take them.
Grow up, people! I got an A in his class, easily. He just expects you to think like an adult, and honestly, at this point in your academic career, you should have mastered grammar, anyway. If you haven't by now, it's your fault, not his. English is not supposed to be "easy." Writing is hard work, so is reading. I'd gladly take him again.
HARD GRADER. When he says "summarize" he really means TELL THE WHOLE STORY AGAIN IN YOUR WORDS. You can always sit in the back with your phone out looking summaries up. Don't buy the books he tells you to buy just look them up online. The only real book you need is for the Lab.
Despite all his terrible flaws and horrible teaching, I kept giving him chances. I really did. I had high hopes that he'd prove my views wrong. He didn't, he only further confirmed them. He has NO understanding of ANYTHING pertaining to the Bible, NO understanding of Greek, Hebrew, or ancient cultures. HORRIBLE teaching methods. DO NOT TAKE HIM.
bad teacher and bad over all human being
if you value your gpa, do not take his class! he makes you read a buttload and there's a quiz almost every first class meeting of the week on what you were supposed to read. but what i hate most is his unclearness. i can never understand what he wants and many of my classmates and i agree that the way he grades our writing is really unreasonable.
He is one of the worst teachers I've ever had, he really doesn't care about teaching and I feel like he would let me write an essay defending Pol Pot as long as my spelling was correct also i have no idea what our final is , I think it was a movie review, he's never actually said what the final was
Worst professor ever, he needs to be fired. When he says write a summary of what you read,he means write a 10 page report on EVERYTHING you read and that gets you a B. It's impossible to get an A.
I took this teacher without reading anything online about him and i have some regrets. He is a good guy, means well but he just grades harder then any other teacher i have had. He expects a lot from you but you should be able to pass the class. People are getting A's and B's in his class, its possible but he makes you earn your grade.
I now understand what everyone means about Pastras being a tough grader. It's not because he is challenging you, it's because you cannot get an A in this class. That paper you work so hard on will not be complemented if your grammar is not perfect. I'm not exaggerating when I say perfect. Take his and your GPA WILL drop.
I could not understand him at all. Literally, I sat there unable to hear him because he mumbled EVERYTHING. It's hard to respond to him because unless he disagrees with you, he sounds disinterested and sounds like he doesn't want to be there. Do yourself a favor and skip him. :/
I have always scored highly in English classes throughout my entire academic career. This class however, is needlessly hard. This teacher grades papers ridiculously hard. You can work 6-10 hours on an essay and receive a C. I'm currently fighting for a B, but doubtful ill get it. AVOID THIS TEACHER AT ALL COSTS!
it was a boring class. really need to buy the books and do well on his quizzes if you want to pass the course. He grades super hard. nobody got better grades than C's in his class this semester
One of my favorite teachers. I had no problem in this class. Worked hard. Had some fun times and participated in some crazy discussions. Got an A. Advice: Think for yourself in this class. Use logic. You don't have to agree with Pastras. I often didn't. But be ready to use your brain. This class is fun and challenging. I will never regret taking it
Fellow students do not take this course…had essays repeatedly regraded by Dean of English devision in order to receive an adequate grade….again DO NOT TAKE THIS COURSE…the fact that this "Professor" is still teaching destroys all credibility of PCC…I wish I had listened to these reviews and saved myself the hassle
Tough class. Write about jazz and he'll love you. Class is tough, be ready to do a lot of work. Great if you want a challenge.
Was not helpful at all. I received an A in the previous English class. After receiving a D on my first paper I started going to his office so he can read my other papers and help me on what needed improvement. He still gave me a D. There was seriously 7 people left in class when the semester ended. I took it over was another professor and got an A!
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
100%
Textbook Required
100%
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