Undergraduate Classes

Comments from students:

“Dr. Gregory is one of the most personable, helpful, understanding, and overall damned coolest of the teachers I have met in my college experience.”

“The best professor I’ve had thus far in my college career.”

“I have sat through hundreds of lectures. I have read thousands of pages of texts.  I have rarely witnessed a professor so driven to make texts come to life and expose their present relevance. Dr. Gregory is a prize.”

“The level of difficulty was amazingly high, but Prof. Gregory’s patience and knowledge made it comprehensible.  I like the humor you add to the class.”

“His lectures were fascinating--I didn’t want to miss a class for fear of missing out on something.”

“First of all, Dr. Gregory is tough. . . . [However,] his ability to adapt the texts to lessons for all of us was phenomenal, uncanny.  Incredible Professor, incredible man, I can’t write enough positive things to do his [course] justice. . . . . On a daily basis, I learned lessons that I have faith will become life wisdom.”

“I feel that I have to conclude by saying thank you Professor Gregory.  I have taken 127 credits throughout my career at Butler, and I am most proud of this one credit you allowed me to earn the first four weeks of this semester. I have never struggled or felt challenged by any material like I had in this class. . . . As I reflect upon my undergraduate career that is quickly coming to an end, I realize that this lesson in humility . . . is just what I needed as preparation for law school. . . . If nothing else, that lesson . . . will motivate me to be more . . . I'm more willing to step outside of my comfort-zone to try new things. Again Professor Gregory, I can’t thank you enough for offering me this unique opportunity, I learned a lot about myself in four short weeks.”

“I just want to tell you that I really enjoy your class for the quality of conversation and the quality of the lesson you provide each time.  It is really great to have a class that challenges me and really makes me question and analyze that which is most important in life. . . . . To put it lay-person's terms, your class friggin' rules and I am much appreciative of all the time and effort you put into us.”

“I expect that my grade in this class will be probably a C. . . . However, that is ok with me, because I know, personally, that I have improved greatly in my writing, thinking, and analyzing because of this class.”

“Dr. Gregory is very distinctive because he has such a different perspective on everything and just when I think I know what I am talking about, he will lead me in a different direction. . . .Conversation was stimulating and thought provoking.”

“Dr. Gregory . . . shows us how to relate these “ancient” works of British literature to our lives.  It’s wonderful!”

“This course was a delight and way much more than I expected. Dr. Gregory is one of Butler’s treasures and is by far the most enthusiastic and genuine teachers I have ever had. To be honest, the only reason I signed on for this course . . . is because Dr. Gregory made such an impression on me when I had him for fall semester.” 

“ Dr. Gregory’s . . . feedback was awesome and helpful and he helped me see things in new and different ways. . . . Dr. Gregory cares immensely about each of his students.  He really values the learning process and desires to contribute to our education.”

“This class was a wonderful environment for critical thought and growth.  If this prof. has any other courses that I am able to take I’d do it in a heartbeat.”

 “I enjoyed this course in British Literature enormously!  (I didn’t expect to). Dr. Gregory also reads very well and the whole course was worth every penny just to hear him read ‘Batter my Heart Three Personed God’ by John Donne.”

“Class discussions were engaging . . . . Thanks.”

“I loved this course!  I had a decent interest in the subject before, but this class made me enjoy it so much more. . . . . If I have electives left, I will most definitely take a course from him or on this subject again!”

 “[Dr. Gregory is] very thoughtful, intelligent. Has a passion for what he is teaching.”

“Prof. Gregory didn’t make me feel like an idiot when I didn’t understand or grasp the concepts. I really enjoyed his [literary criticism] course despite the fact that he is kind of “challenging”—“hard” but I feel like I learned a lot. He is a great Prof.”

“The teacher has a fabulous sense of humor.”

“Dr. Gregory has a palpable passion for the literature with which we work. This genuine interest trickles into the student’s approach.”

“It was very refreshing to read Chaucer and the like and . . . I enjoyed relating it to real life. . . . This is one of the classes I will remember.”

“I think that Dr. Gregory is a very eloquent professor.  I enjoyed his willingness to relate reading material to other areas of life, both inside and outside of the academic realm.  I also enjoyed his wonderful sense of humor.”

“Prof. Gregory . . . not only helped to make me more educated in English, but also in life.”

“Prof Gregory was and is a wonderful professor and if you don’t get anything out of his class it is because you don’t put anything in.”

“The great achievement of this class is that it challenged us to consider how we think (or don’t think as the case may be) about language, literature, and their uses. . . . . Dr. Gregory did a very good job making things interesting that shouldn’t have been. . . . . He also tied in other disciplines where applicable. The use of music and TV in class were great assets.”

“It is an amazing experience to come into Dr. Gregory’s class.  He seems to be genuinely deeply interested in his subject, and he is very good at making us feel comfortable to open up and share our opinions too.”

“The degree of challenge mentally, however, was very high. . . .We were asked to actually think.”

“Without actually even knowing it, my most significant learning experience was opening my mind to a different mode of thinking. . . . I feel that my intellectual knowledge has been broadened.”

“I really felt that we were entitled to our own opinions as long as we could support our views. Overall, I think this class did more for the individual as far as understanding than any other I have been in so far, and as a result, I didn’t dread getting up in the morning to come to class.”

“I enjoy most of Dr. Gregory’s lectures because when he asks for comments, he actually listens and responds to the concerns addressed. . . . The expression of his ideas during lecture are given to us in such a way that it leads us as individuals to draw our own conclusions.”

“His responses to my writing are always very clear, appropriate, and encouraging. I really appreciate his honesty.”

“I found out a lot about myself and what I wanted out of my education because of our discussions in class.”

“Good critique of my writing; I actually was forced to say something worth hearing.”

“Dr. Gregory genuinely cares about his work and his students. . . . I feel very motivated to pursue ideas from the course on my own and am looking forward to reading the one Austen novel we didn’t get to.”

“Class lectures were the most interesting I had ever witnessed. . . . I really admire him for grabbing my attention. I have a bad habit of not paying attention at all. . . but the lectures were the highlight of my day.  I thought the course was perfect.”

“Dr. Gregory did a wonderful job of balancing lecture with class participation. . . . I want to listen to everything he says because he knows so much and relates things so well.  Dr. Gregory also has a sense of humor.  He doesn’t just lecture, he makes it seem like a discussion. . . . I learned so much.”

“Dr. Gregory certainly has a captivating personality that draws people into loving literature. His focus on developing our analytical skills really made me a stronger reader and writer.  More importantly, his genuine desire to help us love literature was inspiring. This course was exactly what I needed in terms of building skills that are essential for an English major.  The work was a challenge because it was a new way of approaching literature, but I think I grew a lot from it.”

“Dr. Gregory gives great lectures.  He rarely uses notes, which amazes me. . . . I felt like it is impossible not to be motivated to pursue ideas or issues brought forth by this course.  I will never read or watch TV in the same light.”

“I have never worked on an essay harder and longer than the one I wrote on a poem. I couldn’t believe that it took me 6 pages just to explain the poem! Then, when we got our essays back, I got a B. If I would have gotten an A I wouldn’t have tried even harder on the second essay, over Hamlet.”

“Dr. Gregory’s critique helped improve my writing and push me to grow. Dr. Gregory keeps reiterating the importance of literature and the role it plays.  I am better able to answer why I am an English major and why I study literature instead of something ‘useful.’”

“Dr. Gregory’s instruction of the class is distinctive because of the depth of analysis he can give—sometimes, it seems, without even realizing it. He has a love of it as well as a great deal of knowledge.”

“Dr. Gregory put a lot of time & effort into grading my papers. He was both fair & helpful.”

“The bits of information that Dr. Gregory dropped into our discussions were fascinating. He told us iambic pentameter sounds natural to us because it mimics our own heartbeat. I loved that. All the time he told us things like that. That made me proud to study English.”

“He is extremely enthusiastic about the literature that we study. He is a friendly & kind hearted man. . . . .This is not a subject I am particularly excited about on my own but Dr. Gregory got me interested in the material.”

“Prof. Gregory is light-hearted & almost playful w/ his lectures.  He has a good sense of humor and is patient w/ students.”

“Dr. Gregory’s teaching has helped me a lot. . . . I enjoyed many of the discussions we had in class.  They . . . . challenged me to think of new ideas and to change my mind on some topics.”

“Doctor Gregory is one of the most provocative speakers I have ever heard.  The only problem with this is that I don’t really know what provocative means—so we’ll just say he’s pretty cool.”

“He has a dynamite personality that helps to maintain class interest. Class not hard to get a decent grade, but hard to get an A.”

“I know I understand the impetus behind some of the works more than I ever did. (It never dawned on me that literature changed according to when it was written and what was going on in the world!)”

“He has a quirky humor about him that makes class fun and interesting. Also he uses alot of inflections as he reads lines of literature that helps students understand what is being said.”

“The class itself was a great reality wakening to me & the opinions of many people on the medium of television. I think it is a wonderful subject to dedicate a course to. . . .Professor Gregory was a wonderful teacher as well.”

“The professor did an excellent job generating class discussion. . . . The teacher was helpful in providing advice and guidance/assistance when it was needed (on projects, etc).  Furthermore, the professor was always quick to respond to e-mails and provide feedback when things were unclear. . . .Overall, I feel the professor did an excellent job teaching a difficult subject.”

“I felt that this was a very interesting and exciting course.  It was far different than any other Humanities or writing class that I have taken in that it involved a lot of discussion, debating, and participation. . . .Furthermore, the professor . . . really made me think about a lot of issues.  He was extremely nice, helpful, and energetic and made the class a lot of fun.”

“I really liked the one-on-one help he provided outside of class.  His comments on my papers were very helpful. I also thought his emphasis on making the reading applicable to us was distinctive & a good teaching technique. I think I now have a deeper appreciation for literature than I did before I took the course.”

“Encouraged me to think beyond the borders of conventional thought. Helped me to better understand the literature.”

“Dr. Gregory . . . had a sense of humor in class. He’s pretty tough grading papers and presentations, but his comments are helpful & detailed.”

“He’s great. He is funny and friendly--not intimidating. He does well to start discussions in class and answers all questions with his abundance of knowledge.”

“He also is able to have fun while he works. I can apply what I learned from this class to the English classes I will be taking in the future, as well as what I might need for a career.”

“The papers were deep and thought provoking, and made my writing better. Willing to help, has a good attitude toward the class and a love of what he is teaching.”

“He is a wonderful orator; I would risk losing paradise to hear him speak.”

“Dr. Gregory . . . teaches things outside of the reading assignments that are useful for life. [I learned] that only I can educate myself. The literature can’t educate me, and the professor can’t educate me. I am responsible for my own education, which includes assimilating the literature and applying it to my own life. Dr. Gregory really stressed this and I think it’s an excellent point.”

“It’s the sort of thing where you know this Professor knows a lot about what he’s teaching, so you’d better pay attention. And the music was uber-cool J”

“Dr. Gregory is an excellent professor. It is truly a pleasure to be his student. He not only teaches us about what the reading assignments mean & whatnot, but he succeeds in extending to us much wisdom. . . . No exaggeration--Dr. Gregory is truly one of the best professors I’ve had here at Butler University.”

“Dr. Gregory is a very effective professor.  He took what could have been an incredibly boring course (not everyone wants to read Chaucer, especially in Middle English) and made it interesting and relevant. He kept me awake and involved.”

“I think Dr. Gregory genuinely cares about how well we understand the topics. Even if we don’t like a text, he encourages us to find some aspect of it that speaks to us so we can have some appreciation of the work.

“By drawing examples from real life, what he says . . . becomes easier to understand.”

“This professor was very helpful and patient.  He met with students outside class to just chat or aide them on their problems.  Overall, he was a patient and challenging professor.”

“Prof. Gregory . . . I have not received the highest grades in the class but your challenging grading has helped me work more in depth w/ the material.  It has helped me become a better writer & student. THANK YOU!”

“The course was very informative, and the professor did an excellent job teaching the material. He also assigned excellent assignments, and handed them back promptly and with a fair grade. He is an excellent professor.”

“He is patient and understands that silence doesn’t mean we aren’t thinking. He is fair and . . . encourages our participation effectively by doing oral class readings of the texts.”

“Dr. Gregory genuinely cares about his students and forces you to do some sub-surface thinking.  And I love the music. . . . . I really enjoyed this course.  It’s hard/demanding, but I really enjoyed it.”

“He was more interested in student work and growth than most professors. His class is notoriously difficult . . . [but] . . . I am much better [now] at reading and analyzing works of literature.”

“I thought that all the writing assignments were very valuable. . . . . They helped to make us think more deeply . . . . His class is hard but he is always willing to clarify works or meet with students. He shows a true caring.”

“Dr. Gregory was always jolly & enthusiastic about class & the subject matter. He elicited classroom discussion & was very knowledgeable. The class was entirely enjoyable.”

“He was very successful in relating distant topics to our own human experiences and, in doing so, related the universality of the themes discussed.”

“Dr. G is one of the best professors that I have encountered in making class interesting--he is very good at leading discussions & in demonstrating how each text was still relevant today.  He also repeatedly asked us to think of each work in an existential & social context, which I think will continue to be beneficial to me outside of this class. Dr. G involved each student equally, graded fairly, had good communication, & was available outside of the classroom as well.  I thoroughly enjoyed this course.”

 “Apart from everything I’ve learned about British Literature, I have also learned a lot about human nature and the capacities we all have. This is not only helpful in the classroom, but also in life.”

“He really cares about students. He wants to help them and wants them to succeed.  Also, there is just the right mix of humor and learning. . . . I’ve learned a lot about myself as a writer.  Also, I’ve been able to use hard work to understand things I had difficulty w/ at first.

© 2005 Copyright Marshall Gregory