[LITS 0101]
Introduction to World Literature

Rate This Class

Professor: Brayton D

Value of Course / Overall Score

Not Much (25%
Average (12.5%)
Valuable (62.5%)

Material

Friendly (12.5%)
Average (25%)
Competitive (62.5%)

Class Atmosphere

Boring (62.5%)
Average (12.5%)
Fascinating (25%)

Prep Time Needed

1-2hr (0%)
3-5hr (75%)
6-8hr (25%)
9-11hr (0%)
12+ hr (0%)

Grade Weighting

Harder (14.3%)
Average (0%)
Easier (85.7%)

Adequate Assistance

Yes (85.7%)
No (14.3%)

Would Recommend Class

Yes (71.4%)
No (28.6%)

Evaluation Comments for Brayton D

  1. Oh yeah. This was a really fantastic class. Brayton really gets the fire going, and you can't help but feed off the fire too. The reading list is grabbing too.
  2. No Comment
  3. Professor Brayton is why we pay 40,000 dollars per year to go here. He is my advisor and thus far my favorite prof here at Midd. LITP101 is seriously the best class I have had so far at Middlebury. Half of it was the material and the other half of it was the professor and the way in which he presented it. Brayton is a smart guy who will really teach you how to read and understand writing from all over the world. He rewards relevant, creative thinking. He creates fun, relevant activities for his students that really get the message across. Even if you're not an English major or thinking of becoming one, take this class (you do get a CW credit for it, too)!
  4. Professor Brayton is incredible. He works hard to make you feel at ease in a discussion based class. He also helps you construct a good paper and improve if you use his comments when you're writing future papers. Although the books vary in the course and not all of them are great, there are classics and a weekly seminar done by an expert on the book that teaches at the college for additional and often valuable content. If you do the work and do the readings and attempt to participate in class Professor Brayton is fair with his grading. Deadlines are enforced but there is a relaxed atmosphere that really allows you to learn with less pressure, hence it feels sometimes as though you are absorbing concepts and ideas as opposed to material you will be tested on. A great experience and a really enjoyable way to get a LIT/CW credit. Prof.Brayton is awesome and everyone who either likes English or is wary of literature should take a class with him; it'll change how you see the world of lit.
  5. Brayton is one of the best professors i have ever had. I highly advise anyone to take any class they can with him
  6. I don't like this class, too tedious. In particular, the weekly symposium drives me crazy. The professor(s) are ambitious in selecting readings: first, 1 book/week is too much, we didn't have enough time to truly digest the materials; second, the content is dry, heavy. In terms of class discussions, they are mostly dominated by literature majors, and you look silly if you don't have insightful comments. Professor Brayton is enthusiastic about literature, and may help you if he wants. You are likely to get a good grade in the writing assignments if you "borrow" his opinions expressed in class.
  7. I truely wonder why the previous commenters speak so high of this professor. maybe his personality has changed over the years?? Putting aside the course per se, I found Brayton unhelpful, arrogant, and intolerant of different opinions. First of all, everything I went to his office for help or general guidance (since I'm not a literature major), he would throw upon me a cold and cloudy face, with a super condescending attitude. also, unlike other professors who are willing to tell everything they know to help you, Brayton's answers usually ranged between 2-3 sentences, something like "u'd better figure it out urself," or "it's really hard but I'm not gonna tell u how to do that; I'm just telling u it's hard and there are others who can accomplish it, and I don't care whether u can do it." Of course he didn't said so expressly, but he meant or he made me feel that he was saying that implicitly. Second, I don't know what he's looking for in grading. If you already got good writing skills, this class wouldnt help you; if you didnt, then he wouldn't help you either, since he was not grading on your "writing," but on your understanding; more specifically, on who well your understanding is in line with his understanding. As long as ur textual interpretation doesn't look tasty to him, no matter how well u explain ur position and how much time u put in ur work, u'll end up being in a bitter situation. BUT, if u restate something he said before, then u can at least have a "yes" beside that paragraph. A wise advice is don't be fooled by his declaration "don't tell me what I want to hea, tell me what you think." it turns out that you must say what he wants to hear to get good grades. Oh, when I asked him why I got not-so-good grades and tried to make sense of his comments, he would point out some other flaws in my essays that were almost impertinent to his own comments at the end of my essays. What's in this professor's mind?? Ironically, for my last paper, I first searched online the common and well-accepted opinions of the book (from sparknotes, used by high schoolers), and then composed my paper. I got an A for that. I should tell you originality is unwelcome in this professor's class. Finally, he was kind of unfair. Our 6th essay was supposed to be a rewrite which might help increase ur grade. I got 3 B+s, one A-, and one A in the first 5 papers, kind of in a border case. Still, he refuses to let me do the rewrite, in which if I got an A, my grade would certainly be boosted. Well, that's just my bad experience with this class and this professor. I have suggestions for those who want to "excel" in Brayton's class. First, pay attention to his views, and use them in your paper. Second, find out his literary taste and say what he wants to hear. Third, never challenge or argue with him, since he will not communicate with you. Even if you do all these things, so what? No intellectual excitement at all! is this the reason you came to Middlebury??
  8. Prof. Brayton is the man...there really isn't anything else to say. Everyone in my class worshipped the guy.

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