Hampsey, John  

I looooved Professor Hampsey. Though I can't stop laughing about what the person said a couple comments down from me(the 17 steps, some of which are true), he really is a thoughful and intelligent man who you can't help but admire. His tests are relatively easy, just write down EVERYTHING he says, even the silly things because they will be extra credit. He's someone you won't ever forget throughout your college experience.

Dr. Hampsey is the best english teacher I've ever had. He makes every book come alive in a way you never would have thought of before. He's funny and witty, so he keeps you on you toes. His class is hard though, so don't have any daydreams about an easy A -- or an easy B. He is definitely worth it, so if you can take him, do it.

Hampsey is amazing. This guy slaps you around, tears you apart, tells you what you should do, and you come back asking for more. You take his class because it is worth it, not because you are interested in an easy A. You'll have to write a paper or two, study hard for the test, get reamed in class, but it will be one of the best learning experiences in your life. The man has a great passion for the literature he teaches and wants his students to have that too. Take his class.

This guy is a good guy and a good teacher. The class was mainly focused on the Iliad and the Odyssey, but he does a great job explaining all the stuff that I or the rest of the class might have missed. hes a hard grader like all the posts on polyratings say, but take him, TRUST me.

Hampsey is a really smart guy and I generally liked the class. He is entertaining and quite witty so you actually can stay awake through class. A couple of warnings: He hates Americans! Sometimes you just want to slap him and tell him to stop b*tching and do something about it, or move to Greece!...since "it all goes back to the Greeks", something he said about 10 times a day. And YES hampsey, we are sick of hearing that! He can't say "huge", its more like "OOuge"...and he chuckles before he says anything he's passionate about (really annoying). Also, he thinks he is the smartest man alive and is very proud of his own vocabulary. He will flat out tell the students that they are not smart and their education is failing them. Wow, but besides all of his pompous remarks, he will actually make you enthusiastic about Homer...All in all, take him. Just don't be in a sorority or a fraternity because if you are he instantaneously looses all respect for you.

Professor Hampsey is one of the best professors i have had. He makes the material and class discussion both interesting and fun. He has a great sense of humor which comes out in his lectures. He doesn't assign a lot of reading at one time, but what he does assign read because he doesn't tolerate slacking off. Keep track of all the passages that are gone over in class, they will come up on the midterm and final (they are also helpful for support in the paper). He is quick to respond to emails so if you need help ask him.

EGO Problems.

Hampsey was a great teacher. He lectures in a way that is easy to understand and interesting at the same time. His English 251 class is made up of two tests and one paper. The paper is actually pretty fun to do because he encourages you to create your own argument about a piece of literature. He wants you to structure the paper as if it were being taught to a class... anyways, it's not that hard and much different than many of the other (boring) classes. The tests are not that hard if you go to, and understand his lectures. Another pointer is to participate in class because it really helps you to understand the issues and the material is easier to remember that way. Overall, I loved this class and would enroll in anything that Hampsey teaches without hesitation.

Hampsey is amazing! I totally agree with the previous comments about an EGO problem, but the dude is cool. Listen to what he has to say, and take good notes whenever he goes off about something, cuz it's on the test. I'm a freshman, and was in class with a bunch of upperclassmen, and I got an A. It's friggin easy, just take notes and pay attention to details. I recommend him for 251 for sure!

Professor Hampsey is a good teacher if you already know everything he is teaching. If you don't already have first hand knowledge of Greek infrastructure then good luck! His test are hard and are completely in short answer and essay form. He makes you buy his book that he wrote, which seems kind of arrogant, but on the other jand all the answeres to the test are his opinions which are in his book.

Good class, very informative, very interesting (at least for me). As for Hampsey... the only things I didn't care for were his massive ego, as already discussed by others, and the way his tests consisted of regurgitating the ideas he presented in class. Little to no personal analysis or opinion on the material is to be formed on the tests. On the plus side, Hampsey lets his students formulate their own ideas about seperate works on the paper he assigns, so that's a good way to make your own arguments and not just repeat his.

PLUS: he's funny and has interesting things to say. MINUS: Ego, horny to girls, hard grader. Overall: not great, not bad, likes his ass kissed though.

When you show up for the first few days- just hang in their, he comes off really weird and bizzar but he gets better. He turns a 2 hour lecture into an interesting one! Great teacher, you can learn a lot, just take good notes and read- not too hard. One midterm (1/3 grade) a paper (1/3 grade) and Final (1/3 grade). Not bad

I'm not at all sure why anyone would complain about Hampsey. I loved the class because he was actually interesting and engaged all the students. He was totally sarcastic and told good stories, which helped keep a two hour lecture enjoyable. The class consisted of a midterm, a final, and a paper, and if you went to class and listened it wasn't hard to figure out. I would recommend Hampsey if you're in the mood to actually learn something useful.

Full of himself, but quite average!!!

I took great books from him and I loved the class. If you like greek mythology youll love this class and how he presents it. I loved the class it was the first class I ever did all the readings for. I would take a class just because he was teaching it.

I am surprised so many people are ragging on Hampsey on PolyRatings. I loved the guy! Hardly ANY homework (your grade is one midterm, one final, and one 4-5 page essay) and as long as you pay attention in class you are good to go for the tests. Plus, he has interesting things to say about human nature and how it is reflected in different cultures. He drags politics into everything we talk about, which gets irritating at times, but I definitely learned something from the class.

He will revolutionize the way you see classical literature. He is honest and he expects excellence. Take him and stop wasting your education.

Highly Recommend

If you are taking him in a big lecture class like I did, you should be warned. Your entire grade consists of a midterm and a final(short answer). Theres no essays, which you might think is a good thing, but its not. His test questions consists of the most minuscule details from his lectures which most of the time dont have anything to do with the reading. You might find yourself frustrated when you spend hours upon hours doing the reading only to find yourself not knowing half the questions on his tests. Although his lectures are interesting, the only way youre going to get an A in this class is if you write down and remember EVERY single word he says.

Hampsey will typically assign one essay and have two non-cumulative tests for this class, but if you take him for the 120 person lecture rather than the 30 person class he drops the essay. Which as the previous post points out, means your grade is based entirely on the two midterms. Each one is 18 short answer questions based on the lecture discussion and reading. He will say to just write 2-3 sentences as the answer but in reality you will want to write at least 4-5 and provide enough details to hit what he's looking for. He does do half credit on each question too, so it should not be too difficult to at least get a B by BS-ing your way through the entire class. What he tests on is kind of hard to determine- on the first midterm, it was almost all based off the reading assignments, and the final was almost all based on the class discussions...you just have to know it all, but he does pull questions from both areas. The reading isn't to bad, usually in the range of 20-40 pages per class. Pay attention during the discussions, as he says you don't have to agree with his arguments but you have to understand them. This is what he tests on. His politics are much more liberal than mine, and though the discussions frequently wander into politics/philosophy/current issues, they generally relate to the reading and are interesting enough (at least for me). He is usually pretty good at backing up his argument and avoiding generalizations or the ad hominem...usually. Overall I'd recommend him, just do the reading, pay attention in class, and take good notes and you'll do fine.

I liked Hampsey as a teacher and as a person. He presented the material in an interesting way. What I did not like was, like the people below me have said, that it was a 120 person lecture and so your grade was based on 36 points (a midterm and a final each worth 18 points). It was also kind of difficult to know exactly what to focus on when studying since there was a lot of material covered for each test. If you take this class when there are 30 people in it, it is probably much more enjoyable and you also have an essay so it's probably a little easier to get a better grade. However, if you get stuck taking it in a large lecture (which I would still recommend cause Hampsey is a good teacher), I would just recommend taking it credit/no credit to save yourself some stress and worrying, especially if you're like me and get super nervous about tests that count for 50% of your grade.

oh my where do I start. Yes he is extremely smart and entertaining. But &%*^ he's full of himself. His tests are hard. You HAVE TO READ THE BOOKS. There is a midterm (18 questions worth one point each) and a final (18 questions worth one point each). That's not a lot of points for the class and it is very easy to lose points on your exam if you don't give the EXACT answer he's looking for. He will ask you a specific detail about a 500page book and if you don't give the answer he wants then you don't get points. He gives you an extra credit "opportunity" on each test. EX: please give me the name of the boy i went to college with x years ago that I talked about for 15 minutes during one lecture. That has nothing to do with english or the book we are reading. If he could learn how to normalize his grades, make his questions fairer, and test on what he lectures rather than on random details then he could be an amazing teacher. But I don't see that happening.

Professor Hampsey is a funny, charismatic, and fair teacher. Even though he often used the entire 2 hours to lecture, he did so in an entertaining way. He presented the course material in an interesting way and made it relatable. Your grade is made up of 3 things: 1/3 midterm, 1/3 paper, and 1/3 final. Reading isn't imperative (at least for me) as long as you listen and take very thorough notes in class. The best way to prepare for the midterm and final is to go over the notes you took and go through the text that he will go over in class. As long as you do that and grasp what he talks about in class, you should be fine for the midterm and final. The paper is pretty open-ended and he gives you plenty of time for it, so start early! I would highly recommend taking Hampsey. He's a great professor!

Hampsey was awesome. He is VERY knowledgeable on the material he teaches and he presents information in a fresh, new perspective that you may have never considered before ie the Bible as a piece of literature. You must attend class if you want to do well. If you take thorough notes during his lectures, then his tests will be very easy. He doesn't throw any curve balls, he just wants to know you were listening in class and that you read the material. He is full of fun facts, personable with his students, and pretty laid back. Just because he's knowledgeable on the subject matter, it doesn't make him arrogant.

I first had John Hampsey's class back in the mid 90's as an undergrad. I officially took two of his classes and unofficially "sat in" in a couple of more. When I look at it retroactively, he's been the best lecturer I've ever had or come across. His knowledge, delivery, and wit is unmatched. He is one of those people/professors who will truly educate you and give you something that you'll keep beyond just college. The fact that I'm writing this review after all these years should say something about that. If you do the required reading, and show up, you'll ace the class. But if you don't give your heart to it, you'll struggle.

Take Hampsey if you have the chance/option, its worth the time & money. If you are a quieter student who doesn't like to speak up in class or struggles with public speaking, fair warning, his teaching style is aggressive and he will call you out. But I encourage you to challenge yourself, his abrupt shock treatment-like teaching style is unorthodox but effective. You gotta respect the material though. If you find literature boring, Hampsey will be able to open your eyes and see how it all relates to the world around you. He'll definitely keep you entertained the whole quarter and its a nice bonus to know that he runs late too. Just don't be later than him!

Hampsey knows his stuff, but his lectures are close to impossible to figure out what he really wants you to know. Classes are really fun and interesting, but still when the midterm or final comes around you're not entirely sure what it's going to be on. But overall he is a good professor.

As someone who historically has hated literature and English classes, I was dreading taking this course, which is why I took it as my credit/no credit. On the first day of class I quickly realized I just hadn't ever had the right professor, and that this quarter was going to be a blast. Hampsey does an amazing job of keeping the lecture entertaining and humorous, engaging students, challenging views, and keeping the information relevant. For each work he covers, he connects it to what was going on socially and politically at the time, and he gives you an understanding of why that work was so important. The course is as much about history as it is about literature, although all of his tests are solely about the literature aspect. His passion is contagious and I couldn't be happier about taking this class. Negatives: He is a little bit unorganized about the pace of the class, and often would assign reading that we wouldn't even get close to covering in class. On the last day of class we had to go over all of The Bacchae in about an hour, which was a bit disappointing. Also, if you're deeply religious and don't like your beliefs to be challenged, you will probably be pretty uncomfortable in his class. It's difficult to get an A in his class because the tests are pretty comprehensive, and with all of the details taught during lecture, it's hard to retain them all. tl;dr: Great class, entertaining lectures, friendly guy, slightly unorganized

Dr. Hampsey is a unique individual. He has been studying his course material for many years, and is thus very enthusiastic and knowledgeable about it. This, however, creates an interesting classroom experience. He normally teaches this class in a small, 30 person setting, with a midterm, several essays, and a final. I was placed in a lecture hall of over 130 people. He tried to keep the same style of teaching he used in the small classroom, but this failed to translate into an experience that benefited my education. During the lectures, he would talk about the readings we were assigned the class before, and would discuss the theories he devised with the expectation that we write it all down. The problem with this, however, is that he briefly cover topics and vocabulary that are on the tests, and devotes large chunks on things that will not be covered. In a class consisting of only a midterm and final that added up to 36 total points, this is unacceptable. As a student, I felt that I was under the perpetual Sword of Damocles, and it was almost impossible to study all of the dozens of books and oral histories he gave without any study guides or idea of what would make up my overall grade. Lastly, he does not let people go to the bathroom until 1.25-1.5 hours into his class, for reasons of "respect". As a student suffering from IBS, I find this ridiculous in a lecture hall of 130 students, but most of all, it is ironic due to the fact that he will come to class 15-30 minutes EVERY SINGLE CLASS. TLDR; take his 30 person class. His talks can be engaging, interesting, convoluted, and strange, but do not take his lecture for the reasons above. Hes also a bit loony, which he will be the first to admit. Go pee before class, and do not worship any Abrahamic religion while taking his class.

There are large required readings, but if you do them and show up to lecture and take even the most basic notes, I promise you'll get at least a B in this class. Although they're old greek books, if you actually read them and can follow Hampsey's lecture, you will not regret it. I had this class 8-10PM T/Th and I didn't dread going one. single. time. This is hands down one of the greatest professors at the university. Caring, thought-provoking, and fair- I cannot recommend Professor Hampsey enough.

Hampsey you were the death of me my spring quarter. Not only did I stress about the fact that our grade is 1 midterm and 1 final, but I stressed about writing paragraphs (that only happened twice) that at the end of the quarter he said don't even contribute to our grades. This man is an intelligent professor and knows what he's talking about but is the worst grader in the world. I studied days before each test, made 100s of flashcards and even REREAD the books. I tried to think of what possible questions he could ask on the tests, but he throws the most random questions, some about a tiny detail he said in class and even one that he NEVER MENTIONED IN CLASS. It is the worst feeling to prepare for a final and feel so confident and then leave feeling so stupid. It is not a good measure of your worth.

Hampsey: The Man of All Occasions. He's always late so you have time to get Starbucks before class!

Hampsey is the best professor I have had at cal poly. His interest in the subject mater shines through in his teaching and his story telling ability make each lecture engaging. He expects you to pay attention and learn what he is teaching but his grading is not unfair. If you think you would like seeing religion, culture, and storytelling from a variety of different viewpoints you should 100% take this class.

Hampsey is one of those standout professors. His lectures contain the kind of passion and grandeur that every English student hopes (or should hope) to encounter in their college experience. He's very observant of the world and of literature, and also of the classroom. In a lecture of 115, he would notice the minute he walked into the room if someone was missing from class (given they sat in relatively the same seat each day). He's funny, entertaining, and cares about what he teaches. Don't get me wrong, his class is not easy. He doesn't use ANY technology. He won't have lecture slides and will rarely write on the board other than a word here or there that he wants to spell out. The class had two things in the grade book: a midterm and a final. Each test is the same thing. There are 18 short answer questions based mostly one what he said during the two-hour lecture and a little bit on the readings. The way you survive this is by writing down pretty much everything he says, or as much as you can, and making like a quizlet out of it. Everything he says could potentially be on the final, as he rarely goes on tangents that are pointless. Don't be afraid though! It is very possible to get an A, as long as you go to every class, do the readings, and commit to studying for the two tests. Along with that, it's just a great class to experience and engaging for anyone interested in classical/greek literature.

Good professor, even though he feels like he is some inspiring English prof. who will make an impact upon students at a polytechnic university. Hampsey should save us the same inspirational speeches that he probably gives each quarter to every class and just give us our Great Books GE credit and send us along the assembly line of our general education experience at Cal Poly. He also feels that by being a hard grader, we're supposed to respect him more for that. Well Hampsey should realize that he is not a baseball pitcher, trying to keep his ERA down by giving up few good grades. I remember him talking about the poor writing in the Mustang Daily and that how in some pompous ass east coast rich kid university he went the writing was better.(His school wasn't even Ivy League, some rich kid private school for those who feel they are too good for public education, so they pay big bucks for small classrooms and green lawns.) Give me a break Hampsey, this is a technical school.

Professor Hampsey's class was very interesting. I am not a huge English buff but I do know that I found the class to be interesting. He really knows how to relate to the students. The workload was extremely doable, if you kept up with the reading there were many times when you only had a few minutes of homework. His tests are TOUGH!!! I thought I knew all the material and aced the final, I did pretty well on the tests but only got a C. Take him cause he's interesting and its not a lot of work, but remember his tests are hard!!

He's entertaining but he's a mean man

good lectures but really hard grader

I've taken 2 Engl classes with Hampsey. This is how the class will run. (1) He will show up 10-20 minutes late (2) He will take out a legal pad with unorganized scribbles all over it (3) Polls the class on their opinions for about 30min. (4) Tells you what he thinks (5) Has you take out the text and translates it for you. Hampsey Pro's = Not very much homework, if you can repeat what he tells you on the Midterms you will do well, if you buy and read the spark notes their is little need to read the actual text. Hampsey Pro's = You will NOT get an A. There are only 2 tests and 1 term paper. To get and A you must have a damn perfect paper. FOr the mideterms you can only miss 1.5 pts which is impossible for his objective questions (obscure random facts from the novel not even the author could remember.) Also, he CAN and WILL mock you. It is usually humorous when its not you.

Dr. Hampsey is occasionally irritable, but that doesn't overshadow his lecturing. I thought his presentations on Blake and Dostoyevsky were informative, especially since he seemed to want to put himself in the layman's shoes when it came to getting me to understand them. He's a bit loud, but he does put a lot of affirmation and conviction into his instruction, which helps a lot. I wished, though, he would have assigned more take-home writing assignments. That would have made the experience more interactive and intimate.

Way overrated. Too in love with himself and with pretty girl students too. Not nearly as smart as he thinks he is, loves to talk about his book (who cares) and grades as if we were at Harvard. I think he wishes he was at Harvard. Get over yourself Hampsey, stop trying to be so hip, stop trying to seem like an intellectual. You´re an average intelligence preofessor who has talent teaching but you let your ego get in the way.

Dr. Hampsey is hilarious! I never once was bored in his class. The reading was a bit difficult (Illiad and the Odyssey) but he discusses everything you will need to know for the tests. All the test information comes directly from lecture, and it is very easy to excel if you attend class every day. Take what he says with a grain of salt---his humor is sometimes offensive but very funny. Overall I think he is a wonderful professor who wants his students to succeed! I definitely recommend Hampsey.

I'm really conflicted as to what to put here. Hampsey is an amazing, unique, and a genius person. He an odd duck but that eccentricity is channeled into creative energy. I simultaneously enjoyed coming to lecture and dreaded it. He has great things to say but is pretty disorganized. We spent three weeks on Emily Dickinson, whom I love, but he didn't adjust the syllabus at the end and made us read a bunch of authors outside of class without discussing them, which I find unacceptable. He is often unwilling to compromise or revise (syllabus). He is abrasive. If you don't check your email or show up to class you will get publicly berated. It's funny if you're not the victim so check your email. He's an entertaining and genius person but he doesn't provide background on the literature. We were supposed to be reading Victorian Lit but he never defined what that meant and we spent most of our time reading Romantic literature from the 1830s.

I really don't know what to say to those people who didn't enjoy taking a class from Dr. Hampsey. Having taken five classes from him over the years, I think I know him and his teaching style very well. His tests are hard, the essays are extremely difficult and you'll get heckled for doing anything stupid like missing a class - but I kept going back because after four years at Poly I realized that he's about the most original and inspiring teacher at this school. All he expects from you is that you read the books and participate when you're in class. Yes, he's very emphatic about his view on life and literature, but what teacher isn't? He's actually among the most open-minded of the English teachers at Poly. I've only seen him put down a student two or three times, and it only happened when the student in question displayed a lack of respect during a lecture. As far as his grading goes, yeah it's hard, but the crap about "keeping his ERA down" isn't true - I can remember when almost half the people in our class received A's on a midterm. If you want a brainless GE class to fulfill your C requirement, take somebody else - but if you'd like to be challenged and learn a great deal about Romantics or Victorians or whoever, take Hampsey.

Hampsey is a damn good teacher. His class was always interesting and way more informative compared to other English core classes that Ive had. Although he is a shamelessly FLAMMING liberal he still manages to be very intelligent. At first, his bi-hourly political speeches (in which he slams anyone with an "R" next to their name and voices his contempt for America and its culture(NOT in an al-quaida kind of way!)) were as distracting and infuriating as that parenthesis. But after a couple weeks, I got over it and learned to ignore the rants. Just sit back, take notes, and nod your head when he tells you that your culture, generation and education is bad. If you do that, you'll learn a ton, and practice your bullshit filtration techniques.

Third class with Hampsey. Not by choice, but I always enjoy the lectures. He's a great orator. Maybe not such a great instructor. Clarity on paper guidelines is needed. I didn't try office hours this quarter--maybe that would help?

Dr. Hampsey is amazing. By far the most entertaining lecture I have had yet. He is extremely intense...he knows his stuff. But he has the best sense of humor-just don't be intimidated. His banter and strong readings are the best. His course is challenging by rewarding in the end. I highly HIGHLY recommend Hampsey. You WON'T regret it!

Hampsey . . . kinda weird guy, but he has a great sense of humor. Class was never difficult, just going over passages and the like. He seems like a tough grader when it comes to papers, but if you make revisions (as he suggests) you should be okay. I found most of the literature interesting, too! Tests . . . one midterm, one final. If you paid attention during class lectures and actually READ the material, studying was easy. You will notice patterns and things he repeats (they WILL be on the exams). That's all I can say about this guy. I would take a class with him again . . . but I probably wouldn't look forward to the writing assignments because I believe that is where he grades the toughest.

One of the best professors I've ever had (if not THE best). He made the material interesting, was open to class discussion, and I got a LOT out of the class. He has a talent for coming up with unique but plausible arguments about works of literature. Yes, he's intimidating and always complaining about something or going off on a political rant, but he's also extremely funny. Tests are rigorous but fair (it's clear what he wants you to know). All in all, an amazing professor.

I echo the seemingly unanimous response that Hampsey is ridiculously involved with himself. However, beyond the obvious, other than his repetitive tardiness, Hampsey's method was far too abstract and his expectations were, at best, unclear. He is extremely intimidating and seemed more interested in belittling his students, giving the pretense of intellect, rather than actually helping his students toward grasping material. His expectations were convoluted and ill-defined - subjective is the word. I think he could tell that the class was displeased with his performance as a teacher. 1/4 of the material wasn't covered by the end of the quarter and on the last day he gave us the option of covering last minute material that would be on the final or doing evaluations...of course, we chose covering exam material. He said he'd bring the evals to the final and then was conveniently late, and never offered the option of filling out evaluations. I need 2 more 400s to graduate and his classes are the nearly the only ones available and I'm trying every avenue to avoid this class. I'd rather grate my face off with a cheese grater than take Hampsey again.

I really wanted to like Hampsey. After reading so many shining reviews about his lectures, I was sadly mistaken. His ego is through the roof and despite the fact that he is late to every single class meeting, if you are late or miss a class he grills you about it. I expected more from this teacher.

Many of the poems read in this class are now my favorite. It is obvious that Dr. Hampsey enjoys teaching English. His lectures are always interesting and humorous. However, he employs the Socratic method of teaching and calls on people randomly, so do the reading, you won't regret it. Also, Dr. Hampsey is very helpful during office hours.

Dr. Hampsey is by far the best teacher I've ever had. He's very passionate about what he's teaching, and that passion spreads through the class. He is a very tough grader though. I recommend a solid background in writing for this class. Getting a good grade doesn't necessarily require a lot of work, but rather, a higher level of thinking. Hampsey expects his students to come up with original ideas about some very difficult poetry. This class is a great experience. I know this will sound cheezy, but if you go into this class with an open mind, it will give you a new perspective on the world. Hampsey is a very inspiring teacher.

I took several of Hampsey's classes (Romantics, Enlightenment, Greeks, Existentialism). He is honestly the most inspiring and motivating teacher I have EVER had -- one of those "life changing" teachers. He opened up my mind and my eyes to some of the brilliance of British Literature that I had never recognized before. His passion for the British Romantics is contagious. I now teach British Lit to high school seniors and attribute my passion and fascination with my curriculum to Hampsey's class!!! Don't miss an opportunity to take his class.

Humor me and just keep reading.... Hampsey is a whiny, raving, intense, egotistic arse that rips students to shreds and challenges their moral convictions. Take his classes and be ready for bloodshed. Its well worth it, especially when you realize you can dish it right back to him. He knows his subject, and, despite his dull monotone when reading Keats (whoever said that "Was it a vision, or a waking dream? Fled is that music:--Do I wake or sleep?" wasnt the most eloquent line ever written apparently hasn't heard Hampsey read it). The papers are soul-shreddingly intense--just stick with it and know that you will be better for the experince

I took Dr. Hampsey for 333 and for Greek Lit. He is a great teacher if you are prepared to be clueless during half of the class period. He tends to use terms that no one can define and does wander. However, he is very entertaining and an all-in-all good person-- especially if you get up the nerve to talk to him after class. He can seem intimidating, but he is really a nice guy who wants to see his students succeed. A lot of reading is assigned and the tests are essay and rather difficult. Just keep on track and go to office hours and you should be fine.

After showing up ten minutes late for class, Hampsey bomardes you with his oppinionted view of literatue, accented with meaningless egotistical vocabulary. If patience is your virtue and you learn through telepethy, Hampsey is the man for you.

Hampsey was an enthuastic teacher about British Romanticism and dropped a lot of knowledge on us every day. He seems to know something about everything and can relate things in class to things in the real world. I highly recommend him.

Hampsey is by far the best teacher I have had the pleasure of taking at Poly. He is engaging and excited about what he teaches. He knows what it means to involve students and meet them on their level. He has a great sense of humor and makes the material really interesting in a way that allows students to actually learn the subject matter with a smile on their face. He grades hard and his tests are hard, but he prepares you for them really well and is open to questions at any time. You'll always be laughing in this class. Just don't get offended when he refers to you and your classmates as "losers with loser friends and loser lives." It's all in good fun, and he'll let you joke around back at him. Great teacher, great class. Definitely take him if you can.

A liberal arts teacher, that requires on every wendsay to pull hats to the left. Adamate and an observing master he will lasso any student on his/her way/path to the bathroom. Do not leave halfway during class and do not post pictures of yourself on walls. If u recive a call during class mimic chirping and slide the phone to a class member next to you. also remember that passages in the text require reading. Dancing is encourage but not mandatory. Take this teacher and you will be subjected to the smell of clorine for small parts of the period. A one of a kind guy with a decent attidtude, use this class to you advantage

John John is, in his own mind, awesome! Good thing he's at a polytechnic instead of at a university where they inspire students to think. You can't think aloud in his class without being run over by Johnny's Ego.

Dr. Hampsey is a tiny bit eccentric, very knowledgable about Romantic poetry and the era around it, and very direct. Don't say "like" or "um" in his class (then again, you probably shouldn't say it too much anyway). He's very willing to help. If you're in a literature class of of his, and not too sure if your writing is up to par, he is more than willing to help you understand your reading and write about it. Attention all smarta$$es: Dr. Hampsey no like you.

Well the ego thing probably isn't too far off. Overall however, he did present the material in a sensible manner. The exams were fairly straight-forward and his grading fair. I do have a bone to pick with him though. He mentioned at the beginning of the class that he was open to different perspectives on the material, but it was fairly clear that he wasn't. I understand he has the degree and years of experience to better understand this material, but each person will take from poetry what they will. This is why poetry is so powerful!

Hampsey is one of the most brilliant professors on the Cal Poly Campus! He speaks his mind and is not afraid to challenge his students. Many students feel overwhelmed and intimidated because they are use to having professors pander to their insecurities--Hampsey will definitely not do this. But he will bring literature to life and come to class every time with an excitement for teaching. Do the readings, read his book (it does help with lectures), and write down EVERYTHING he says in class. Hampsey is a must take during your time at Poly.

His grading policy is pretty straightforward. and yes, write down everything he says and the class would be smooth sailing. he's really helpful when you have trouble understanding the material and it shows how much he knows about the subject.

Hampsey is intense. The guy seems to know everything (except how to be on time) and he expects you to know everything as well. The class consists almost entirely of reading Romantic-Era poetry, so the reading is light but abstract. I was totally against poetry and dreading this class when I started the reading but ended up getting a lot out of it. Hampsey not only helps you understand the assigned readings but helps you understand how to approach poetry in general. Your grade is based upon the midterm, a final, and a short paper (about 4 pages). He'll help you a lot if you go to office hours but you need to work hard. He doesn't hand out a lot of As. For the midterm and final ANYTHING is fair game (even random stories about his life). Write down everything he says in class and organize it later. The tests are part objective short answer (tell him something about the plot, characters, symbolism, etc.) and then essay format. Be simple and clear in your writing, he will rip you for any attempt at being fancy. If you work hard and go to office hours once or twice you should pull down a B easily. He grades HARD so if you want an A, prepare to put in some extra effort. If you do this class right your brain will tingle everyday.

Maximus: [laughing] You knew Marcus Aurelius...? Proximo: [very quickly and defensively] I didn't say I knew him, I said he touched me on the shoulder once! Maximus: You ask me what I want. I, too, want to stand before the Emperor as you did. Proximo: Then listen to me. Learn from me. I wasn't the best because I killed quickly. I was the best because the crowd loved me. Win the crowd, and you will win your freedom. Maximus: I will win the crowd. I will give them something they have never seen before. The man's a hero. JL

Hamspey is awesome. I took this class because it was the only one that fit into my schedule and I was DREADING it (I\'m a science major, can you blame me?). However, it turned out to be one of the most enjoyable classes I\'ve ever taken. Yes, he is always late. He usually leaves in the middle of class to microwave his coffee (or get a refill) too. Yes, he has an ego - but he has a right! This man knows his stuff. ENG 333 turned out to be half history half english. He talks about the authors with such a passion - you seem to learn the type of stuff they wouldn\'t put into history books. Another thing he seems to be passionate about is Jameson Irish whiskey! knew all about the authors, their families, spouses, vacations, drunken orgies (I\'m actually not kidding) and relationships. This allows you to make a connection with the author and understand the perspective from which they were writing. It was refreshing to see a professor that was so passionate about what he was teaching. Write everything he says in the lectures. Even the stuff you don\'t think will be tested - if you write down the personal details about the authors its easier to associate them with their works when you study. He will scribble all over the blackboard, circle something twenty times, draw a line to a indiscernible word, and repeat. The result: a huge chalk mess that makes absolutely no sense. If you try and care, you will do fine in this class. Who cares if he has an ego? Everyone has their flaws.

He knows his stuff, but he grades hard. He expects you to know everything about the Romantics. There is very little to be graded on, so all it takes is one slip up to ruin your grade. I'd much rather discuss the material with him than to be tested on it. Don't take him if your major is in the sciences or anything based on hard fact.

British Literature in the Age of Romanticism: 1798-1832 was by far the HARDEST class I have EVER taken in my life. Hampsey is a pretty good teacher in the sense that he really does know everything about what he is teaching, and also about history which helps to understand the material a bit more, but if you are not a poetry person, DO NOT take this class. Your grade is 3 parts: midterm, final, and a short paper. You have to pay attention to everything and never miss class, or you will be screwed. Studying in groups also helps for this class because all of his notes are oral, so if you miss something, someone else may have caught it. Overall, Hampsey is a pretty good guy, but do not take this if you have a full schedule or are looking for an easy way to fulfill GWR, you will have to work your ass off!

I can appreciate his love of the subject matter. However Hampsey put me off entirely with his huge ego and by being repeatedly rude throughout the quarter. I agree with the other comments regarding his grading and tests. It is very difficult to know what is required of you for the midterm and final exam and therefore extremely hard to achieve a high grade, even for an English major. Beware: He will find a time during any class to rag on Greek life so don't identify yourself as part of the Greek system or he will target you during these rants. Very uncomfortable. I would not recommend this teacher.

I took him for 251 and loved him so decided to take him again for 333. THIS CLASS WAS SO HARD!! Unless you are very English oriented and good at reading into abstract concepts, you will really struggle in this class. Hampsey is awesome at making it entertaining and explaining the poems, but it is very difficult to figure out anything for yourself without a strong English background. The tests are very difficult and you must know everything and all the little facts in order to do well.

Hampsey is a great guy and his class was so much fun, but his tests are difficult. Exams do not test for overall understanding, but rather, they test about minute details such as people's names or the meaning of a certain word. His writing is 90% illegible, so if you are not able to take quick, precise notes on everything he says, you will miss important details that will be tested on. You must do the readings to understand lecture. I do not suggest taking Hampsey unless you are an English major.

One of the best classes I've ever taken with one of the best professors ever. Hampsey is a God of Romantic literature, and he knows it. Does tend to present his perspective as fact, and could do without expressing his political beliefs in the classroom, but its an insignificant blip in an otherwise incredible and spiritually enhancing class. Hampseys passion for the Romantic poets explodes into the classroom and its quite the treat. Take this class if you truly want to be turned-on by good poetry/literature, not for just an easy A.

No polylearn, one page syllabus that says that grades depends on how he feels during the class as he can add participation, quizzes, and other grades to take up as much of the grade as he feels fit. The baseline of which is 1/3rd Midterm, 1/3 Final, 1/3 Final Paper. He doesn't give any instruction on the Final paper until the last 2 weeks and it's due before finals. The tests consist of two essays that you need to buy blue books for and for the whole test you need to identify random passages in some of the text or recite some of his ideologies.

Hampsey has the personality of tv host conan obrien and looks like a shriveled bryan cranston. great teacher but his teaching style is definitely not for everyone. take his class if you can tolerate a teacher that shows us late for every single class and keeps the class late because of it. his i-dont-give-a-shit attitude is a result of his tenure status, which is annoying. but if you can get past that, its a good class. he puts a lot of pressure on the students to do weell and the exams are hard. your grade is made up of midterm final and a paper. take this class cr/nr if u suck at tenglish otherwise you'll probably get a low grade. What measures did you take to succeed in the course and what could you have done to increase your success? reading the text, going to class, asking questions. to increase success- read more outside sources involving the analysis of the poems and works assigned What were the strengths of the instructor and the course? stregths- ability to make the subject material interesting. How might the course be improved? more structure to the class. syllabus that stated expectations for the course very extremely vague. professor claimed this was because it gave incentive to go to class, but it only makes the class confusing at times. class felt very disorganized because professor always arrived late and would always keep the class late.

Dr. Hampsey is an outstanding teacher. I'm NOT an english kind of guy, but he got me into the novels and made me want to read more. He's an incredibly funny man, take his jokes with a grain of salt if they sound offensive, he doesn't intend for them to be. Very helpful, very nice, good course.

I do not recommend taking this class unless you really enjoy reading plays and have a lot of free time to kill. You are required to read 20+ plays, and some of them take over 3 hours to read. The guy has a serious ego and needs to take a chill pill or just a b-load. That is all

Hampsey has a book (he's kind of a big deal).

yeah, I guess he's got an ego...if you expect professors to coddle you and not notice when you miss class. I think the problem is that he expects too much from students who don't put half the thought into actually trying to participate. If being pushed to learn new ideas isn't on your priority list, don't take him. If you want a challenging professor who expects you to form coherent thoughts about the day's reading, sign up for any of his classes. Personally, I think he's the best English teacher at Cal Poly.

Take this from a student who tried his ass off to learn something in this class, RUN AND HIDE from this ego maniac. He is the most ignorant professor towards students needs and difficulties and is one of the hardest graders. I honestly hope that this guy takes a flying leap off a cliff, also if your not an English Major and think like him, do yourself a favor and drop the class while you still can.

no open-mouthed yawning. no looking at the clock. no texting. no looking at other notes. no credit for assignments. this is the lecture you get the first day of class, and if you don\'t follow the rules, you never hear the end of it. my best advice is to laugh it off and try to deal. This class was broken into 3 parts: 1 midterm, 1 final, 1 paper. that was it. no room for error. his lectures are unstructured. so try to write down everything you can.

A good professor. Beware of the class though. When i took the class we were required to read though six novels with essay exams required for each one.

First off, Hampsy is not going to coddle is students. Not happening. This is a college, and he expects his students to be college students. For some, this is a high expectation that they cannot meet, and if they rather not be challenged, than avoid him. That said, Hampsy is hands down, one of the best libeal studies professors on campus. He will not baby you, but he is more than willing to help you as much as he can in thesis development, paper constuction, and over all intellectual growth. This course was Victorian Prose and Poetry, what had potential to be dry, but was far from it. People often complain that his test are hard, and they are, but they are extreamly fair. He expects alot from his students, and students should expect alot from their professors.

rules for success in dr. hampsey's classes: 1.be an attractive female 2.do not be funnier than him 3.repeat everything he says on exams, etc. 4.stare into his eyes with rapt attention, i'm talking full-on eye sex here (oddly this rule applies to both male and female students equally) 5.also be psychic and don't expect any clear guidelines for assignments 6.don't follow the vague guidelines he does give and you'll get an A (particularly if you adhere to rule #1) 7.do not hurry to class, he has tenure, so park no earlier than 15 minutes after the hour, stroll to campus market for a latte, stop to pee, talk to a friend, then go to class, this way you don't have to wait around for him 8.don't really try to follow the excellent and thorough syllabus he provides, he won't either 9.invite him out to have a beer with you or just wait for him to suggest that he go along with you and your classmates 10.enjoy elitism 11.buy his book, read his book, love his book as deeply as he does 12.agree that public education is a joke and college freshmen are idiots 13.enjoy the greeks 14.write down every greek term he throws at you and memorize its meaning for your exams 15.somehow communicate to him that he is the center of the universe, the most brilliant, charming,funny, and popular professor on campus and that you cannot live without his intelligence in your life (rule #4 is a good place to start) 16.forget your own name,it isn't important and, after all, there will be 15 people in your class, all with different names to remember. he will forget them all, repeatedly, everyday, without fail (unless, of course, you follow rule #1) 17.do not, i repeat, do not get in the way of this man's ego. . .you will be destroyed!!! enjoy the best that a full tenured prof has to offer. . .i guarantee two things: you will put more effort into his classes than he does, and as much as you will love it,(and you will, he's funny, knowledgeable, and seems stoned half the time) he'll love to hear himself talk more than you!

this class is awesome. it's existential tradition and you read some pretty cool stuff. ecclesiastes, kierkegaard, gogol, dostoyevsky, nietzsche, camus, sartre, heidegger, and beckett is what we read. it's a pretty rough course but it's a 400 level with hampsey so that can be expected. he is perfect for this class though and makes doing the reading worth it even if it is heidegger. it's an important class and is worth taking no matter what your major. it's half philosophy half literature which shakes things up a bit and keeps you on your toes. take this class if you want to learn a lot. hampsey can be the man if you are on top of things or you may hate him if you can't handle sarcasm, cause he's got it. he means well though and he's a good man.

Take a class with Hampsey before you graduate from Cal Poly! You'll learn things you never knew you wanted to learn. I had him for Greeks, and though I was already used to Hampseyisms from taking him twice before, I still learned new things about our world. Ignore his ego, ignore his political rants; just sit back and enjoy the comical show that is Hampsey. And write down funny things he says. This guy is one-of-a-kind.

Ok. Here's the REAL DEAL on Hampsey. He just wants YOU to want to learn. Isn't that the point of college? If you're someone who can't understand the concept of knowledge for knowledge's sake then you wont enjoy his class. He's big on discussion, and hearing what we think of the reading. Ok, he can be pompous, and had WAYYY too much to say about Bush and Iraq (really... I don't love Bush either but it was ridiculous), but don't be afraid of him!! You can joke, have fun, challenge him even! That's his point--think for yourself. We even had a Symposium as a class where we got together after class and drank wine, shared poetry--um, AWESOME? Now that's we've said all of that, how do you succeed? To be honest it's tough; I've had him twice and have gotten B's both times but was satisfied with that. His tests are 3 parts: short answer, essays, and passage id essays worth only 18 points a piece. He thinks that's fine, but I think it sort of sucks because if you miss 2 short answer (which are difficult) there goes your good grade. DO know all the Greek terms he throws at you. Know the random other names besides authors you've read (ie, Goethe). If you study hard, you'll be ok. Hope that helps!!

Hampsey loves to generate group discussion and get his students actively talking. He always kept our interest and challenged us. Sometimes we bantered too much, but it was a fun class. He also needed to provide more guidelines for papers, but he seemed to realize that. Overall he's a fun, loud professor. If you're a conservative, he might make a few rude remarks about your ideology, but feel free to argue with him. He's actually very open-minded and can respect your opinions.

he sure does like his women, wet!!