Wooton, Carl  

In my opinion, Dr. Wooton was not a very good teacher. He did not seem to motivate his students and his tests were very shallow. His class never went into very much depth about the material and he tested on your ability to memorize lines from poems or small details from short stories. Compared to other english classes I have had in the past, this one ranked pretty low. If you are taking this for a GE, I would recommend another teacher.

He made the material very v e r y boring. Interested in how to make greek mythology boring? Take Wooten!

Not too much reading in this class and tests are based mainly on plot and aren't difficult. I hated Wooten's class and I think he is one of the worst teachers I have had because he really didn't talk about anything in class and didn't teach much at all. His class was super boring and I'd recommend taking it if you have no interest in english. His class was a joke.

Dr. Wooten is a great guy. His classes are pretty interesting (c'mon, it's a class about MEAT) and really straight forward. No surprises on his tests, and they are pretty easy. He's funny and approachable, take him if you can.

This professor doesn't know what he is talking about. His classes are pointless and boring. He doesn't explain his grading at all anf his tests and quizs are impossible because he will grab every little detail that he can find. Overall I thought this guy sucked. He will not even email you back when you email him. He is so rude and he asks stupid and pointless questions.

Professor Wooton rocked my world. Two midterms and the final, each counting 1/3 of your final grade. Should be all multiple choice, maybe one will be mixed with short answer. Tells you everything you need to know during lecture. If you go to lecture and read the material, you can get a B no problem. If you read carefully and study, an A is what you will most likely get. He is a very knowledgeable professor and can answer all the questions you can throw at him. I enjoyed his class thoroughly and loved his southern charm and honesty.

What a joke this class was. Take it if you must, just don't expect anything. In fact, don't even think about this class at all - just attend for the first 15 minutes or so, read sometimes when you get high and bored, and look forward to your release. Easy class, boring class, go figure (it's greek mythology). Good luck.

we were working in groups, and he stepped out to use the bathroom. when he came back, he had forgotton to zip himself back up and spend the next 45 minutes exposing himself to the class.

First, I should start off by saying that I myself am aspiring to be a teacher. Furthermore I should state that all this teacher did was inspire me more to reach that goal. Prof. Wooten hails from the state of Louisiana and therefore is equipped with an accent. This only adds to his preacher sounding lectures. It was a delight to attend his class and listen to and be a part of an open atmosphere between teacher and students. His personal philosphical awareness and his passion of the subject matter combine to produce an archetype of what every teacher should mold themselves after. Wooten's class in highly intriguing and yes...easy!

I really enjoyed going to this class. There was a very relaxed atmosphere and a lot of discussion between students and teacher, and the class material was very interesting. Keep up with the reading though, it's not hard to do, he gets a bit annoyed if the students dont do their part.

Wooten only gives about 3 or 4 tests the whole quarter and he grades them fairly. Half of each test requires that you write answers to questions in the form of paragraphs. The other half is vocabulary; you just write a sentence or two describing an object or person. For the most part, Wooten's class was pretty entertaining: sometimes i actually looked forward to the class. He purposely puts his personal philosophy into his lectures, but he doesn't shove it down your throat; he encourages class discussions and gives people a chance to speak. Other times though, he seemed to lower his speeches to the lowest common denominater, and instead of moving along with the lectures he would focus on one minute point on a reading until he drove it into the ground....or the students did. Overall this was a pretty easy class for me, and definitely the good outweighed the bad. I liked his class enough that i chose him as a teacher for my next English elective class.

I waited to take this GE last because the subject, Great books in the anicent world, doesn't really appeal to me. This whole GE class never appealed to me, so i was just looking to get it over it. Dr Wooton made this class interesting, and made the readings come to life by relating it back to the present. I know most of the reading is from the Ancient world of the Greeks, but the manner in which he presents the matierial is out standing. A lot of reading, and his midterms were quite difficult because he was a little sketchy on what to study for, but if you put in the time and effort, you can do well. I took this class for the 5 week session, but i still enjoyed every minute of it, and i wish i would have had Dr Wooton for a 10 week. If you don't like english or ge classes in general, take this class, at least he stimulates and has a great knowledge of the subject matter.

Nice guy... can be interesting, but rambles on at times. He quizzes and tests on very small details and characters, so read closely. If I had the opportunity, id take him again.

I took this class credit/no credit and I was sorry I did later because it really was an easy class with Dr. Wooten. The lecture is basically a discussion about the reading material and the professor puts a lot of emphasis on comparing ancient lit. to real life. For an english class (which I usually hate) it wasn't bad at all. Dr. Wooten is a really nice guy and is very approachable. And the best part was that there was only one essay to write.

Dr. Wooton was so fun to listen to, fun to learn from, and an awesome teacher. We had story time one day, he just read a short story he wrote; I loved hearing him talk about Louisiana. Loves involving the students, but if you just sit and listen that's ok too. Not the most interesting readings, but he made it fun and relative. I'm definitely taking another class from him.

Dr. Wooton was probably one of the best teachers I have had the priveledge of taking a class with. He presented the material with such an obvious love for it that you couldn't help but become interested. The class was based mostly on discussions about the reading, and Dr. Wooton was always more than willing to hear new opinions on the material and learn from the class. I would highly recommend taking this class, or any from Dr. Wooton for that matter.

I absolutely loved Prof. Wooton! He was so personable and really a great mentor and teacher. It is because of him that i decided to stay with my English major. He gets into great discuissions and I really recommend reading and joining the debates. He loves a good challenge, but be prepared, he's very well informed. Take the class and you won't regret it.

In three years at Cal Poly I have never had a professor as aweful as Carl Wooton. For two hours, in front of 180 students, professor Wooton proceeded to read to us, for the entire period. No interaction, no questions. He merely read and looked up to point out the obvious about what he just read and continued reading. I came to every class, hoping to gain something, but left drained and frustrated. He does not discuss the overriding ideas behind the texts or anything a relative importance, nor the history or authors, he reads. His tests were the worst part. He asks the most off the wall questions. Questions that have nothing to do with the substance of the book; some inconspicuous detail that no person in their right mind would venture to remember for a test. He is the master of pointing out the obvious and testing on the unimportant. His second test was written, the questions were broad and unclear but he wanted an absolute answer. His final was 40 questions and 8 questions were asked twice. Thats a potential to be wrong once and pay for it twice 8 times i.e. you fail. Why he did this? Who Knows? I didn't even get a bad grade, but I crammed for those tests more than any class and didn't learn a damn thing. Avoid professor Wooton, don't throw away $400 on a crappy class and bad grade.

Well I took this teacher because he had such good poly ratings and he was recommended to me by other students..Boy were they wrong!! I'm not sure if he was just having an off quarter..or whether he was pissed off most of the time because he was teaching a 180 person lecture where people would just get up in the middle and leave. Class was a complete waste of time because he would just stand up in front and read exactly what was printed in the book..nothing else..no interesting lecture..no interaction...just reading..for TWO hours :( His tests were not fair..they would ask about small details that you were expected to remember (without warning I may add) spanning over about 200 pages each of mythilogical stories. His test took him like 3 weeks to grade and his questions were incredibly vague. His final was a surprising 40 multiple choice questions (not good considering the amount of reading that was expected..accompanied by the fact that you could only miss a couple of questions to get an A.) Overall I would suggest not taking this teacher for any large lectures..maybe he just does better with smaller classes..i don't know..I did however go to see him a couple of times in his office where he was very helpful and kind..far different then the behaviour that was exhibited in class, which again leads me to believe that he just might be better for small classes only.

He must just be horrible with large lecture classes because this class was unbearable. Wooton reads straight from the book which makes attendance feel pointless. He tested on seemingly unimportant details. The first midterm killed me because I didn't know what to expect, but it is do-able, if you just read everything and memorize names, who did what, etc. I'd avoid taking him for a large lecture... that is, unless you have a major problem with insomnia.

Wooton is a nice guy and he knows the material but the class is a total joke. all he does is just summarize all the material in class which you can do by just reading it on your own. read the material, you'll need to for the tests. the tests aren't that bad but the material is interesting but long. if you don't read, go to class and read cliffnotes. overall the class was kind of boring, especially if you read or already know the material but it is an easy ge. i don't know much about the other teachers for this class but i'm sure they present the material better and in a much more interesting way. this class doesn't even provide insight into the material or discussion.

Wooton is very passionate about his subject matter and he truly wants us to understand the material. But his class was by far the dullest and most unexciting one hour of my day. We don't discuss or review our reading selections - we just reread them slowly...very s-l-o-w-l-y....gaining nothing more than what we learned from just reading. If he was more interactive and exciting, he would be an awesome professor. Instead, I had a one hour nap 4 days a week.

W00t0n is a great prof and a very kind person. He is quite enthusiastic about the material he is teaching and is understanding of student difficulties immediately understanding it. w00t for w00t0n all the way

A bit disorganized (hey, he's an English teacher), but take the time to approach him in office hours and he is very welcoming and helpful. I found that office hours were the most productive way to get an idea of what would be on quizzes. Participate in class discussions, he will remember that, and it really helps prepare you for points to write about with the essays and questions on test. Overall a really nice guy that wants to help his students as long as you show some effort.

Coming into the Literature class, I had little interest in romantic poetry neoclassicism. But after taking Dr. Wooton, I found an appreciation for it and was able to understand all the deep writing. It's not that difficult of a class -- I read Cliff Notes, participated in class and skated through with a C+. Wooton is a great lecturer and is able to convey the readings to the class.

Professor Wooten does not give clear grading standards. The syllabus is vague and unclear. His lectures are pretty interesting though, and if you keep up with the reading, you'll have no problem with the class. The tests were a mixture of subjective, essay questions and multiple choice, but you never knew what you were getting into. The only problem I had was that I didn't know how much a midterm or the final was worth out of my class grade.

Excellent professor and a good guy in general. I appreciate his personality and humor, which reflects through his teaching style. I recommend him for 253, but I will be taking future courses with him. His selection of books, poems, and stories is wise, and I actually enjoyed most of it, namely The Things They Carried. Grading is fair and I could have got an A, but didn't study the poems well enough. Take Wooton, enjoy 253.

Wooton made a subject that can potentially be very boring into something the average person can understand, relate to, and appreciate. I found his lectures extremely interesting and relative to my everyday thoughts and feelings. Though he does have a tendancy to speak slowly, which rubbed some people the wrong way, I thoroughly enjoyed his teaching style and highly reccomend him to anyone who has patience and doesn't mind actually using their brains once in a while.

This guy is simply awesome...one of the most knowledgable professors of English I have had. He is enthusiastic and loves to share his wisdom with the students. The only problem with him is that he may be a little too overbearing. He has high standards and gets frustrated when students dont read or can't grasp what he's trying to say. Still, I definitely recommend him as you will actually be stimulated in his class and will gain a good appreciation of the works. Listen up and it should be a fairly easy class.

This is NOT a good class to take for a general ed requirement. He is a really hard teacher who gives hard hard test. For example, on any given exam he with give you one word or at most one sentence from the many many books you are expected to have read, and you must identify the work, who said it, etc. It really isn't a fair way to judge how much you read. YOu can't be expected to know what every character said in a 100 page story. If you want some good advice, don't take this class. You will be a much happier person because of it.

I really appreciated Wooton's analysis of the literature, reading selection (especially Faulkner) and class discussions. However, I thought the way the evaluated students was not very representative of their understanding of the material, but that might be contributed to the fact that he was apprehensive about being subjective in a huge class. You really had to work hard to get a good grade- every poem/play/short story had to be read twice to grasp all the details, know all the authors, when they wrote their pieces, what literature movement they belong to, and the setting of every play/story. He's very helpful in office hours. Make sure you read before you come to class because he gets annoyed when students are unprepared. This class has the potential to be a lot of work, but I thought Wooton was very direct about what he expected from his students and what was going to be on the tests. I would recommend him for this class, especially because of his analysis of the southern writer Faulkner, who supposedly had a profound effect on Wooton, who's also from the south. I'm grateful for that perspective I gained from him.

Let me start with the five emails he sent to us before we even stepped foot into class. Hmmmmm I wonder why seven people dropped the class on the first day. Well if it wasn't for that reason, how about buying 11 books for a five-week course. Yea that could be it! The class entailed three tests (two midterms and a final) and he deducts points if you don't show up. The worst part is when he calls on you to read the poems out loud and then corrects and embarrasses you. He will also question every answer you give him, even if it makes sense. He needs to understand that us college kids don't speak 18th and 19th century language. The way to succeed in this class is to survive the first midterm and then do solid on the next two tests. He told us to know 54 poems, the authors, and be able to identify quotes from the poems (one word to a couple of sentences). Here's the deal, it's a lie! The key to the class is to only study THE STUFF HE GOES OVER IN CLASS. If he doesn't go over it, don't worry about it. The last two tests are cake if you just go to class and study a little. Towards the end he turned out to be an alright professor.

Wooton is a fantastic professor. It is clear by how he teaches that he truely loves what he is teaching. And it rubs off on the students. I have a newfound appreciation for writing because of his class. Take him. He is great

Wooton is amazing! I didn't do any of the reading, and I still pulled off high A's on every one of his tests. As long as you go to his class an pay at least a small bit of attention, you can easily get a good grade. My only problem was that since I didn't do any of the reading, I didn't do very well on the Quizzes he gave before we had our class discussions. Take him, you will love it!

Wooton is a very nice and funny guy. For whatever reason though, this particular quarter, he seemed to be a little off par. Our section was formed a week late because of...i have no reason. But because of this, he forgot to give us particular handouts that were on the test. He didnt realize this until after the fact. But even though, literally half of the class failed, he didnt drop the grade and thats what gave everyone a mediocre grade. The way he made it up to us was on the next test, he would add on the same material so at least that way, the average could go up. Just make sure you actually study...there were no quizzes or homeworks to grade. Just 2 essays, 2 midterms and the final. So be prepared to read. Its a fun class...i just think i took it at the wrong time..

He was a great professor. The class obviously is boring but he makes it tolerable. There is a fair amount of reading but it takes less than 30 minutes usually. You only have to write one paper and I am a horrible writer and got a 90 so he grades pretty easily. The midterm and final are mostly objective so as long as you read you should do well. Overall a really easy GE and I would recommend taking him.

If you want to have class with a sex pervert than take him. That's basically all he talks about/ has us read about. Sex Sex Sex Sex Sex. He's a horny old man.

Wooton is a boss tycoon. His class seemed like it was being taught at Cal Sate Chillingtons. He presents material clearly and does a good job engaging the class in discussion on the reading. He seems to have an excellent understanding of the course material and enables students to look at novels from the perspectives of the characters, author, and audience. Some of the readings were a bit slow- "As I Lay Dying" by William Faulkner, but that more concerns personal preferance. Enjoyed the class and would recommend him.

Best. teacher. ever. I cannot even begin to tell you what an amazing class this is. He is the nicest and wisest old teacher I have met. He is definitely a guy who has an interesting story, someone you know you could talk to for hours about his life story. He told our class he was going to retire and write the next great American novel. I had a few fears going into this class knowing we would have to analyze poetry, but he clarifies it perfectly into plain language. I do not even care what I get in this class because I genuinely feel like I learned things about modern literature and how it relates to everyday life. Wonderful teacher, wonderful class. TAKE IT!

LOVE WOOTON! He\'s a crazy cat. He doesn\'t really tell you what\'s going on because he didn\'t really give a syllabus- just a reading schedule. We had 2 pop quizzes and they were sort of detailed but they weren\'t many points at all. Do the readings! Every class we just discussed the readings. We always got out early! There was one paper, one midterm, and a comprehensive final. They were all easy!

Such a great professor. He had so many interesting stories and seemed genuinely interested in the students opinions and feelings about the reading material. He also was a great help in office hours.

One of my favorite professors that I've ever had the pleasure of having. He really loves what he does and is passionate about literature. I feel as though the material is something students generally don't care much about (a lot of poetry although I personally chose this particular class for the poetry) but he does his best to make it interesting to everyone. Solid solid professor who has a lot of wisdom and is very understanding of students

The class was pretty easy, not a ton of reading and only one essay, a midterm, final, and a few small quizzes. Just do the reading, pay attention and take some notes in class and you should be fine. I thought it was a pretty interesting class and Wooton is a likable guy and good teacher.

I wish I could take 253 with Wooton again. Mostly because I was going through a really tough time during like the second half of the quarter. It was kind of hard for me to pay attention when I kept feeling like I was going to burst into tears. Wooton has lots of words of wisdom to offer. He a good teacher and the class isn't too much work, but there can be quite a bit of reading sometimes.

Adorable old man. I LOVED him. Going to his class was a treat, I actually got excited to hear what wisdom he had to impart that day. He does poetry, which is great, because its less reading than most C1 classes and he explains it so beautifully, relating to real life. Ask him about his bucket list by the way, you'll be inspired. Do your reading before class, out of respect for the man, that's it. Memorize the names and authors of the poems and go to class and you should be golden for the tests. I wish i could take this class again!!

Carl Wooton tells children that their is no Santa Claus. He's a liar.

Carl Wooten brings enthusiam to this fiction writing class. He has a definate passion for writing. He is open minded about whatever the student writes. He does not discriminate against a student's subject matter or genre of writting. He is only there to help students with mechanics and improve on what they like to write.

I took Wootens class during the summer and it was for 2 hours a day, 3 days a week. I liked him as a person, and I like the grade that I got, but I thought his lectures were pretty boring. It's hard to pay attention when the lecture is boring and all you're thinking about is how much you want to be at the beach.

Dr. Wooton is very passionate about the books he teaches in his classes, which is nice. It really creates enthusiasm for the students who are not so much into reading. I took my class in a large lecture hall (the first for Engl 350), which caused the class to be handled somewhat differently. There were no essays, which some students liked, but there were VERY detailed midterms, which were hard. With the tests, at times multiple novels and short stories were covered. Not only are you required to know every detail of every character (down to the most minor of them), but on his tests he will have a random quote (one that he never bothered to discuss in class) and will have you name what literary work it came from and what it meant. That is fine, if you have memorized the book. As for the final, Wooton had fill in the blank quotes, where the student had to supply random words missing from the quote given.

Wooton's a good guy who loves what he teaches. If you're not up to reading the material, then don't bother, otherwise, read the material and he will explain the relevance of each work with class. It is extremely important that you attend class. If you attend class everyday and read, you should get an A in the class. I got a B because I missed a week of class.

I really enjoyed this class. Be prepared to read, sometimes we did a novel a week, but the novels are generally short. Most importanatly, spit out your opinion occasionally! This is largely a discussion class, and so long the discussion keeps moving, this class can be very easy!! let it drop for several akward minutes to the point it looks like noone read, and there could be a test the next day to encourage you (only happened once for our class). This is not as hard as it seems, Woonton has alot of interesting things to say, and just wants to make sure everyone is reading along or has on opinion/question. Class format for my quarter: 2 inclass essays (you can use them to pass the GWR, and if you didn't pass the first 2 for the GWR he'll do a 3rd for those people with more time), one at home essay, 3 tests (short answer, short essay..not hard if you read), and take home final (2 short essays). Wooton is very willing to hear problems and do what he can to help. I would look for him again if I need an english class.

Professor Wooton was the BEST professor I have had at Poly ! He is such an intelligent and funny professor. he is a wonderful writer w/ tons on insight and help. He is wonderful about setting up times outside of office hours if you need help. He is also so supportive! His is a class that you will actually look forward to going to.

He required that we do alot of work, and it was all more or less worthwhile. Over the course of the quarter, everyone in our class really developed as a writer. Dr. Wooton is an invidual who loves the english language, and enjoys helping his students to use it more effectively. While alot of the advice he gives is the same stuff you'd hear from anyone teaching this sort of class (lose your ego, don't write in a straight line, don't try to be impressive by using big words you found in a thesaurus, etc.), it is easy to take him seriously when he gives it, as he has spent a lifetime writing, and is in fact fairly badass at it. If you have any interest in writing fiction, and are willing to put in more work than you would in an ordinary upper division GE class (writing two quality stories in 10 weeks is harder than it sounds!), then I recommend you take his fiction writing class.

You have to take Wooten's fiction writing class before you gradute, if for no other reason than just to meet an intersting person. He allows you to experiment with your writing and really wants his students to become better writers, whether it's to get published or pass the GWR. He is only the second professor I've had that seems passionate about his field and work. He renewed my confidence in my writing, told me what needed to be fixed and gave me that push to pursue writing professionally. Is there anything better in a professor?

He was a greeeat professor, very funny, verrrrrry approachable, and good all around guy. I'm not a writer, dont like writing, but if you can take this class take it. It was amazing, and i felt like i learned a good amount just by coming to class.

He was a really nice professor. He didn

The class is not very difficult if you enjoy writing, but Wooton is not the friendliest professor out there. Lectures get a bit boring so do not go for anything over an hour or you will pass out. Not a great prof, not horrible prof....meh

Dr. Wooton is an amazing professor. He especially excells when he is in a small classroom setting, so that may be why some people don't appreciate his teaching skills. He is very caring and I guarantee if you go to office hours, he will always help you. It's so rare to have a professor who is there purely to teach and help others learn. He is not self-aborbed in the least. His tests are fair and he always generates great disscusion. I defintely would recommend him to any student. WOOTON IS AWESOME! =)