Luber, Stephen  

I was blocked into this class my freshman year but stuck with it because I wanted to fulfill a GE. Steve is a very arrogant teacher who takes this irrelevant intro to theater class way to seriously. I was expecting this GE to be a nice break from my harder major classes but it was way too time consuming in my opinion. He also has tons of readings each week and then gives weekly quizzes that are based on small details of the readings that most people weren't able to answer even when they read. I have no idea how I ended up with an A in this class and was honestly shocked to see this grade at the end of the quarter.

This class is seriously so annoying! He assigns a ridiculous amount of readings and takes the class WAY too seriously. It's theatre... You'll get a B for sure but if I were you I would stay away from this class!!! I did not enjoy it one bit! THIS IS NOT THE EASY GE YOUR EXPECTING!

While Professor Luber does assign quite a bit of reading, the quizzes and one midterm are very easy if you indeed complete the reading. He is a very knowledgeable professor who is very interesting to listen to in lecture and even makes the lectures interactive with student demonstrations of particular scenes from the various plays read throughout the quarter. I have gained a new appreciation for the theatre from taking this class taught by Professor Luber.

Before I start, I have to say that Steve is a great speaker. He really is. Funny and smart and intelligent. But this was a brand new class for a brand new minor, and we were the test subjects - all 9 of us. The discussions went from hugely entertaining to brain-melting, and I think most of that had to do with the readings each lecture/discussion was based on. Steve is working on his doctorate, so he's been working at that level or a while with other people working at that level... so I think he expected a bunch of undergraduates who took this class because they needed the units to work at that level too. The good news is that I think his expectations have been lowered for the next bunch.

We are very lucky to have an intellectual-New Yorker-Ivy League person here at Cal Poly who isn't teaching an engineering or science class. He does assign A LOT of difficult reading, but if you actually attempted to do the reading and participate in the lectures, you'll be on his good side. And some of the reading is actually interesting if you really do have an interest in mass media. I got a C because I didn't do much of the reading and my group for the final weren't really stoked on this class towards the end of the quarter. My advice to you is really think of something good for you final project. Steve will know if you're half-assing everyhing, (he's not that much older than us). DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS IF: YOU ARE LOOKING FOR AN EASY ELECTIVE; IF YOU COMPLAIN ABOUT ASSIGNED READING; IF YOU DON'T WANT TO LEARN!!!!!

Steve is one of the best teachers I've had at Poly, definitely a favorite. I agree that the readings are difficult, but as long as you show that you're trying and participate in class, you will enjoy the material. There was a weekly forum post that related to the topic of the week, and a midterm that was easy as long as you paid attention in class. I ended up with a B+ in the class because my group mates were all content with doing the minimal amount of work and getting a C. Overall, I would recommend this class, and I would definitely take another class from Steve!

I thought Luber was a great professor. I usually end up hating my GE professors and/or find them boring. Luber was really engaging and made things interesting as much as he could. He switched the class up often between discussions, lecture, videos, and peer reviews. There are 2 quizzes (which are easy if you showed up to class and skimmed the plays) and a 12-page thesis paper. The thesis paper is kind of a pain in the ass but he assigns checkpoints and gives you plenty of credit for your work. Between the checkpoints and the paper its 50% of your grade. Considering he's an easy grader, this is a great deal. The class requires some work, but for a C4 it's very reasonable. If you show up and spend a few hours outside of class every week on the assignments you'll do fine.

This is the first C I have recieved in my entire life. I hope that says something to all of you out there watching their GPA. Do not take him--this class was a nightmare!