Hill, Adam  

ProfessorHill is a decent teacher. There is hardly any work involved. Just four essays that make up your entire grade. Two are in class and the remaining two are completed out of class.

Ididn't like how he tried to hit on the girls in class and attempt to sleep with them.

Adam is a very cool teacher. It seemed that he graded my essays tougher than everyone elses when mine was definately better than some of them. At first I thought the way to succeed was to dumb it up so then you get better grades because he expects less of you. If you have a problem just go talk to him, he is more than willing to give you tips on improving your grade. Oh but all the holocaust discussions get very depressing so be prepared.

Testing

For the most part Mr. Hill was a very good teacher, and he is a very young teacher. In this class you will have two essays and two tests and that's it. And there is barely any homework, just questions that he assigns from the reading and usually it's only around 5. Aso if you are having any problems in the class he is willing to listen to them in his office hours or via e-mail. The first midterm was an essay test analying a poem, and then the final which only had 5 questions was on two stories and that's it. So just read the homework or the assigned readings and you will be fine all quarter long. NOT A HARD TEACHER!!!

At first I thought Adam Hill was a pretty cool teacher. His lectures are decent and more enjoyable than most, but it was his essay grading that really got to me. After getting a 78 on my first essay, I set to work on doing the best I could on my next paper. This included research, getting input on others and working with a tutor. I handed in what I thought to be a very well written essay, only to get the same exact grade. Any teacher who tells his students not to bother coming in and asking what they could do to do better next time can't be a very effective writing teacher.

To the person below me: couldn't have said it better. I got a 78 on my first essay and he only wrote one thing on my paper the whole time. So the next essay I spent my entire weekend working on nothing but this paper. I got so much research and cited so many sources and had my sister who has her masters to critique it and I took her advice and made this awesome paper...and I got the same exact grade. He is leaving after this quarter so he really doesn't care. To him, C's are okay but for someone who needs an extremely high GPA to get into internships, this really hurts me. When he talks all that I hear is how horrible of people we are. He likes to put himself up on a pedestal and I feel like it's pointless in going to class. All we do is talk about what he thinks about certain arguments. So I guess in the future, never get an instructor that is leaving the next quarter because you will get screwed.

Prof. Hill is very laid back and makes class interesting, but unfortunately he makes it extremely difficult to get an A. It is pretty easy to get a B if you attend class, participate occasionally, and read most of the material. His short answer tests can be tricky if you don't go to class because he goes over just about all of them. Be sure you don't make too many grammatical errors on his essay test and, more importantly, be specific with examples that support your thesis.

Be sure to take good notes. All exams on class discussion. Lectures are pretty stimulating and Hill tries to get alot of people talking. Go to see him in office hour too because he

I am graduating. ENGL 251 was one of my last classes. I have never written on polyrating before. But Adam Hill pissed me off so much, I felt compelled to warn students that his high rating isn't necessarily well deserved. People have said "Pay close attention and take good notes." I agree, this is the only way you will get a grade. The reason is that Hill does not care for any of your thoughts. He does not condone critical thinking. He will shoot your ideas down if they do not match his. And in general, he is an asshole. He actually commented on my essay test... "I don't agree with your argument. You would have been more effective if you argued this..." Cool man... you teach a class on literature, and you're gonna tell me there is only one way to interpret the text? Go teach at a high school and let us college students use the minds we want teachers to help to expand, not retain. So, in summary, I recommend Adam Hill if you want to be told exactly how it is. I don't recommend him if you have any creative. It will hurt your grade.

great class. multiple choice midterms were easy. except the essay midterm destroyed my grade. I eneded up with a C+. Take this class with him. it will be worth it

I have had Adam for two classes and I think he is a great teacher. You have to be willing to read quite a bit, and he is not an easy grader, especially on essays. But he really makes an effort to help his students understand difficult pieces of literature. I went in to his class dreading the idea of reading poetry and writing about literature, but I came out with much more confidence in my ability to do both.

I had heard some bad things about Professor Hill and was concerned. It all changed the first day of class, he was awesome. Adam Hill is the kinda person you want to hang out with at a bar. He is super smart and can talk about anything. People in the class made some stupid comments and he always respected their opinion. I'm a poor writer and my grades reflected that, i got a 69 and 70 on the papers, but somehow I picked up my score by going to each class and doing most of the reading. I got B+ on the midterm and final and was pleasantly surprised. If you go to class and go to office hours and A is not out of the question.

Excellent teacher though a little tough. The material is not very easy to read and the reading assignments are huge. If you can handle the work load, you will enjoy his classes.

Adam Hill rocks! He is super nice, smart, and cool. He actually talks to his students about everything. His class was really easy to go to, the readings were cool, and he is pretty easy. I totally recommend him.

Adam Hill is the best teacher I have had in three years at Poly. He is totally laid back, but he teaches you so much. We read so many great books in his class, and he encouraged class discussion and participation. It was the first time I came to class excited about discussing whatever it was we had just read. I know that sounds totally lame, but it's the truth. I was excited about coming to his class every day. He was funny and made interesting. He made me wish I was an English major so I could take more of his classes. The class was semi-difficult; I had to work hard for an A, but the thing is, his class was so enjoyable that it didn't seem like work. Take his class if you have the chance.

This guy kicks ass. He's nice and funny and his classes are entertaining. Take his class if you can--you'll be glad you did. Definitely one of the most enjoyable classes I have had at Cal Poly.

Adam is a great guy who can really see through all the bullshit that is constatnly thrown at us today through media, politics, etc. He is definitely a hard grader on the essays you have to write (only 2 that are 2-pgs dbl spaced) so be aware, but his tests are straghtforward and his lectures are really a class discussion on life's dilemas. It's kinda a break from the routine if ya know what I mean. He has a great sense of humor and if you understand what it means to be sarcastic, you will really enojoy this class. He is also really blunt about how f----d up religion is, which is cool since everyone else is so PC so as not to hurt one of the little christian crusaders feelings.

Be sure to turn in your essays on the reading prior to talking about the assignment in class. The earlier you turn it in the easier.

i really enjoyed this class. in fact i'm sure most of the people in the class got annoyed at me for how much i was participating, but i didn't really care. it's rare that a teacher gets me so interested in a class that i want to participate. i loved the discussions in class and i loved how he didn't so much lead them as prompt them and allow us to say what we want. i never felt judged or looked down on. i am actually sad that this class is almost over. i absolutely loved his sense of humor and insight. i can't imagine this class being nearly as interesting with a different professor.

Adam is awesome! You'll learn a lot in his class because he is interesting to listen to, not because he overloads you with work. We only had to write two essays, two pages each (double spaced!).

Having a good English teacher makes ALL the difference! Adam Hill qualifies! I looked forward to going to class and all his discussions were interesting. He relates all the material to our lives today so it isn't ever dry. He responds quickly to e-mails and is available to help you with your papers. You can write two 2-3 page papers or just one 4-5 page paper. I recommend this professor!

I had a few worries. A friend said he wasn't too fond of Christians. This might be true, but it didnt have any impact. Mr. Hill was always nice, funny, stimulating. After only a week, it was my favorite class to go to, and I didnt miss any of them. Readings are not too hard, grading is fair, and he's good to talk to during office hours, seems to really care. So I highly recommend him.

Read about 8 Books (100pages or less) 2 Tests (20-25 Questions) 1 Essay on one of the books(4-5 pages) or 2Essays on 2 books(2-3 pages) Lots of reading, but you don't actually have to read the material if you show up to class everyday and take good notes. The tests are ridiculously ambiguous, but there are only 2 short tests, so that has to be the hard part of the class. Professor Hill is one of the more entertaining professors, and he brings up interesting topics, but he will randomly go off on tangents and ramble on for 40 mins. If you just want to get by in this class take Hill.

Adam Hill = FAIL. (If only I can use HTML tags...) God help you if your viewpoint does not exactly match his. If you value your sanity, stay far away from this poor excuse of a preacher ... I mean teacher. English classes are designed to teach YOU to think; YOU are to interpret the works, and what YOU get out of them are YOURS and YOURS alone. In class, Hill drones on and on about what HE thinks about the work. Instead of asking questions that foster discussion, he will incessantly expound his views (not just on literature, but on everything from childhood stories to how he thinks you should carry yourself) and vehemently attack those who oppose him. It scares me to think that this extremely opinionated, petty "man" is running for public office. Lastly, if you are a Conservative, Libertarian, or simply value your sanity, stay away from Hill. He is farther left than Cindy Sheehan. He is a bleeding-heart liberal; the only problem is, he isn't the one bleeding, *you* are.

I took this class credit no credit and passed it pretty easily. Hill is smart and likeable; his exams are ok, his grading on the paper a little tough for a GE course, but not really that nuts. Overall, I would recomend this class and especially Hill who keeps the conversation flowing and is pretty good to talk with after class. One warning: he made sarcastic remarks when people came in late. He obviously doesn´t like that.

he sure does like his women, wet!!

Hill is an unremarkable prof. He’s not great. He’s not bad. Most profs are average otherwise the bell curve is meaningless. He certainly can be amusing, funny in fact. And yet he will allow himself to be captured by his thought of the day and he’s known to drone on about an irrelevant theme that is not attached to the topic at hand. He’s grading seems erratic. But I got a B and I think that’s about right.

I have mixed feelings about Adam Hill. He is funny at times but he can be so cynical I want to get up and slap him around. He goes on rants about binge drinking and tourist gift shops and porn vs. art and he laughed his ass off as he was reading this passage in a book where it appeared a plane was about to crash (this was after sept. 11th). I've noticed that he can be INCREDIBLY insensitive and indifferent towards his students; if I'd lost anyone close on sept 11, I would have bitched his ass out when he was laughing as the plane was crashing in our book (ultimately it didn't crash, but It still disturbed me). He reminds me of the professor in the movie "Loser", just not as smart. Grading is as follows: 4 quizzes @ 25 pts, 1 midterm @ 100, 1 final @ 100 (All are essays and all are done in class!). One wierd thing was how a few of the books he had contained cliffsnotes IN them, but ours didn't contain anything else but the text. I got the feeling that he was teaching us straight from the cliffsnotes (hard to describe why; maybe you'll see). Make sure you explain your points *really well* on essays; he kept writing "vague" on my essays no matter how much I elaborated. One other point I want to make was that we hardly discussed one of our books at all, we just had a debate on porn vs. erotic art. I found myself not really compelled to read the stupid book if we weren't even going to discuss it. The class was actually fun and I would recommend this teacher if you aren't bothered by an (at times) indifferent asshole.

I think I was in the same Modern Novel class as the previous evaluator, and she/he totally missed the boat on Adam Hill. (and YOU would have bitched out his ass? Come on, did you even try doing such a thing when we were in class? or were you too timid?) Sure he's cynical, but that's one of the ways to make us THINK! I didn't like all the books we read, but I thought he had really interesting things to say about them, and I thought he was not only funny but very insightful. If you're uptight and rigid, you won't like him as a prof, but if you like to have things shaken up a bit, Adam Hill is the guy to take. One of my favorite profs here at Poly.

Adam Hill was one of the most...well, interesting profs I've had. He wore all black every day. I wouldn't recommend taking his course. You never get a chance to understand the literature becuase he focuses all his attention on the smallest detail of sexuality that was in the book. We spent three weeks discussing pornography instead of the book we were going to be tested on. The tests were essay style and you could only pick one to write on, basically I just used a lot of BS and got A's on the tests. Take another english professor if you can.

awesome, very funny, smart. some people don't get him, but I did. knows his stuff, knows how to make it interesting, seems to care about students. participate in class and he'll like you. I recommend Hill highly. one of the best at Poly.

Professor Hill's class isnt bad. He gives you 4 books to read in 10 week, none of which are much over 300 pages. He gives an essay quiz on each book, which arent that bad. The mid term is essay style on the last two books read, the same for the final, both of which if you get over a 76 you get GWR credit. In all he is a nice guy and half of the classes he doesnt even talk about the book that you are reading. So if you are looking for a class to fulfil upper division english and get the gwr out of the way go for him.

If you are looking for a class that doesn't really talk about literature, this is the one for you. The novels you read are interesting and not hard to read, but discussions tend to be centered around issues the novels raise and not things specific to the novels themselves. Don't bother taking notes because the quiz and midterm questions have nothing to do with anything discussed in class. The good news is that it means you don't have to study for it, the bad news is that you never really know what to expect. The quizes and midterms basically measure how well you can make an argument, which he doesn't really go over, so it takes awhile to get a handle on how he grades things. I would also recommend participating as much as you can, (it's not hard, it doesn't have to do with the novels) because it can end up hurting your final grade.

Totally awesome Prof. Even adorable. You won't want to miss Adam Hill's classes. Workload is fair, grading fair, discussions are excellent.

This class can be really boring. We read 4 novels which were actually not bad at all..im not a reader and i actually enjoyed AND read them. He lectures the full time about some interesting stuff and very repetitive stuff. The books were interesting and the class became really boring. I would take him though just because he has good books to read.. and its a good way to get rid of the GWR. Hill was a good enough teacher. There was a quiz after every book and 2 chances to take the GWR.

I normally don't like English classes especialy ones that require reading. This class was actually fun and the reading wasn't too bad. You will read 4 novels for this class but the work load is comparable to that of any math or science class. The lectures are directly related to the reading and do an excellent job of preparing you for the exams. This is also a really easy way to satisfy GWR.

Mr. Hill is one of the best profs I've had here at Poly and I have had some great ones. He's smart, funny, nice, and seems like the kind of guy who cares about if your going to be a good and moral person in your future. When I saw him in his office, he asked me a lot of questions about my major (CRP) and seemed like he really cared. Rare. I tell everyone to take his classes. You'll learn a lot and laugh a lot. two exams, 4 quizzes, 4 books to read, not too hard not too easy.

overrated

Good luck getting an A, but he's worth it. There's a lot he brings into discussion and it can be hard to take notes, but most of the deeper discussions are brilliant. The two in-class exams count for everything, and the questions could be a little more to the point. All and all, a pretty solid and inspiring Prof.

ADAM HILLs classes are pretty good. I have taken two so I know he wants you to show up, participate, and you will get a good grade. Adam is funny, fair, and open. His exams suck, I will admit that. But overall, he is a great prof and really nice guy.

The most liberal teacher at Cal Poly, he pushes his views upon his students. You better believe in what he says and write what he says otherwise you will never pass. He will not focus on what is going on in the class he continually wants to bring up politics and force his Far Left Wing Liberal Views upon all he can and try to convince you that he is right and no one else is. Your views mean nothing to him unless there just like his. Luckily for anyone reading this, he is retiring from Cal Poly and gloats about it daily about how he can do what ever and say what ever he wants because he can't get fired he is quitting and working for local government (god forbid that he does anything important). He is one of those extreme teachers you read about in the news for pushing the line in the class room. HORRIBLE TEACHER AND PEOPLE LIKE HIM MAKE CAL POLY A BAD EXPERIENCE FOR EVERYONE!!!!!

This class was a complete waste of my time. Besides the fact that it was an easy way to get my GWR and my C4 and the books weren't too bad, I did not learn a single thing and feel dumber afterward. Mr. Hill only likes to hear his own voice. His idea of class 'discussion' is for him to ask a question, call on one or two people, and then talk for another thirty minutes. He repeated himself everyday to the point where he must have though we were in kindergarten. On the days where he could think of nothing else to day we could discuss current events, I AM NOT PAYING HIM TO HEAR HIM SHOW OFF HIS LIBERAL VIEWS AND CRITIQUE SOCIETY. I am paying him to teach me English, can I have a refund?

Mr. Hill ran a pretty interesting class. Good books, good discussions, and lots to think about. I guess I must be already brainwashed because his so-called liberal politics didn't seem obvious to me. He did lecture a lot and go off on tangents at times, but it always kept me thinking. One criticism: only two papers make up your grade, so it's tough if you haven't written in awhile. Good luck, Mr. Hill.

Very relatable books and discussions. Maybe too much to read in one quarter but if you keep up it’s not cray amount by the end. Particpation is like 10% of grade.

This guy is definitely a solid teacher: funny, smart, compassionate and moreover a good writer with the ability to recognize good writing. There aren't any real lectures or tests in the class, but then that's not really a bad thing. I can safely say I'm a better writer after a quarter with Adam.

This was my first creative writing course. It was excellent. I'm an English major, I've been writing since I was 8, but I've never had instruction. Highly recommended. Professor Hill is what a creative writing professor should be--open minded. His constructive criticism and supportive attitude helped guide our in-class discussions. All he requires is that you care and contribute. Show up to every class, complete your assignments, and try to speak up every once in awhile. A pretty safe environment to bust out of your closet-writing shell.

Adam Hill is an amazingly funny and brilliant Professor. He can be tough, but the high standards make sense after a few weeks. Participate and he'll like you.

You would make a mistake by missing out on Professor Hill. He's a crack-up and has read a million books and he knows a lot about writing. One story, 3 exercises, that's all. Can't miss class though and you absolutely must participate.

On the first day of class, he will tell you it is unlikely that you will meet the end of the quarter with a grade higher than a C. He isn't joking. Though he has high standards for creative writing, he exhibits no expertise in implementing creative writing techniques. Over the course of the quarter, we discussed topics vaguely using critiques as a vehicle to lecture. He will give you examples of what not to do, and some examples of what you can do in terms of providing you different authors from which to draw inspiration and ideas. He doesn't discuss prose, and he will discuss at great length on what he likes in terms of good dialogue and character development -- not how to create good dialogue or characters. Adam is funny. I grant him that, but a funny teacher doesn't necessarily teach. He's likeable in a lot of ways, but because he provides no direction and only dead ends, the class is uninspired. Adam will tell you that he doesn't want stories about homeless people, people getting out of bed, weddings, no crime stories, genre stories, horror, fantasy or science fiction. Again, he will tell you what he doesn't want to read, but he won't be specific as to what he would like to read, or even how to create it. Most of the students fell short of Adam's expectations in class and subsequently (and falsely) believed they didn't have what it takes to be a fiction writer as a result. Adam will tell you that in order to be a good fiction writer, you have to be unhappy with your work. This is also false. Adam Hill's background as a book critic for the LA Times has a heavy influence on how he teaches. Book critics don't know how to write. They know what they like to read. Therefore, book critics do not make good fiction writing teachers.

I got it by the end of the class, but it was tough going at times. He warned us and tried to keep things humorous, so I had good feelings. Lots of cool things to read and lots of practical advice. I can recommend him.

I thought Adam Hill was great. It's a bot ofan odd class, but he's filled with great, practical advice and he tries to keep it humorous. I can honestly say I write better after only 10 weeks. Just be sure to come to class.

Great fun to listen to. Work on your stories consistently. Not big blocks of time, but a little every day. It's difficult to come up with something good the night before since its very different than writing a factual paper. Great guy, and you'll enjoy sitting in class listening to him.

Adam was an awesome fiction writing teacher. To have someone inspire and encourage you in creative work is not easy. Some of my classmates didn´t feel the same way I know but they also weren´t working as hard. I didn´t write anything above a C until I rewrote my story. Somehow alot of what Adam was telling us for 10 weeks clicked and I was surprised not only that I wrote better but that I ended up with a B when all I got previously were C´s. Adam is funny, smart, up on a lot of books, and can be tough in his comments at times, but if you want to write better he knows how to help you. I was doubtful at first, but he rocked!

Cool class. We only had to write 5 poems and that was it for the whole quarter...! Besides that adam is a super cool-funny guy. He is the type of teacher that you could go have beers with... I definately recomend this guy..

I really enjoyed Adam's class. The format was incredibly casual and our class produced some good poetry that was a pleasure to read and discuss. The class consisted of the submission of 5 poems (a minimum of 3 that are to be read and reviewed by the class), one revision of a critiqued poem, and some light reading of modern poets. Reading the poems for class could be intimidating; however, after the first reading, it does become easier. Adam is funny, engaging, and willing to help you if you need it. The only thing I had a problem (because I don't like suprises) with is that your grade is a mystery until you see it after the end of the quarter. I had a fairly good idea of what I thought it would be (in the A- to B range- turned out to be a B+), but nothing concrete until grades came out. All in all, Adam was a great professor for this class and certainly worth taking. I also had him for Eng 251 my frosh year and enjoyed that class too.

What a complete dumbfuck. This guy wanked off all semester and tried to be one of those hip bastards. Some people dig that. But he's so phony it's painful. Forget this bastard.

I took Hill's class to satisfy an upper division GE requirement. Before ENGL 388 I loved poetry, and had been writing poetry for years. This class scarred me for life, and I haven't written a decent poem since then. The actual class is easy; you write five poems and read some of them to the class. But you don't actually learn ANYTHING about poetry (i.e. rhythm, style, structure). To Hill, poetry is whatever HE thinks sounds good. This usually entails anything having to do with sex. I felt uncomfortable several times in his class because his obsession with sex was so freakin' intense (I doubt he's been layed since he arrived at Cal Poly). Anyways, once you read your peom to the class, you have to shut up and let everyone else tell you what your poem was about. And you can't say anything if they are completely off-base. In the end, your grade isn't based upon any standards, its just based upon Hill's personal interpretation of your improvement (i.e. did you stop writing about sunsets and start writing about your sex life?). This class is easy, but I feel like it was a waste of time.

Professor Hill's poetry class is an interesting experience. He is a funny guy, and goes off on a lot of tangents about pop culture and sex. This may be entertaining, but for those who signed up for his class to learn about writing, it's disappointing. He believes that women are intrinsically better writters, which reveals itself in his grading and lectures. The most talented man in the class recieved a B, which made us all curious. About the class, you write five poems to be turned in to him. He does not tell you your grade until you check it on mycalpoly after finals, which is nerve-wracking. You read your poem in front of the class, allowing the students and Hill to critique and praise different aspects. You must remain silent during this procedure. At first, I hated this idea, but then you realize it is beneficial. It forces you to write clear, concise poetry, instread of vague poetry that needs a verbal explanation afterwards. He has a long "banned" list, like no rhyming, religious poems, political rants, etc. But that serves to help you as the writer avoid cliches. The class was fun, and my writing did improve. The students in the class were close after the last day, and many were sad it ended. It is a fun class, but I wish it was more organized and there were more exercises to improve writing. Oh, and don't buy the book. We read it twice in class.

Hill is a great professor. What color he wears everyday has nothing to do with how well he teaches. This was a chill class with a very relaxed atmosphere. Make sure you participate and you'll do fine. Basically your grade depends on how well you improve during the course. Go to office hours and ask for help if you need it. If you think you're already a good poet then take this class and discover that you aren't. You're poetry writing skills should definitely mature and improve after this class. His banned list is pretty fun too.