Campbell, Brad  

English

3.76/4.00

45 evaluations


BRAE 189


5th Year Senior
A
Required (Major)
Nov 2016
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!

ENGL 203


Junior
A
Required (Major)
Jun 2008
Brad, can I marry you? Seriously, this class was a dream. I was completely disinterested in the material and had given up on core because core I was taught by Schwartz. However, Campbell, in his subtly and wonderful way, pulled me out of that hole and helped me understand the material, the social context of the material, as well as the form versus function aspect of the material. This is a superior instructor and I feel blessed to have had him at Poly.

ENGL 204


Junior
B
Required (Major)
Oct 2008
I really love professor Campbell's class I had to take it but now I want to take more of his classes. He grades kind of hard, but doesn't have unrealistic expectations he wants you to do the best you can. There were a few short papers and two pretty tuff tests. He is great at starting discussions and I think he has become my favorite teacher despite having to read Puritans.

ENGL 240


Junior
N/A
General Ed
Oct 2006
He is by far the best prof I've had at Cal Poly! I'm not a huge fan of english but he made the class fun and interesting. He NEVER discourages students' ideas or comments (even if they have no idea what they are talking about). You can tell that he cares about his students and really wants them to do well and learn something. Overall the class was pretty easy. You write ten 1-page single-spaced responses (1 per week) on any material that you read throughout the week. He grades them with a check or check plus. He is a pretty easy grader-- he just wants to know what you think. No midterm, no big papers, just 10 responses and a final on everything we read over the quarter. TAKE HIM... you won't regret it! I actually looked forward to going to this class.


Sophomore
A
General Ed
Jan 2008
Amazing instructor, certainly the best I've had. The class discussions are fun and response paper topics are up to you. Take him if you can. You will actually learn and enjoy doing it.


Sophomore
A
General Ed
Feb 2008
This is the best professor I have ever had. I was a little scared about taking the class because it sounded boring, but he made it so easy to do and understand. He really likes when students participate during class. Study for his tests and do all the readings! That is exactly what he tests you on. Amazing professor and I would love to take another class with him.


Junior
B
Elective
Mar 2010
Dr. Campbell is awesome. He is very nice, presents his lectures clearly, and is always more than willing to help and answer questions. My only complaint is that this was a large lecture-style class. I would love to have Dr. Campbell in a smaller class setting. He is brilliant and I feel like he would be able to offer a lot more to a smaller class. None the less, this was the best lecture class I have ever taken. He was able to make it interesting and encouraged student\'s to ask questions and participate in the discussion even though there were over a hundred of us. He also selected some really good reading for the quarter. Do the reading and go to all the lectures and you will be rewarded on the exams. There is a mid-term and a final, along with a few pop reading quizzes (which you will get perfect scores on if you read the assignments).


Senior
A
General Ed
Mar 2011
Dr. Campbell is a legit/great professor. You read 4 books which are really short & easy read. Then you read parts of the American Anthologies which are short stories & poems. He also posts some poems & short stories on Blackboard. As long as you read & take notes. You will pull off an easy B. He gives a midterm,Final & quizzes that's your grade. Quizzes are random/don't know when. Make sure to take a highlighter & book to highlight the passages he reads in class. Those passages will be on the midterm you will need to name title & author. He knows his shit legit chill dude. hella smart dude. Makes english not that wack. You wont regret taking him..


Junior
F
General Ed
Mar 2011
Your grade is based upon 2 tests - that's it!! It took him over a week to grade a very subjective final-I had a C- average going into the final and received an F in the course-he won't respond to email after your grade is posted-would be nice to know what I did wrong on the final. I signed up for this course because of his great evaluations-I never missed a class, did all the reading, took notes and got hammered. Will attempt to see hime during office hours next quarter-believe I should receive at least a D!


Junior
F
General Ed
Mar 2011
Not helpful - not into helping students - pretty much blew me off during office hours - syllabus is mis-leading


Junior
A
General Ed
Jul 2011
You won't fall asleep during Dr. Campbell's lectures. The presentations are clear and he's good at faciliating discussions by showing interests in everyone's opinions. Many would also like that the large classes have very little writing due to the number of people. It's more like an American history class from a literature standpoint. THe assigned books were enjoyable and it gives you a reason to do some reading in college.


Junior
B
General Ed
Mar 2012
Brad you screwed me! I went into the final with a very high B+ but after a cruel final i ended up with a B-. shoulda taken it credit no credit but know i know. overall great class with a very cool professor. he'll keep your attention in class and the books you read are super easy. i would def recommend him but take it C/NC that way you don't have to work as hard as i did


Sophomore
A
General Ed
Mar 2012
He is an AMAZING teacher. Super easy course. Print out the outlines before class and write everything he has projected on the screen on those outlines and you will pass with an A. As long as you do the readings for the pop quizzes you will be fine. You can even sparknotes/google the readings and do well. He doesnt try to trick you. The course is 10% quizzes, 40% midterm, 50% final. Everything on the exam is easy and exactly what he tells you. Take this for your C1.


Junior
A
General Ed
Nov 2012
In short, do what you can to take Campbell, you won't regret it. The class is built on readings for every class and then he'll lecture for the whole class usually. 3 midterms (no final, but the last midterm is on final day) and a few really easy pop quizzes. The lectures are incredibly insightful, interesting, and everyone leaves the class believing they learned a lot. Readings can get tedious and some days it can go long (some days are short though with just some poems) but towards the end of the quarter the readings are novels which are pretty interesting. Simple advice: if all you do is show up to class and give a concerned effort to listen, its pretty much an automatic B because his lectures are so good. A relatively easy A if you do the readings and study a couple hours before the midterms. His midterms are straightforward to the point where you pretty much know the grade you're going to get before you even take it because they're straight off his lectures and you know if you know it.


Junior
A
General Ed
Dec 2012
This guy is great. He's very straightforward and approachable. I genuinely liked him as a person by the end of the quarter, and I never even went to office hours. Do the readings, study the notes, and you can get an A. He has a few pop quizzes here and there (I think we had only 4 all quarter), which were all really ridiculously easy if you did the readings. He has three exams (two midterms plus a final), NONE of which are cumulative. If you really study your class notes you'll be great. I had the big lecture so we had not essays, which was a plus too. I highly recommend this guy!


Sophomore
A
General Ed
Mar 2013
Campbell is awesome. As much as possible, he made a lecture English class that (in my opinion, as any English class) should really be discussion based pretty enjoyable. His class is super, super straightforward. There are no surprises in the tests/quizzes and if you do the reading and study the lecture slides along with your notes for the tests, they will not be difficult and you can easily get an A.


Junior
A
General Ed
Mar 2013
Brad is the man. English is my least favorite subject and I have been putting this class off dreading it. But Brad made this class actually enjoyable. His voice is very soothing and he makes extremely dry and boring material interesting. And the class is EXTREMELY straight forward. He tests you essentially only what you cover in class and the pop quizzes are just to ensure you are keeping up with the reading (which can be easily faked by googling a summary or reading spark notes). Brad is awesome and I have come to almost enjoy literature!


Senior
N/A
General Ed
Mar 2013
I usually hate English! But this guy was awesome!!! He kept everything so interesting and I was easily able to stay intrigued for the full 2 hour lecture twice a week. I think what was most different about him was that he only gave the facts, he didn't try to state his political opinion to the class or try to convince us to agree with his views. I usually do not agree or get along with english professors. This guy is pretty awesome and this was by far one of my favorite GE classes!


Senior
A
General Ed
Apr 2013
AWESOME GUY. Before I get into what you need to know for this class, I just want to say that he was one of my favorite teachers at Cal Poly. Very genuine, witty, and keeps the material interesting. which Id say was pretty hard to do on his part, considering it was a 6-8pm class. I got an easy A because I went to every class, took good notes (wrote a little more than what he had on his powerpoints and marked down every quote he spent time to talk about), and studied just the notes and quotes for the tests. ...ok, so I never actually read anything on my own. I sparknoted everything in case of a 'pop quiz.' (there's 4/5 of them). The only quotes he uses on the tests are the ones he specifically talks about in class, so just mark those in the books during class. Point is, if you don't want to actually do the reading, you can get away with it. but DEFINITELY go to every class. good notes=easy A. even if it werent for the pop quizzes, I'd go to every class. He's really a cool guy. and if you have any questions, he'll go over everything in office hours. very easy to talk to.


Sophomore
B
General Ed
Mar 2015
Overall pretty good class. Sometimes the lecture drags on way too long but he does his best to make the material interesting. The four pop quizzes are super easy if you read or honestly just spark note. Tests arent too bad if you study a good amount. easy GE definitely recommend to take this class.


Sophomore
A
General Ed
Mar 2017
Dr. Campbell is absolutely excellent! The words he uses are so eloquent and every single lecture provides insight you would have never gotten on your own. I am by no means interested in literature and was actually dreading this GE, but I got a 100% on every single midterm simply from going to class and writing down every single thing he said during lecture. I never did the reading, just the sparknotes to preface to truly understand his lecture, but this guy has such interesting readings on texts. HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend that you take this class. Not only is it an easy GE, but because you are not worried about your grade, you can truly learn so much from him. EXCELLENT professor. If you miss a class you're pretty much screwed for that section, but just go to class and pay attention and easy A. 3 exams and some quizzes. REALLY good teacher.

ENGL 242


Junior
B
General Ed
Aug 2019
Brad IS AMAZING! PLEASE take his class!!! ive never actually read a book in any of my classes in school I've always Sparknoted everything because the books in school are BORING and the way we talk about them is usually boring, even though I enjoy reading for fun.................HOWEVER I READ EVERY BOOK IN HIS CLASS!!!!!, his class has AMAZING books, and he makes them super interesting to talk about! the midterm and final are SUPER straight forward and very easy if u pay attention in class!


Junior
A
General Ed
Mar 2020
this guy is amazing. He made me fall in love with literature. If you take this class in a big lecture format it's extremely reasonable. He doesn't ask you to interpret the works on your own and he tells you what you need to know for the tests. Campbell is super knowledgeable and passionate about the course content so the lectures are fascinating. All of the pieces you read are put into historical context which makes it more interesting. There is a lot of reading but If you attend lectures and pay attention you don't actually need to read (but I recommend you do because you'll get more out of it). The tests are super fair and don't require much writing. Take this class with Brad!!!


Junior
B
General Ed
Mar 2020
Dr. Campbell was amazing. Though this class was a huge lecture hall, he still thoroughly answered each student question without hesitation. He is so kind and gentle, and I can tell he really cares about his students and his job. If you like English even a little bit, TAKE THIS CLASS!

ENGL 305


Senior
B
General Ed
Jul 2011
Dr. Campbell is one of the most caring and competent professors I have ever met. The English department is full of impressive and insightful professors, though Dr. Campbell is extraordinarily attentive to every student and provides individual feedback that is helpful and constructive. I would highly recommend Dr. Campbell to any student- English major or otherwise. It was a privilege to be in his class.


Senior
A
Required (Major)
Nov 2012
Dr. Campbell is simply the bomb. He is by far my favorite English professor in the department, and I've taken classes with many of them. He is incredibly eloquent (you're going to be swooning over the guy's e-mails so just wait till lecture) and is very clear about his standards for discussion, syllabus, and expectations for assignments. I think my favorite aspect of the class was how discussion-based it was; Dr. Campbell makes sure to refrain from talking at you for the entire class time, he gives you the necessary background to the reading and then lets everyone voice their opinions. He establishes an open intellectual atmosphere, is very encouraging and accepting of everyone's comments, and clearly knows his material. He is as fair as fair can be, which includes his grading methods, reading load, and paper deadlines. You will not regret taking a class with him, trust me. He is the creme de la creme of the English department.

ENGL 310


Sophomore
A
Elective
Apr 2008
He clearly explains everything. He is more than happy to help with anything you have that is even remotely related to the class. I found out that I didn't need to take this class the day after we were no longer allowed to drop but I am SO glad I stayed in his class. He grades very fairly and is a really nice guy. I would take this class or any class he teaches again.


Junior
B
Required (Support)
Sep 2008
Campbell really is the best English prof. I've ever had. He will listen to any idea and really consider it, he answers every single question and really tries to figure out exactly what's being asked and how to answer it. The workload wasn't too high and his quizzes and tests are very straightforward. If I had to take any more English, Campbell would be the guy

ENGL 340


Senior
A
General Ed
Sep 2017
I took this class over the summer (the first 5 weeks). I was hesitant at taking a summer course but honestly, this was a good class to take over summer. The class was more of a seminar style where there was assigned reading daily and discussion based on the readings. There were pop quizzes on the reading which were basic questions such as "who was so-and-so's sister?" I really enjoyed having Dr. Campbell because he was very open to interpretations along with being super nice. The class consisted on two imitation writings on any of the readings we did. There was a midterm and final exam which were fairly easy. If you attend class and participate and do fairly well on the exams it is easy to get an A. I HIGHLY recommend this teacher. Dr. Campbell is AWESOME.

ENGL 347


Junior
A
General Ed
Feb 2008
AMAZING english Professor!! Take him if you can!! :) (fyi, this is coming from someone who doesn't have a preference for english). I'm not saying his class is a breeze, you will definitely have to work, but he really cares about his students and really wants his students to learn!


Senior
A
General Ed
Mar 2008
Dr. Campbell is the best English teacher I have taken. There is a lot of reading but he makes it interesting and he kept me interested. I hate English classes and I put off taking them, i wish i would have taken him earlier on so i could have taken him for all of my english GE's. He is awesome and is totally willing to help you. His tests are straight forward and if you go to class you will definitely get a good grade. he is amazing! take him!


Senior
N/A
General Ed
Jul 2008
Dr. Campbell is the best profesor at calpoly. I is really helpfull and he wants his students to understand the material and pass his class. It is not an easy class because you have to read a lot but you will really enjoy his class. He is the best in the west.


Senior
A
Required (Support)
Jul 2008
This teacher is seriously one of the best teachers I've ever had at Cal Poly. He is soo understanding and he makes you feel really comfortable about participating in class. Participation is a big part of your grade but it's not hard because the material is so interesting. He's really there for his students and he always wants your feedback about how he's doing. He's not hard at all either. On the critical responses he just wants to know you've thought critically about the reading, it doesn't have to be amazing. If you do the reading, you'll get a good grade.


Senior
A
General Ed
Jul 2008
Interesting subject, open-minded teacher, interesting reads, quizzes and test straight from lecture and the reading. The only thing I wished he didn't do was lecture the same way EVERYDAY (try mixing it up once in awhile Campbell).


Senior
A
General Ed
Jul 2008
Campbell is by far the best english prof at cal poly. He frequently gives straighforward quizzes. If you do the reading, you will ace them. His tests aren't easy, but are doable. Brad makes you enjoy the class. Im not the type of person who enjoys english or participating, but campbell provides such an accepting environment which encourages more students to add to the discussion and to think deeper. The class is a C4, USCP, and GWR. If you can, take this class!!!!


Junior
A
General Ed
Jul 2008
I could not agree more with the rest of these evaluations. Brad's class is a safe haven of sorts where you never feel that your ideas are stupid or wrong. If you give him any sort of intelligent response, he is willing to consider your idea and rephrase it with an eloquence only an English professor possesses. He is definitely a breath of fresh air. If you do the reading, which really isn't too difficult, you will ace the quizzes. He has you write several responses to the texts you read--no more than 500 words--which I found to be a very effective way to get you to think about the material more analytically. Honestly, I wish I had him for more than 5 weeks. Brad Campbell is quite possibly the best professor I have ever had at Poly.


Junior
A
General Ed
Jul 2008
This is the second time I have taken Professor Campbell and I enjoyed his class once again. He is straight forward with what he expects. You have a lot of reading to complete and I would recommend underlining things that you feel are important while you are reading the text so that you can go back and have something to say during class discussion. Also, any passage that he talks about in class of spends an ample amount of time talking about HIGHLIGHT because it will be part of your midterm or final in the passage identification section. This class is composed of weekly quizzes on the reading, 3 responses at 500 or more words each, a midterm, and a final. The midterm and final are both the same structure: 10 passage identification questions, 10 short answer questions, and one critical/creative essay. Study, go to class, and participate. Participation is worth 20% of your grade so if you don't like giving your opinion, analyzing with classmates, or talking in class, this is not the class for you. Overall Campbell is an awesome professor, take him for an intense but interesting quarter!


Junior
N/A
General Ed
Mar 2009
I LOVE Brad Campbell. Although it is daunting for a grade to be based 25% on your contributions to class discussions, it's a warm inviting atmosphere to talk about this teacher's favorite novels. He wants everyone to succeed and helps you get there. In this course everyone is equal in Dr. Campbell's mind--English majors included. Take this professor, his personality is adorable and you will love him.


Junior
B
General Ed
Jun 2009
Dr. Campbell is one the most warm and inviting people you will ever meet. He loves literature, and loves discussion. Every class just made me feel like I was at a grownup book club. I would recommend HIGHLY to anyone. He makes you feel like a friend--even a quarter later, he still waves and says hello to me on campus, and uses my name. What a great guy.


Senior
Credit
General Ed
Aug 2009
Dr. Campbell was an amazing professor -- knowledgeable, genuinely cared about his students (and willing to assist them in providing input and feedback) and while the class was intense (a good amount of reading every night for the 5 wk summer session), Dr. Campbell laid everything on the table Day 1 of class. Participate -- be insightful in doing so... examine/scrutinize the text and contribute any thoughts or questions during class. Stay ahead of schedule if possible and ensure that you have your responses done earlier in the quarter if possible. Also - the midterm and final are comprehensive; study early and often! Take notes in class and highlight the key passages Dr. Campbell and the class discuss; those passages will be on the Passage Identification section of the exams. For the short essay (worth 10 pts out of 100), there are some choices -- and all possible questions from which to choose pertain to tying two texts together... so be sure to think about how one text relates to another. In terms of doing well in the Section II of the exam (short question), take notes in class... those questions on the exam reflect class discussions! Good luck, have fun, and know you are in for an enjoyable and intense summer quarter!


Junior
A
Required (Support)
Dec 2009
Brad Campbell is a great professor. I actually enrolled in his class because of all of his great ratings, and while his positive rating were affirmed, I wasn\'t expecting his style of teaching. He teaches class in a seminar style, and he\'ll interject with comments but he rarely lectures. Only take this class if you really like to speak up in class, because a QUARTER of your grade is based on participation, so if you\'re shy, this will really ding your grade. Dr. Campbell knows his stuff and African American lit is his specialty, so if you can manage to get into this class, you\'re in for a really fun quarter. His midterm and final are pretty specific, but he made the class so interesting that I surprised myself with my high grade. I left the class with a new appreciation of African American literature.


Sophomore
A
General Ed
Mar 2014
Campbell is an awesome professor. He is so nice and does want to know you as a person. If he has to give you bad news, he makes everything in a positive light. The class is all discussion based and it isn’t hard to get an A. Just listen and take good notes. The pop quizzes aren’t hard. They are at a simple comprehension level designed to make sure that you are reading the material in the first place. I would strongly recommend him.


Junior
B
General Ed
Dec 2014
First off, I rarely review professors. With that said, Dr. Campbell is a not only a great professor but seems like a genuinely good guy. He tries very hard to make class discussions interesting and does a great job of engaging students. If you have a chance to take him for African American Lit I wouldn't miss it. He's a really great teacher and it will be a class I remember for quite some time. It was by far my best class last quarter and I'm not an English major. I really can't imagine anyone regretting taking him for English 347 unless they put in zero effort and failed or something.


5th Year Senior
N/A
General Ed
Jul 2017
I've never been on this site, but I feel I owe something to Dr. Brad Campbell for the very enlightening five weeks I just spent in his summer class. If you need a C4, I would HIGHLY recommend taking this class. Yes, there is a lot of reading, and I was intimidated by this at first, but it was all very interesting reading. The reading was riveting, heart-wrenching, and compelling. The reading quizzes are straight-forward and only meant to test you on very basic fact-remembering. The midterm and final were more challenging, but if you pay attention in class, take good notes, and read, you will do well. Going to class is of utmost importance and taking good notes during his lectures are very important. He tests on the things we discuss in class, so write everything down or remember it. Do the reading!! But still go to class if you didn't because it will still benefit you to hear him lecture and lead discussion. If someone was recording everything he said, it would sound like a beautifully written novel. He is a delight to listen to. I usually have difficulty paying attention in class, but I couldn't stop listening to him. He is a wonderful listener as well. He values deeply his students' opinions, and encourages each person that speaks up by validating and expanding their ideas. He is kind to the bone, funny, genuine, and all together an incredible teacher. I hope they pay him really well, because I am sure he is indispensable to the English department. If you need a C4, please take this class. It will expand your horizons into some great works of African American literature, challenge you to think differently, and get you excited about reading and writing. P.S. I LOVE YOU DR. CAMPBELL!!!!!!!!!


Senior
N/A
General Ed
Feb 2018
5 weeks in and I already love this dude. If your registering for a C4, take this class! I'm an engineering major and I look forward to going to this class.