Office meetings were very helpful.

Comes across as very tough in class, but he's a big pussycat when you need help.

Unique teaching style, very fair with grading

Seems tough, but is witty and engaging

No MUN English degree should be complete without an O'dea course.

Excellent! Enjoyable lectures, very witty, and informed. Highly recommended!

One of MUN's best.. A Gentleman

Please God, NEVER let this man retire!

THE BEST pedagogy at MUN. Many other profs could use a lesson from this guy.

Blunt humor, and he is very helpful

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Riveting, intelligent and humorous. I find him attractive in spite of myself.

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Good man. Excellent speaker. Hard marker.

Brilliant orator and likeable guy. Work hard and you'll succeed.

where did the british accent come from???east end stjohn's??

Brilliant! kind! inspiring! helpful! Hilarious! My favorite! He's a must have!

The best prof one can ever have. Take his course if you can, you'll love it.

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Too Cool!

he saved my butt!

Very nice guy and excellent speaker. He makes sure nothing he assigns is easy. Very fair marker.

An aristocrat. But not a snob. Extremely interesting & a razor-sharp wit. I can see why he's a university orator.

Genius! He's a little intimidating at first but don't let it get to you! So interested in helping to improve your writing and get the most out of you. Dry wit. Excellent classes and material!

Great professor and a very nice guy. Actually made me enjoy english. Pick him if you get the choice.

Prof. O'Dea really shows an interest in how his students are doing. Whenever he hands back a paper, he meets with each and every student individually to discuss your grade. Prof. O'Dea is a great guy. I could listen to him read all day!!

Awesome prof. All English profs should look to him as an example. I will take every course he offers. He asks thought provoking questions insted of given you some lame theme and asking you to discuss it within the text. Pick him!!

LOVE HIS CLASSES...educational and inspiring...can't explain the hot part...you just have to listen to him read poetry!

He is demanding but fair, and very helpful. You will work hard for him but it is worth it, and more! I learned so much from his class and will definitely take more from him.

Excellent Proff. Kinda scary at first, but I really enjoyed the class when I got used to him. Expects alot out of students but he's fair about marks.

Amazing prof. Great lectures, very easy to get involved in the works. The pace of the work is quick, but if you can keep up, it's well worth it. Shows great interest in his students. A is not impossible - I've got high 80's from him before.

Amazing prof, best one yet in my short university career, keeps the participation level up in class and always meets one on one with students to discuss assigments. fair but VERY hard marker.

Great professor. Very enjoyable and intellectual

Great class. One-on-one meetings very helpful. Very interesting lectures. He's a pretty tough marker but if you deserve a good mark, you'll get it.

Makes english as interesting as possible. He's very witty and makes you think. Good prof, but very hard marker. You really have to work, and even if you do, don't expect amazing results.

Extremely funny; makes classroom setting seem much more personal.Effective teaching techniques; no empathy for those who are shy, however. Try hard, but don't expect A's.

It's my first ENGL course, but I'd say he is a hard marker. More importantly though, the man is interesting, intelligent, very witty, clear, and a great prof.

An absolutely wonderful prof!I strongly recommend this guy! He makes you really think about things,and is always there to help. You have to meet with him in his office about your papers,but it's so helpful! Really nice guy,really funny. Loved this course!

interesting. not too helpful but ok. good lectures and gets people involved.

this guy knows his stuff!!

One of my most interesting classes! Shane keeps the participation level up, (which is a little scary if you don't like to say much in class) but doesn't make yu feel singled out. He expects the bes

The Best Prof I have ever had, Shane has taken my interest in English to a higher level and because of his teachings I have thought about majoring in English. Is not as hard as ppl make him to be, JUst the Best!

You can find no better professor anywhere.

Shane is a brilliant teacher. He is probably the most helpful and generous English prof I have met. I completely recommend Shane for anything and work hard and enjoy your time with him.

I would highly reccomend him for any first or second level courses. By far the best prof at MUN.Very hard marker, but after a course with him, watch your marks in other english courses soar.

best prof ever

Gret prof, goes out of his way to ensure that he treats everyone fairly.

Very helpful. shows concern for progress in the course. Also, understanding of the mistakes of 1st years (called me the morning i slept in for the final and let me write it!)

puts up a mean act, but he's a doll. tough but fair, great reader, leads good discussions.

GREAT prof! Cares for students & their work. I didnt find him too bad of a marker- I left out about 1/3 of my final and still only dropped 3 marks overall. He's awesome. Highly recommend him! Makes u work hard, but that's what its all about! =)

Great person!

Very helpful and will do anything for you as long as you put the work in to. Looking forward to having him next semester!!!

Shane is the man. He's really tough, but meeting with him about your papers is so helpful. He really wants you to do well. Get in his class if you can!

This prof was great. He was very clear in what he wanted and quite helpful. Looks like those that who dislike him are first years, fresh out of high school. Come on dont be so critical!!! He is great!! Take a course with him!

Negative ratings from first years be damned: as a 4th year English student, I'll tell that any class taught by O'Dea will be interesting and incredibly important to your development as a writer and critical thinker, if will let it be. His bark is FAR worse than his bite; he's very helpful.

Great guy and great prof. He had me a little scared at first, but his constructive criticism is very useful and his humor quite comical.

A very hard marker who expects a lot out of students and loves to put students on the spot in class but he's also interesting, funny and he really knows his stuff. A very intelligent man, I recomend any course with him just as long as your not worried about your GPA and don't mind talking in class.

Wow!!! This man was BY FAR the best prof I had during university (6 years) He is so smart, so caring and so wants to pull your best out of you. You will work hard (but want to, or maybe be afraid not to:) and be so engaged in what you are learning. He is never boring, always awesome.

Excellent prof! Any person interested in expanding their mind and knowledge should take a course from this man. I assume any bad ratings for this prof come from those students that wish to breeze through university, doing as little work as possible. He will give you a new appreciation for poetry, as well!

By FAR the best prof MUN has to offer. Wonderful lecturer, really pushes students to meet their highest potential. I've come to think that only those who really dislike him only dislike him for the amount of work he expects. Wish I could take more courses with Dr. O'Dea (if I haven't had all my requirements met then I would)!!

An amazing man with a rare and special gift - the ability to make one want to better oneself. I learned more from him about true scholarship than most of my other professors combined. A class act. (Pun - and compliment - fully intended.)

he gets everyone in the class to participate (not by choice! lol), he doesn't give your grades on your works, you have to meet him in his office every time you want a mark. If you don't mind doing these, then i would recommend him.

A great teacher who has the ability to keep you awake and interested in what you're doing. He's a really hard marker but more Fair than anything else, so if you go in looking for pity marks you're not going to get them. But he's an awesome teacher and I have a new respect for english because of him.

Probably the best prof I've ever had. I didn't like him at first, he was a little bit intimidating, but he is a great teacher and has a great sense of humour. He expects hard work, but so do all good profs.

Excellent man and does he ever know what he is doing!! I had him in my first year and am now in my fifth and have yet to encounter a prof with half his intelligence of their area. he assigns interesting books are are anything but mainstream, gets to know all his students by name and remembers you once you leave his class too! the majority of the wo

Fantastic man. Lectures are perfectly structured, but at the same time flexible. Hillariously dry sense of humor and great man to speak to in person. It's true that he's a tough marker, but anyone who says he's not a good teacher, probably has no affinity for English to begin with. Definetely worth your while to get this man. :)

One of the few profs who is concerned with your progress in the course. You can approach him or email him about anything. While he is a difficult marker and expects everyone to participate in class discission, he is a nice man.

So far lectures are comprehensive and interesting. Material is very engaging but somewhat dense. Please, please, PLEASE give us an extension on the paper. I know the due date is 23 Feb 2006 but that is just TOO little time to cover all necessary materials. Please be merciful and grant an extension. I truly would like to finish both novels!

At first I have to admit, all I felt was fear. There seems a be a lot of material to finish, and I find it hard to keep up. Prof is actually really nice when you talk to him in person. He is a very smart man, and sometimes it does feel as though he expects us to know what he knows. Please an exension on that paper on the 23rd would help so much!

VERY intimidating in class, much nicer in person. Course materials are anything but mainstream (not that that's a bad thing). The novels are very lengthy - extension on the paper, please?

When I first read the comments on rate my professor I was very intimidated. However, Dr. O’Dea is a great professor! The classes run by very smoothly and are very interesting. Yes, he does ask questions during class, and he does require that you go to his office for feedback and marks, BUT this is actually a tremendous help. It ensures that you hav

Very helpful, and honestly concerned for his students. The material is 'ok', but there is not enough time to deal with it & understand it at the same time (extension, please!). Also, lectures are interesting, but difficult to takes notes on (very fast paced). The lect infois interesting, but I would rather more info on the content rather than backg

Extremely nice person. This course seems to cover a lot of material quickly, but Prof. O'dea does a good job in covering it in class. He schedules a meeting after tests which I think is a good idea! The only bad things are questions asked in class, this is tough if you are not bold, and some questions on tests/assignments are not completely clear.

Please Please an extension on our paper! Prof is great to talk to in person! He is quite intimidating though, but having us come to his office after tests is amazing. It shows that he cares....nice to see. Books are good, but I cant seem to enjoy them as much as Id like too. FAST PACE! Now back to that extension please!!!

I really like him. He's wonderfull to talk to, in and out of class, but sometimes I find that his lectures could be better oriented to the material. I just wish that he would give us an idea how to write the paper. The is no guidance and hardly any discussion of the paper topic. An area to improve.

Exceptional teacher who pushes you to prove yourself. Sometimes his lectures go a little off course from what he should be talking about (ie: the books we're supposed to learn) but overall he's wonderful. Be warned, you better be willing to Wok hard to EARN your marks.

Intimidating, but in such a way that you can't help but feel that you'll benefit from it. entertaining in the most educational sort of way. my only complaint is the due date of the paper; make the due date later, or let the essay topic involve the first two novels read. with a full courseload, i've not been able to keep up with all of the reading.

The books aren't as bad I thought, I'm actually starting to enjoy them. The prof is a real nice man, knows his work and the background of it all. Sometimes it's hard to pick out his handwriting, which makes it difficult to understand what is expected, but the benefit of meeting with him after is excellent.

I am glad that Mr. O'Dea set the deadline for the paper for February 23rd. It would be horrible to worry about this paper at the end of the semester. Anyway, I find he offers help whenever one needs it. He shows concern for the students and that is utterly important.

Awesome Prof. I love going to english class. He seems very intimidating and scary at first,But he's very nice and helpful. his teaching methods are great. In order to recive your marks, you have to meet with him, works out well, because he reviews your papers with you, and helps with things you get wrong.Only problem is, his office is hard to find.

Mr. O'dea shows a genuine interest in the progress of his students and schedules meeting in his office with students to discuss their work and areas where they might improve. His lectures are comprehensive and condensed. He encourages student input but is unlike other profs who might disregard the ideas of students, destroying their confidence.

for a good introduction to critical analysis I would strongly reccomend this prof. But if your looking for an easy grade to boost your gpa you had best skip on to the next one, the pace is quick and alot of work has to be done on the part of the student to absorb everything that is happening.

This man taught me how to interpret poetry. Before I took his class I never had a clue, but he helped me completely and encouraged me to do well. One of the best teacher's I've had. His bark is worse than his bite so don't worry... he's not as intimidating as he looks. I also found him to be pretty hilarious at times.

This man is a total genius! I absolutely hated my english 1080 course, but when I entered O'Dea's 1101 course I fell in love with english all over again. He's quite humorous and extremely helpful to students. He's quite scary at first, but don't let him intimidate you, because you'll miss out on the class of a lifetime. I highly recommend him.

I've had the good chance of having shane for both 1080 and 1101. As one can clearly see from the amount of comments he is very stimulating. Do not go to this class expecting an easy grade, he will make you work. However for the instruction that you get it's worth while and he is very accomodating if you need help outside of class.

I absolutely love this man, even though I am doing crappy in his class. He makes his students work for every mark they get but he makes sure they understand the material. He has a way to teaching like I have never seen before. I would totally recommend him just be ready to talk in class and work extremely hard. He is very helpful and super smart.

The last comment is so clueless. "Randomly calling out names" is called the Socratic method, and it's one of the best ways to get engaged in a class, if you've done the readings. Giving marks on a one to one basis is awesome, too - he explains why you got the mark you did, and how it could've been better. O'Dea is tough, but one of the best.

He is quite intimidating at first. His sense of humour(or lack) along with his deep voice is at first scary. You understand him more as the course continues. He is a fair marker and you are required to meet with him to receive your marks.However, the meetings are held in a dark, hidden office and are a pain but they are worth it. Great Prof!

I took this course with Shane Odea six years ago, and decided to pursue a degree in English because of him. On the verge of graduation, I can honestly say he was the most impactful professeur I ever had, in any subject at MUN. After taking several courses with him, I can gaurantee that you will be missing out if you allow yourself to be intimidated

I adore Dr. O'Dea. I only wish that I had encountered him earlier in my degree, as he taught me things that I wish I had known earlier on. He is a wealth of information, and actually cares about how you do in his class. As well, his dry humour is refreshing.

Hands down the best and most helpful english teacher ive ever had

Shane O'Dea is a very nice man, he comes off kind of scary and intense when you first meet him though, but he genuinely cares about his students. He is a tough prof. but he will let you know right away how he teaches and what to expect throughout the semester. I personally didn't do very well in the course, but I certainly improved!

Shane O'Dea has become one of my favourite profs - he was great. His teaching method is really unique but effective; he does pick people by name for questions, but it encourages interest. He can be intimidating at first, but he's actually very friendly, funny, and helpful if you show some interest. He's a tough marker, but completely fair.

" He gives in-class assignments on poems, etc that are not discussed in class yet! He marks on account if he likes you or not!" - Are you serious? YOu expect him to spoonfeed you the answers before hand? And you think he's a biased marker? Not true. He's tough, but fair. O'Dea is hilarious. He knows a lot and knows all his student by name. Thumbsup

An incredible teacher, he is a very smart man. I highly recommend getting this prof.

Great guy very helpful. Hard marker but he makes you improve a great deal through his teaching.

Excellent professor. I found his teaching style really helped me to improve in my writing and he made class enjoyable. Would recommend him to anyone!

The man is a near-genius. Absolutely excellent teaching style. He might scare the crap out of you early in the semester with how cold he appears, but stick with him and you'll find him to be extraordinarily helpful.

Very engaging. Class is always fun.

One of the best teachers I've ever had. He's a bit intimidating at first but you quickly learn he's a great man. Very helpful/entertaining lectures, quickly replies to e-mails, and gives 10 minutes to each student after an assignment to discuss how they can improve. For maybe the 2nd time in all of my years of school, I learned in an

Very helpful prof. The classes were interesting and interactive. Hard marker, but will try to help you the best he can. Sets time to discuss papers outside of class.

O'Dea was one of the best professors I've ever had! As many have noted, he can be scary at first (I nearly dropped the class, I was so intimidated); however, you get used to him and realize what a great professor he is! I learned a lot during his class and he definitely kept me interested in the material.

Considering this is his first online course,hes not doing TOO bad... He seems to have a good sense of humor (I think its humor at least - I enjoy reading his comments on my work).Some of his deadlines are VERY tight (too tight) for an online course, 1 hour for discussion questions. He originally allotted 12 hours (better). I'd give him a B- overall

This course will make you realize the importance of spending time analyzing your readings. Definitely not the kind of course where you can simply read the novel and answer your in-class questions without notes. I enjoy his honesty and insightful criticisms.

Shane Odea is all around a great teacher. Yes you'll be terrified your first week or so but it gets easier. He's a very hard marker and makes you work for 80's +. I recommend going to class as he takes attendance which goes towards being able to do a make up assignment to help your grade. He makes you participate a lot and you learn to love him.

If you are genuinely interested in learning about English, take this course! O'Dea is a good professor who will teach you how to be a better writer. But, if you don't want to take a chance with getting a low mark, consider a different professor. O'Dea is a tough grader but he is more than willing to help if you ask.

Takes attendance every class. Very hard marker but leaves good feedback on papers.

He is a great prof if you are looking for someone who truly wishes to help you improve your writing abilities. He will have meetings with you after each essay in order too help you understand your mistakes and to make sure you get the most out of the course. However, he does not give away grades easily. You're going to have to put in effort.

Tough grader but will help you if you ask! NOT an easy A!!

Shane is such a nice professor. In order to get your grades back, you have to schedule a meeting with him. He gives amazing feedback and is very positive and encouraging. However, you should attend class because at the end of the term there's a make-up essay that you can only do if you didn't miss any more than 5 classes. Loved him!

Shane is not an easy marker and often calls students out. I was so scared of him at first I wanted to drop out. However, as the year progressed he became one of my favourite profs. He is so intelligent and I truly learned a lot from him. He really cares about his students as well.

O'Dea is a fantastic lecturer with a distinct knowledge of his course material. He makes an effort to involve students in group discussions, and ties these discussions very well into his own lecture. He will be very particular in his grading, but he will be fair. If you struggle with writing essays avoid his class, otherwise highly recommended