Professor
Saree Makdisi
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Most Helpful Review
TOOK HIM FOR ENGL 10B The posters below me are correct in voicing their negative opinions about him. To the person deeming it UNFAIR for him to put Blake on the final: how FAIR was it that he wasted WEEKS on Blake? How FAIR was it that he wasted ONE WHOLE CLASS talking about the print machines in London and how Blake drew and colored his covers and how the metal copies were made? HOW FAIR was it that he made us read a novel on the LAST DAY OF CLASS, spent the whole 2 hours lecturing on it and did not have a single question about it? PLEASE: he is intelligent (obvious if he's a professor) and he is nice but his tests are NOT FAIR.
TOOK HIM FOR ENGL 10B The posters below me are correct in voicing their negative opinions about him. To the person deeming it UNFAIR for him to put Blake on the final: how FAIR was it that he wasted WEEKS on Blake? How FAIR was it that he wasted ONE WHOLE CLASS talking about the print machines in London and how Blake drew and colored his covers and how the metal copies were made? HOW FAIR was it that he made us read a novel on the LAST DAY OF CLASS, spent the whole 2 hours lecturing on it and did not have a single question about it? PLEASE: he is intelligent (obvious if he's a professor) and he is nice but his tests are NOT FAIR.
Most Helpful Review
Took him for English 10B and I liked him so much that I am taking another class with him, 163A. I would highly recommend Professor Makdisi because he is organized, articulate, straightforward, and a very nice man. His powerpoint presentations are filled with graphics so that lecture is made more interesting. Yes, the final was very tedious to study for but he tells you exactly how to prepare and you know exactly what to study. I didn't feel that the final was especially tedious, especially since many of the works were interesting. Also, Makdisi takes student comments and/or criticisms into consideration, and because many students complained about not having a midterm, he introduced a midterm for English 163A. It's a pleasure taking a class with this man and I would recommend him to any English major.
Took him for English 10B and I liked him so much that I am taking another class with him, 163A. I would highly recommend Professor Makdisi because he is organized, articulate, straightforward, and a very nice man. His powerpoint presentations are filled with graphics so that lecture is made more interesting. Yes, the final was very tedious to study for but he tells you exactly how to prepare and you know exactly what to study. I didn't feel that the final was especially tedious, especially since many of the works were interesting. Also, Makdisi takes student comments and/or criticisms into consideration, and because many students complained about not having a midterm, he introduced a midterm for English 163A. It's a pleasure taking a class with this man and I would recommend him to any English major.
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Most Helpful Review
Fall 2021 - Although all my classes were prerecorded because of COVID, he was by far my best English Professor. He made me see the beauty in texts that I hated (like Samuel Johnson's preface to the dictionary or Elegy in a Church Courtyard.) While many professors (like my English 10C) professor only summarize the readings during lecture, Makdisi actually takes specific examples, quotes, and art from the time period to make powerful and nonintuitive statements about a piece. There was not a single lecture I didn't like. The only complaint I knew of were that he sometimes uploaded his lectures late or he wasn't entirely organized. But the quality of his lectures I think more than made of for that. He deserves to be a distinguished professor.
Fall 2021 - Although all my classes were prerecorded because of COVID, he was by far my best English Professor. He made me see the beauty in texts that I hated (like Samuel Johnson's preface to the dictionary or Elegy in a Church Courtyard.) While many professors (like my English 10C) professor only summarize the readings during lecture, Makdisi actually takes specific examples, quotes, and art from the time period to make powerful and nonintuitive statements about a piece. There was not a single lecture I didn't like. The only complaint I knew of were that he sometimes uploaded his lectures late or he wasn't entirely organized. But the quality of his lectures I think more than made of for that. He deserves to be a distinguished professor.
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Most Helpful Review
Fall 2025 - I enrolled in this class thinking it would be a boring class, but instead, I was pleasantly surprised, and have gained a ton of knowledge on the progression of London as a city through the lens of literature. Professor Makdisi is extremely well-versed in London's history and the themes he presents to us in class, and he is very enthusiastic about sharing his interpretations of London through the books we read. Each week, we are assigned 1-4 readings, which we then discuss in great detail in lectures. I would recommend attending lectures every week, as he does not post the slides he uses in class. It is also important to pay attention to the themes he presents at the start of the quarter, which follow us throughout the rest of the texts. Most of the texts are relatively short at the beginning of the quarter and are pretty engaging. As the quarter goes on, the readings get a little heavier, as we transition more into novels. However, I found those to be the most engaging texts of the quarter. If you do not want to do all of the readings, I would suggest focusing on 1-2 texts and going to lecture to understand the main themes he wants us to take away, because the main assignments we have (midterm/final/map/paper) all focus on the themes/contexts discussed in lecture. Additionally, my TA, Sunny, was super helpful in clarifying main concepts and was always available for you to ask questions or voice any concerns you may have had. All the assignments were graded by her, and she seemed to be a very lenient grader, focusing more on understanding than grading for correct writing style or grammar. I was never stressed once about my grade in this class. I will say that many of the assignments are too broad, as Makdisi basically just tells you that you can "write/do whatever you want", so it was a bit stressful to have absolutely no direction as to where to go. However, he makes it clear that if you just talk to him or the TA in office hours, he will approve practically any idea you bring. From believing this class would be extremely boring, to everything I have taken away from it today, this class is definitely worth taking, and is actually very informative, giving you a whole new way to look at modernity, time, and the city of London.
Fall 2025 - I enrolled in this class thinking it would be a boring class, but instead, I was pleasantly surprised, and have gained a ton of knowledge on the progression of London as a city through the lens of literature. Professor Makdisi is extremely well-versed in London's history and the themes he presents to us in class, and he is very enthusiastic about sharing his interpretations of London through the books we read. Each week, we are assigned 1-4 readings, which we then discuss in great detail in lectures. I would recommend attending lectures every week, as he does not post the slides he uses in class. It is also important to pay attention to the themes he presents at the start of the quarter, which follow us throughout the rest of the texts. Most of the texts are relatively short at the beginning of the quarter and are pretty engaging. As the quarter goes on, the readings get a little heavier, as we transition more into novels. However, I found those to be the most engaging texts of the quarter. If you do not want to do all of the readings, I would suggest focusing on 1-2 texts and going to lecture to understand the main themes he wants us to take away, because the main assignments we have (midterm/final/map/paper) all focus on the themes/contexts discussed in lecture. Additionally, my TA, Sunny, was super helpful in clarifying main concepts and was always available for you to ask questions or voice any concerns you may have had. All the assignments were graded by her, and she seemed to be a very lenient grader, focusing more on understanding than grading for correct writing style or grammar. I was never stressed once about my grade in this class. I will say that many of the assignments are too broad, as Makdisi basically just tells you that you can "write/do whatever you want", so it was a bit stressful to have absolutely no direction as to where to go. However, he makes it clear that if you just talk to him or the TA in office hours, he will approve practically any idea you bring. From believing this class would be extremely boring, to everything I have taken away from it today, this class is definitely worth taking, and is actually very informative, giving you a whole new way to look at modernity, time, and the city of London.
Most Helpful Review
Winter 2019 - This was one of the more interesting classes I’ve taken at UCLA. It’s essentially a study of the urban development and geography of London through a literary lens. There is an online midterm, a group project, a final paper, and an in-class final. Professor Makdisi is amazing! If you are even slightly interested in the subject, I recommend taking this class.
Winter 2019 - This was one of the more interesting classes I’ve taken at UCLA. It’s essentially a study of the urban development and geography of London through a literary lens. There is an online midterm, a group project, a final paper, and an in-class final. Professor Makdisi is amazing! If you are even slightly interested in the subject, I recommend taking this class.
Most Helpful Review
Fall 2020 - Professor Makdisi was a super interesting lecturer. I wasn't even supposed to take his class and only through some scheduling mishaps did I end up in this course. Coming in with zero enthusiasm for the material, I learned to love this class. The readings were thought-provoking, the discussion sections with our TA (Austin) were engaging, and the midterm/final/map project were very do-able so long as you didn't wait til the last minute. I'd recommend this course!
Fall 2020 - Professor Makdisi was a super interesting lecturer. I wasn't even supposed to take his class and only through some scheduling mishaps did I end up in this course. Coming in with zero enthusiasm for the material, I learned to love this class. The readings were thought-provoking, the discussion sections with our TA (Austin) were engaging, and the midterm/final/map project were very do-able so long as you didn't wait til the last minute. I'd recommend this course!
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