I would highly recommend this class for literature credit. A few things about this class: you will need to read around 6 Shakespeare books; there are two papers that need to be submitted; participation is very important and so is attendance; the exams are easier than you think. The lectures are interesting but my favorite were the discussions.

Prof seems to be very interested in the topics he's teaching, but his lectures were often unrelated or random in the context of the course. Discussion sections were actually the worst; we would sit there and be asked "what is a book" for 50 mins amongst other philosophical questions that would lead to nothing. So boring and super unenjoyable.

Professor Calhoun obviously cares about the content he presents and what he teaches, but the course was often uninteresting. His grading criteria was very strange and seemed subjective. There was no clear outline for what was "outstanding" and deserved an A, and what wasn't. He's a smart guy who loves what he does, but I don't recommend the course.

Professor Calhoun is a very engaging lecturer who clearly loves his subject. Although he encourages a lot of reading, Calhoun doesn't demand much work from his students. The quizzes and exams are very easy and don't require much studying. The only risk to your grade is missing too many classes.

Joshua Calhoun was a great professor and showed that he cared for the class. Shakespeare was a hard topic but his explanations made them much easier. Do not, and I repeat DO NOT take this class with the TA whose name is the same as MGK's current girlfriend. She doesn't let you improve and gives participation grades way below average for this class.

Shakespeare seemed like a harder topic but he really cared about what he taught and he was able to break down shakespeare easily to help understand better. I thought he was very engaging and I enjoyed my time with him. TAs can be a little harsh, but I had good experiences with mine.

This guy is the real deal. Super easy class, most get an A because an A is only a 90. Lecture is engaging and you truly learn a lot. The Shakespeare plays are fun to read, and makes you feel educated lol. Take this class!

He is very interesting and funny in lecture. Shakespeare will obviously have a lot of reading, but he is great at breaking it down and making it accessible for non-english majors. Not a lot of writing and quizzes are very easy if you do the reading. He really cares about his students

Professor Calhoun was an amazing professor. He truly cared about the material and the students taking the class. However I had a bad time with one of the TA's in the class because it felt like they graded based off feelings rather than effort. Overall I liked this class, but it is harder than the other lit classes at UW-Madison.

If you need special considerations of any kind, do not take this professor.

The TA's for Calhoun grade harshly and it's nearly impossible to get a 100% on any assignment. Lectures are boring and not informative. Attendance policy is BS. Better not get sick, have any family emergencies, or whatever else could occur because you will automatically fail if you miss a certain amount. Save your money for a worthwhile class.

Good lectures, reading isn't that bad. Assignments are completely dependent on your TA, my TA was great and graded fair, but friends in the class had the opposite experience with other TA's. Mandatory attendance and participation matters/is graded in discussion.

Professor Calhoun is very funny and obviously cares deeply about the subject he teaches. The grading is a little weird and is honestly just based on vibes sometimes, which is kinda wack. Not a difficult class if you do the readings and participate in discussion.

Very strict attendance policy. A lot of my friends in the class were graded harshly, but if you just follow the prompts and learn what figurative language is you'll be fine. Lectures were pretty boring at times but didn't really relate to the assignments, so not super necessary to be locked in constantly.

Mandatory attendance with only 3 absences for three classes/week per semester. TA does all grading (very, very harsh) and lectures are so boring you want to tear your hair out. Discussion even worse. Can't stress enough to NOT take this class.

Very passionate and nice, but made the class WAY too hard. Exams were worded terribly and took way much time .He was a little arrogant and sees his opinions as the only correct answer. Grading all comes down to your TA. For papers, do NOT voice your opinion, as it will be downgraded. Just try to interpret the books like you are the professor.

As long as you show up to class and look up summaries of the readings you'll get an A no problem. He assigns pop quizzes randomly but they're easy and you only need 2/3 to get full credit. I struggled a lot with Shakespeare in HS but this class is structured with the assumption that you have never touched a piece of poetry in your life.

Great professor. Really dives into his textbooks and you can tell he really cares about his work. Easier class too, its a great combination.

Amazing, upbeat, interesting lecturer, makes you want to come to lecture just to listen to him speak. Participation is graded on short pop quizzes that are really easy if you did the assigned readings. Entire course writing is two 500ish word writing assignments, final and midterm are 800 words. Also a sonnet memorization. Easy A and its interestin

Honestly, he's an amazing lecturer and as long as you pay attention and participate, you'll pass with no issues.

Absolutely loved this guy, he kept lectures interesting and I found him hilarious. Would definitely take a class by him again.

Calhoun engages but goes on tangents in lectures, analogies and anecdotes feel irrelevant to course content. No writing skills are taught or developed, rather students learn Shakespeare through his lens and are graded for interpreting it like him. TAs can be tough graders, learn their preferences and you will succeed.

Calhoun puts a lot of effort in and is really passionate. Often, however, the lectures were very disconnected from the writing assignments, which were busy work. You don't need to do all of the reading, but you will enjoy the class more if you do. TAs determine your grade, some are tough graders

He makes class fun, enjoyable, and light-hearted. His lectures are both insightful and fairly entertaining. However, his grading scale/system is suspect. The grading focuses almost exclusively on improvement, you can't just stay consistent. He is extremely picky with way too many detail-oriented specific requests. Be prepared to grind for a grade.

I was dreading this class, but Prof. Calhoun made it very enjoyable. His lectures are engaging and he's a really caring, and upbeat person. I would take this class again anytime. I would say you should attend, even though it's not mandatory, because the lectures/discussion section are what is on the final and midterm.

If you're looking for an easy 3 credit lit class, take English 162 with Calhoun and get that free A. Great professor, easy midterms, little to no work.

My favorite professor, he is absolutely AMAZING! Professor Calhoun genuinely cares for every single one of his students, he is extremely accessible outside of class, provides clear directions, and an excessive amount of extra credit. You can tell he loves what he does and makes sure his courses are engaging. Take his classes!!!

I took this class for my literature credit, and I thought it was great. Pretty easy, only 2 papers that were super short (500 words). Need to come to class as there are random short quizzes. My TA (Scott) was very helpful always and I feel he graded fairly :). I feel that both the TA's and Professor Calhoun really cared for their students

Gives interesting lectures and cares about students. As far as English 162 goes, he's a great professor for it.

GO TO CLASS. If you miss more than one discussion, they try to fail you. Calhoun loves Shakespeare and his students, the TAs are the only problem. They're a little stuck up and will grade you harshly but other times be really easy on you? doesnt really make sense. I took this class because I thought it wouldn't be a lot of work, and wow I was wrong

Fantastic class and professor! He cares about each and every one of his students and is very understanding. The assignments are easy but well worth the time. There are quizzes every Wednesday but if you read the small plays, you are in good shape. The lectures are incredible, a 50-minute class that flys by.

He made Shakespeare extremely enjoyable. Even in a large lecture, he made an effort ot know everybody's name. He genuinely cared about his students and created a positive classroom environment. I would recommend him and his class to anyone who needs to get their lit credits.

JC is one of my absolute favorite professors. I've taken both his intro and upper level Shakespeare classes, and loved both. His genuine care for students is apparent. His assignments push you to become a better student. Get to know him outside of class, go to OH, attend extra credit opportunities, Holding History, etc. Great lecturer and person.

Makes a Shakespeare class surprisingly engaging and enjoyable. Everything you're graded on is laid out very clearly so no surprises on papers or anything.

If you put in literally 50% effort, you should have no problem getting an A. I don't think I read more than like 4 scenes total and I have a high A. Lots of extra credit opportunities, Professor Calhoun is a really nice guy.

On midterm day he asked people to hand in their exams directly to him when they were done so that he could test himself on our names. I handed in my exam and he got my name right. I sat in the back and had never spoken to him before that point. This guy is a wizard--you want to be in his class.

Probably the one of the best teachers in uw madison. Genuinely really cares for his students.

I absolutely love Calhoun. He loves Shakespeare and words and you can tell- its infectious. There are a lot of extra credit opportunities and the papers and test weren't hard. You can only miss 3 classes so be sure to come every day in case you get sick or something. As long as you read the plays you'll do fine.

Calhoun was a really great professor!! He knew my name and I didn't really participate in his big lecture which is really impressive. This class may seem like there is a lot of reading, but watching the plays/sparknotes will help a lot. Overall, this class was very culturing, interesting, and fun and I recommend 100%.

Prof Calhoun just might be my favorite professor at UW Madison. This man is so passionate about what he teaches and makes the lectures super engaging, didn't read most of the plays tbh since what we went over in discussion plus reading some of them in high school. Pay attention to lectures and you'll def pass the exams.

Dr. Calhoun is a great guy, but I had some issues with the class when it came to disability accommodations. I have accommodations for time 1.5x and flexibility. We only had 1 exam, but he didn't want to give me extra time. He also wouldn't allow make-up quizzes (which are weekly), so I would get a 0 if I couldn't come to class that day.

Prof. Calhoun really puts a lot of effort into his lectures. You can totally get by in this class by Sparknotes and Shmoop. Although it will definitely help to stay on top of your reading and the homework. The quizzes are fairly easy but also sometimes specific, just like the exam. Great professor, great class, would 100% take it again.

Overall the class was easy and required little interest/background knowledge on Shakespeare. Papers were tedious to write but were graded easily; exams cover content that was explicitly taught (main ideas from lectures, plot and characters from the plays) and don't ask very specific questions. Calhoun does a great job highlighting what's important.

Joshua is a terrific professor. He teaches his class extremely well and makes sure students know what they are assigned. Both him and the TA's are always available which is very helpful. On top of that, the course material isn't that difficult. I'd say if you have any interest in Shakespeare at all, this class is for you.

Calhoun is a really good guy who puts a lot of effort into his presentations. You read 5 Shakespeare stories over the course of the semester - one every two weeks. Participation is graded but about 75% of the class gets an A. Overall, I would highly recommend this as a Lit credit for non-English majors. Solid class.

Professor Calhoun is funny and engaging. His slideshows are dynamic, and his lectures are organized and focused. If you like Shakespeare,--or even if you don't like Shakespeare--take this course and have some fun reading and writing!

Awesome. He's engaging, funny, and genuinely cares about the education of his students. In a lecture of 300 kids, he tries to learn everyone's name! Before going into this class, I thought Shakespeare was an overrated playwright with mediocre stories. Boy, was I wrong! Coming out, you'll realize just how interesting, and unique, Shakespeare was.

He's a great teacher, who genuinely cares for his class and his students. He tries to engage the students in various ways, he makes sure non-english majors feel comfortable, and he gives a wealth of extra credit engagement opportunities

Professor Calhoun is a really nice guy who obviously cares for his students. Overall the class was very easy.. There are two papers (that I think were somewhat tedious) and a mid term exam that was very easy. Even if you did not do well there are plenty of extra credit opportunities.

Professor Calhoun really cares about his students and wants to see them succeed. Lectures are really engaging and Calhoun has a lot of energy and passion. There are weekly reading quizzes, two papers, a midterm, and a final, and participation matters. Reading can be a lot (6 plays total) but most of it is enjoyable if you manage your time.

Professor Calhoun clearly is passionate about teaching and cares that we not only pass but actually learn something in his class. He emphasizes being there not because we have to be but because we want to learn. His lectures are interesting and I would highly recommend him.

Calhoun is a great professor and overall human. I took a class on Shakespeare with him and truly felt I gained a lot. He has very interesting insight and he truly cares about his class content and students.

He takes the time to learn everyone's names. Attendance matters! He is very passionate about what he teaches and he's a pretty funny guy sometimes. He wants everyone to succeed and he allows revisions on final essays if you meet him during office hours. Very well respected by his students and he is definitely willing to help you if you ever need it

Professor Calhoun truly cares about how his students experience his class. He takes the time to learn everyone's name and has an incredible amount of passion. He knows the gritty details of what he talks about and makes his students just as interested in the subject as he is. Truly a wonderful professor and I hope to have more classes with him.

I'm currently a sophomore at UW and Professor Calhoun is easily my favorite professor I've had up to this point. His intelligence and passion for Shakespeare make you want to listen to what he has to say, and believe me I'm not usually one to pay a lot of attention in a morning class. He cares about the students and I feel like I've learned a lot.

Professor Calhoun deeply cares for all of his students and takes the time to assist each one individually. He is passionate and caring and goes out of his way to make sure you walk away from the lecture having insightfully discussed and evaluated a topic. I highly respect and admire him for his personality, teaching ability, and intellect.

Professor Calhoun is very passionate about Shakespeare and really encourages open class discussions. However, there's a lot of busy work. You get through 5-6 plays rather quickly and there are two large projects that you work on throughout the entire semester, so just make sure you come prepared. Otherwise, Engl.431 is super fun & you'll enjoy it!

obviously passionate about his subject makes the class interesting. mandatory but easy quizzes and attendance taken in certain lectures. take this class for easy literature credit.

Really really good guy. Gives really funny lectures. Genuinely wants to get to know his students. Knows a lot about Shakespeare and did a great job making it digestible and enjoyable. Very energetic, well thought-out lectures.

This class was a joke. It's an easy A, but I definitely lost brain cells. I learned pretty much nothing in this class, and I consider it an insult to Shakespeare. For one, it was co-taught which was pointless. They also sat at the front of class geaking about nothing for about 30 minutes everyday. It's not worth it. Nice guy, but yikes.

Prof. Calhoun taught this class with another professor. The class was not what I expected, and I loved it. The material is made more fun and easier to read than I thought. You do have to show up for lecture, as he took attendance and had a weekly quiz. I really loved this class.

This class was cotaught with another prof and they worked together really well. Both are interesting and engaging lecturers.

Joshua Calhoun is an excellent lecturer. He is clearly very passionate and also pretty funny, and he's good at making a big lecture feel like a discussion; he calls on many people by their name. The class was fairly easy as long as you read and attend lecture. Expect to read a play every week or two. You can probably use online Shakespeare texts.

Prof Calhoun was always willing to go above and beyond for the needs of his students. He wants to see them succeed. Papers start with very specific guidelines but as the semester goes on you get more creative freedom and can actually see your skills develop. Only two tests, both of which are easy if you go to class and read.

I liked him as a person but not as a professor. He spent way too much time discussing what he WANTED to teach and his lectures felt like a self-help session. I honestly learned more in ninth grade English than I did this course.

Really interesting to listen to, super passionate about his subject.

Calhoun is adorable, and although I am interested in his approach to learning, I feel as though the type of work required for the course was inappropriate. We did little to no writing and the assigned reading was large but often left untouched during discussion. He tended to rant on about his personal interests as he talked "at" us with no purpose.

New prof. Super helpful and kind. Still figuring things out to some extent, but I loved the class and I'm taking another with him. Also, you get to go to Special Collections a lot and work with old books, which was amazing.