2.3
Quality3.6
Difficulty8%
Would Retake92
Reviews8%
Would Retake
92
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
92 total ratings5
10
4
11
3
14
2
31
1
26
What Students Say
“He's not the worst, but for this class I would try and take it with a different professor if possible”
ENG305 - 2.0 rating“Never taking this professor again”
CLASS - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
93%
Textbook Required
30%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.56 avg changeRatings by Course
ENGLISH380
5.0
(1)ENG102
5.0
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5.0
(1)ENG207
4.0
(1)ENG301
3.5
(2)Difficulty by Course
ENG325
5.0
CLASS
5.0
ENGLISH110
4.5
ENG380
4.5
ENG417
4.0
Reviews (91)
Terrible grading policy...
No Comments
Somewhat difficult, but a funny guy who gets you to think
No Comments
No Comments
kinda a weirdo. won't let you use any form of 'to be' in your writing. totally annoying! but easy grader.
very boring and weird, requires attendance and class is dreadful and boring
Creative Writing is extremely annoying with him. I put him as hard because you have to keep a daily journal for the entire semester - and it's a LOT of work. Never really know what your grade is in this class, until you receive it at the end of semester
Very tough grader, and you don't have a grade for the class until it's well into the second half of the semester. Kind of arrogant, but interesting, and he knows what he's talking about
No Comments
I loved this class...he's very intelligent and gets you to really think about the material. Interesting info too...like Bob Dylan lyrics, analytical discussions about the film American Beauty. Very good teacher who makes you work!
It took all of my willpower not to get up every day and vomit on his shoes. Had the class not been a required gen ed, I'd've done it and then dropped it straightaway.
I liked his class...it was an excellent learning experience. I feel that I came away with a greater understaninding of the English language...be prepared to work hard.
Terrible teacher. If he is not a fan of your work look forward to doing poorly. Not interesting at all unless, oh wait, he's never interesting. He likes to praise himself for his assistance of lesser accomplished writers. Sad.
If you value mutual respect and free opinion, do NOT take a class with Barillas. Expects you to keep a journal needing over a page a day, seven days a week, to complete. Arrogant. Twists your words to suit his personal thoughts, disregards disagreement.
he is really full of himself, that's about it. if you want someone who thinks he is better than you, take him, it's your choice
The class is interesting enough but NEVER miss a class and don't try to talk to him/email him/call him outside of class, he hates to be bothered and if he's not there he won't return your phone call or email.
Remember those days where you played outside in the sunshine without a care in the world? Remember that limping,rabid raccoon that slowly approached you?And then your mom told you to get in the house? Here's a similie for you: Barillas is that raccoon. Also:He's Vic the Slick - complete with a sneer
very interesting topics, great teacher
DO NOT TAKE THIS TEACHER. I pray the university gets rid of him. Arrogant a**hole. Don't agree with him? To bad, you'll have to to get hrough his class.
If you are a cocky a**hole that loves to hear yourself talk, you will get along great with this guy. During class you never know what he is discussing and is highly unreachable. He never hands back any assignments and you won't know your grade til the last day of class. I WOULD RATHER BE IN HELL!!
This guy is so boring, no matter how hard you try it is hard to stay awake in class, He laughs like a weisel at all his stupid "jokes" and has his favorites in class and if you are not one of them, you are screwed.
he is just creepy...that is all there is to say about him. plus, he thinks he is the best professor to ever live. sorry he's not.
Our whole class hates him. We all laugh at him behind his back. He's cocky and a jack a**. What sucks is that all of us signed up for Scholze and got shafted with this bestard instead. Choose anyone over this guy. PS- Who's the idiot who gave him a smiley face? Are you on crack?
awful teacher, classes are pointless. Loves to talk about his book on nature that no one wants to read. if you want to learn nothing take his class
I don't get this guy. I mean his directions are unclear and his jumps around everywhere. And yes I was shafted to and got him instead of scholze
idk what is going on i'm in class right now and hr is explaining a book we were suppose to read. I read the book and after hearing him i am not sure what the hell is going on anymore.... this guy is crazy as hell... this guy needs to get a clue
You will not learn anything in this class. It is a waste of time and a pain to go through. This guy is very anal and will give a bad grade for a good paper.
Say what you will about him but he goes around the class and helps every student out. He makes sure students are on task with what they are suppose to do... The people who don't like him just are mad they got graded bad on the first paper
Good prof.
Barillas is the worst teacher EVER. * AVOID HIM * He is a horrible teacher that loves to hear himself talk. If you take him, be prepared to be bored to death. Very unclear and a very hard grader. I'd reccomend jumping off a clift instead.
Very good teacher. If you have a question he will sit with you and make sure that you understand. Tests are easy if you do the reading. Overall I would definetly take a class taught by him again
Dr. Barillas is a pedantic, rambling man who loves to listen to the sound of his own voice. He immediately dismisses anything he himself doesn't regard as ultimate truth, and appears to firmly believe his classes are the most important (if not the only) ones taught on campus. Plus, he keeps students AT LEAST five minutes beyond class time everyday.
He's a nice guy who brings up a lot of interesting points in class.
TERRIBLE!That sums up Barillas, he is completely unhelpful and loves to listen to himself. He asks for opinions but then immediately shoots them down and tells students they're wrong. I will NEVER take him again and tell everyone to NOT take him.
Arguably the worst professor I've ever had. Rambles non-stop about how awesome the poets he's worked with are, plugs his book whenever the opportunity arises, and has such a strict definition of what's wrong or right as far as poetry is concerned that, in order to get a good grade, you basically have to write his poetry with your name on it. Lame.
F this guy. The worst teacher I have ever had.Loves to listen to himself talk and his tests are ridiculous.Final consists of questions so specific to the books that you need to practically memorize them in order to be correct.What a piece of crap.Dont take this guy unless you want to be bored out of your mind everyday and get screwed in the end.
A guy in our class disagreed with him on the interpretation of a poem and Barillas basically argued with him for around 15 minutes, then added a question to the final exam to push his interpretation on us again. He loves to hear himself talk. I really disliked this class.
Just stands up in front of class and rambles. Final exam impossible very detailed questions on the novel. I walked out of this class and realized that I had learned absolutely nothing. Rarely does group discussions but rather lectures to you about his ideas and if you do try to talk he will shoot down your ideas.
I felt he was a good teacher. Challenging but I really l liked him. He really made you think and actually try.
If you want easy go elsewhere. If you want to learn a lot about writing, lit, art, and music he is a good teacher.
I was terrified to take him after reading these reviews, but he's not the 'rabid racoon' that's portrayed on this site. He's def a bit snooty, but class isn't torture, and his lectures are actually pretty interesting. We got to talk about Motown and he even gave us a 3 day grace period on our midterm essay and a cheat paper for the final! He's OK!
As a senior, he'd be in my top 3 worst professors ever taken. Completely unorganized, hard, shows up late, keeps you late, finished our final 5 minutes before final, during class break uses it for personal time to take about individual essays, what could be done in an hour is dragged on and ON for the entire class, AVOID if all possible!!
Class was torture, boring, and pointless! Assignments were too long/intensive for a 200 level class, tests were nitpicky and specific. Assignment and final grades were very subjective. This guy is snooty, talks down to students, and if your opinion is not the same as his, you are just wrong. Avoid for ENG 200, especially T TH 85 min sessions! UGH.
I had him for two classes, didn't get a good grade but still liked him. I could have gotten a better grade had I done the assigned reading. Really nice guy.
Easy -- as long as you speak up in class (even if it means BS'ing your opinion on the literature) and you'll basically get an automatic A if you volunteer to be his attendance taker.
After reading some of his reviews I was afraid to take his class, but it was not at all as bad as some people made it seem. His sylabus in the course packet scared me at first, but if you speak up in class, do the readings, go to class, and actually think about the readings you will be fine. Bring essays to writing center for reviewing! It helps.
The class isn't overly difficult. 50% of the grade is based on two essays so make sure you understand what he is asking. The thing that upsets me about him is that he is ALWAYS right. Don't contradict his opinions or he will give you a bad grade. If you're into conformity then you'll get a good grade.
I loved Barillas. He was my favorite teacher this semester. Amazing amount of knowledge, graded hard but fairly on exams. lets you use a blank sheet of paper and write whatever you want on final exam. easy easy homework. take him, listen to what he has to say and you'll learn lots of interesting things.
Extremely arrogant and condescending. Don't take Poetry and Rock-n-Roll, unless you want to hear a man pathetically ramble on about various bands' lyrics... like he actually HELPED WRITE THEM. By the way, you can NEVER be right in this class. So don't even bother.
It was an interesting semester. Assignments were unrealistic and in our final portfolio he requires a 125 page journal count in addition to 4 poems and 2 short stories. The in class stuff was fun, but other than that it was a frustrating class.
Poetry & Rock-n-roll with no rock. All the music is 1960-70 folk and Beatles. He is very egocentric and is not willing to discuss any other music in the class.
You cannot be right in this class. His way is the only way and his interpretation is the only interpretation. This class very boring and it made me hate the Midwest. He grades unfairly and his tests are absurdly difficult. It doesn't matter that you get an entire sheet for notes on the final; you will not get an A in this class. Dont take him.
He doesn't really teach anything. The first part of class you write poetry and then everyone reads through it. The second half you write short stories and again the class reads through them. He doesn't remember to send you e-mails or tell you whats going on. You pretty much rely on yourself and classmates. Take with a friend - it's more fun!
Who still takes attendance? It's college! Dude is ridiculously egocentric. Nothing you say is right and he will not be afraid to embarrass you in class. It's his way or no way. So stay away! I loved writing..now I hate it. Thank you, Barillas.
Barillas isn't as bad as he seems if you try and get to know him. I hate english and I am a terrible writer but somehow I managed an A on the first paper. It's a lot of work for a gen ed class so don't take it with a heavy semester.
HE'S NOT THAT BAD! After reading other reviews on here i was terrified. But he really isn't that bad. I learned a lot actually. His assingments are easy, and I got a b+ on both my essay and exam. Class can get a little boring, but he knows his stuff.
Barillas is an interesting prof, who taught me a lot that I didn't know prior to this class. The class has a total of 2 essays, 2 tests, along with reading of 3 novels and poems. The tests are hard, and he grades pretty strictly on the essays; however, he truly is passionate about what he teaches and he does know his stuff.
I didn't like him. You are put into groups with the people you sit by. He takes attendance daily. I dread going to this class. He could be better with other subjects but never take Literature through the Midwest. It's super boring & I try not to look @ the clock every 5 minutes but it's the only thing that keeps me awake in that class.
I still don't know what to think of Barillas. I enjoyed the course content (O Pioneers is pretty good) but still dreaded going to class. The discussions are often overwrought, and the poem unit can get pretty boring. Even so, I found the class intellectually beneficial. If you're an English major, I'd recommend him. Might be a bit hard for gen ed.
The WORSTEST PROFESSOR EVER. Really helpless, doesn't give useful suggestions. The creative writing means "CREATIVE," but the comment he gave on the story we wrote was: It's not your own experience.
Stereotypical English professor - pretentious, condescending, snooty. He advocates discussion, yet does not seriously take into consideration any opinion that does not align with his own. He's not the worst, but for this class I would try and take it with a different professor if possible.
Never again! Never taking this professor again!! He is confusing and condescending. Assigns lots of work, sometimes last minute. No idea what the expectations are no idea what grade I'm getting. Migraine inducing!
Really enjoyed the texts we read. Good lectures. Learned a lot. Tough grader.
Barillas gives you very dry and boring lectures, and grades your papers exceptionally hard so be prepared to work on them over and over again. The work load isn't that much but with how disorganized he can be it sometimes seems like it. Be prepared for random emails with your assignment the night before it's due, overall I would try to avoid him.
He is very specific about what he wants and wants things done his way. If you just read the directions and do what is asked of you, it's not a bad class at all. There is little homework, just a lot of reading at specific points. Most of the days consist of group discussions. Just participate, actually apply yourself, and you will be fine.
A condescending guy to say the least. Not very approachable, makes everything longer than it needs to be, and just not a great teacher. You think you are prepared but he knows how to make you feel bad about your work. Very disappointed with him.
Barillas was so condescending and when your opinion was different than him he really let you know it. Always made me feel incredibly stupid when I asked questions on clarifying assignments. Never made me feel good about my work and I consider myself a decent writer. The lectures are dry and boring and you will wish you were dead.
Even if he is your last option, wait until next semester to try and get another teacher! Barillas harps on participation yet everytime you try to give your input he immediately shoots it down. Also, it won't matter how YOU interpret a poem/reading, if it's not his way it's wrong. He doesn't put any grades in and over explains everything! Stay away!
I wish he would put the grades in as the semester went on. I did not know how I was doing until the end when he posted the grades after finals
Barillas is very passionate about his work, but fails to let opinions differ from that of his own. He is a tough grader and is very specific about how he wants things done. The reading for the class are actually quite enjoyable, but lectures about it can be quite long and boring. Grades are not updated as they should be.
Very dry lectures, but you won't want to miss them because he grades participation in discussion.
Barillas isn't terrible, he makes you do lots of prep work and drafting for your essays- but he isn't a terribly difficult grader. His lectures are long and dry, and he isn't great at making his points clear. However, I'm not a great writer and managed to get decent grades on my essays, so maybe there is a method to his madness.
Lectures are long and quite boring. Barillas is petty in his grading and makes things tougher for his students, seemingly on purpose. For example, he has specific criteria on how your emails need to be formatted if you need to contact him, which is completely pointless. Little guy with a large ego. Wouldn't recommend.
Dr. Barillas is a nice professor. He rants alot about things that don't necessarily have to do with what we are studying in class. He gives alot of study questions. There are 3 books to read in this class and multiple choice quizzes on each of these readings. He makes class enjoyable by talking about his personal life.
Lectures are extremely dry, and he waits until the last ten minutes of the class to get to the main point. He is very passionate and nice; however, he doesn't give much help when it comes to how to approach his papers and has trouble getting his points across.
I enjoyed the class. I liked that he assigned a text and we'd6t spend 2-3 periods on it, so we could really delve into the subject. He takes the time to chat up students before class and brings in relevant current events. Yes, he's disorganized and sends assignments via email the night before. Do what's expected and you'll be fine.
William Barillas is one of the worst professors I've ever had. He teaches lit and never wants to hear any opinions other than his own. Lots of busy work. He takes forever to grade and when you get it back, there is barely any feedback.
His lectures are extremely dry and he does not take into consideration any opinion that is different than his own, this was a hard adjustment considering literature often leaves a lot for interpretation. You will spend the entire class period looking at the clock and waiting for it to end. WAY too work heavy and specific for a gen ed...
Focused on participation. Lots of full class discussion and sharing individual thoughts.
This guy is knowledgeable about the topics he discusses, so there is a lot of useless information in his lectures and it bores you. There are grades on very few things so when you can't apply the useless lecture information on his tests it makes it quite difficult. Also only assigns one essay and he expects way to much from you on it. Late to grade
He goes on and on in his lectures about pointless material. Expects too much of his students. Will have you read a whole book in the beginning of the semester and make you identify quotes from it on the final. A few group presentations. Close-minded to people who think differently of him.
Do not take this professor if you have the choice. He is very condescending because he tells you to be inspired when writing then tells you everything you wrote sucks and you have to redo it all. I was expecting this class to be easy but it is my hardest class and gives me anxiety. The good thing is that he lets you skip 3 classes without penalty.
If you are able to take this class with a different professor, DO IT. You will be so discouraged about your writing, for no idea other than his own is considered good enough. I especially recommend switching if you took AP Language and/or AP Literature in high school. He goes against everything we learned and you will feel like it is contradicting.
William is a strange professor. He puts very little effort into planning his classes, yet expects a lot from his students. I feel as though teaching is a side job for him. He is often late to class, unprepared and easily angered. He seems somewhat intelligent on the material but comes off as extremely condescending and rude.
He comes to class unprepared everyday which is extremely frustrating for students who pay lots of money to be there. He is never prepared to give a lecture and when he does try to teach it goes against everything i learned in any other english class. When you ask him questions his responses are usually rude.
Dr. Barillas is one of the worst professors I've every had. He only grades you on three essays, but he takes longer than a month to grade each one. He thinks very highly of himself and rarely helps you if you need it.
DO NOT take this professor. He is rude and during units if you say something and can back it up you are wong. It doesnt mattter if he doesnt agree then you are wrong. The midterm and finals are rediculously hard and you have to be able to identify works between poety and fiction, the author, and who is speaking.
He is very passionate about his work and the topics that we covered in class, however... it is almost finals week and we have ONE thing in the grade book. There are many writing assignments but they are short and he gets right to the point of what he expects them to be like. His lectures are very boring, and his tests have very detailed answers.
The lectures in this class were extremely boring and often times it was difficult to understand his point. He takes over a month to grade a paper but then grades them quite critically. When you ask him a question he stumbles around his words a lot and your question seemingly never gets answered. You are normally left even more lost.
I would not recommend this class for anyone who wants an easy general studies class. The two tests are sometimes difficult to understand because he choses random texts from the reading materials and expects everyone to remember all the lines from each book. His lectures are long, boring, and brutal.
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
93%
Textbook Required
30%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
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