Reviews of professor Benedict Whalen

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 4.0/5
Dr. Whalen is an excellent prof! He is incredibly knowledgable, and so kind and understanding towards his students. This was certainly not an easy course; it was reading heavy and there are a decent amount of quizzes; but it was entirely worth it. Not an easy grader, but very fair. Deeply inspiring lecturer. I consistently left class enlightened.

Rating: 3.0/5, difficulty: 4.0/5
We read Canterbury Tales, Hamlet, Emma, Huck Finn, Death of a Salesman, Farewell to Arms, and lots of poetry. Instead of a midterm, there was an in-class poetry analysis essay. My primary complaint is that Whalen was unable to address the texts with any depth because there was simply too much material. He did offer extra credit on quizzes, though.

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 5.0/5
This was one of the engaging classes I ever took at Hillsdale, the reading was completely reasonable, and he is so encouraging and helpful with papers. Class discussion was outstanding, and all thanks to him and good classmates. Dr. Whalen is a huge inspiration.

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 4.0/5
Had Whalen for Great Books 2, loved the class and the person. His quizzes and exams are difficult, you cannot succeed without doing close reading. However, he really teaches and guides you through writing and analysis. His office hours are also a huge delight. Get ready to work, but the labor is well rewarded.

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 5.0/5
Incredible lectures. *Very* difficult grading criteria for papers, but not impossible to get an A on a paper. Reading quizzes help boost your course grade. Very caring and helpful in office hours.

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 4.0/5
Dr. Whalen is one of the best in the English department. He is helpful and inspiring. He is definitely one of the harder graders at Hillsdale so I wouldn't expect a straight A unless you are really, really willing to work, but his lectures are so amazing that it is 100% worth it.