Professor: Goodman Course format: Seminar Number of respondents: 25 Total Enrollment: 25 Class Composition: Froshs: 9 Sophs: 7 Jrs: 3 Srs: 5 Concs: 1 Non-Concs: 19 Don't Know: 2

Instructor Average: 2.13 Course Average: 1.91

"Kafka" is an appropriately titled seminar course dealing with the study of Kafka"s fictional writings. Although there are no stated requirements because this particular section of the class is done in English, some students recommended some background in literary analysis and an interest in Kafka as being helpful in taking the course.

Students tended to take a neutral or slightly negative view of Professor Goodman"s abilities as a teacher. Although a few students liked her straightforward lecture style, some found a few lectures to be tedious. Most of the learning that occurred during the course came as a result of student discussion with the professor acting as a moderator. Many students criticized the instructor for doing a inadequate job of leading the discussions, often mentioning her lack of control. As a result, many students felt that they got less out of the class than they could have.

There were many reading assignments assigned either written by Kafka or about Kafka. Some of the student reviewers were upset at the inconsistency of the workload,which could be excessively heavy at times while being light at other times. Despite the large amounts of reading, respondents felt the amount of work was reasonable. Students were also assigned a total of three five to ten page papers, based on topics that were generally felt to be unclear and inappropriate to the topics covered.

All in all, the respondents were pleased with the course. Despite the heavy load of reading assignments, students felt that they did in fact leave the class with a deeper understanding of Kafka, having read almost all of his works. Members of the class did warn that the staggering amount of reading material could be frustrating at times. However, the intellectual rewards of finishing the material were worth it.

Although students were annoyed with various aspects of the class, an overwhelming majority of them felt that taking the class was worthwhile. For those with even a slight interest in Kafka and who are willing to deal with a lot of reading, this class is recommended. With a few improvements to Professor Goodman"s style, "Kafka" could be an excellent course to take.

View GM/0145 in the Brown Online Course Announcement.