Looking for a gentler semester? Start with courses where students have earned higher grades.
Highest historical GPA first. At least 100 letter grades over the five years through the selected term. Grades reflect past outcomes, not workload or a guaranteed result.
40 courses
Ranked courses have at least 100 recorded letter grades.
Course on race, sex, texts, writing, and U.S. contexts.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Joshua Calhoun
Past feedback indicated a moderate difficulty level, with the instructor described as helpful and kind.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2025Directed Creative Writing involves the individually directed writing of a poetry or fiction manuscript.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Systematic study of how people learn ESL and other second languages, emphasizing interdisciplinary research in linguistics, psychology, education, and sociology.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Introductory honors literature course taught in discussion format with varying topics and materials.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Martin Foys
The course was rated as moderately difficult, with a specific difficulty rating of 4.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026A topic course exploring how literary texts represent, imagine, and re-imagine the environment, applying analytical methods to assess their relevance.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Heather Swan
The weekly reading load consisted of a handful of poems, and one student stated it was very easy to get an A in the class.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Introduction to Digital Media, Literature, and Culture. Examines how digital technologies influence the production and reception of literary works and offers opportunities for critical practice.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Ainehi Edoro
The class maintained an extremely strict attendance policy where missed lectures beyond allowed drops reduced the grade, and students reported few graded assignments overall.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026A creative writing workshop focused on writing literary fiction, where students develop skills to conceive, execute, and revise original works.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Ricky Fayne
The course involved lots of reading. One student noted that while they initially submitted a high difficulty rating by mistake, the actual difficulty was lower, reflecting a manageable workload.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Study of outstanding figures in literature written before 1800, focusing on critiquing themes and applying analytical methods to literary and cultural texts.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026Literature and Medicine explores literature as a source of knowledge about medicine and a catalyst for reflection on medical concepts like health, illness, dying, and disability.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Colin Gillis
The course included readings that students described as interesting and easy, with exams considered manageable if students paid attention to lectures.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2025Intermediate Composition course focusing on persuasive writing, rhetorical analysis of expository prose, and the relationship between writing and speaking in scholarly and public contexts.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Mari Lewis
The course was rated with a moderate difficulty level, suggesting a balanced workload that was manageable for the student.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Women in Ethnic American Literature examines American literature by and about women from ethnic groups, focusing on key themes and the contemporary relevance of these works.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Kay Yandell
One past student rated the difficulty as very low, though they expressed frustration with the teaching quality.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026Introduction to English literature about the natural world and humanity's relationship with it. Topics vary by section.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Frederic Neyrat
One student reported that the class had required eight of eleven weekly reading responses, one short paper, and two multiple-choice exams, and that lecture attendance was not required.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Study of a rotating topic in English language and linguistics, focusing on analyzing linguistic structures and constructing arguments about language, society, and literature.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026Introduction to College Composition focuses on developing rhetorical reading, listening, and writing skills, with an emphasis on written communication and information literacy.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Elizabeth Capdevielle, James Eberhard
Elizabeth Capdevielle’s course required multiple drafts, peer review, and two large essay portfolios; James Eberhard’s took too much effort for three credits.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026An introduction to creative writing focusing on fiction and poetry workshops, featuring readings of writers as models.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Kathryn Harlan
Grading emphasized effort and visible improvement over the semester rather than raw talent. Weekly sessions included open discussions where a few students' short stories or poems were critiqued.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026A workshop for writing literary fiction and poetry that involves reading selected contemporary writers as models.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Amy Quan Barry
You were required to complete all readings and homework before coming to class to ensure engagement with the texts.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026This course studies a specific topic in American literature and culture from 1900 onward. Students identify and critique topics, apply analytical methods to texts, and use writing to convey critical analysis.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Ramzi Fawaz
Students reported the class was reading-intensive, requiring hundreds of pages per week, though individual assignments were few in number.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Variable-topic course in Asian American literature emphasizing critical thinking, questioning assumptions, and participation in a multicultural society.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Timothy YU
One reviewer noted they could have skipped readings, while essay expectations were described as very clear.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2025Introduction to Modern American Literature covering selected fiction, prose, drama, and poetry written by Americans from the early twentieth century to the present.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Anja Jovic-Humphrey
In past feedback, one student reported a light classload, mostly reading plus three easy writings/projects.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2025–Spring 2026Advanced English major seminar focusing on critical reading, writing, and analysis of literary and theoretical issues.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Eileen Lagman
Readings are often long and concepts can be abstract, but students found the material fun and easy to navigate if they engaged with the content.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Special Topics in Gender & Literature investigates a rotating specific topic connecting gender and women's studies with literature.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026Introduction to TESOL Methods explores contexts, methods, and materials for teaching English to speakers of other languages.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Joseph Nosek
Students described a workload involving reading and watching videos, followed by answering questions. Exams were characterized as take-home and fair, with one student noting the professor was not a harsh grader.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Traces the role of Asia and Asians in American literature and culture, including Chinese and Japanese influences on modernism and distinct cultures produced by Asian immigrants.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Timothy YU
The class required two essays with multiple prompt options, but weekly discussion posts accounted for a significant portion of the final grade.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2025Creative Writing: Poetry Workshop focuses on writing literary poetry, including lyric and narrative forms.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Examines the depiction and valuation of other academic disciplines in British and American literature, including their intellectual influences on selected works and movements.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Joseph Bowling
The material can be dense, requiring close attention to understand, but the workload is generally described as light. Assessment typically includes two papers and a group presentation.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Introduction to the linguistic study of child language within the generative theory, covering Universal Grammar, syntax, semantics, and cross-linguistic influence.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026Introduction to the interplay of literature and film in English, focusing on analyzing novels, stories, poems, and other writings and their representation and transformation in film. Specific topics vary.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Joseph Bowling
Students found the books extremely convoluted and incomprehensible. The class involved very few movies, and the ones selected were described as strange.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Introduction to Theatre and Dramatic Literature covers reading plays, attending productions, and critical writing to develop analytic skills in theatre.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Scott Campbell
The course involved reading ten plays, with weekly quizzes and open-note online exams that were easy to pass.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Survey of English literature and culture from the 18th century to the present, covering world wars, empires, and new genres like the novel, while developing critical reading and writing skills.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Monique Allewaert
A 2018 student reported that grades were based on five papers and participation, and that the reading load was manageable.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Literature by American Indian Women presents a broad range of literatures from diverse Native traditions and eras to provide basic knowledge of major issues and best-known texts by American Indian women authors.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Susan Dominguez
A past student reported that attendance was mandatory, and that essay and discussion-post instructions were vague, with points deducted for missing details.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2023–Spring 2026