| What do former students say about class discussion, participation, and class preparation? |
"I learned a lot from the class. It was my favorite one this semester, and I always looked forward to coming. I like how you don't grab students by the hand and drag them to conclusions about the texts but let us get there on our own. I feel like I learned a lot more that way."
|
Course: The Novels of Charles Dickens and George Eliot
(University of Iowa, Fall 2005) |
| "I was well-prepared for class and constantly contributed to discussion. I completed all the books! By being involved, I was also better able to learn." |
Course: The Novels of Charles Dickens and George Eliot
(University of Iowa, Fall 2005) |
| "I was decently prepared for the class. A few of the weeks I did not complete the readings and thus was useless for a portion of the discussion." |
Course: The Novels of Charles Dickens and George Eliot
(University of Iowa, Fall 2005) |
| "Teacher entirely encouraged freedom of thought, no didacticism, no need to parrot, which led to my own gears being greased pleasantly." |
Course: The Novels of Charles Dickens and George Eliot
(University of Iowa, Fall 2005) |
| "I feel that this class provided me with a great deal of opportunity to develop my discussion skills. I greatly improved my ability to make concise statements in order to illustrate a point." |
Course: The Novels of Charles Dickens and George Eliot
(University of Iowa, Fall 2005) |
| "All the problems I had in this course are the result of poor work habits--I mean this sincerely. Gould is an excellent instructor." |
Course: English Literature, 1780-1900
(University of South Florida, Fall 2006) |
| I hear Dr. Gould's classes are reading-intensive. What's the inside scoop on the reading load? |
| "Because I thoroughly enjoyed the content, I made a strong effort to be prepared. I was generally only 20 pages or so behind." |
Course: The Novels of Charles Dickens and George Eliot
(University of Iowa, Fall 2005) |
| "I read a lot. I mean I REALLY READ A LOT for this class." |
Course: The Novels of Charles Dickens and George Eliot
(University of Iowa, Fall 2005) |
| "Dr. Gould was very clear and upfront about the course reading load." |
Course: The Nineteenth-Century British Novel
(University of South Florida, Spring 2008) |
| "I've never 'read deeply' before. I've always been a surface-level reader and now I know how to connect different texts and understand them at a much deeper level." |
Course: English Literature, 1780-1900
(University of South Florida, Fall 2006) |
| "This class has provoked me to read everything critically and to research what I don't understand instead of skipping over it." |
Course: English Literature, 1780-1900
(University of South Florida, Fall 2006) |
| "Annotate the hell out of your text if you want to remember anything." |
Course: English Literature, 1780-1900
(University of South Florida, Fall 2006) |
| "Over the course of the semester, I saw a profound change in the way I read and interpret novels. Very cool! Very exciting! Very fun! It's so motivating." |
Course: The Victorian Novel
(University of South Florida, Spring 2007) |
| Are quizzes designed to punish slackers, reward those who do the work, or to encourage attentive reading? |
| "The only thing I had a problem with was the quizzes. There could have more of them, and they could have been worth more to reward those of us who actually read." |
Course: The Novels of Charles Dickens and George Eliot
(University of Iowa, Fall 2005) |
| "Quizzes forced me to read the texts; discussion questions helped me to look at the texts critically." |
Course: Thomas Hardy and E.M. Forster
(University of Iowa, Spring 2006) |
| "Damned pop quizzes." |
Course: English Literature, 1780-1900
(University of South Florida, Fall 2006) |
| "Gave quizzes every class so we all kept current on the reading, which made for livelier discussions." |
Course: The Victorian Novel
(University of South Florida, Spring 2007) |
| What about assignments, papers, and exams? What do those generally look like? |
| "Some of the assignments had less structure than I am used to, but it was good to be exposed to that again." |
Course: Thomas Hardy and E.M. Forster
(University of Iowa, Spring 2006) |
| "Assignments were challenging without being impossible. Students were encouraged to think for themselves, express self-generated ideas." |
Course: Thomas Hardy and E.M. Forster
(University of Iowa, Spring 2006) |
| "I think the format of the midterm and final is dangerous because there are so many texts during the semester and remembering the titles, authors, and direct quotes of each text is asking a lot from full-time English majors." |
Course: English Literature, 1780-1900
(University of South Florida, Fall 2006) |
| "The format of the exams was pretty good. I didn't have much complaint there especially since we got examples. I wasn't a fan of the ID quizzes, but those helped too. Good overall." |
Course: English Literature, 1780-1900
(University of South Florida, Fall 2006) |
| Yeah, but what about the grading? I mean, how hard I am going to have to work in his classes? |
| "Gould is a very knowledgeable and interesting professor. He never has a problem holding the interest of the class; however, his grading is very harsh and nit-picky. He knows what kind of answers he expects, and nothing else will do." |
Course: English Literature, 1780-1900
(University of South Florida, Fall 2006) |
| "The midterm was extremely long and graded pretty harshly." |
Course: English Literature, 1780-1900
(University of South Florida, Fall 2006) |
| "In addition to being extremely prepared, he is extremely thorough in how he grades our coursework and how he covers material in class." |
Course: The Nineteenth-Century British Novel
(University of South Florida, Spring 2008) |
| "Impartial grader, brilliant, funny, basically the coolest ever." |
Course: The Nineteenth-Century British Novel
(University of South Florida, Spring 2008) |
| "I really liked the class expectations when it came to grades. Professor Gould raised the bar when it came to writing papers, and it made me appreciate all the hard work I put into mine." |
Course: Literature of the American South
(University of South Florida, Spring 2007) |
| "The class was far more strenuous than most other lit. courses, but I found it refreshing. I feel like I am actually walking away having gained something." |
Course: Literature of the American South
(University of South Florida, Spring 2007) |
| "Dr. Gould really knows his stuff. He is extremely articulate. The class is very difficult; however, if you pay attention and attend class meetings, you will learn a vast amount of knowledge. . . . I recommend this class to anyone, except those who are lazy and looking for an easy A." |
Course: The Victorian Novel
(University of South Florida, Spring 2007) |
| "When more is expected from students they will achieve more. Dr. Gould led a difficult course which was entirely satisfying. I loathed to miss a discussion as they were always engrossing." |
Course: The Victorian Novel
(University of South Florida, Spring 2007) |
| What sort of help can I expect from Dr. Gould out of class? |
| "A lovely teacher. All students should be so lucky as to have a professor who is not only so genuinely enthusiastic and intelligent but also (secretly, in his heart-of-hearts) committed to promoting and helping his students think and write better." |
Course: Thomas Hardy and E.M. Forster
(University of Iowa, Spring 2006) |
| "He is also very reachable outside of the classroom. He promptly responds to emails, questions, and concerns." |
Course: English Literature, 1780-1900
(University of South Florida, Fall 2006) |
| "He's very helpful during his office hours, very prompt with email, and it is evident he is very on top of things." |
Course: The Nineteenth-Century British Novel
(University of South Florida, Spring 2008) |
| " Outside of the class, he consistently goes the extra mile to help his students, even at the risk of personal inconvenience. He carries his status as teacher both inside and outside the classroom." |
Course: The Victorian Novel
(University of South Florida, Spring 2007) |
| So what's the bottom-line assessment of Dr. Gould as a teacher? |
| "Read some good books; wrote a longish paper; learned the immaculate joys of 19th-century fiction. What more can one ask for? I'm kinda sad this course is over." |
Course: The Novels of Charles Dickens and George Eliot
(University of Iowa, Fall 2005) |
| "Marty was very effective. Extremely likable and obviously passionate about the subject. He was great, and the creation of a fictive Marty who was grouchy added to the experience." |
Course: Thomas Hardy and E.M. Forster
(University of Iowa, Spring 2006) |
| "He makes sure his students know what it means to be a successful college student, as opposed to a mediocre one." |
Course: Literature of the American South
(University of South Florida, Spring 2007) |
| "He is professional without being intimidating." |
Course: Thomas Hardy and E.M. Forster
(University of Iowa, Spring 2006) |
| "I found Dr. Gould's class very interesting. He is very knowledgeable and passes on that knowledge to us. He is also very challenging, which is a good thing of course. I took him and the class seriously because he took our education seriously." |
Course: English Literature, 1780-1900
(University of South Florida, Fall 2006) |
| "Gould treats the material and class with such attention to detail it is as if this were his own personsonal master's thesis. Fantastic course design. Open-minded, reasonable grading, and a genuine push to learn. I did not really know how to read before this class." |
Course: Literature of the American South
(University of South Florida, Spring 2007) |
| "Professor is very organized and professional. Facilitated lively discussion--kept class entertaining but informative." |
Course: The Nineteenth-Century British Novel
(University of South Florida, Spring 2008) |
| "He's an extremely tough professor. I wish I had known he was so tough before I signed up." |
Course: The Nineteenth-Century British Novel
(University of South Florida, Spring 2008) |
| "He is by no means an easy professor. He challenges you to think on your own, not just repeat what "a literary scholar" has already said. Dr. Gould is the type of professor that students who want to maximixe their college-level education take." |
Course: The Victorian Novel
(University of South Florida, Spring 2007) |
| "Professor Gould is tough but extremely helpful. He is honest in his expectations." |
Course: The Nineteenth-Century British Novel
(University of South Florida, Spring 2008) |
| Gould's graduate course syllabus looks oppressive. What was it like to take that course? |
| "I truly loved this class. It greatly expanded my literary perspectives. I struggle to think abstractly, and I know I have greatly improved in this area. I also believe I am better prepared for the English Comps." |
Course: Nineteenth-Century Literature and Empire
(University of South Florida, Fall 2006) |
| "Dr. Gould's syllabus is the best I've ever seen. It covers primary and secondary texts." |
Course: Nineteenth-Century Literature and Empire
(University of South Florida, Fall 2006) |
| "Dr. Gould clearly gave a deal of thought to the course and to each lecture, and this preparation and planning was very helpful. His lecture materials were well-considered, to the point, and valuable." |
Course: Nineteenth-Century Literature and Empire
(University of South Florida, Fall 2006) |
| "Simply put--the most engaging and intellectually stimulating class I've had at USF. I am full of ideas!" |
Course: Victorian Adaptations
(University of South Florida, Spring 2008) |
| "Best course I've had in a long time. I can't recall ever having such great class discussions. I'd recommend this course to everyone." |
Course: Victorian Adaptations
(University of South Florida, Spring 2008) |
| "Dr. Gould put together a profoundly thought-provoking syllabus. I enjoyed all of the reading, and I truly appreciated the amount of scholarship reading that was assigned. He was very focused and able to keep the discussions on track, and even thought the syllabus contained a great deal of required material, he ended up covering it all." |
Course: Nineteenth-Century Literature and Empire
(University of South Florida, Fall 2006) |