2.2
Quality3.6
Difficulty27%
Would Retake96
Reviews27%
Would Retake
96
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
10
4
8
3
16
2
21
1
41
What Students Say
“Without a doubt the worst prof I have had in my three years at Ryerson”
ENG810 - 1.0 rating“If only she didn't teach a required course”
ENG810 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
69%
Textbook Required
8%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
+0.14 avg changeRatings by Course
CC8936
5.0
(1)COMCULT
5.0
(1)LIT200
5.0
(1)ENG071
4.0
(2)ENG101
3.5
(2)Difficulty by Course
EGA011
5.0
DIPARTS
5.0
ENG025
5.0
DIPINART
5.0
ENG011
5.0
Reviews (96)
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Where does this chick get off being a Teacher. She don't have a clue.
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Booring!She made popular literature boring.It's hard to stay away (and alive!)
Thanks god I change my elective. Iwould have been stucked with her for a term
A coffee won't even help you get through her class. Forget counting sheeps! But she's a ****, so all is good.
I can't put my finger on what it is other teachers do that she fails to do, but she sucks the life out of English. I can't believe I can sit in her class for three hours and walk away with NOTHING.
Dr. Ruth is not so good at teaching. Gets all her theories from other people. Uses odd books for pop lit. Openly admits that she doesn't understand the books she assigns. Will drive you crazy if you go to every class. Gives 3 hour mid-terms!!!!!
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Very nice lady and tries her best. But, repeats herself a lot, gives the same lecture over and over. This class does not need to be three hours!
Sure I know what Stephen King's house looks like now, but what about the freakin' books??!!
Pop lit for dummies would have taught you more. When asked questions, her eyes glaze over and breaks out into a sweat as she responds, What do you think? I think that any hack could get a Ph.D in English. Clueless teacher, hard marker compensating
i dont like how you always have to agree with her in order to get a good mark. English should be about developing ones own ideas, not entirely agreeing with whatever the professor thinks a certain poen or short story is.
She's an OK prof...she's quite clear in her lectures, no matter how boring they are.
She may appear to be a good prof at first, but she actually doesn't know what the heck she's talking about. She a complete airhead and a hard marker at that.
She's overall intersting lady but probably lack excitement, late night fun action, and romance in her life. Interesting lecture. She loves to focus her lecture on psychologically insane or sexually deprived character. Needs lots extra reading and research
Did I take pop culture or Can. lit? Wow. We're forced to read a book a week and practically lead the class discussion ourselves. I received very condescending vibes all year long, particularly when I questioned her concepts.
She is a very hard marker. She marks best when you just repeat what SHE thinks. She says "um" ALL the time, and it is very annoying, not to mention the fact that she should know better as an English Prof. She can also be qiute curt to ppl.
I loved this grad class! The material was extremely interesting and relevant. The prof is very knowledgeable and passionate about the subject, and the discussions were interesting. I highly recommend this grad class!
I can't believe there's an institution out there that granted this woman a doctorate. Her pop lit class was the most useless class I have ever taken - I might have even lost some intelligence taking it. Just a hint Panofsky - try reading the material before you attempt to teach it.
BRUTAL. Most boring class i have ever taken... MAD BS
I found her to be very interesting and knowledgeable, not at all boring. The course material is great; the books are easy to read. She's a helpful prof. although it may take her a while to complete her thoughts.
suuuuchhhhh a hard marker. nobody will EVER get an A in her class, guaranteed.
marks hard. lectures were somewhat interesting
Ruth is a great prof: well-prepared, fair and interested in the material. We're lucky to have her.
Not helpful at all and the class is terrible.
Terribly boring speaker, her assignments weren't all that difficult, but the exam included quote recognition.. I haven't had a teacher who's done that since high school. I would jump ship before taking her class again..... Only good thing is she vaguely resembles Sally Field.
Smart and very stylish Panofsky has been unfairly represented here by students who struggled in her class. She is not boring and knows the material she is teaching. She has a good sense of humour and is always willing to chat about the subject after class.
This isn't a easy class considering the amount of time you will invest in analyzing the stories. Attendance was mandatory and participation was 10% of your final grade. She is a hard marker on the final essay and exam.
What a lousy teacher. She somehow managed to take an interesting subject and make it dry and rural. She's beyond boring and wears the same yoga pants every week. She insists on writing on the board every week to remind us to turn off our phones, thinking we're incapable of remembering. She also contradicts herself constantly, and I learned nothing.
Hard marker, but doesn't give clear comments on how to improve. Lectures are very dry. If you take Canadian Lit with her, be warned that she focuses a chunk of the course and the essay on an author who her personal academic work is almost entirely on.
The material was very interesting and she was very knowledgeable. She is a fair marker, make sure you do all the readings so you are prepared. The only negatives I have is that she does not have office hours and it's hard to find a time to talk to her about class materials and assignments
subject was interesting and she is knowledgeable too, but she was never clear about what she wanted. finds faults but does not comment on how to improve. think twice before taking her class, you might end up getting an unexpected poor grade. I'm not saying she is a bad prof; but all good students or knowledgeable profs cannot be great teachers.
If only she didn't teach a required course. The students in this class, myself included, all found her very vague when explaining assignments (ones that were not essays) and changed the requirements close to the due dates. She also doesn't prepare for class very well (searching for resources online during the class).
Maybe it's because of the extremely dry subject matter, but she is an awful prof. Extremely unclear with how to do assignments, and changes requirements the week before the due date. She also likes to make unnecessary lists; spent literally 3 hours listing the different kinds of primary and secondary sources, which we all learned in high school.
My favorite Prof at Ryerson, she was tough but passionate. Fair grading, interesting lectures.
Although I was forced to take this class, I considered dropping it. She is super boring in lecture, spending an entire three hours listing primary and secondary sources. She changes her mind on assignments the week before they are due and provides no information on the assignments so you are basically doing them blindly. She is the worst prof.
Without a doubt the worst prof I have had in my three years at Ryerson. Rude, condescending, lazy, yet the hardest and most unreasonable marker. I wish I could get a refund for this course too - it's so pointless and I didn't learn much at all.
If you don't say what she wants and has been pre decided in her head she will call you out in front of the class and say that is the wrong answer. She is very opinionated and is a stickler for everything. Name tags, attendance, participation, and the variance of your answer. I regret taking this class and would never recommend her to anyone.
I'm Glad I took this class. I now know how many teeth I have in my mouth. Boring is not the word. I usually get a good power nap about half way through her lectures.
She is not open to interpretation at all - if you have an answer that isn't directly what she thinks then she will call you out as wrong in front of the class. Even with poetry, if you don't see it her way you are considered wrong. Very boring lectures even though the class content would typically be quite interesting. Would not want her again.
She's not the best, but she's definitely not the worst. Comes across a little bit rude and dry, and only marked the final exam (and she marked it pretty tough), but my TA marked the quizzes and essay easy. Lectures are def not mandatory, went to about three classes and still managed to finish with a B. Go to the tutorials and you'll be fine.
If you've taken one of her classes, you've taken all of them. I mean this- she assigned the same books for her Short Story class as she did for Canadian literature. Lectures are long and boring and she is not specific in what she talks about. It is very difficult to follow along.
Her lectures bored me to tears but; on a positive note, I was able to find out how many teeth I have in my mouth by taking Miss Panofsky's class.
Dry lectures with no slides to base off of. Content was stale and hard to get into. Lectures for the entirety of the class, with no real points made. Expects too much from students in a first-year class (perfectly executed academic essays, knowledge on how to analyze pieces of writing, etc.)
She was my first prof experience of my university career and left me with a really bitter taste in my mouth after the first hour of her class. Extremely boring lectures, rarely has a focus when she teaches, and highly encourages participation yet will consistently say you're wrong if you do actually answer a question. If you have her, switch out.
While I didn't mind this class, I found Dr. Panofsky really belongs in a high school setting. She does not use powerpoints, bans cell phones, and told one girl who tried to go to the washroom not to come back if she left. She encourages participation but no one ever gives the answer she wants. Won't continue lecture until someone answers. Good TAs.
She was pretty terrible. If I didn't have my TA to teach me I don't know what I would have done. My TA was absolutely amazing and was open to interpretation unlike the prof. She reminded me of a high school english teacher from the 1950's. Honestly don't bother going to lectures she doesn't teach you anything, my TA prepared us for tests and essays
Ruth is a respected prof. The final exam was super easy, I just used the textbook for practice for the final exam. Overall, if you like reading and learning new things about literature, then this course is a real gem.
I want to say this in the least rude way possible, but Panofsky is a terrible prof. Wastes time by showing pictures on Google and taught a first-year class as though we were first graders. The class was literatures across borders and we only read works by Canadian authors (except for Hamlet).
Great lecturer, intelligent, and so passionate about the subject matter. The comments on this are too harsh and from students who didnt do well in her class and just want to complain. She makes you work hard for your grade, but not any more than in other challenging classes. Do you readings and you will be fine. Also, she is super accomplished.
Ruth Panofsky was an alright teacher, her lectures are important to attend and take note of the terms discussed, but good luck, as the prof talks very slowly making for a gruelling 2 hours of lecture. The course is called Literatures Across Borders but the vast majority of the course is focused on Canadian works, apart from Hamlet... original.
Professor Panofsky is passionate about literature and inspires her students to participate during class lectures. I found the tutorials prepared me for the lecture. The course itself isn't difficult. Go to the tutorials and read the assigned poems and short stories and it won't be difficult to get a good grade.
It's hard to tell with the marking since she only marked my exam, she really knows her stuff and though she repeats things, I think she does it so people who didn't understand what she said the first time would. I have talked with her once or twice and she was nice, though she doesn't like it when people are late, she is fair and understandable.
Professor Panofsky is not as bad as people make her seem to be! If you attend all the lectures and do the readings (which are not long/difficult) achieving a good/decent mark will not be hard. Her tests and assignments are pretty straightforward.
Panofsky's lectures are rather dry, to say the least. She is not very engaging with the content and the students. Although, the chosen works we read in class were very interesting - I'll give her that. Panofsky is a tough grader - the TA's as well.
just no. dont do it.
She isnt too bad, but her TA was not good. If you really love poetry and short stories, you will love this class.
I attended one lecture throughout the whole semester. She posts her slides online so I would just take notes on those (the lectures were dry). The TA marks everything so the course was mainly dependent on the tutorials so if you show up to those you're pretty much good. Readings weren't that heavy, marking depends on your TA.
Literature across borders Professor Panofsky, class was well put together & very insightful. The atmosphere created was comfortable & ur comments, participation was taken respectfully. Just showing up, taking notes made all the difference, the exam, assignment & quizzes covered all the main points the professor discusses nothing comes unexpected.
Her class was awful!! She expected way too much from you and her assignments were awful. One of the worst profs I've ever had. It's clear she doesn't actually care about certain people's learning styles. The TA's for her class were lovely though. But I'd never recommend this class or this professor to anyone.
Great choice of poems, short stories, and novel. This is an English class, so it's of course reading and writing heavy. I assure you, most bad reviews come from people forced to take this class who have no interest in it. You will enjoy it. There is a great selection of literature and she is rather fair and gracious.
This was the worst professor I had at Ryerson. No compassion whatsoever. I believe she may be allergic to students from how she tried to distance herself from having as little interaction as possible with us. Extremely hard marker for the exam gave us less than 48 hours to submit. Just do yourself a favour and take this class with another prof.
The prof was dreadful she graded our exams but never marked any of our other work so we had no idea what her standards were. Turns out they are very high and unreasonable. Didn't even post feedback with the exam mark. Very lazy, had a 'guest lecturer' one week where she linked a youtube video bc she didn't make a lecture herself.
Professor Panofsky was the most boring professor I have ever encountered, and did not seem enthusiastic about her lectures in the slightest. I did most of the classwork without even watching her lectures, and still did well.
Definitely pay attention to class and actually read the work if you want to get a good mark in the class. They pay attention to structure and clear writing so if possible start your work (essay) early to make sure you are as clear as possible.
Firstly, I participated in every lecture and attended very lecture yet the TA gave me a 6/10 when I brought it up she didnt answer. Ruth is also very rude. She is a great explainer Ill give her that. But she is very rude. I wouldnt take this class again. But you will not fail if you do.
Dr. Panofsky taught me for ENG110 and then I had her again in my final year for ENG710. There were only 7 people in the class but it was SO enlightening. I really enjoyed getting to talk to her every class, so it was easy to participate. You have to show up to every class to succeed, and you really need to SHOW what you've learned. Easy A for me!
Prof. Panofsky lectures well, chooses interesting reading material and is pretty strict but fair with her expectations. Maybe some students who don't like her because they aren't willing to do the work.
Professor Panofsky was absent for most of the online semester, excluding the first introductory meeting. The TA carried most of the class, but Panofsky's pre-recorded lectures are very good at explaining. She was not very engaged with her students, however, so she left no impression. A good TA is very valuable in this class.
Mediocre prof. Lectures were pre-recorded and interesting, however not very impactful or memorable. Not much interaction with students. Follow along with lectures and discussions and you will do well. Semi-strict grader but marks will likely depend on the TA you have.
I had her in an asynch class, so im guessing my experience is swayed by the TA I had. Never got to interact with the prof., but thoroughly enjoyed her prerecorded lectures. Work required is extremely reasonable in my opinion, though you will have to read. Ended up being my favourite course of the semester. Interesting material.
The experience you have in this course will heavily depend on your TA. No interaction with the professor at all. She is a tough grader and will be grading your final exam, so good luck with that. The structure of this course is horrible. If you can avoid this prof, do so but English profs at RU are terrible. Again, your TA will make or break this.
Your TA will do most of the mark but the final exam will be marked by Ruth. I pray for anyone who has to endure her boring class and high expectations. This prof has the very high standards. BEWARE! Take it elsewhere if you can!! Avoid this woman at all costs.
She's very intimidating, and doesn't like to interact with students very much, so you'll be talking about the class with your TA mostly. But she knows her stuff super well, and provides a lot of insight in shorter lectures. Lectures do not drag on, and are very interesting to listen to. Has incredibly high expectations when marking.
Take this class with someone else. Expectations are WAYY too high for first years. No feedback given on exam she marked.
Professor Panofsky had high expectations, but her lectures were very interesting. She definitely knows her stuff.
Ruth has very high expectations for a first year course, and thus is an extremely harsh marker. She clearly knows her content (which should be a given as she's teaching it), but from what I've seen she's quite pompous, and her lectures are often littered with filler. Tutorial sessions and TA's aren't particularly helpful at all. AVOID AT ALL COSTS!
Is a professor really a professor if they are never teaching? She didn't attend any of the weekly lectures all material was taught by a TA. All I saw of this professor was a prerecorded video, is this normal? This course lowered my very good GPA
Prof. Panofsky is knowledgeable about the material and her lectures are informative, but she is often cold towards students. I had an amazing TA for this class, but I found it really stupid that the TA marks everything except for the exam. I had no concept of Panofsky's expectations and it turned out they were unreasonably high.
There's no interaction with students. Her lectures are interesting but long and tiring. All assignments are marked by your TA, who really makes or breaks the class. I was lucky to have an amazing TA. Professor Panofsky is a hard marker on the exam though. Try to take this class with another professor who makes the content feel more interesting.
I found the material interesting and the professor had some really insightful comments. However, she hardly ever interacted with students and is by far the harshest marker I have ever had. She not only gives really low marks that will definitely ruin your GPA but she also provides absolutely no feedback or comments about how to improve your work.
A high school English class but 10x harder. NOT enough time in the tuts to finish timed assignments & marks are taken off even if it's a couple mins late. TAs expect immense detail and fluidity in these timed assignments; everything is unfairly & harshly marked. Prof Panofsky doesn't engage well with her class or make class interesting. Hard pass!
ENG110 is an interesting class, but my experience was tainted because of the prof. She doesn't provide slides or any course content on D2L, her lectures are long, she talks too fast to take notes, and there's no interaction with the prof bc the TA marks everything. She publicly embarrasses you for leaving class to use washroom. Avoid at all costs.
Says um an uh alot its annoying.
Prof Panofsky is a hard marker that barely interacts with students. She calls out students for being on their phones or going to the washroom which appalled me as this is a university lecture, not high school. Almost 20-year olds should not be penalized for going to the washroom in the middle of a lecture that they're paying for.
I feel like many reviews of the TA and professor are a bit exaggerated. In the last tutorial, only six people showed up, so there's that. Regardless, I enjoyed both the TA and professor. However, it's crucial to stay on top of readings, as the professor moves forward quickly. Ruth made an effort to encourage class engagement, which was nice.
This prof is objectively very challenging but I still would definitely recommend taking the course. She's incredibly knowledgeable and, as long as you're respectful and engaged, very kind. I learned a lot in this course!
She's literally just the face of the curriculum. The class could be taught by the TAs and I swear it would be the exact same course. Not only that, but the lectures are 2 hours long with no slides to follow. No notes posted online, there was a textbook but I don't even think she used it tbh. Every good review was def paid for
To be honest, your TA makes or breaks this class. The prof I don't have much of an opinion on she just says what she wants to, the work is fairly easy. I've heard some bad reviews about her but no personal bad experience. The exam is a take home and fairly easy. Stay on top of your novel reading.
Staying awake during lectures was a struggle. Cancelled lecture during a snowstorm so she could stay warm and cozy at home, but made students still go to tutorial for an in class assignment, so we had to deal with the cold and mountains of snow. Pretty selfish if you ask me. Work load was fine, the novel she made us read, Brother, was pretty good.
Most boring lecturer ever, no slides, monotone voice etc. Your entire mark depends on ur TA bc they will be marking everything other than the final. Professor is rude towards students and you have no time for in class tests (assignments). I was doing this course for a humanities credit and I honestly wish I'd picked chinese or arabic instead.
She's kind of mean and passive aggressive to students. A student in the class who was probably on the spectrum sometimes would make impromptu comments interrupting the class. Yes these types of comments are inappropriate. But the profs reaction I felt was negative and immature. I've seen other profs deal with similar situations in much better ways.
This professor slowly drains your soul. For some reason she doesnt allow the use of phones during tutorials and even once got angered by a student having her phone on her person during a test. She even said "just because you have your phone during a test you will fail." I think shes genuinely miserable
Don't miss lectures or tutorials. Ignore her snarky comments and do the work you should get an easy credit. Class consists of poetry, short stories, a novel and hamlet closed readings.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
69%
Textbook Required
8%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
+0.14 avg changeRatings by Course
CC8936
5.0
(1)COMCULT
5.0
(1)LIT200
5.0
(1)ENG071
4.0
(2)ENG101
3.5
(2)Difficulty by Course
EGA011
5.0
DIPARTS
5.0
ENG025
5.0
DIPINART
5.0
ENG011
5.0