Navarro, Jose  

Absolutely the best professor I've had at Poly, and for a GE too! I loved his Socratic teaching style and how approachable he was, I really think he helped me improve my writing in Argumentation. Definitely take him if you have a chance, he's awesome.

Navarro is new to the English department here at Cal Poly, and his 202 class, which is also relatively new, definitely needs some tweaking. the lectures were kind of inconsistent, some went on the entire two hours, some ended an hour early. There are definitely some changes that need to be made to this class for the next group of students. That being said, the class does a good job of introducing people to the major. You come out knowing what to expect from future English classes and more importantly, you learn to analyze different forms of text including prose, poetry and drama. For someone like me who doesn't dig poetry as much, this class became a little tiresome, but everything else kept me relatively interested.

Dr. Navarro is a really, really nice and considerate teacher. He really looks out for his students. The best thing about him is that he's super approachable. Talking to him is easy. He personable and likes to joke with his students. Also, he asks for us to questions his analyses of literature (which is refreshing for an English teacher). I only had two problems with his class. The first was that it took him a while to return tests and essays (kinda frustrating). Of course I realize that grading takes some time, but I had Professor Curiel my first quarter and she got papers back to us crazy quick. Another unfortunate thing about Navarro was that the class was a little too easy in my opinion. I mean, that isn't exactly something I should be complaining about, but as an English major, I guess I was just a little surprised at the level he set for us. Then again, it is just an intro class. I just worry that it didn't prepare me for what's to come in my college career. We'll see I guess. At least it was an easy A! It would have been nice for him to teach us more though rather than just putting us into discussion groups where we'd run out of things to say in a mere couple of minutes. However, I did love the reading material that he assigned. Also loved getting out of class an hour early sometimes!

Navarro is super pretentious and expects you to understand difficult concepts because you're an English major and even when he "simplifies" them they still don't make complete sense. He also refuses to change his curriculum which mirrors a Women's and Gender Studies class, which is a super cool department and all, but THIS IS ENGLISH. Get ready to feel bad about being a white guy!

Navarro is cool. He's funny, profane, a goofball, and a socrative educator. Navarro does not completely explain himself and expects far too much out of even his brightest students. Class was fun. Grading was constructive but super super hard and often unreasonable.

Jose teaches his far left wing opinions rather than the actual subject matter. As long as you agree with all of his racist, "white is man the root of all evil" views you'll do fine :) And don't worry about being on time to class, he's chronically late. Won't return test or paper until months later. Worst teacher I've had.

I am an Engineer and hate English. That being said, Professor Navarro made this class pretty interesting and fun. He is really funny and relatable, and does a good job explaining the history behind the readings. You do have to write two papers, and there is a midterm. Luckily, there is no final. You have to put effort into the papers, but otherwise this is a pretty low key class. I would definitely recommend him.

Professor Navarro did an incredible job of presenting the class information in a relatable and fun way. He created an exciting environment for learning and I looked forward to coming to class everyday for out discussions. He was very helpful in office hours and sincerely want the students to succeed. Reading was assigned nighty, we had basic knowledge quizzes throughout, and the were two papers and one midterm. No final. I would recommend him as a great teacher for whatever class you are going to take.

Professor Navarro is an interesting professor. First and foremost... this class has a lot of reading. You can sparknote everything and listen during lecture and probably get an A, but if you aren't very attentive, you need to "Learn by doing the f*cking reading". Navarro leads some interesting discussions. I had him in a large lecture hall, so we only had 3 midterms (non-cumulative) and 4 quizzes. That was it. No other grades. That is the hard part of this class, you really need to stay up to date on the reading (some nights 50 pages worth). I wish he would be more selective on the reading as a lot of it is repetitive, but it is still a very interesting class. I can probably describe his class perfectly as a Sociology meets History class... with literature as the avenue in which we discuss these topics.

Professor Navarro is an excellent instructor. His lectures are always really interesting, engaging, and tailored to relate to current events. He assigns a lot of reading and in order to do well in the class, you should definitely stay on top of it. The reading is interesting, but it does add up if you miss a few readings in a row. He's really approachable if you have questions or are having trouble with an assignment, you can tell he really cares for his students' learning and success in the course. His midterms are reasonable, a lot of the content is from class lecture/discussion to attendance and note-taking is really important. All in all, it's a really rewarding course and Navarro is an awesome professor--I highly recommend anyone to take a course taught by him!

One of the few classes that you look forward to going every day. The class is not too difficult and you will do well if you do all the reading and take notes. Just keep up with the reading and you will do fine.

This is a laid back class and you will do good as long a you read the six books that are required. Six books seem like a lot but the books are actually really interesting. Dr. Navarro really breaks down the books in class and has good discussion with the class about the books. We had two midterms and a 4-5 page final paper. Just read the books and pay attention in class and you will do good! There were supposed to be three quizzes but in place of that Dr. Navarro had us write a reflection from a chapter in the last book. Do not get behind in the reading because it is hard to catch, my advice is to read ahead. He will call you out if you are on your phone, so it is hard to try to not pay attention. Take notes, read, and pay attention and you'll get an A or B :) He is also a really cool dude.

Dr. Navarro is a really, really awesome teacher. After 4+ years at Cal Poly, he would make top 3 teachers. The GOOD: He somehow motivates you and captures enough of your interest to want to read 5 or more novels. He somehow brings everyones attention in to the material in a way that makes the class not feel like a class at all (in a good way). I think he's just a fantastic teacher and knows how to make students want to be a part of the class. The BAD: We happened to have him when he had a 5 month old baby, and so grading was usually pretty late. Office hours got pretty janky because of that too. And the FINAL was like.. a pretty big curveball. Nothing like any of the previous tests we've had, or even any of the things that we discussed in class. That was probably the biggest disappointment. Anyway nuff said.

One of the best professors i have had here at Poly. He is very intelligent and you can see that right from the get go. there are a lot of books but he goes over them in great detail and they are too bad of reads anyway. this was one of the GEs that i loved here, he made the class really fun to go to and really related to his students very well

Dr. Navarro thinks he is the Mexican Dahli Lama, I found it disturbing how he had us read 3 different books that had a rape scene. His test are ridiculous they go something like this: #1 What is the 5th word on the 22nd page of the blueyest eye? #2 What is the 7th word of the 45th page of Ceremony?..He also absolutely will not hear any of your personal problems. He expects you to be an English major even though you could care less about what he is teaching you. Dude its a fucking GE get over yourself..5 books, 2 in class writing assignments,5 page essays, Stupid ass midterms, if you want to be busy all quarter with just this one class than take this little fat mexican dudes course...

Best professor I have had at Cal Poly. Just finished summer quarter with him and cannot recommend him enough. He cares about his students and makes a point to know everyone's name in class. The books we read were all relevant. There were two novels that dealt with graphic content. Don't be close-minded about this; these are relevant topics that you can learn a great deal from! We read five books, had a midterm, an essay, and a final exam. Take Navarro, he is truly a great person, professor, and friend.

It's one of those classes that you'll look forward to going to.

Like the previous student I really enjoyed this class, even though we had 5 books to read they were all interesting and he made sure to explain why were reading each book. The two Essays are really confusing and its hard to understand exactly what he is asking for. And I also felt like I didn't know what material to study for midterms and finals since there is so much material that he presents. The Final was a complete curve ball that left everyone disappointed because it hardly reflects on the course load he presents throughout the quarter. For my section 80% was on one book only and he asks super specific questions about the one book and hardly ask about all of the other material;power points etc.. so again I never knew what to study and failed the final because I studied the wrong material. I was also disappointed that he wasn't able to understand I was finishing a year long Senior Project and he took it personal that I missed his class a few times towards the end of the quarter, pretty much he penalizes you for missing class under any circumstance even if it is a family problem. His kid is now about 2, so the assignments are still handed back late because he still has daddy duties. So as long as you show up everyday, participate, read all of the books, and write good essays, you should be fine!! Interesting teacher!!

This professor is gifted and completely outspoken. He's a tatted Chicano with his undergraduate degree from UC Berkeley, a Masters from USC, and a PHD from USC. He is very book smart and even more so street smart (also really fucking funny). He has traveled around the world and is always interested in what you have to say and what reality you come from. Whether your ideals align with his or they fall on the opposite side of the spectrum, he'll listen to you and respect your thoughts. His lectures on the assigned books are good, but his lectures explaining the historical contexts of these books are fantastic and his commentary on their modern-day significances are/can be life changing. I went into this class with an Ag buddy who had a very socially conservative ideology. After taking this class, his views changed. Not because the professor forced his ideas upon him, but because Dr. Navarro raised modern issues that are rarely contemplated at Cal Poly. If you need to fulfill your GWR, your C4, or your USCP, I highly recommend taking this class with the brilliant Dr. Navarro.

Navarro was tight. I had him for the 4 week summer class and he's one of the better teacher's I've had the privilege of having at Cal Poly. He makes things clear for you and is super helpful in office hours. His tests are pretty straightforward and he grades the essay's fairly. You should get an A in the class if you put in an adequate amount of effort. NOTE: If you often skip class, do not take Navarro. Attendance is a huge part of this class and if you miss more than one class he will lower your grade.

Dr. Navarro is the most straight forward professor I've ever had. No bs, tells you what you need to know but also is really open and encourages discussions and personal interpretation. He's also really funny, talks/cusses openly on all sorts of different things, both book and street wise, easily the best english class I've taken. Show up to class*(he takes attendance for participation grades), read the novels for plot based quiz questions and put in a little bit of effort in to the essays. Grades fair.

Dr. Navarro is awesome. He is very passionate about his subject, and is very well spoken. He can instantly switch from being intense to goofing off when appropriate, and this helps tremendously in keeping the lecture flowing. I looked forward to his class every day, which is something to be said about my time here. While he isn't overtly political in his lectures, often times the subject matter being lectured dictates that his personal views come forth. While I wouldn't say I agree with him politically, he is very open to discussion and never once made me feel uncomfortable for having my own opinion. He lectures openly and a lot of times it felt like he was just conversing with us for the class. He is a lenient grader, who doesn't sweat grammer and composition so much as he is looking for you to make compelling arguments in your papers. Overall, I would say this was one of my favorite courses I have had, and definitely one of my favorite professors.

Navarro is the shit! Best teacher I have had at Poly. I took Eng 381 with him to complete a GE section and the GWR. I usually hate English classes, but during the quarter this was my favorite class. Navarro definitely pushes you to think outside the box while reading through content. There was a good amount of reading for the quarter, but I actually enjoyed most of the books (and I normally hate reading). He jokes a lot, cusses all the time, and brings up a lot of controversial subjects to class. You can tell some people get uncomfortable at times. I thought he graded pretty easily. We had 2 essays, a midterm, and pop quizzes. Just show up to class and you probably won't have to do all the reading. However, if the class isn't participating he will drop a pop quiz on you. Overall, great class and professor. I wish he taught business classes so i could take more classes with him. I definitely recommend everyone to take this class if you need to get the GE and GWR out of the way.

Dr. Navarro was very entertaining! He probably said the F bomb 5 or more times a day. He's really funny and super knowledgeable. I would leave class some days mind-blown by the revelations he uncovered to the class. They way he dissects the novels is incredible. It was easy showing up for his class each day. There was a lot of reading (8 novels) which were very time consuming. He expects you to read them all (about one a week), but they were enjoyable to read so it wasn't hard to do, it just took a lot of time. Our grade was made of two essays, a midterm, and three pop quizzes. He grades pretty hard on the essays, but his midterm was graded easy. It was a good class that satisfied GE area C4 and the GWR. I would recommend it, but it is a lot of work.

I absolutely loved his class! I looked forward to his class ever week, very fun class to attend and his lectures were informative. He lectures on the history and time periods of the current book you are expected to read and really puts everything into perspective. Make sure you attend class and do the readings on time. hea a really nice, fun, and humorous professor. I would definitely take another class with him if given the opportunity. He grades fair on the essays and he is very helpful during his office hours if you need help dissecting the prompt.

Navarro is such a cool dude. He opened up a whole new world of literature for me and introduced me to one of my favorite authors. He's super liberal, but so am I, so it worked out well in the essays. I think everyone passed the GWR without issue. There was a lot of reading for non english majors and it can be overwhelming if you don't stay on top of it. You could probably get away with not doing some of the readings because he never had the quizzes that are listed in the syllabus, but god the books were so good I don't see why you wouldn't do the readings. Loved him and loved this class. He's so chill in his office hours too!

I learned that if I were to take up hunting, I should shoot deer, not bears, because a bear will hunt me back if I successfully wound it. Fascinating! I didnt know that the key to production and operations management was so brutally simple!