Steve was an awesome teacher. I can honestly say that he is one of my favorite teachers that I have ever had. I loved listening to what he had to say because he said it with such clarity, precision, yet so carefully choosing his words.

Really nice guy

He is a very helpful Rhetoric teacher. When you ask for help, he will gladly help you. But you HAVE to ask for help.

As you can see from the previous post, the english of his students is really poor. Therefore, I would recommend you a different RHET 105 teacher if that's what you're looking for.

Professor gives very less work! Highly recommended!

Steve is easygoing and personable. The subjects of the essay assignments didn't always interest me, but he gives many helpful comments on drafts and is very encouraging. Class was entertaining and interesting some days, not so much other days. Overall he's an excellent and intriguing teacher.

I took Steve's class a couple years ago and he was great. It could be difficult to get an A because he's really particular, but he offered great feedback and gradeed fairly. He created a very comfortable class thanks to his humor and relaxed demeanor. I recommend his class. He made me like Rhet while most of my friends though their teachers dull.

EASY! BEST RHETORIC TEACHER!

Guy is a boss. Keeps it real 24/7 and even puts some good ole stank on the hang low.

I liked Steve's class. He's friendly and clever. Some of the assignments were cool, but I think he should have more small assignments so students can boost their grade if they don't get good grades on essays. Overall he seemed like a fair, smart, interesting teacher. I would recommend his class.

This fellow seems to think hes Pittsburg WITH the cream cheese. But, whatever. He wears a white or a blue shirt everyday. Hates cell phones. I think he's a right proper citizen. Students need to talk more in his class. he needs to make them do it. I liked Steve's class. I'm the Russian judge, I give him an 8.5.

Steve is cool, smart, funny, fair, and helpful. I think his grading is a bit too tough and his handwriting on papers is terrible. Otherwise, he's a great teacher.

Awesome guy but he grades pretty hard.

Mr. Runkle runs a cool class. Very interactive. It's one of the few classes I've actually (sometimez) enjoyed attending. I like all his high-flying slam dunks (so to speak).

I liked Steve. I just had him for Advanced Rhetoric and it was a really good class. He makes the discussions lively and interesting and makes a lot of comments on papers. A lot of these people say he's a tough grader, but I don't think so. I agree that he is particular, but I think that's a good thing. A couple negative commets here...just haters.

This class was fairly boring. A lot of sitting around with Steve trying to pry discussion out of blankly staring students. But overall it wasn't that hard; for all three essays I turned them in exactly as he handed my rough drafts back and I received at least 5% higher than he said I would if I turned it in as is.

This guy began every class screaming at the top of his lungs every imaginable dirty thing he could possibly invent about my family. Neeless to say, by mid-semester this got a little old. Fortunately, after all the ranting was over, Steve wheeled out tubs of ice cream and toppings an everyone enjoyed building their own beautiful ice cream sundaes!!!

Steve gives a lot of good feedback on papers and I'm proably a better writer after his class. I didn't like some of the subjects and sometimes the class was boring, whatever. He's a really nice guy though.

One Word: Mister Jerry Christmas is at your service, making all stops between really interesting and not!!! On a lighter note, Jerry would like to thank Mr. Rinkle for a fine semester of one-liners and haberdashery. Cheers from the Indian subcontinent! (No animals were damaged in the making of this commercial).

First day of class this guy walks in and twirls a heap of his own loose meat right on the desk. Held a swirl just like a DQ cone. Amazing. After that, things went down hill.

Steve has a beautiful mule--perhaps the most beautiful in all the land--and he brings it to class most days. That was fine, but toward the end of class he'd usually ride the mule around the room while we just watched. Or he sat there buzzing the mule with his stupid little remote control helicopter.

awesome teacher. really made an effort to make the class interesting. take his class if you can, very highly recommended.

Awesome professor. Very helpful and tries his best to make it interesting and fun. Moderate coursework and anyone who follows his guidelines is assured of a good grade.

Easy... Just work hard in your essays and keep giving your 2c in class no matter hoe fun/full the topic. Follow these steps and land yourself an A

Great teacher. Funny guy. Had a good time. Cheers.

Stunkle just flipped the script on y'all and now he's going freestyle. Get on down wit yo bad self, Steve. Oh yeaaaaaahhhh!

Very engaging professor. Papers were fair. The first one he grades hard on because he really wants to get the point across. The other 2 were extremely easy.

This class was ALL about Ham Chowder. How to make it, what it tastes like, its textures, its history, how the ham is best prepared, the history of swine farming in Italy. If you love--really L-O-V-E--Ham Chowder and want to completely exhaust the topic, then absolutely take Steve's class. Me? I'd rather read and write about other things.

He is a nice guy but is not very open minded about the papers as a rhet professor is supposed to be but is very helpful and also very understanding.Overall a fun guy but he grades hard

The classroom teacher dressed in swanky time-traveler regalia & looked like the end of the world almost all the time. He flaunts the imaginary tuna & peels the secrets off your skin. Be advised that this may spell catastrophe.

Mr. Runkle brought a lot of energy and interest into a class that I expected to suck. He's one of the best teachers I've ever had. He actually seemed to care about what he's doing. The last review says that Mr. Runkle didn't explain his comments or criticisms on papers. That's totally ridiculous. His comments were EXTREMELY helpful. So was he.

Do you think maybe cheeseburger is the answer? I think fun but it wasnt fun all the time. Class begins and everyone is sitting. A camper with all the latest apps and attachments was wheeled out like a prize from Price is Right. Now whom do you think is your daddy? This was not an appropriate way to celebrate anything. Even the fish was bad. Very.

One of the best things about Steve's class is we had it indoors. It can be very cold or hot or sometimes even windy and indoors was a tremendous choice. Plus his volume as appropriate most of the time. Sometimes something like a radiator is banging in a class, which can be really annoying. If the class is at lunch time, be sure to eat before it!

Runkle is the man.

Steve is a righteous dude. And if you've ever ridden through Pittsburgh on Amtrak at night & seen the bridges spanning the city's trio of rivers like necklaces of light, then you know what it's like to be pleased by a thing. Steve's class pleased me. It's not your average potato salad-type affair of busy work punctuating spells of boredom.

I say now to all the world that this man, this teacher who names himself as "Stephen" Runkle on the course syllabus but who goes by "Steve", and whose name may or may not really be either, I say now before the assembled world that this man does indeed believe that he is cool. But that's okay, because he is, indeed, quite right.

Easily one of the best professors I have ever had. Mr. Runkle is so caring about his students, and deeply wants them to succeed. He gives terrific feedback on in class essays. Take his feedback seriously, and you will do well. I could not recommend him any higher.

Steve is a great lecturer who genuinely cares about his students. He makes you really wrap your head around the essay topics, but it is less work compared to the assignment other rhetoric teachers make their students. He is always there for his students and a great guy in general.

Professor Runkle is one of the best teachers I have known. Sometimes it's a little hard to know what he wants your essay to be like, but just talk to him and he will explain. It seems like maybe that's the point. The whole class seems like it's about figuring things out. Most of his assignments make you try to figure out what something means .

Awesome teacher. Only 3 papers and a group project. Participation matters a lot towards the beginning, but he's not uptight about it. He's always understanding and makes himself available a lot. Makes you work for your grade, but he's a fair grader. Steve's the MAN!

Steve is a great professor, not only for his interesting lectures (always prepared with questions, explanations and reflections), but also for his helpfulness. He makes himself available to discuss the assignments (only three papers and small projects) I would highly recommend to take RHET 105 with him

Steve is a lecturer who's passionate about what he's teaching. He also always has office hours every week, so you can look for help. However, there is no clear grading criteria, which makes it very difficult to really know what he looks for in the essays. There are also no extra credit whatsoever, so that makes your final paper worth a lot.

Great teacher. Sometimes overexplains things and gets a little lost in tangents, but it's part of his personality, which is really cool and easy-going. I liked how much he seemed to believe in what he was teaching. Made me think about big ideas. Felt a little lost sometimes but talked to him after class and it made sense. One of my best classes.

I was recommended this professor by my roommate who had him last year and said he was really nice and the class focused on technology. It wasn't what I expected but he is very helpful and I think my writing is better. He makes a lot of comments on your papers, which i liked.

Steve was very helpful to help me understand how to make my essays better when I went to office hours. He's a very helpful professor and a nice person.

Top 2 or 3 classes I ever took.

Wouldn't have chosen any other professor for RHET 105. Gives helpful feedback and is a fair grader. I really like that he due dates for papers were fair. Also, he hosts office hours every week which is helpful.

Mr. Runkle was a blast in class, yet not afraid to take me to school! In HS, I was used to adding words to a paper to get the word count up. He's more about getting rid of words and focused on critical thinking. The assignment was something like "identify a moment that changed your life." Well, I'd checked all of my luggage for a flight from A

We talk taboo stuff in class, including politics. We talk about technology a lot and how its changing our lives and culture. Some reading, not crazy, and four essays. Obviously thinks Donald Trump is a Bloated animal uterus.? We analyzed the evidence and medias role in the mess. Chill dude. Grades Main essays hard.

Steve is a dynamo. One minute hes talking about How to write a research paper and then he stands around and sing his falsetto describes particular of a sandwich he made last night. He just looking at us and smiles. like hes a genius or a silly actor full of magical cheese or beans. I learned how to be a better thinker about writing a paper o

Runkle exudes interest in writing and thinking and tries to make students feel the same way. The course theme was cool (new social medias effects) but class discussion got repetitive. Runkle was funny, strange in a good way, and fair about workload and grades. Write precise descriptions and really develop your ideas and youll get an A.

You cant stop a train with bacon? With this provocative question, the journey began. None of us would ever be the same. Gifted brand new whistles, we were instructed to blow them when the learning reached a boil. And blow them we did. In one case, all the way to Idaho. Thats when the bacon moved over. It was time for something meatier.

Steve is a good guy and fun in class but his standards for a freshman class are maybe too high. I had to work TOO hard to get an A. He looks like Keanu Reeves if Keanu Reeves had no hair and a face that looked like Steves. I like the class a lot, but the Grading should be more realistic.

Rarely do I like English classes but this one was actually interesting, partly because Steve chose good topics and gave us lots of options within those topic to write about.

Steve is awesome! Really nice guy and loves his students. I took RHET 105 and he named his course "Life in the Age of the Mobile Device" so readings and discussions were basically talking about things like social media, technology, and smartphones. Deadlines for papers are very reasonable and readings are not super long.

Runkle is the BEST. Super lenient with deadlines due to COVID. Gives a "Do these things in the semester and you will get an A" so that you feel more apt to write creatively. He assigns 3 major essays and gives incredible feedback. Office hours are kinda late at night but its okay. He has synch lectures but sometimes replaces them with videos.

I took RHET 105 with Runkle during the Fall 2020 semester. He was SUPER lenient with deadlines. The assignments were often open ended and related to current events and social media. Runkle is extremely kind, really loved his class.

Mr. Runkle was extremely patient and helpful. He understood that we are dealing with a lot of craziness now more than ever and gave me extra time to finish my work. Class met once a week synchronously and he was always willing to meet on zoom if I needed to talk. Great professor!

Runkle was a good professor to have during COVID. He was very lenient with deadlines and seem to care about the challenges we're facing. Also his zoom lectures were interesting. Nice guy. Very helpful and reasonable. Not a crazy amount of work.

Really cool guy, that Mr. Runkle. During SP2021 he was very lenient with deadlines, as obviously more important issues were going on in the world. He often cancels lectures or prerecords them. He's very curious and gives good feedback. He encourages group conversation both on zoom and discussion boards. 10/10 do recommend.

Very understanding and a genuine person.

Professor Runkle is a nice guy, but hes serious about COVID mask mandates. Often he tells students to pull their mask up over their nose. Its a Rhet class, but he focuses on social media and how its influencing us. He likes controversial topics and prompting students to think about why so many people are so stupid and lost.

Chill cat. Cool class.

Runkle is a really caring and interesting professor which completely changed the way I viewed rhet 105. I have never been an English student so I was worried coming into this class but the way that Runkle taught his class made it easy for me to be motivated to work on something I personally don't care for. His grading is very clear and is fair.

Steve is a great, helpful, funny professor. Assigns the same nickname to everyone: "Nephew". Class focused on various effects of SoCal media as well as the way Russia's attack on Ukraine is being presented on TikTok. Come to find his Aunt Jeremy Jr became world famous in China thanks to Meitu's face-perfecting app! Ain't nobody got time fa dat!

I'm going to miss this class and the way Steve made me interested in examining how social media is influencing the way I live and think. I think it helped my writing skills; DEFINITELY the class opened my eyes to my own habits and the strange effects social media is having on us. I don't like writing, but I loved the way Steve taught the class.

Awesome professor, offers feedback on drafts! The lecture is not too discussion-heavy and he is understanding of deadlines.

This professor is unusual in a good way. Class was focused on social media influence but we talked about a lot of things, everything from furbies to the bodylines of 1960s Lamborghinis and the glamorous daughters of country music stars. Not too much reading and papers were manageble. One of my best classes.

Steve was one of the best English teachers I have ever had. He is so clearly knowledgable and brings so many inspirational insights to class. He is very good about deadlines and if you need to you can turn in essays late without any penalty. The course content is also very relevant and interesting which makes writing essays a lot easier.

Steve is very specific about how he wants you to write, which is good and bad. He tries different ways of teaching, like giving a project (make a video essay) to do during classtime and post it or just having class discussion or analyzing a student's paper in class. He gives a lot of feedback on essays. but he expects too much.

Professor Steve was very great and kind.

Ostensibly, Steve's class is focused on examining social media, but actually he's designed something more interesting and important: a class that challenges students to examine themselves and the people they're on the way to becoming as they go about their lives on screens. I loved Steve's class and how it forced me to reflect on my habits.

I enjoyed this course. We learned a lot and got the incredible opportunity to self reflect. Would recommend this professor.

I hate writing essays and I'm not very good at them, but Mr. Runkle was a great professor. The class was boring at times, but the class was nice to have.

Although its based on rhetoric, he makes very engaging for students. It is a college writing course, so he does not easily dish out As on essays, but everything is mostly completion. Super understanding for deadlines and allows revision all on essays. Professor that truly cares about his craft and aims to inspire others to do the same.

Dr. Runkle is the Rhet 105 professor you want to have. Several assignments are for completion, and only 4 essays are graded. He's very flexible with deadlines, and he is always happy to offer feedback to help improve your essays. Very caring and understanding professor.

Runkle is a very chill, respectful professor. Everything is completion with the exception of four essays throughout the entire semester. Participation is for a grade, but I still got an A without participating in his class once. Runkle's class is the Kung Fu Panda definition of a Level 0 class.

Runkle is a very caring prof! His class was structured around the digital age and included 4 big essays. There were other smaller assignments as well. Very understanding about deadlines + offers feedback and help on most assignments. Class can get boring because ppl don't participate but he cares about content and helping so much. Highly recommend!

Stephen Runkle can lecture on and on you don't have to pay attention at all, but you might enjoy the class more if you do. He gives relatively little coursework and is incredibly generous with due dates. There is no teacher better to have for RHET 105 because he makes taking a required gen ed not that bad.

I took this class almost 2 years ago and I am still thinking about it. Mr. Runkle is genuinely one of the most passionate, kind, and interesting lecturers I have ever had as an English teacher. I took this class as a freshman in engineering, and it struck me like no other. The gen ed was not only manageable, but I took away a lot from the class!!

I took it last semester and it was amazing - he was caring, inspirational, and humorous. Fair grading + Good feedbacks. Although it was a 8 AM class, he made it very energetic through his passionate teaching style. He's also very supportive - wrote college recommendation for my transfer application, and clearly he's the BEST professor in RHET 105.

Stephen Runkle is really a great teacher. His dedication to students made my RHET 105 experience engaging, especially with its political theme. Besides, he is always responsive and willing to offer extra assistance, ensuring students feel supported.

Absolutely love this guy.

Steve is one of the best teachers if not THE best I've had at UI. He's thoughtful, fair, flexible with deadlines, and always available to meet when I'm not sure about something. Plus he makes class interesting with his funny sense of humor and mix of small group and independent activities.

Very flexible with deadlines and understanding. I followed the rubrics and got good grades.