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Eng 198H, Spring 2015

Senior Honors Seminar

This seminar provides both an introduction to literary theory as well as preparation for writing the honors thesis.

“Please rate the overall quality of the instructor’s teaching”

Average rating: 4.8 of 5 (♣♣♣♣♣ Excellent; ♣♣♣♣ Very Good; ♣♣♣ Good; ♣♣ Fair; ♣ Poor)

♣♣♣♣♣ Ken is very knowledgeable about his subject matter (and more) and it shows. Information was presented very clearly, and I was glad to have him as an instructor to provide a brochure of knowledge for my thesis. A suggestion: perhaps more structured discussions and encourage discussions between classmates.

♣♣♣♣♣ This course was wonderful & Prof. Hiltner is so kind, engaging, and passionate about his work. It provided a wonderful overview of lit. theory which should be a requirement for the major!

♣♣♣♣♣ It was a great course to understand the history of Lit. & to express opinions. 🙂 Thank you!

♣♣♣♣♣ One of, if not the most insightful instructor I have had the opportunity to learn from at UCSB. Ken was extremely engaging but was always easy to approach and communicate with. I really learned a lot from his class and hope I am able to take another with him before I graduate.

♣♣♣♣♣ I found Ken as an advisor to be the most useful resource insofar as planning and preparing to research for my senior thesis project. Our individual meetings were always illuminating for me and I felt encouraged at every step of the process the class structure was a bit different for me. Meeting once a week to discuss really large concepts in theory — but it was very casual in a way, and it didn’t feel like a judgmental space so it was easy to share thoughts.

♣♣♣♣♣ This course was excellent in providing a survey of Literary Theory. Something I had never had experience before to this extent, and I found it fascinating. Ken has also been so helpful in mentoring us on the process of beginning the Senior Thesis paper. I enjoyed this course very much and felt that it was extremely helpful. I almost wish it were continued into the senior fall quarter when we write our thesis as it provides motivation, support, and continued insight while actually writing and working on the thesis paper.

♣♣♣♣♣ I think that this class should be taught as a core requirement, or at least a general upper division open to all student. Understanding literary theory broadened my perspective on Lit. and helped inform my own understanding and opinion when approaching my Thesis. The freedom which we had with the work we produced gave me the motivation to actually take an interest in the topic. Also, the small class size and general freedom we had in discussion helped engage me as a I could genuinely contribute. It helped that Ken asked our opinion first, before interjecting his own.

♣♣♣♣♣ Professor Hiltner is an excellent facilitator for discussion. He keeps the class interesting by providing great material to talk about and keeps the students engaged. I’ve learned so much by taking this class!

♣♣♣ I think literary theory is an important course for the English major, and a general survey of the trends and history of criticism and theory probably should be a requirement. I also think this class was very privileged by its intimate, seminar – style setting, but I would have preferred more direct engagement with the text of authors and theorists alike, rather than the mediation by another professor. I also would have preferred more argument with Professor Fry’s take on the theory, instead of just dismissing the older stuff as archaic. I did really like insights into the “academy of the future of lit theory”