Western Kentucky University / S / Karen L. Schneider
Averages:
Overall Rating
OKv
Grade Received
Av
Course Difficulty
Difficultv
Quantity of Notes
Moderatev
Tag Summary:
True/False: 1
Multiple Choice: 2
Matching: 3
Fill in the Blank: 7
Essays: 20
Mandatory Final: 19
Cumulative Final: 7
Textbook Required: 19
Extra Credit: 4
Attendance Required: 20
25 Total Evaluations
ENG- : - Posted 5/18/2010
Overall Rating:
Poor
Grade:
C
Quantity of Notes:
Few/None
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
I have only taken Dr. Schneider for one class-- English 34, Speculative Fiction. But it was the worst class I took in four years at WKU. She required us to turn in at least a page of discussion questions over the readings, but she had no criteria over what we were supposed to include, nor a rubric for grading. So the entire class had no clue what we were losing points for. Even after meeting with her about it and making changes to the discussion questions I asked, I could not bring up my grade. The same applies to all essays she required us to write. I often felt as if I was being graded on how well I understood the reading before coming to class, not what I learned in class. She did not teach, but just talked about our discussion questions. I could have found a group of friends to read the literature and discuss it as well as we did in this class-- and not paid $900! I received the lowest grade in my entire academic career from Dr. Schneider and I have no idea what it was founded upon. If you can, I would definitely recommend finding another professor.
ENG- : - Posted 5/18/2010
Overall Rating:
Poor
Grade:
C
Quantity of Notes:
Few/None
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
I have only taken Dr. Schneider for one class-- English 34, Speculative Fiction. But it was the worst class I took in four years at WKU. She required us to turn in at least a page of discussion questions over the readings, but she had no criteria over what we were supposed to include, nor a rubric for grading. So the entire class had no clue what we were losing points for. Even after meeting with her about it and making changes to the discussion questions I asked, I could not bring up my grade. The same applies to all essays she required us to write. I often felt as if I was being graded on how well I understood the reading before coming to class, not what I learned in class. She did not teach, but just talked about our discussion questions. I could have found a group of friends to read the literature and discuss it as well as we did in this class-- and not paid $900! I received the lowest grade in my entire academic career from Dr. Schneider and I have no idea what it was founded upon. If you can, I would definitely recommend finding another professor.
ENG-299 : Intro To English Studies - Posted 5/17/2007
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
A
Quantity of Notes:
Few/None
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
This class was a little tough for only 2 hours, but Dr. S is so intelligent and interesting that it was definately worth it. There are no tests, only papers all semester long. Basically you just read and discuss most of the time. Attendance is required, but if you only miss one day, you get 20pts extra credit at the end of the term. I think a handful of great professors teach this course, but I loved Dr. S' class and learned a lot from her. Also, it's great to get to know her, since she is the department head. Just work hard, do the readings, score decent on your papers, and this class shouldn't be too rough.
ENG-382 : Brit Lit Ii - Posted 1/24/2006
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
A
Quantity of Notes:
Moderate
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
There are a lot of nice professors in the English department, and there a couple demanding professors -- Dr. Schneider is one of the few that are both. This class isn't a cakewalk, but it isn't a class that you will dread attending. Dr. Schneider is an extremely knowledgeable teacher, and her lectures hold your attention. This was without a doubt one of the best English classes I've had at WKU -- and its definitely the best required survey class I've taken. The tests aren't overkill, but in order to get a good grade, you need to know your stuff. It isn't too easy, but its not supposed to be, either. Great class, great professor.
ENG-382 : Brit Lit Ii - Posted 6/7/2005
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
A
Quantity of Notes:
Moderate
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
Dr. Schneider's intelligence is intimidating at first but she is more than happy to help. Her grading and teaching style is fair and designed to benefit the student. I now can read and understand poetry because of this class. I highly recommend Dr. Schneider for this or any other class because she is a very intriguing and intelligent professor.
ENG-340 : Speculative Fiction - Posted 5/20/2004
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
A
Quantity of Notes:
Few/None
Difficulty:
Difficult
Comments
Once again, Dr. Schneider rocks the casbah with yet another enlightening and challenging class -- this time about the most unlikely of subjects. Granted, I walked in a little SF-phobic and prejudiced, but throughout the semester I found that not all of the blazing space shuttle stories were all that bad. In fact, some of them were pretty darn good. It took a bit of adjusting, but with Dr. Schneider by your side, the sky's the limit, as she walks you through unfamiliar territory and helps you along the way; in that way, she's sort of like La Var Burton from "Reading Rainbow", except white, female, and with a better sense of fashion.
As for the general statistics of the class, it's three papers, weekly journals (one of which can be skipped), and a final exam composed of two essay questions. Extra credit appears in the form of attendence -- show up every day and you get 20 bonus points. Dr. Schneider, of course, is very particular with her papers, but is always willing to help you grow as a writer; just don't get too strung out if your first paper doesn't go the way you would like. Hang in there. She'll help you out anytime you like.
I guess it goes without saying that Dr. Schneider is one of the best professors on this campus and I look forward to taking her for the third time next fall. Even if its a class about jazz hands and cowboys.
Now if only someone could convince her to teach more classes.
ENG- : Speculative Fiction - Posted 4/24/2004
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
Not Specified
Quantity of Notes:
Few/None
Difficulty:
Difficult
Comments
Professor Schneider is the coolest teacher around, but she is by no means easy. She is a hardass when it comes to grading papers, but this is only so that you will try your very best. When you finally do make a good grade, you feel like you really earned it. This class in particular was fun and very interesting. It it mostly discussion and Professor Schneider will talk openly about anything. Work wise we had journals to turn in every week, several short stories and one novel. We also had 4 papers, thankfully none were research, and the final was 2 essays. I highly recommend this class, but be prepared to read.
ENG-200 : Honors English 200 - Posted 4/7/2004
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
A
Quantity of Notes:
Moderate
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
This was the best class experience I have had at WKU. Because it was an honors course, the class was discussion based and only had 12 students enrolled. Dr. Schneider was extremely intelligent, well-spoken, and understanding. I had this class before she became the dept. head, but if you can still grab her as a teacher, do so. She's wonderful.
ENG- : Literature And Film - Posted 1/2/2004
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
B
Quantity of Notes:
Few/None
Difficulty:
Difficult
Comments
Professor Schneider is a fantastic teacher and the course is very interesting. But BEWARE - this is not a class for slackers (even though I am one and got by - but just barely!). Professor Schneider makes you work like crazy. There are 4 major papers due throughout the semester, one of which is a research paper. Then the final is two take home essays, which have to be a minimum of 4 pages each. Then there are reading quizzes by the buttload. The movies, also, were not of the best quality (in my opinion anyway), but it's a matter of taste really. Take the class if you are a film minor or just into movies.
ENG- : Film Genres: Horror And Film Noir - Posted 8/6/2003
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
B
Quantity of Notes:
Moderate
Difficulty:
Difficult
Comments
Dr. Schneider is one of the best teachers at WKU. This course was hard, but it was worth the effort. There are no tests, only four essays that had to be turned in at various times throughout the course. She's a tough grader but is always around to help you. She will usually give the oppurtunity for rewrites as well. If you pay attention and ask for help when you need it, this class will be intellectually stimulating and will result in a good grade.
Take Dr.Schneider as much as you can!
ENG-382 : Brit Lit 2 - Posted 2/10/2003
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
A
Quantity of Notes:
Moderate
Difficulty:
Easy
Comments
Dr. Schneider is a caring and helpful professor. She likes her classes to discuss the works. You have to write three papers and take three exams: Romanticism, Victorian Age, Modernism. Attendance is important to your grade.
ENG-465 : Film Genres - Horror And Noir - Posted 1/6/2003
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
A
Quantity of Notes:
Few/None
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
This class was awesome. The topic of the class was horror and film noir. The class itself is mostly a discussion class with one movie a week in the evening. There were four essays (two research papers) and a take-home final with two essay questions. Expect a quiz every day over the film criticism reading (almost every class). You can learn quite a lot in this class depending on how far you take the assignments. I put a lot of time into my research and learned the most from that, while I got ideas from the class discussions. Dr. Schneider is extremely knowledgeable and helpful, and she takes a genuine interest in her students. I would definitely recommend this class and Dr. Schneider.
ENG-382 : Survey Of British Literature 2 - Posted 12/25/2002
Overall Rating:
OK
Grade:
C
Quantity of Notes:
Overkill
Difficulty:
Difficult
Comments
Dr. Schneider provides you with valuable information about the time periods studied in class. It is important to remember this information because you must recall it on the fill in the blank section of the test. That is the most difficult part of the entire class. The fill in the blanks are hard and ridiculous. The tests terrible. The lectures are boring. She catches every mistake in a paper, which could be a good thing if you aren't concerned about your grade.
ENG-200 : Intro To Lit - Posted 12/17/2002
Overall Rating:
OK
Grade:
B
Quantity of Notes:
Moderate
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
Dr. Schneider is a very nice lady but makes this class somewhat difficult. I recommend trying to find an easier teacher for this class because it was very difficult to manage a B.
ENG-200 : Literature - Posted 12/16/2002
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
A
Quantity of Notes:
Few/None
Difficulty:
Easy
Comments
This class is wonderful. Dr. Schneider is a very sweet and funny lady. Your class will never be boring. You must write a one-page journal entry for each day in class, but that's not very hard at all. The tests are very straightforward and she will tell you exactly what to study for the test. If this class is open, register for it !
ENG-200 : Intro To Lit - Posted 10/31/2002
Overall Rating:
Poor
Grade:
A
Quantity of Notes:
Moderate
Difficulty:
Difficult
Comments
This class was soooo much work. You do 2 pages of journaling on each night's worth of reading. It may not sound like a lot now, but if you put if off a week beacuse you need to do homework in other classes it can really add up. I found myself doing 8-12 pages every two weeks or so. It was very stressful. Also, if your opinion isn't the same as Dr. Schneider's she counts off on the journal entries (even if she asks you to write about YOUR opinion). The huge writing assignment wasn't bad since you can be creative with it, but all the tests are in class essays over themes in the stories so you really have to remember details and be able to recall how they fit certain themes to write anything she'll like. She's very picky and I left the class feeling dazed, incompetant and worthless as a writer.
ENG-300 : Junior English - Posted 5/7/2002
Overall Rating:
OK
Grade:
Not Specified
Quantity of Notes:
Moderate
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
This teacher is good, she is somewhat condescending at times, but is extremely helpful if you have a problem. The final is a research paper, and all the papers you write will lead up to this huge paper! It stressed me out, but I did a good job!
ENG-300 : Junior English - Posted 1/16/2002
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
B
Quantity of Notes:
Few/None
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
This prof really knows what she is talking about and expects you to live up to her expectations. She was a great teacher that was easy to talk to. The 10 page research paper is the final. She grades a bit hard, but she wants the best from her students. Always helpful outside of class as well.
ENG-300 : Junior English - Posted 1/4/2002
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
A
Quantity of Notes:
Few/None
Difficulty:
Difficult
Comments
Dr. Schneider is a great teacher.... and I don't particularly like writing. The thing about her is--she's a real person. Sounds strange I admit, but surely you know what I mean... Professors rarely seem like NORMAL, every-day people. Dr. Schneider is the exception, however. She's also a movie fanatic, and she knows her stuff. She grades tough, but if you need help, she'll be there for you.
ENG-365 : Literature and FilM - Posted 5/4/2001
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
Not Specified
Quantity of Notes:
Not Specified
Difficulty:
Not Specified
Comments
Ditto on the other good evaluation - great class if you are willing to do some work and read A LOT!
ENG-365 : Literature and Film - Posted 5/11/2000
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
A
Quantity of Notes:
Few/None
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
This is a very interesting course! I primarily took the course due to an interest in the literature that was included in course fliers, but I came to appreciate film as an artform much more due to the course. You'll have to work quite a bit in this course: there's a mandatory film lab that meets at a separate time and you write 5 papers including the final, but this class is worth it. Dr. Schneider is the best Professor I've had at Western and English isn't even my major. If you have the opportunity and are willing to work take her!
ENG-300 : Junior English - Posted 4/24/2000
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
A
Quantity of Notes:
Few/None
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
She is a wonderful professor, the best that I have had here. She pushes you to do your best and is very easy to talk to. You put in what you want to get out of the class. I highly recommend her. There are no tests, just lots of writing papers.
ENG-300 : Junior English - Posted 4/14/2000
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
A
Quantity of Notes:
Moderate
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
A very good writing course. Fair amount of work, but worth it for what you take away from the class.
ENG-340 : Speculative Fiction - Posted 4/14/2000
Overall Rating:
Good
Grade:
A
Quantity of Notes:
Few/None
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments
Simply an awesome course! Dr. Schneider is one of the best professors at this university, as this special courses shows. Whether or not you're a fan of Sci-Fi this class is awesome. The four novels and short stories challenge you to think. You have to work to pass, but you'll love it all the way! Highly recommended.
ENG-200 : Intro. Lit - Posted 4/13/2000
Overall Rating:
OK
Grade:
B
Quantity of Notes:
Moderate
Difficulty:
Moderate
Comments