Hennessee, David  

English

1.80/4.00

101 evaluations


ENGL 134


Freshman
B
General Ed
Mar 2009
I got about a B- average on my papers and got a B- in the class. I'm doubtful he counted attendance or participation. He's a chill guy but he was really vague on how he graded papers. Three 4-5 pg papers and one 2-3 pg paper and you are able to revise one at the end for more credit.


Sophomore
B
General Ed
Mar 2009
The teacher did not present any guidelines to how he wanted your papers done. It felt like he assigned grades at random and did not fully read your essay. If you go to office hours, he will tell you what he wants you to change in your essay. Don't expect to take anything out of this class. As long as you show up to office hours before turning in each of the four essays, he will modify them to give you at least a B. The A's went to people who constantly participate in class. The lectures are pointless as you read other essays and describe them the entire class. You need to show up though because he takes attendance.


Freshman
N/A
General Ed
Apr 2009
Pretty easy class. It's no harder than a college prep level English class in high school and it's definitely easier than any AP English class. Hennessee is really chill and nice. If you're one of those students who absolutely love English and writing, then Hennessee probably isn't for you. I didn't really get anything out of this class or learn anything, which was fine by me. You don't have to read any novels. The only reading you ever have to do is short stories from a book entitled "Writing" by Lester Faigley and essays from former English 134 Cal Poly students. You only have to write 4 essays in this class. 3 of them are 4-5 pages and the last one (Writer's history essay about yourself) is only 2-3 pages. The first essay is a reflection essay (life experience about yourself), the 2nd one is an observation essay (written in 3rd person about a person, place or event), and the 3rd essay is an analysis essay on a film (We did it on American Beauty, another class did it on Crash). No final, no tests, no quizzes and no midterm, and no homework (besides the essays and readings).


Freshman
B
General Ed
Mar 2010
Go to his office hours especially if you are a terrible writer; his tips and suggestions will make your paper up to his standards; he doesn\'t beat around the bush with what he wants. He is liberal and does enjoy a good romance novel. although we didn\'t read a single book in this class. did an interview biography type piece, a movie essay, did a research paper, and a reflective essay. On a side note he is very kind; i never saw him get angry.


Freshman
C
General Ed
Dec 2010
Don\'t talk during his class or he\'ll get butthurt and give you a C or D on a paper. It happened to me and two other people. Same exact grades for the second and third essays. Barely any critiques on the essay I got a D on, probably because he was so close-minded to giving me a good grade, even though I put hours into the paper. The class isn\'t very interesting to go to because all you do is read the essays assigned the night before. Get someone else.


Freshman
B
General Ed
Feb 2011
In my experience Hennessee does not care about his students and their success. He is just a "B" grader, and I watched him grade journals by flipping through them the way you would a book and not actually reading a thing in them. He grades tough because he wants to without explanation or logic. I would not recommend his class to anyone.


Freshman
A
General Ed
Feb 2012
I hated this class.... he was always 10-15 minutes late. Not just a day here or there, but almost every single day. I could pretty much count on class only being like 30 minutes, but there were plenty of other things I could've been doing instead. Your grade is solely based on the essays so just don't BS them and you'll be fine. I got a D on the first paper. Then an A, C+, B, and another A. I ended up with an A- in the class which is fine. Hennessee was always super sweaty and smelled of cigarettes. I suggest taking a different teacher.


Freshman
C
General Ed
Jun 2012
I literally did not learn a thing in his 134 class. We showed up everyday then discussed the reading among our peers...and thats about it. I was never good at english and this class did not help me at all. He graded his papers harshly for reasons i do not understand. The good thing is though, it was easy. Only 4 essays, 17 classes cancelled, and no final/midterms. Take him if you are good at English and want an easy class.


Freshman
C
General Ed
Feb 2013
The class was entirely based on 3 essays and 10% for participation. That being said, he sucks. It is the most boring class and you wont learn a single thing. As long as you try on the essays you can pretty much earn a C on them. I ended up with a C in the class, but only showed up about half the time


Freshman
B
General Ed
Mar 2013
He's a good teacher and covers the material well, but his classes are extremely boring. The grade is based on 30% for each of 3 essays, and 10% for class participation/attitude. He grades essays very hard, and sticks to the rule that an average essay is a C. I was disappointed when I went to his office, as he was not very helpful.


Freshman
B
General Ed
Apr 2013
Hennessee was easily one of the worst teachers I have ever had the misfortune of taking. While his class may seem simple (only 3 essays) getting an A is near impossible. He grades much to harshly and will mark you down for the most insignificant things. His office hours were helpful but it was like pulling teeth. The man is not approachable or friendly so you feel like you're bothering him when you ask a question, every time I would bring my paper in he would rip it apart and I would have to do major editing so that it fit his mold of what a good essay should be. He truly believes the average grade he gives out should be a C and doesn't have any sympathy for students struggling. On top of that he is arrogant and always reeks of cigarette smoke which all my papers smelled of after I got back. He is the most boring lecturer but that doesn't matter because the actual class doesn't mean anything, it's all essays. I busted my ass in this class and I was lucky to end up with a B+. AVOID THIS PROFESSOR!


Freshman
A
General Ed
Feb 2014
He is a very condescending professor. Before he would pass back every paper he would remind us that even if we disagreed with his grading that he had a PhD, which "gave him a stronger ethos", and that we were lowly freshmen. He constantly bragged about his multiple publications and other awards in class instead of actually teaching us. He may have his PhD, but he is not a good professor and loved giving Cs to a lot of my classmates. I say avoid at all costs.


Freshman
B
General Ed
Dec 2015
His class consists of 3 essays. Not really any other work, other than those essays. Grades fair. Got a B on all 3 essays and was content with that. He's a pretty boring teacher but if you want a class with not a lot of work, I would suggest him.


Freshman
C
General Ed
Dec 2015
Hennessee was probably one of the worst professors I have had so far. He constantly showed up late to class smelling like cigarettes. His lectures were so dry and boring. I didn't learn anything new in his class because we already learned how to write in high school. Your graded is made up of three essays and attendance. He takes attendance randomly so make sure you show up. Everyday is the same, you either work in groups of 4 to discuss an essay from the book or listen to him talk about nothing helpful. He never gave good feedback on my essays so I never learned how to improve my writing. If you can avoid his class, do it


Freshman
C
Required (Support)
Dec 2015
Professor Hennessee always showed up late to class. Everyday we went through the same exact routine. He read aloud sample essays and had us split into groups. The class was boring and you never really learned anything during the class period. I went into office hours to get help on my essay and had him read it over in class and he told me what to change and I did, and he still gave me a low grade. One time he graded one of my papers in front of me and had no commentary about it and just gave me the low grade. He maybe has reasons for the way my paper was graded but he would never say and show careless effort to make the students improve.


Freshman
B
General Ed
Jan 2016
He is terrible. Most of these other ratings cover it pretty well. He does not care about your grade and does not take you seriously as a student. I fail to see how he was hired to be honest.


Freshman
D
General Ed
Mar 2016
Run while you can! Hennessee's 134 class isn't worth it. He's a very slow and hard grader for a beginners English class. He takes at least 3 weeks to grade and return the essay and upload them onto PolyLearn. He doesn't really tell you what he's looking for in an essay until after and with your grades balancing on just 3 essays, its hard to get through the class. He'll tell you that attendance is mandatory, but he randomly chooses days to do it and cancels a lot of class on his own excuses. His voice is pretty monotone and he'll sass you if something doesn't follow the way he likes it to be. Sometimes he'll just come to class late, out of breath, smelling like cigarettes, and completely sassy to any comments when he asks for them (and he does ask often because the class is basically an open forum on whatever topic he chooses to talk about for the day). He'll spend most of class either going over the reading or reviewing what was done the other day which isn't very productive of the class.

ENGL 141


Freshman
A
General Ed
Jan 2016
A lot of people don't like this guy, but i didn't have any problems with him. English 141 was super easy with him because you only need to write 3 essays, and you are allowed to resubmit one of them for a regrade. Im not the best writer in the world and ended with an A. He claims he grades very harsh, but that didn't seem to be the case.

ENGL 145


Senior
B
General Ed
Feb 2004
Dr. Henesse was extremely confusing and vague in his teaching. The text required for the class was unrelated and uninteresting. He was unwilling to accept opposing views from the students.


Junior
C
General Ed
Jul 2009
If you don't participate in class, he will take it out on your grade when you turn your essay in. On top of being unfair with grading papers he also fails to explain exactly why he gave a certain grade. I recieved one essay back, the other two were never returned I just recieved a grade. Good luck with this guy...


Freshman
A
General Ed
Apr 2010
Well, Dr. Hennessee is a nice guy, but that\'s about it. I didn\'t really learn anything, except how to write in a way which tailored towards his views. His class consists of only 3 essays, so make sure you do well on them. He likes it when you participate in class, and will probably dock you if you don\'t do it at all. Nice guy, simple GE, but don\'t expect anything out of the ordinary


Freshman
B
General Ed
May 2010
Professor Hennessee is a nice guy, but I didn\'t learn anything in his class. The class was 3 essays (1 was in a group) and 4 quizzes (the 4 quizzes are averaged as one score). Going to his conferences helped because he told you what he wanted, but I felt like in order to do well on the essays you had to write how he wanted you to write. All in all, he is okay.


Freshman
B
General Ed
Jun 2010
Really did not like this class. His teaching methods are extremely boring and he repeats himself about 20 times. The class was easy I guess, not much to do except just to go.. but when it came to essays he grades really hard. He is definitely just a \"B\" grader, but will give most people low B\'s... do not take him if you actually want to learn something in English or get a good grade...just dont do it


Freshman
C
General Ed
Mar 2013
He literally didnt teach me a thing, he gave out 3 A's total over my entire quarter to my entire class on the 3 essays he graded and all the Essays averaged a C- or D. Stay away. Stay away. Run.


Sophomore
C
General Ed
Oct 2016
He is late every single day then goes over time so you are late to your next class. THE worst teacher I have ever had at Cal Poly. Cant believe I spent money on this class. Don't make the same mistake


Sophomore
C
General Ed
Nov 2016
He is the worst teach I've ever had at Cal Poly. He is the most condescending person I have ever met and basically told me I would get fired if I ever had to write anything for a job. He was always late too and smells like cigarettes and let us out of class late. Whenever I asked for help on an essay he would tell me how horrible it was then not give me any direction on how to fix it, so I went to the Writing Center for every essay I had to write. I read his Polyratings before enrolling in this class, thinking he couldn't be that bad but he's actually terrible, the only thing cool about him is that his name is Hennessee. Don't EVER take this class.


Sophomore
A
General Ed
Dec 2016
The class is comprised of just 3 essays and attendance, so it is fairly low work and course load. However, class is incredibly boring as what is covered in class every day has nothing to do with the essays you write. If attendance wasn't mandatory, going to class would be literally useless- the exercises done during class time are similar to activities you do in the 7th grade (No exaggeration.) Also, he requires 2 books- however I didn't buy either one and we literally did NOT need them at all. My recommendation is save the money and don't buy the materials.


Sophomore
B
General Ed
Dec 2016
DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS!!! Easily the worst professor I've ever had. He always cancels class and never teaches anything. He's demeaning and gives no constructive criticism, basically just tells you that if you write a bad essay then you'll fail his class and never be able to write to save your life. I read his Polyratings before taking this class thinking that it wouldn't be as bad as people had said, but I was wrong. Worst professor at Cal Poly.


Freshman
C
General Ed
Mar 2017
I'm not sure if he is supposed to teach anything but HE DID NOT!! He would cancel class all the time (its not like we missed anything because we do absolutely nothing). Even though he is such a bad professor, he still expects students to do well on his essays. I am sure college students can write but he might believe otherwise because he is such a picky grader and doesn't help you at all with the work. He is so rude and the class is a waste of time. People who like him might have been the teachers pet. DO NOT TAKE HIS CLASS!!!


Freshman
A
General Ed
Apr 2017
Honestly this class is pretty pointless but fairly easy. Your grade is made up of participation and 3 essays. If you're already a good writer you'll be fine; not hard to get 100% on the essays. In class activities are pretty pointless; I went to class like 60% of the time and still got an A so definitely not a class to stress about. Hennessee is nice and all but not very clear or helpful. Overall I'd say take this class if you can write and want an easy A.


Freshman
C
General Ed
Apr 2017
The class is the biggest waste of time and you are "taught" completely irrelevant material. The class is based off of 3 essay grades, all of which are graded very harshly. He will tell you your essay is great in office hours and then turn around and give you a D on it. I chose him because his name was cool, don't make the same mistake.


Sophomore
B
General Ed
Feb 2018
Two big essays with rough drafts. David helped in office hours and stayed late a few days to meet with people. The group project was actually interesting.


Freshman
B
General Ed
Mar 2018
I am an English major and I got a B in this GE class. There is not a ton of work, and you don't really need to do the reading, but your brain cells will slowly die while sitting in the classroom. Hennessee is very uncomfortable with public speaking, and he always kind of looks sticky. I worked pretty hard on my essays and after doing peer evaluations I can confidently say my essays were stronger than a good portion of the class, yet I received an 83 on the first one and a 92 on the second. Overall I would have gotten an A-, but due to an 85% in participation my grade dropped to an 87. I never once missed a class and participated more than most, so if you are betting on 100% in that category, be prepared for a B or lower. Not the worst class ever, but certainly not the best.


Sophomore
A
General Ed
Oct 2018
He goes through notes fast but posts them online so you can view them. He also posts rubrics for the essay as well as a study guide for the midterm that completely covers the test. I think most of the bad reviews were older and he has improved over time but it may just be that other classes are different. Overall, I highly recommend this class.

ENGL 164


Sophomore
C
General Ed
Apr 2013
RUN AWAY!!!!! I've read some reviews from more advanced classes where he's nice and more involved, but for intro english, it's like he couldn't care less. He was extremely rude and disrespectful to my peers and me in class and in his office hours. He was petty and insulting, and frankly, ridiculous.

ENGL 221


Junior
B
General Ed
Sep 2005
stop using the word "chill" teens. how about homosexual who creates self affrmation classes. its an ok class though, so you minght as well take her, and keep up with the reading. he does no work himslef other then too grade papers but thats fine. lots of silly group work and presentation for the sake of stading. try to get a shy kid in your group to watch them fail in front of others


Sophomore
B
General Ed
Sep 2005
"realatively gay" hahaha no seriusly if you are new to gays or also like to dance takt his class. for the rest oft you thought its ok. I guess if you have to reach ddep down inside you to experince new culture take this class. hahahah hopwfully most of you can crticaly think , an undersatnd that even though all of us were moded out of caly dadadaaaaaa. Too bad kids can't be created outof wedlock.

ENGL 231


Junior
B
General Ed
Jun 2003
great professor. this class was great. we read about 5 books in the entire quarter, had a quiz every week, and 2 papers. all we did everyday was discuss what we read and did other activities to help us understand what we were reading. i deffinetly recommend Dr. David Hennessee.


Junior
B
General Ed
Dec 2003
I like dthis guy alot. Sexuality is questionable. Made us read books about possibly gay characters. He was a nice guy, and the class was pretty good. I am just really curious if he is gay or bi or what the deal is? If anybody knows please reply here, I will checking regularly. The suspense is killing me more than having to read Wuthering Heights. All in all a good professor. Reccomended. Whats with the glases?


Senior
Credit
General Ed
Mar 2004
Okay, let me tell you why I took this class for CR. The first week we had to analyze a poem for homework. When he RANDOMLY called on me in class, I told him my interpretation of the poem. Not only did he say I was wrong, but proceeded to look down upon me as the peasant I was. I didn't think poetry had a right or wrong answer, but apparently it does. Oh yeah, if you have a heart murmur, don't take him, because he likes to randomly call on students, especially if he knows you day dream. My heart skipped so many beats in that class, I'm sure my life expectancy decreased 2 or 3 years...thanks Hennessee. One other thing: I still hate poetry.


Senior
D
General Ed
Jun 2005
Dr. Hennessee is a nice fellow. There's a ton of reading for the first 7 weeks. Quizzes are weekly. 2 papers. Lots of class discussion and group work. Take his class if you enjoy english. There's a lot of talk about society in the past and present.


Sophomore
B
General Ed
Aug 2005
Prof Hennessee is actually a pretty chill guy. i went into the course thinking it was gonna suck, but despite the reading, it really was pretty interesting. i have to say even the reading wasnt so bad. just space it out so youre not cramming the night before. the reading check quizzes are simple if you read. most of the time you just discuss the books in class, with a lot of group presentations- but theyre SUPER easy. also, he grades you on participation, so make sure to put your two sense in every once in awhile, and youll be fine. there are two essays- one for the midterm and one for the final. they are mostly your opinion, so they arent bad. he isnt a hard grader either. when i got my midterm back and read through his comments, i thought i was going to get a C, but on the back page he gave me an A-. seeing as i put 2 hrs into before it was due that day, i was thrilled. so- summary- if you need an easy C1 class, take hennessee. oh yah- like the last 3-4 weeks of class we watched movies, so super easy. good class.


Junior
C
General Ed
Sep 2005
Class is relatively not that bad, but its the instructors work load that ruins the course. Be prepared to read atleast 5 books....including Pride and prejudice. Weekly quizes that were easy as long as you did the reading, Midterm and Final were both take home 5 page essays which was nice, but he is an extrememly picky grader so be careful with what you turn in. His lectures are a bit dry and he makes you do a lot of group work and presentations infront of class to make-up for his lack of lecturing ability. HIs sexuality was questioned everytime i entered the class which made it difficult to consentrate on him speaking. So if you are against homosexuality i would strongly suggeset not taking Hennessee


Sophomore
B
General Ed
Oct 2006
No. Just, no. He grades essays arbitrarily, and classes are really really boring. Pointless and a waste of time. There's an ungodly amount of reading, even for fast readers, and the "group projects" in class are just a way for him to avoid teaching. He gets the class to teach the class. Also, steer clear if you're a homophobe. I'm not sure if he's come out to himself yet, but it's still pretty obvious. There are some gay/lesbian themed literature and lectures. If you've already read Pride and Prejudice, you should have enough time to read the other books he assigns, but otherwise it's just too much to deal with. The essays- ugh! Like I said, they're insanely graded. He loves "group time" and discusses the sexuality of poems in the class a lot. There's also a presentation, but it's not that hard. In short, take this class only if you're a fast reader with less than 12 units.


Senior
D
General Ed
Dec 2007
There are much better teachers out there. David thinks you are going to college to hear him talk. And, David is a liar. If you need to miss class, don't ask him about what you will be talking about because he won't tell you. Make sure you have a friend in the class with you. It was very dissapointing having a college professor lie to me. Look elsewhere for an english professor. In addition, poor professors dont make people cavemen. But its easy to be an asshole over the internet.


Junior
B
General Ed
Jun 2008
He is really easy... I was just reading some of the old grades on here and he has changed alot... I think due to his bad critiques! There was alot of reading but the quizzes were easy. Just spark note them and reas as much as you can. The class is a bit sexual, but last time I checked this was a college class... grow up! He grades pretty easily and is really easy to talk to.


Sophomore
A
General Ed
Jul 2008
Dude, seriously....Dr. Hennessee is a totally chill guy. I thoroughly enjoyed his class. It was a class I looked forward to attending everyday. I agree....there is ALOT of reading. But honestly..it's doable. I was soooo NOT looking forward to taking Brit Lit but this guy made it all worth while. The books are pretty interesting...they aren't all lame classic 'overdone' novels. I was pretty much able to read them the night before the quizzes (and I'm NOT a fast reader). As long as you keep up with the reading and attend class..you'll be able to pull off a B. If you're trying to get an A though...you might have to attend office hours, when it comes to the essays. He is a pretty hard grader...but REALITY check people....THIS IS COLLEGE. He's totally fair/legit. If you suck at writing (i.e. lazy, bad grammar, lack writing skills we should have mastered in high school....) then you might have trouble pulling off an A. I got a B on the first essay without office hours....attended office hours for the final essay and got an A in the class. He's pretty funny too!! I totally recommend the guy!


Junior
B
General Ed
Aug 2008
He is an amazing teacher and this class was so much fun. There is a midterm and a final, both essays and he gives you so many topics to choose from. There are small in class projects and one quiz a week but they are all really easy. He takes a long time to hand back essays. Try to go to his office hour at least once before turning in your midterm and final. He will read your essay and give you tips on how to make it better. I loved all of the books we read! Fantastic class.


Junior
B
General Ed
Feb 2009
The class itself is not all too bad. I actually enjoyed the books but Hennessee does NOT care about his students and although he encourages you to go to office hours he will spend about 3 minutes with you telling you a whole lot of nothing.


Sophomore
A
General Ed
Apr 2010
This class really is a cake walk. Sure there some reading to do. But if you stay up with the reading, there\'s really no reason you shouldn\'t get a C. There\'s only two big papers that are around 5 pages a piece and you\'re given multiple topics to choose from. The books aren\'t great, but they\'re definitely not bad. If you want to know ahead of time: Pride and Prejudice, Bridget Jones\' Diary, Oranges are not the Only Fruit, Dubliners (selections), The Sorrows of Young Werter, and select poetry. Theres a lot of days we just watched movies. But Hennessee is fair, the class is fair, and he really is a good choice for English 231. He takes a long time to give back essays though.


5th Year Senior
N/A
Elective
Dec 2010
Professor Hennessee insulted his class repeatedly and always looked down on his students. He encourages class participation but then disagrees with what you say. He was by far the worst teacher I have had at Cal Poly.


Junior
A
General Ed
Jan 2011
It was tough to make it through all of his boring lectures but overall the class wasn't too bad, just make sure you stay on top of the assigned readings and come prepared for the quizzes. Seeing him in office hours and having him look over your thesis is a must. Do all of this and you will get an A!


Junior
C
General Ed
Nov 2011
Honestly I have never had a worse teacher. I am usually on here defending teachers, because usually if you give a class some effort, the teacher is good enough to get a good grade in the class. Honestly some classes are just hard. We attend Cal Poly, so obviously most teachers are quality. However, David Hennessee is a downright horrible teacher. He shows up late, and cancels class often. He gives you quizzes on books, which include questions like "What is the name of the town the main character briefly visits" or "what is the name of this estate that belongs to this man". Irrelevant things we obviously never need to know. He gives lectures that just ramble on about nothing. We do "group projects" where we stand up in class and talk about something in the book, but we talk for a few minutes, and he talks for about twenty. We get through two groups a day, which is a complete waste of class. It is week ten, and its a 20-30 person class, and he has no idea what my name is. I participate in class daily. BUT WHAT REALLY GOT ME is his grading. First, there was an essay I worked hard on that we didn't even hand in. He gave us a check for three pages. Then, the midterm was an essay. Thats not bad, I love essays, Im good at essays. I got a D because he didn't like my answer to the question. It was well written, and the arguments concise, he just disagreed with what I had to say. Which means, obviously, that I deserve a D. On 30% of my grade. NOT TO MENTION we handed in the midterm week 6, we got it back week 10. which means there was no way for me to know any of this until much after it is too late. NEVER EVER TAKE HENNESSEE. He doesnt care about anything, so its hard to care about this class.


Sophomore
A
General Ed
Dec 2011
This class was really interesting! I liked that we got to read book different from the normal classics. Most of them were pretty short as well, which was nice. We had a quiz for pretty much every book and every week when we were doing poetry. It was pretty easy to pass if you actually read the material.... if you just go on spark notes you might miss some things, but I think that's fair because you were supposed to READ THE MATERIAL. He grades pretty hard for essays but I did mine the night before it was due and got a B+. Go in to office hours if you want help. The groups projects were kinda lame because we would present for like two minutes and then he talked for the rest. Hennessee! Let the students do the talking! Sometimes I felt like he was just being lazy with his curriculum, like when we just watched movies or listened to lectures. I think the information could be presented in a more interesting way, like the day we played jeopardy. We should do some debates or something- after all the topics of the books can be controversial. I enjoyed the class all in all, but I really like English anyway. I've had worse English teachers.


Senior
B
General Ed
Jan 2012
This guy is a huuuuuuuuuuge douche. He took Great British Literature and turned it into Women's studies. I was expecting it to be somewhat like my english classes in High school where we actually focused on every aspect of literature and culture of the era, but not this guy. What the fuckin' fuck. That's one problem I had with him. Next. Eight quizzes. Didn't drop the lowest. Who does that? Honestly. What the fuckin' fuck. Next. I went into this guy's office THREE time for help on the midterm paper. Just to make sure I was going about it right. Every day I made progress and every day he sent me away thinking that I was going to get an A on this paper. B. What the fuckin' fuck. SEVEN BOOKS, FIVE NOVELS INCLUDING BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY. I read every single one of them. Even BJD. No sparknotes. Nothing. I READ THEM. I am an Electrical Engineer and was working with 18 units that quarter and STILL I WORK MY ASS OFF FOR THIS CLASS. I got a B+ and I was going to ask him if he'd bump me up to an A based on effort alone. "I only change grades if there is an error in entry". What the fuckin' fuck. DO NOT TAKE HENNESSEE.


Sophomore
A
General Ed
Feb 2012
I'm seeing a lot of unwarranted complaints about Hennessee. The only one that has any merit are that he does tend to talk a lot during the group presentations- but did you really want to present for a longer time? First things first: This is a LITERATURE class. Not a writing class, not an argumentation class. This class is about understanding the books that we read and being able to discuss their main topics, verbally and in writing. Sorry if you can't write- go to the writing lab! Second: The quizzes have "stupid questions" because he is testing to see if we actually read the books. And judging from my class it was a fair assessment. People wouldn't read the books OR spark notes and be actually pissed when they didn't get good scores on the quizzes. The quizzes also act as a grade buffer for any bad paper grades, which is nice in my opinion. Or would you rather the whole class be based off two papers and participation alone? Third: Yes, he does talk a lot. Yes it can be annoying. Or you can change your attitude, realize you are in college to learn, and pay attention to what he's saying- maybe even participate! I know a lot of people are just taking this for a g.e. or don't like english or have other work intensive courses, but if you sit in a class just waiting to get out of it you won't learn anything. And if you don't have the time to put in the work the class requires, take the grade you earned and MOVE. ON. Plus I didn't consider this a very work intensive course at all. Fourthly: At the end of the class we read A Single Man and watched the movie- anyone pick up on the similarities between the main character and our professor? Both professors of English, both a little run down on life... just wondering if anyone else saw the connection... Anyway, I really enjoyed this class. At first I thought a lot of the books were lame but now that I look bad I feel like I learned a lot and they were interesting reads. He tells you the theme of the class up front so if you don't want to read about marriage and sexuality in British Literature go take Great Books. I think this is a great alternative to the Great Books series.


Senior
F
General Ed
Apr 2013
DOUCHER! Now that's out of the way, Henneessee's lectures are very boring and hard to pay attention to. He asks quiz questions about random details in the books you read. The poetry (and class) get weird at times and are difficult to write a decent essay on. The paper you write isn't too bad, only 4-5 pages and it counts as your final. But I'm guessing he grades it really hard because I put a lot of time into my paper and failed. I would avoid him and take some other shitty professor first.


Sophomore
B
General Ed
May 2013
Rudest teacher at Poly. He showed up to our class 10 mins late everyday, and although most people don't mind, I don't like paying tons of money for him to be late every single day. His tests are okay is you do all the reading, but the essay part he grades really tough on, so put in a lot of detail. The final was an essay, and he encouraged us to all come to his office so he could help us revise them before we turn them in. So I went to his office hours 5 mins early so I could speak to him first. He shows up to his 1 office hour block a half hour late, and there's 6 other students waiting. I ask him to look over my essay for my, he reads the thesis, says it's okay, C or D paper, and that I have to leave because there's other people waiting. I ask him if he could give me a little more detail on what I needed to fix and he tells me he doesn't mean to be rude, but he can't help me because I need to figure that out myself and there's other people waiting so I just need to leave. It's not my fault he showed up to his office hours a half hour late.


Sophomore
N/A
General Ed
Dec 2014
Hennessee was the second most unprofessional professors I have taken a class from, coming in second to a grad student teaching a basic Algebra class. He often showed up for class late, which I didn't mind terribly but thought it was very careless. What really bugged me was how he presented his class. He acted very unengaged and disassociated with the class. He would never lecture standing, only sitting down. In fact, I don't recall him standing once throughout the quarter. He always lectured from behind a desk which just seemed unprofessional. He was not true to his office hours, often arriving late and leaving early which irritated me because I already had to interrupt my class schedule to go. When I asked for an explanation of my midterm paper, he replied I didn't answer the way he wanted and pretty much left it at that, leaving me no advice on how to improve. Hennesssee also does not post grades anywhere online. To me, a professor that does not do this does not meet the needs of his students. It is lazy. Finally, to further reiterate how lazy and inattentive Hennessee is to his students, I caught him drawing doodles in his notebook during my group presentation. I was furious, because I am graded on participation and content. A grade he obviously recorded carelessly because he was not paying attention. This is your job-please do it in a respectable way. No, you do not work for us. But it is our education and we do have the right to have the expectation that you take it seriously. I am desperately hoping that Poly does something to either improve or remove this professor. Currently, he does not deserve to be teaching any class at any university.


Senior
D
General Ed
Dec 2014
First off, this is a GE C1. I'm a senior who already has a job lined up so putting effort into this class was very hard. However, Prof. Hennessee did not make this class any better. He talks in a very monotonic voice and his lectures are extremely boring. BUT WAIT. He makes attendance apart of your grade and gives 3 free absences. That all does not matter in the end because he gives your participation grade based on how much he likes you. I often walked out early on Thursdays to run my club meetings so we did not start off well and it went downhill from there. He is always late to class and is NOT a good professor. First two days of class we went over the syllabus. TWO DAYS. READING WORD FOR WORD OFF THE SYLLABUS. I already had 4 pages of notes in my engineering classes. There are weekly quizzes on books you are supposed to read, but you can use online sources and get by with a C or better. There are occasional group presentation and you can honestly just BS them. Grading on essays is where you start taking a hit. He does not give "partial credit". If you did not properly fully address a point to his liking, you will just miss 33% off your essay right away. Like common man, its a GE C1. To make matters worse, he gives absolutely no feedback or corrections on your essays outside of office hours and takes forever to give back essays. I kid you not, we got our midterm one grades from week 3-4 back during dead week. I did not like him and knew he did not like me too. Take him at your own risk. This class is doable if you put in the effort... just the GE C1 elective does not warrant the amount of effort required for a good grade.


Senior
B
General Ed
Dec 2014
Hennessee was overall an alright professor. He is a little odd, but if you actually pay attention and marginally participate in discussions, you'll learn quite a bit about the periods studied in class. What's odd is that his lectures often ramble, group presentations are pointless, and quizzes are easily spark-notable. The books are easy to read, but you really only have to read or understand one or two to be able to write the essays/midterms. The essays and midterms are pretty easy overall if you don't write like a kindergartner - be able to write 2 full pages in an hour on easily predictable topics and for the essays you really just have to write simple 4 page thesis papers. Don't expect to be able to put zero effort into this and still do ok, but you can do minimal work and get by easily.


Freshman
B
General Ed
Apr 2015
Took him winter quarter. He is the worst teacher I've had at cal poly so far by far. He does these stupid attendance checks cause he is so eager to drop people from his class and his grades are super subjective where if he doesn't like you well too bad good luck trying to get a half decent grade. He doesn't even know how to teach and his attitude of just not caring about the students really shows.


Junior
B
General Ed
Feb 2016
I read that he grades things badly sometimes because he doesn't like a certain person?? First of all, no professor does that, grow up college student. Hennessee is an odd character but he's super chill. He got sick a lot this quarter and cancelled class a lot so that's a good touch. He grades FAIRLY. Simple quizzes based on easy power points, books that are super easy to read and if you can't read a 300 page book in a week or 2 then sparknotes got you covered for the quiz. Essays are super easy. He sits a lot during lecture which I like because it just calms the whole vibe in class. He seems like the nerd type, very invested in what he teaches even though he doesn't necessarily have a good communication thing with students...there's definitely a space in the air when he lectures, I am pretty sure he does this for fun cause he whispers a lot of things as if to himself then laughs...but I liked him. Easy grade, easy GE.


Sophomore
N/A
General Ed
Mar 2017
he coo


Junior
B
General Ed
Mar 2017
Professor Hennessee is the most unprofessional professor I have ever had. Not only did he cancel more than a week of school for being "sick" (coming to class with a "sniffle" and a fresh tattoo), he was late every single day to class, and abused his power as a lecturer. If you even make a slight mistake he will never let it go and it will for sure show up in your grades (even if unrelated) and he will not fail to make a bratty/immature comment about it, he did so to me and many other students in front of the entire class. It also doesn't matter if you participate during lecture, group reports, and in office hours, he will take your tiny mistakes and blow them out of proportion in your grades. His grading is also based on his mood/arbitrary opinion of you. I got a B in the class, but I am a third year and have had my share of bad professors in all of my major classes and all other GEs (this is my last GE), but he is by far the most vengeful, immature, and moody professor of all. I am a great student and have gotten bad grades in other classes and am fully able to admit that I deserved them, but I fully know that the grades and rude comments he gave were undeserved. I and many people in professor Hennessee's classes deserve higher grades which are not based on his mood during the minute he gives them. It actually became a joke in our class that 20% of our grade was based on "professionalism" since he was the opposite of a respectful human, let alone "professor." Maybe if he had to give our grades in person, instead of behind his computer screen, there would be less grades based on his attitude at that moment.


Junior
C
General Ed
Mar 2017
The homework load is very light and the classwork and discussion seems fairly easy when you are taking it. However, the way he grades the essays and your commentary in class can only be described as pretentious. He thinks that everything is too broad or to "obvious". During class I felt it was encouraged to comment on what you thought of the literature and at the time it did not feel judged, it was not until I got feedback that I realized how judgmental the man is. Beware what you say because if its not well developed english-major level thoughts he's going to look down on you and how he thinks about you very obviously seeps into the grading. Highly do not recommend Hennessee he's a snob.


Sophomore
A
General Ed
Apr 2017
Dr. Hennessee is a professor I would't recommend to anyone. Going into the quarter, I chose to remain unbiased despite the many negative comments on Polyratings; however, I have found that the majority of them are true. Not only was Dr. Hennessee late every single day, but he was flaky, didn't answer student emails, and acted like he was too good for anyone taking his class. Feedback for essays and assignments were vague and when asked for clarification or what you could do to improve next time, he would refer you to the syllabus or the useless comments he left on the essay. In addition, grading was sporadic and though I received an A on one essay, I received a C on the next without truly understanding why. This is doable class for anyone who needs to take it, but it definitely won't be an enjoyable quarter (and this is coming from someone who loves English). Finally, Dr. Hennessee favors certain students and that shows when he enters participation grades. Though I attended every class and participated in almost every class discussion, I received a B participation grade. Not only is this guy a pretentious prick, but a pretty terrible human being who makes you feel stupid for opening your mouth.


Junior
B
General Ed
Apr 2017
You know that feeling when you bite into a chocolate bunny from your Easter basket, and it's hollow... You take a bite and it crumbles because it has no soul and it's main goal is to disappoint you. This is David. He will sign his emails DH, meaning David Hennessee, but I'm pretty sure it stands for Dick Head. Let's start off with the class. ENGL 231 is honestly not bad. The books were interesting, the workload was minimal, and the papers seemed to be straightforward. Emphasis on the "seemed to be" part. David grades based on his mood at the current second, and typically, because he has no soul, it's not a great one. I received grades that I felt were unfair based on his lack of commentary or corrections, yet was told to "refer to the syllabus" when I asked questions. You will be sitting in class and contributing to every discussion, actively participating, reading every book, yet you will still receive a crappy "professionalism" score at the end of the quarter. Well David, I would like to take a moment to give you a "professionalism" score. Lets start with day one. Oh ya that's right, you cancelled the first day because you had a sniffle. I would say we could move onto day two, but you cancelled that as well as the rest of the week too. Starting off strong. The attendance issue is just the beginning. He proceeded to come to the remainder of classes (that he actually showed up to of course) at least 5 minutes late. This may seem insignificant, but he reeked of cigarette smoke and self pity every time he shuffled into the room. He clearly valued his smoke break more than the class that we all pay good money for. Next, he chose some classes to share his facebook posts on how he went off on someone for their political views. He proceeded to pull up his account and read us the entire conversation. While already distracted, he found a picture of a tattoo that he was planning on getting and bed in his camera roll. He shared with us that he was going to buy it from Ikea which isn't great quality, but don't worry "he's not as hard on beds as he used to be..." The remainder of the quarter went on in this fashion. He did cancel class one day and showed up the next with the previously mentioned tattoo, freshly placed on his forearm. In class, we were encouraged to discuss, which at the time seemed constructive and open to all opinions, however this was false. He was secretly judging your every word, plotting his ultimate revenge in your "professionalism" category. When you gave your opinion or interpretation of something, his response would sometimes be that you were wrong and his interpretation was the only correct answer. Oh, well excuse me David, I did not realize that you went and talked to Matthew Arnold and Mary Shelley. I didn't realize there was a right and wrong answer in this "open and inclusive discussion". Let me just become brainwashed by your useless ideas, and kiss your ass so I can get a good professionalism score... My bad. Aside from thinking his opinions were superior in all aspects, he is a lazy jackass. He loved to assign us group activities, but it was definitely so he could sit on his ipad and play games or do whatever the hell else he was preoccupied with. Next we had the fainting issue. Buckle up, this one's a doozy. A group was presenting their activity, and David was sitting in a desk in the front row. He was "taking notes" but I'm not convinced he wasn't doodling the whole time. A girl started to pass out, and although he was literally close enough to catch her, he watched her nail the floor. He then stared at her, out cold on the floor, for a solid 5 seconds, and it was only when another student jumped up to help her that he showed a morsel of concern. He never once moved his pretentious ass out the chair! The student came to and asked if she could leave. His response, "Umm ya". Excuse me what?! He should have made sure she was okay before letting her leave the classroom or even showed a little sympathy. Overall, David is quite possibly the most disgusting person I've ever encountered. He not just annoying, or a hard grader, or any other typical complaint of a professor. He is simply vile at the core. I think Cal Poly, and pretty much the rest of the universe, would be better off if he drove his stupid fruity little blue bug straight down to hell, where he seems to have condemned his students and their work too. Maybe he will finally find his soul down there.


Junior
A
General Ed
Apr 2017
See above review


Junior
N/A
General Ed
Feb 2018
Good class overall. A lot of reading sometimes. Midterm, two essays and class presentations. He let us write about Black Mirror, a show I like. All the powerpoints are online so it's easy to study.


Junior
A
General Ed
Mar 2019
David Hennessee is a really cool prof. Overall, his class goes like this. 8 quizzes worth 25% overall and he drops the lowest quiz. He then gives you a midterm. This is prolly the hardest part of the class. It's two in class essays. This kills your hand cuz you literally do two essays in 50 minutes but his grading isn't too hard. This is also 25% of the class. Then he gives you an essay usually about the first half of this class which is worth 25%. The key is to start early and go to office hours where he practically grades this shit for you and tells you everything you need to fix. Go to office hours like three days in a row and you should get an A on your essay. This essay is worth 25% also. Next you have the final essay which is around week 10. This is your final and is also worth 25% of your grade. Follow same advice as previous essay. He also gives extra credit which bumps up your lowest quiz score to 100. Oh and participate on all the presentations and when he calls on you in class because he uses that to curve your grade. I ended up with a 92.25% which ended up being an A in his class because I participated in class a lot but my friend with a 93 got an A-. Also don't be a dick and come late. He allows you 3 absences but if you use any of them, don't expect a curve. Overall, a pretty fair professor and I actually feel like I learned a lot. This is coming from a Software Engineering major too.

ENGL 253


Sophomore
B
General Ed
Dec 2008
Hennessee's class for the most part was pretty easy. During actual class time he lectures and hands out copies of his lecture. sometimes we did group work based on the books we read, a lot of it was kind of pointless but it was easy. He gives quizzes on the assigned readings which are really simple. the final and midterm are both essays which sound easy, but he grades suprisingly hard on them. you do have the option to go to his office hours before the paper is due, which i did, but it didn't really help me. overall, the class is fine, just make sure your essays are good, go to office hours, and and make sure to use MLA properly in your paper.


Senior
C
General Ed
Dec 2008
This class will catch you off guard if you're not careful. The class seems pretty chill. Part of your grade depends on your weekly readings which are not difficult. A quiz is given each week to check to see if you did the reading. Those aren't difficult if you actually read. What kills your grade is the midterm and final take-home thesis papers. I went to his office hours so he could look over my thesis topic and paper prior to me submitting them but it didn't help one bit. His advice is pretty pathetic if you ask me. His words are "ok, looks good," "good idea there for your paper, looks like it'll be great." That wasn't what you wrote down when I got them back lug nut! He grades EXTREMELY hard on your papers. Screwing up on just one paper will screw you overall in the class. Take someone else if you can. What a douche.


5th Year Senior
A
General Ed
Mar 2012
I have to fully agree with the person below on almost everything. Most of the books are actually good and despite the fact that there are a lot of them, they are almost all short. The class is an easy A if you do the following: actually read (again, short books), go to class, and spend a fair amount of time on the 2 essays. Hennessee is super knowledgeable and definitely fair. I honestly don't know where the complaints are coming from...


Sophomore
B
General Ed
Mar 2012
I honestly enjoyed Professor Hennessee's ENGL 253 course. His selection of books were short, easy reads, which all connected to the theme of the course quite well. There were a total of 9 quizzes in my class, all totaling 30% of the final grade- the quizzes were really simple if you read the books, or even the Sparknotes for that matter. There were two essays, one midterm and one final, both take-home, each 30% of the final grade- both of which I, as well as most of my other classmates, scored pretty well on. The class size is smaller, which is nice, and Professor Hennessee assigns group discussions- so you really get to know your classmates. I personally liked this class, and will recommend it to any of my friends not knowing what to take for their C1 requirement.


Junior
B
General Ed
Jan 2015
Mr. Hennessee is the most stuck up individual I have ever met. He encourages us to come to his office hours only to convince us that he is better at writing than us. No shit.... that's why he's teaching the course and we are students. The three biggest assignments of the quarter were writing assignments and since the course was largely based on reading, we didn't spend a single day going over writing style or formatting. I have never written a polyrating before but I thought this guy was so awful that he deserved one from me. Save yourself and boredom and money and DON'T take this class


Sophomore
B
General Ed
Apr 2015
I have never taken the time to write a polyrating before, however this teacher deserves one. He is without a doubt, the worst teacher I have ever had at this school. He doesn't care about his students and is very disrespectful. If you work your ass off you may possibly receive a B.

ENGL 303


Senior
C
Required (Support)
Mar 2015
Let me preface this post with saying that I have never taken the time to post on this website before, its just been too much work. The deep rooted hatred I have for this man drives me to actually post something. He sucks, he sucks so bad. His insecurity manifests itself in the need to belittle his students, so he could scrounge some semblance of intellectual pride. I am an English major who loves literature. I love the English department of Poly. I love and value and respect the relationships I've created with all other professors in this department. To call this man an English Professor demean the title. He is petty as fuck. The only C on my entire major transcript is from him, because he decided that I was (and this is a direct quote) "a cocky English major." So on the teacher evals, I ripped him to shreds, as he duly deserves. I then received this email: "every time I have taught this course, it has been rated highly, and yet last quarter a few of you saw fit to rate me and the course as "poor" or "very poor." I would suggest that you really think about what a poor or very poor professor would do and not do. what I do know about this class is that a number of students in it failed to complete readings on time and/or study adequately for quizzes, and so they made low grades. some got the help they needed to do better; some didn't. Those that didn't made low grades. I am very saddened and angered that students I did my best to teach would be so immature as to "retaliate" for their own failures. I take heart though, that not all students are so childish. DH" THAT IS SO FUCKING UNPROFESSIONAL ON SO MANY FUCKING LEVELS. Also, I'm pretty damn sure that he was drunk when he wrote this. Hennessee, if you are reading this... choose a new career path. You do not have the temperament nor the right kind of intelligence to be an educator. Your insecurities ruined the class, and judging from the fact you felt the need to drunkenly email and entire class months after the fact, your life. Also, fuck you, my writing is up to GWR standards.

ENGL 334


Senior
B
Elective
Jul 2004
I took this course for GE area C-4 and GWR. The class was pretty good. To get a good gread, you just need to catch up with reading assighnments. The quizes were very straightforward, you will not mess them up if you do the reading. The class title might sound boring, but in fact it was not that bad. Actually many of us liked one of the book we read for the class.


Sophomore
A
Required (Major)
Mar 2005
Dr. Hennessee's English 334 class was pretty straightforward. There were four quizzes worth 100 points based on the readings and an essay which was the final exam that was also worth 100 points. Reading selections were pretty boring, I think there are better books from the Victorian era out there to be read. However, for what the class demands, you can deal with the readings to pull an A.


Senior
A
General Ed
Dec 2005
i think cal poly needs more kick-back gay professors. this class is great, and he's a great professor for it. he's always encouraging and supportive. i was a totally afraid of the class title: Brit Lit, because i'm not a fan of the era. he brings it into the modern age talking about homosexuality, racism, sexism and poverty. at times REALLY contriversial, but i think he knows that's how to keep the students attention. i'm not much of a reader, i just don't have the time. i was really scared when he told us that we were reading 700 pages in three weeks. it scared a lot of people. and, YES, it IS a shitload of reading, but the book is a total page turner. everyone thought so. we all got REALLY into it. even if you hate reading, the material is really engaging, you'll dig it. his four quizes are tricky: he does that, "i hope you know your details" kind of thing for the quizzes. i HIGHLY recommend that you make a list the characters: who they are, physcial description, and what they do. you'll be thanking this post later - you'll totally score a 100% on the quizzes if you follow this advice. you have no final, other than a takehome 5-6 page essay - it's also a little tricky, but if you're a strong writer you won't need to worry. all and all, i definitely recommend Hennessee.


5th Year Senior
N/A
General Ed
Dec 2005
he wants your opinion, but then once you tell the class he cuts you down and makes you feel like a retard so eventually you don't want to talk anymore, but this lame ass class is based on participation...and you can only miss 3 days of class, too bad this was a 4 day a week class...Victorian Literature was a boring waste of my time...if you want to be put down, and sleep this is the class for you...BUT this class was LAME...and he gets very HOT during class and has to fan himself.


Junior
A
General Ed
Nov 2006
I can hardly read some of the evaluations on this page--no wonder you half-literate Neanderthals don't like taking lit classes! Welcome to college, kids. Despite being a Comp Sci major, I do a lot of pleasure reading (and not just computer programming books), and I think Hennessee made this class enjoyable and quite easy (a good introduction to literature I wouldn't otherwise read, on the whole); he stressed the points that would later be topics on quizzes or exams, and he discussed the reading in class on a daily basis.


Junior
A
General Ed
Dec 2006
The class was fairly easy and the readings were great. Going to class is actually very enjoyable... it was the one class I looked forward to going to! Class discussions were interesting and allowed for many points of view. Dr. Hennessee is a really nice guy and a great teacher.


Senior
N/A
General Ed
Mar 2011
Professor Hennessee is a great teacher. He makes class discussions interesting and fun, so it keeps your attention and he is open to any ideas or comments that you may have about the class discussion. He is very clear about what he expects from his students. He is always willing to help during his office hours. He is also a very bright teacher and understands the material that he teaches extremely well. I would definitely recommend taking him for an English course. He is the best English professor that I have had at Cal Poly. He is a fair teacher and if you show him that you care and want to do well, then he will help you succeed. The best part of his class is that he makes you think about what you read and understand why you are reading it. Instead of just regurgitating what you have read strictly by means of memorization. His tests are straightforward about the novels that you will read. He gives you two types of testing options. One option is to write a 500 word essay about the book. Option two is part multiple choice and part short answer. So if you are struggling with making a decision about which teacher to choose for English I would definitely choose professor Hennessee if you want a straightforward, and kind teacher who knows the material. You will learn a lot from this professor.


Senior
N/A
General Ed
Jun 2011
Professor Hennessee is the worst teacher at Cal Poly. Horrible class. Do not take it.


5th Year Senior
N/A
General Ed
Feb 2013
This faggot takes too mamy dicks up his ass


Senior
N/A
General Ed
Jun 2017
Do not take this professor. He is beyond an asshole and a terrible teacher. All he talks about is sex and how the books relate to sex (which they rarely ever do), if you ask a question he will call you stupid and make you feel like an idiot, and is just downright rude. I missed class for a school field trip and would not excuse it. You are allowed three absences and if you miss more than that, you get an automatic D in his "professionalism" which is 25% of your grade. I hated coming to class and it ruined my day every day. Take any other teacher

ENGL 335


Senior
A
General Ed
Mar 2004
I thought he was a great instructor. I went into the Brit Lit class thinking it was going to be looong and boring, but it really wasn't that bad. We read and discussed several poems and a few books which weren't too bad. We also watched the movie version of each book we read. There was one paper, journals due every 3 weeks and a final which had free response questions and an essay. Class attendance and participation was a part of the grade as well. Overall I'd say take him if you can.


5th Year Senior
A
Required (Major)
Mar 2004
I had the Brit Lit class, and it was pretty good, although I don't know why we read "The Hours" because it's American. Dr. H. is very nice and he has a good sense of humor. He occasionally discusses queer theory and sexual orientation, but he usually brings it up when it pertains to what we're reading, although he'll raise those issues more than most professors. He's worth taking, although some of the books might not be so fun.


Junior
A
General Ed
Mar 2004
This guy is chill. He doesn't require you to do a bunch of meaningless work but he does expect you to have read the material so you can participate in discussions. There are a lot of poems in the begining that are usually short and semi-simple so it is pretty easy to keep up with the reading. There are a couple of books to read but they don't suck so read them. Mrs. Dalloway is kinda hard to read but you can do it if you try. The key to his class is in the essays. If you can write decently you'll be fine. I never considered myself a good writer but he gave me an A on the first essay and I got an A in the class so I assume the final essay was acceptable. I recommmend him to anybody who is looking for a challenging but not difficult class. He is pretty nice but seems a little insecure. Give him a shot, you can't go wrong with this guy.


Junior
A
General Ed
Apr 2004
Dr. Hennessee is a good professor to take to meet your upper division English GE requirement and a nice guy in general. He did miss class and his office hours sometimes, though. The GWR is offered three times during the quarter, including your essay on the final. You read several WWI poems, Mrs. Dalloway, The Hours and a play called "Master Harold and the Boys". They aren't too bad and way less rigorous than other Cal Poly English lit courses I've taken. Apparently his Engl 334 course is significantly more difficult. Oh yeah, homoeroticism! According to him it's everywhere. I mean it definitely was in some of the works we read, but I think he overemphasizes it. One essay on Mrs. Dalloway or the WWI poems counts as your midterm and a final is on the second half of the quarter. You also watch a WWI documentary and the Mrs. Dalloway, The Hours and "Master Harold and the Boys" movies.


5th Year Senior
C
General Ed
Apr 2008
This guy is really funny. Like all English literature classes, expect a lot of reading. His class is very straightforward, he outlines the entire course in his syllabus so there is no reason to be behind in reading (but we all find our way). He quizzes on the first day of discussion on the novels, and these are really easy quizzes if you read them or found the sparknotes. His final was pretty straightforward, he had identification portion and an essay. For the identification portion he had a quote from a poem or song we read and discussed in class. The purpose of it is to give credit for attending class. The second is to write an essay about the novels we have read. Overall, I really enjoyed the class, his sense of humor and knowledge of the topic made it very fun to attend class. As well, he is a very un-intimidating teacher, so it makes talking and discussing the material in class very easy. Take him. If you don't enjoy the readings you will enjoy his humor.


Senior
B
General Ed
Jun 2011
Class can be kind of boring but every once in a while we'd watch a movie, youtube videos, or listen to songs, which made it a lot more interesting. I think he did a good job guiding discussions. I never knew exactly what he was looking for on the essay tests, so basically just throw out whatever knowledge you have on the matter and hope he gives you credit for it. One seriously annoying thing: he often returns tests back the day of the next test so you can't really learn how to improve. He'd also say he'd put things online right after class, then not post it for days. Super frustrating. either way, not a bad class. nothing to really worry about. just read the books.

ENGL 382


Sophomore
N/A
General Ed
Jun 2011
Professor Hennessee is a nice guy, but he consistently shows up to class unprepared (if he doesn't sleep through your lecture) and starts (not facilitates) group discussions on the books we read. The class is more of a discussion than a lecture because 90% of the time is spent talking with other students and 10% of the time his him telling the class why he disagrees with you in a condescending tone. The in-class quizzes are so easy that hardly anybody reads the books after the first couple weeks. Also, it is the middle of finals week and I am still waiting for him to post mid term grades on Blackboard.


Junior
A
General Ed
Jun 2011
Just awful. Worthless lectures, takes half a quarter to return assignments, and forces class participation since it's the only way he'll get people to talk to him. Discuss anything controversial or unsupportive of LGBT rights and you'll be met with silence. Write from a standpoint he doesn't agree with and the best you'll get is a C, no matter how well you write. Suck up to him and he's an easy A. Weekly quizzes are so simple it's insulting. If you're interested in the subject, get the book list and read it on your own. There's nothing to learn from this guy.


Junior
N/A
General Ed
Jun 2011
He often goes to class late, if he even shows up at all. His work ethic is crap. It is a few days after we turned in out final papers, and yet I haven't received my grade for my presentation (which happened before the midterm) nor have i received my grade for my midterm. Since he missed a few classes, he kept pushing the back discussions and due date for multiple assignments. So I had a hard time during the discussions, which is a substantial part of your participation grade. Beware of this professor.


Senior
N/A
Elective
Jun 2012
Terrible. Not a nice professor and not understanding of his students. He gives everyone a really bad grade on the first essay to make it seem like we're all dumb and then gives out better grades on the rest of the papers to make it seem like you are learning how to write. He doesn't teach at all you just sit in groups and discuss readings to your peers. Definitely would NOT RECOMMEND Hennessee to anyone. Take a different teacher, trust me this guy is selfish and a terrible teacher (if you even call him that - showing up late and never lecturing - not even a teacher he's a joke)


Junior
C
Elective
Aug 2013
Hennessee is always late to class and as a result we tended to be let out late and I found myself running across campus to reach my next class. A lot of the class mark is dependent on participation and class attendance which can be difficult partly due to the fact that the class was on the one hand often slow and uninteresting (unfortunately - I expected a much more upbeat and vibrant class setting for LGBT Literature and was thoroughly disappointed) and secondly due to the fact that some of the subject matter presented both by the teacher and other students were often uncomfortable and isolating (political correctness and all!) I honestly think this class would have benefited greatly had the teacher took a moment at the beginning of the quarter to express to the class that they should feel free to say whatever they feel and not fear offending others or being offended. Without this the class was typically led by 2 or 3 students leaving the rest of us feeling alienated. As for the quizzes a lot of it is sheer luck if you can remember some of the more minor details in the novels. Pay attention to dates, settings and names as much as the plot lines.


Senior
A
General Ed
Sep 2013
This was a pretty easy class as long as you GO TO CLASS, do the reading and participate during discussions. I took this during the summer so it was really fast with reading 1 book a week. Hennessee presented the material clearly, gave clear feedback on essay's and was helpful with tips for passing the GWR with the in-class timed essays. Overall an easy class. I have read other reviews stating unknown grading criteria, he gave us the information explaining how he was going to grade every piece of paper we handed in. Good class, interesting subject, good teacher.

ENGR 432


Sophomore
A
Required (Support)
Nov 2016
Missed the first day, went to the second day. Went to the midterm. Went to the Final. Three days of class total. I got a B, easy. This kind of shit gives our school a bad name.