John Waller

School: University of Alabama in Huntsville
Department: English
Location: Huntsville, AL
Overall Rating
rated by 20 students
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Easiness
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Pros: Easiest class I have taken at MSU. Waller is entertaining but to be honest there is no need to go.
Best part of this class might be the grading scale.
4.0 90%
3.5 80%
3.0 70%
So if you try at all you're going to get a 3.0
Cons: Some readings are boring but there is really no need to read them.
There are 4 pop quizzes or "spot tests" as Waller calls them. They are over the readings but only worth 5% of your grade and are graded very easily.
Here's how I'm approaching this class, I'm almost done with it and I'm in great shape to get a 4.0:
-Don't go to lecture
-MUST go to recitation every week
-Weekly paper due every Monday night, these make up basically all of your grade. They are super easy, just 350 words and you learn more than enough information in just the recitation to write this.
-Final is 30% of your grade and is a 10 page paper. Start on it early and it's not bad.
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Pros: Readings were interesting
Instructors are always willing to help you out.
Papers are only 800 words due every Friday- Instructors grade pretty easy
Online chats every week to help guide your paper so you know exactly what they are looking for.
Cons: If you don't utilize your time... you may just screw yourself over
Overall, I really enjoyed this course and felt like I learned a lot. Compared to other online courses I have taken and even to some in-class classes, this class was VERY WELL organized. The topics were interesting and I actually enjoyed doing all of the readings. I would say the grading of the essays were fair and all of the instructors were very helpful when it came to answering questions and providing assistance. During online chats, all instructors were very helpful and seemed very eager to answer anyone's questions. I would definitely recommend this class to fellow students.
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Took it during the Summer and the was very light to get a 3.5 grade! For 7 weeks there was one paper, usually about 3pgs. The expected reading was long, but I actually didn't read all of it and I still got a 3.5. To get a 3.5 all you need is an 80%. I wasn't really aiming to get a 4.0 b/c I had two other summer courses as well and the grading for my TA was a little harder than I expected to get a 4.0, but not to get a 3.5.
The TA did say that she would get us our papers by Tuesday, but after the second week I never got a paper with corrections on it, which kind of frustrated me b/c I couldn't really see what I was doing wrong, but as long as I knew I was well above an 80% I didn't worry.
If you need to get some of your 2nd level HPS classes for Briggs I would suggest taking this class during the Summer. I maybe put about 5hrs a week on these papers, but if you actually tried hard at this class to get a 4.0 you should put at least 8hrs into it. There were a few weeks where in 3 of the days you were expected to read 180 pages, but the good thing was that if you read what the question for discussion was you knew you only had to read maybe 40 of those 180 pages.
I am not a slacker, but when taking 3 summer courses all I needed to do was know what it took to get a 3.5 in a class that is known of as an easy 3.5, but a difficult 4.0.
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Pros: Extremely enthusiastic
Very Intelligent!!!
Very friendly
Cares about your performance
Super nice
Cons: Grades tough
Readings are sometimes posted a bit later than is ideal
BEST PROFESSOR EVER, super excited to have him for IAH. Readings are typically at their longest a whole book chapter. The articles he gives are usually under 3 pages, and interesting. Occasionally they are dry but the information is still intriguing. He does grade tough sometimes, but he spells out what you papers should be, and at a weekly 300 word cap, you should have no trouble with it. The final is a paper of topic of your choosing and is actually fun to do.
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Pretty easy 4.0. The grading scale is awesome because a 90% is a 4.0 and an 80% is a 3.5 and a 70% is a 3.0 and so on. So you are guaranteed a 3.5 if you do the work. There are 2 lectures every week with readings that go along with them. Every Monday a 350 word paper was due based on the lectures and readings from the previous week. It is pretty easy to get a 90% or above on every paper as long as you take the time to do it. The weekly papers are 60% of your final grade, another 5% comes from attendance during recitation on fridays, another 5% is a 500 word overview of the final paper that is due at the end of the year worth 30% of your grade. The final paper is 2500 words (7-8 pages) and is on the topic of your choice as long as it relates to the class and your TA approves of it. The TA is also who grades everything you turn in and I had Carolyn Pratt who is awesome. She is a good grader and very nice. So, you really don't have to go to the lectures because you can write papers mostly on the readings that are assigned, but go to recitation for an easy 5% of your grade plus the TA talks about the lectures and what they expect on the weekly paper. Then, as long as you do good on the final paper due at the end of the year you can walk away with a 4.0.
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Pros: No exams
No Final
Papers are short
3.5 starts at 80
4.0 starts at 90
Cons: Papers every week
Lots of reading
The course structure is basically him lecturing and you doing readings with a tutorial every Friday. You have a 350 paper due every Monday on ANGEL and a final 5 pg research paper due on the Friday of exam week. The short papers are based on what you got from the readings and lecture and are graded on how well you formulate arguments and historical evidence to support yourself, as well as on your usage of the English language. (I have yet to have a paper due so this is a bit premature seems easy enough though
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Pros: Wants you to do well in the class
Always there for you
Very entertaining
No exams
Cons: Grades a little hard
Waller is one of my favorite professors if not my favorite, He makes each class entertaining and covers interesting topics. He grades a little hard on the weekly papers, but is available to edit them before they are due and he drops your lowest score. Sometimes he gives out rewrites too. I recommend him to anyone.
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Pros: - Really enthusiastic
- Relaxed atmosphere
- Good sense of humor
- Takes into account all opinions and thoughts in discussion
Cons: - Tough grader
Taking this class with Waller was AMAZING! It was my earliest class this year but I had no problem getting up and going to class because I knew lecture was going to be fun. I guess from the perspective of somebody who wouldn't participate it may be a bit boring but if you at least skim the reading and have an idea of what is going on you can participate and it's an interesting class. I really, really recommend taking it with Waller. However, he is a tough grader, I think my average on our weekly papers (that are only 350 words so don't worry) was about an 86 or 87 percent. To 4. I believe you need to get a 90%. The group research project was not hard at all, I haven't gotten my grade back but he had a lot of great things to say about it. Last project is a 2000 word essay on good science and how it applies or does not apply to your research topic. Really not too bad. Fun class. Would definitely take it again if I could!
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Pros: -Very organized class
-Tells us what he wants explicitly in a good essay.
-Has T.A's available 9-5 on weekdays to help
Cons: -Reading each day
-Essays due 11:59 PM on a Friday so if you're a procrastinator there goes you're Fridays, but hey, you're on break so that shouldn't matter that much
Waller seems like a great guy so far. I am only rating him after a week so beware. I mainly wanted to come on here to say it's no longer a 93 or 95 for a 4.0. It's now a 90. I don't know if that means more strict grading or what but just saying.
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Pros: Lots of interesting discussion. I liked the topic (it was more like history of disease). He was funny and interesting to listen to. He is really easy to talk to and will basically look over all your papers before you hand them in and tell you what he thinks. There are lots of papers but they're only 350 words. It's harder not to go over that to actually write it.
Cons: Readings are long and sometimes posted late. He is a difficult grader. Annoying that you have to get so many different books although he does provide you with a lot of the readings himself.
Overall a great class if you need to do an HPS.
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BEST PROFESSOR I EVER HAD!!! He's AMAZINGG he knows what he's talking about and makes it extremely interesting I loved everything about this class because of him. It's not a lot of work either you write a 300 word paper every week about what you talked about in the class before which is a piece of cake because he tells you exactly what to write about. TAKE THIS CLASS WITH WALLER YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT!!
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I took this class online over the summer. I thought it was a little difficult at first because it was a different writing style than I was used to. There are a lot of readings but he always tells you exactly what he wants in his essays so just follow that. I got a 4.0 and I ended up just skimming the readings last minute. The only thing I recommend is keeping track of parts you find important because he likes lots of references in the essays. Overall though the essays are short (about 2 pages) and a lot of it is quotes from the readings. You will be required to do a lot of reading and write one essay a week if you take it online over the summer. However I was in briggs and I'd prefer taking this type of class online rather than be stuck taking another HPS course with tons of discussion points and other pointless busywork. Interesting class if you like medicine.
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I agree with the post below me. Waller's online class was extremely well-organized. There was a lot of reading, but since he posts the weekly essay question beforehand you can skim and look for what's important. And even though the volume of reading was considerable, the topics were very interesting. There were a lot of books to buy, but you can get them cheaply online and some of them were so intriguing that I think I'm gonna keep them instead of selling them back. Grading on the essays was fair - the TAs know you only had a week to write. I noticed that more of my grade was on the form, flow, and structure of my essay rather than its content, but I'm not sure if that was just my TA. A word of advice, though - keep your Fridays open because if you procrastinate on that weekly 1000-word essay, you're screwed.
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Most professional attitude I have seen at MSU. Finally a prof. who cares about whether his students learn or not. He gives you all the necessary tools to get an excellent grade, but you have to work. Never mind those of you who want a college degree without any learning. Laziness should be rewarded accordingly.
His online class was well organized, the communication was prompt, and the help was superior on every level. His TA deserves the same rating. Excellent team, excellent material and professionalism.
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Lazy people, lazy. Yeah it's a lot to read in a week, but who honestly reads EVERYTHING a teacher gives? His essays are only on like three of the readings, if you read his weekly e-mails. I just follow exactly what he says on his email, and I get 100%. Not so bad... and don't be scared to bug the TA's.. it may actually help your grade.
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Waller is, quite possibly, the best professor I have ever had. He loves the information he is teaching and really drives you to think. The class is extremely interesting and fun (as long as you are willing to talk). He is a very approachable guy.
He is a difficult grader but as long as you go to his office hours and work with him on your paper (and your writing in general, he is a wealth of knowledge) you will be able to do very well with ease.
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Waller = stellar professor. But many of the Lyman Briggs students in the course are socially awkward additionally they feel no obligation to raise their hands in a logical civil manner when discussions are taking place) , with the exception of that excellent professor but terrible class-mates . Be advised.
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this is my second class with waller and i love this guy. He loves his stuff and offers so much knowledge about the history of medicine and social movements in medicine. his lectures are interesting his papers aren't that bad. he wants you to show your papers to him early so he can go over it with you...which his wonderful becasue he really really lets you kow what you need to do to make your paper a 4.0.
great prof, love this guy...i find myself just sittiing in his office talking all the time. and he's english, that's cool too.
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Pretty interesting lectures, does a pretty good job of leading discussions and the papers aren't too hard to write. As others have said, he doesn't require you to take notes, though I found it helpful to write down key points to include in the papers. I'd have him read my papers and always got around 93/95% on them. Also, the honors option is incredibly easy; all you have to do is write 4,000 words for your final essay instead of 3,000. Really takes a liking to you if you're a Darwinist/evolutionist
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Waller is AMAZING! He is such a nice guy and really wants to help you learn. The class was just 3 papers. I got 4.0 on all. I definitly worked to get the grade, but he is so willing to help you with the papers. He also has a sweet english accent that makes the class more interesting. He also posts his lectures and DOESNT want you to take notes...pretty sweet i know. id take this class from him over all the other LBS profs, all my other friends classes were definitly harder....take waller!

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