Professor Foys is one of the most engaged and interested lecturers I have ever had. His lectures are genuinely interesting, and I learned a lot. However, I will say that there is a lot of reading, and the final exam study is an absolute nightmare. He has plenty of resources, but be prepared to grind!Rate My Professors ↗
Current instructor
Martin Foys
What students say
Original student reviews · all captured dates
Prof. Foys is an incredible lecturer, and is clearly very passionate about the things he teaches. He made each lecture engaging and fascinating, he structures his classes very well.Rate My Professors ↗
Dr. Foys was clearly excited to teach the rise of modern fantasy. The title of the course "Pop Culture and Fantasy" was misleading, however Dr. Foys was an engaging professor. It is reading heavy, but the texts are easy and inexpensive. He communicated his expectations and provided a detailed study guide for the exams. Attend lecture, take notes.Rate My Professors ↗
Dr. Foys is intensely passionate about what he teaches, which contributes to how incredible his lectures are. They are well-presented and insightful, and I'd probably attend on my own time. That being said, lecture attendance is mandatory (and taken on TopHat with location on), and there is a LOT of reading in the 2nd half of the semester.Rate My Professors ↗
Dr. Foys is an excellent lecturer with a clear passion for what he's teaching. You will read a LOT, especially towards the end, but the material is interesting. Lectures were very informative, didn't just read off slides.Rate My Professors ↗
Professor Foys has a strict attendance policy, but offers extra credit later in the semester in order to 'remove' an absence. I thought this class was super interesting and was a lot easier for me because of previous experience in fantasy. If you've read (or watched) Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, or The Hobbit the class will be infinitely easier.Rate My Professors ↗
Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.
Classes with Martin Foys
ENGL 681 is a mentored individual study course for students completing honors theses in the major.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
No recorded grade history
Directed Study
1–3 creditsENGL 699 is a directed study course for junior or senior English students.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2022 · limited sampleOne-credit Seminar
1 creditsENGL 795 is a one-credit graduate seminar focusing on the study of a specific topic in English language and literature.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2024–Fall 2024 · limited sampleENGL 890 provides mentored reading and research for pre-dissertator students.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
No recorded grade history
Dissertation Research in English
1–12 creditsENGL 990 is a doctoral dissertation research course in English requiring instructor consent.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
No recorded grade history
Old English
3 creditsThis course covers the elements of Old English grammar accompanied by selected readings.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Recent recorded grades — Spring 2024: 3.64 GPA, 85.7% A/AB (n=7 letter grades); Spring 2025: 3.50 GPA, 62.5% A/AB (n=16 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.56 GPA, 62.5% A/AB (n=8 letter grades).
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Fall 2025 · limited sampleENGL/MEDIEVAL 803 is a graduate-level course focusing on the study of specific topics within Medieval literature.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Recent recorded grades — Fall 2016: 3.67 GPA, 88.9% A/AB (n=9 letter grades); Fall 2019: 3.94 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=8 letter grades); Fall 2023: 3.95 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=10 letter grades).
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2023–Spring 2026 · limited sampleRecorded teaching history
Explore courses taught by this instructor →Browse recorded courses
| Term | Course | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Fall 2026 | ENGL 681 | Senior Honors Thesis in the Major |
| Fall 2026 | ENGL 699 | Directed Study |
| Fall 2026 | ENGL 795 | One-credit Seminar |
| Fall 2026 | ENGL 890 | Pre-dissertator Preliminary Exam Research |
| Fall 2026 | ENGL 990 | Dissertation Research in English |
| Fall 2026 | ENGL/MEDIEVAL 520 | Old English |
| Fall 2026 | ENGL/MEDIEVAL 803 | Topics in Medieval Literature |
Teaching history may be incomplete. Course pages contain course-specific feedback and citations.
Instructor identity & provenance
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