HUM 450 California Culture
AMST 410 California Culture
HOW HAS THIS PROFESSOR BEEN EVALUATED BY STUDENTS?
During the past fifteen years over 3,300 students have, after Prof. Leonard's classes, filled out anonymous computer evaluations administered by SFSU, given to the professor only after the marks have been mailed. They are kept on departmental file. In answer to ten specific questions like "Was his grading fair?" "Was he available at stated office hours?" "Did he know his subject?" and so on, replies have averaged, with amazing consistency, about 80% "excellent", 17% "very good," with 1% "good," 1% "poor," and 1% "no opinion."
Here are all the optional anonymous written comments in full (both positive and negative comments) exactly as written, added to computer forms in last evaluation, Fall 2003 (compiled by Dept. Secretary Annette Speed):
/Leonard is the best professor I've had. Inspiring. Open minded. Fair. California Culture class is extremely important, more students should take it.
/Professor Leonard is one of those professors that makes students [aspire?] to another level.
/Helpful information for the "real" world. Well worth the price of admission!
/Great helpful hints and feedback on writing skills!
/I truly feel that I have learned more from California culture than in any other class I have taken at SFSU. The course is extremely relevant to my life and academic career. My writing and critical think skills have been improved greatly.
/This course has colored my thinking in nearly everything I do. As a cinema major it has colored the way in which I view films and analyze characters. It has improved my writing skills by tenfold and given me an extremely broad view of cultural diversity and the ways in which we all relate to each other. One of the best classes I have ever taken. Mr. Leonard offers and accurate perspective of the world around us.
/I feel that Professor Leonard could have reiterated that we need to remind him that wasn't speaking from the heart. I think that his "adult course" was too flip and assuming. I felt that this was too raw of an introduction of ideas and topics to some people in the course and is damaging as their only exposure to the ideas.
/Prof. Leonard's teaching skills were a tremendous learning experience to me. I learned a great deal from him and would take him in the future.
/Fan-fuckin-tastic class! Only suggestion is to share papers of students willing to be heard earlier in class. Only class I will remember and apply to my life on a daily basis. Leonard, I hate to toot your horn but you are the man! Few teachers have the chutzpah to say what they think and not apologize. I left class thinking and wanting to learn more. Thanx, thanx, and thanx again. Good luck in your future work! I grew up in a family of teachers and I learned real teachers are few and far between. Be proud to be one of them. May you always walk in beauty!
/This has been an extremely enjoyable class -- I'm sorry to see it end. I really appreciate the way that the class was structured to make us more of a community than a classroom of students. Coming to class was always a great experience in an environment so conducive to learning. I feel as though I've learned things that have been applicable to my everyday life. The class was a success! Thank you. Expect to see me in your future classes...
(Evaluations for HUM 130, of a similar level of difficulty)
/Best course ever! I feel that having someone as qualified and experienced as Professor Leonard has allowed me to fully experience this class and its material. I dont think that I would have reaped the benefits of this class as much if I had a less knowledgeable professor.
/Having someone who is so passionate about the subject makes this class a great experience. Dr. Leonard has truly inspired me and now I am thinking about possibly taking up humanities as a major. I loved visiting the museum because it made everything seem real, not just a lecture.
/Keep this teacher where he is. Leonard really inspired me and I'm sure the rest of the class that life is full of spectacular knowledge beyond our wildest dreams. The museum trip really opened my eyes and helped me understand art a lot more.
/Having a humanities teacher like this not only added loads to my knowledge but made me admire someone who knows so much about the subject. I also enjoyed our museum trip!
/I believe that being taught by a graduate instructor will not be beneficial to teaching students with as much effect as a full professor. This course needs a professor with as much knowledge and experience as possible.
/Professor Leonard has opened my eyes to see the deeper meaning in life through art and music. I can honestly say that I have truly walked away with valuable knowledge about life and myself. I hope that he continues to teach this course and expose young people to thinking and visualizing the truth about the world around them. I have enjoyed the course and would like to take further courses with him as my instructor.
/The veil is lifting.
/Dr. Leonard is one of the most inspirational teachers I have had. His passion reached me like no other professor has to see life in a better and brighter way. For a beginning humanities student I strongly recommend taking his course.
/This class was very inspirational to me. It changed how I approach or rather why I am motivated to really learn. It improved my writing skills and opened me up to new subjects that I had never been exposed to or exposed to in the right way. It was great to have the chance to visit a museum which I would not have probably gone to otherwise.
/I enjoyed this class very well. I would not want to have a graduate student teaching me because when I start learning a new subject I want to know the person teaching me knows a lot about the subject.
/This instructor was very effective and is one that I have not experienced in the two years I have been a student. I feel that I have benefited a lot from the topics covered in class and my first time experiencing the museum was in this class.
/I thought Dr. Leonard did a great job with the class. I liked how we went on a field trip to the Legion of Honor. That experience helped my knowledge of art clearer because I was able to fully have a feel for the different artists and their paintings. I wish other classes would do this!!
/Very entertaining class, finally gave a chance for students to really appreciate art, most art classes don't accomplish this. Great teaching because the teacher knows the subject so well. Museum was a fun experience because of the meditation. I felt like we did more than just go to look at art. In this class we weren't forced to appreciate anything which is great.
/The teacher is quite possibly one of the best that I have had during my three semesters at State. No college graduate would have been able to put the amount of knowledge and experience that this teacher has. I have learned so much from this teachers first hand experience, trips to Europe, etc. In addition, the museum trip was amazing, I've never had a teacher show so much passion and knowledge for art. It made me learn how to appreciate art.
/Dr. Leonard makes this class very interesting and it is extremely helpful having an experienced, tenured professor teaching this beginners Humanities course. Someone without the experience and knowledge of Dr. Leonard could not as effectively teach and get across to us, the students, information presented in this course. Museum visit to Legion of Honor was extremely beneficial, and helped with understanding lecture material presented in class. Thank you to Dr. Leonard, Jason Holden.
/I feel this class has enriched my knowledge as to where to begin in getting real far ahead again. I need to take steps back from myself at certain times in my life in order to take fuller strides in the future. This is the sensation I feel is the gift of this course - everything has its place and although I admit I was slightly disappointed we were not able to more fully explore many of the topics in class, I realize there is a time for that later. There will always be time if you make it available to yourself, this is what I'm learning, learning to learn more completely. Thank you for teaching and allowing me to question what is being taught. Hope to see you again.
/I think all his lectures are filled with something we students had to know in our entire life. Since I am an international student, I can get the education about the most famous and great American movies, for instance. Also, it was a good experience for me to visit the museum outside the classroom because I could understand and know the good works directly. It makes my education deeper.
/Good teaching skill, but please speak louder. Sometimes it's hard to hear from the back. Museum trip is wonderful. Should have more.
/Prof. Leonard is a great teacher for Humanities 130 because he has so much knowledge about the subject. He teaches in a way that you become more interested every minute. The museum trip was great, there should be more field trips or hands-on activities.
/This was one of the best classes I could imagine. I feel that I have learned an incredible amount of useful and valuable material. Leonard demands respect and discipline which was effective in my learning. I didn't dare fall asleep in this class. I learned a lot of material that most professors would skip over, yet to me, it was the material I need to be a thinker and art participant. I learned so much about art and beauty and how to see things for myself. It was an invaluable lesson. The field trip was also useful. Leonard rocks!!
/It has been hard for me to write down the contents of class because the teacher only explains verbally. I'm not good at dictating nor understand English well.
/Passionate lectures, both moving and inspiring. Mind expanding philosophy in a very easy and understandable manner. I'm changing my major because Dr. Leonard is the most inspiring teacher I've had at SFSU. Normally it's hard to come to class because teachers are not interested or engaging. A superb teacher.
/I feel very strongly that I should not have to be taught by graduate students. My parents do not pay for an education that I could just as well get from reading or watching public television. Please demand that teachers who are passionate, knowledgeable and desire to pass this on to students teach. And also.. .although I understand how great a trip to the museum is, I know that many students didn't even know where they are. So please allow such field trips to take place. They are an essential element to any discussion of art history (or even history).
/And lastly... more poetry. I know nothing about it.
/The professor can be intimidating but he's a wonderful teacher. This class has taught me so much, and I think that freshmen and sophomores should take this class and they need a full professor to do it. Beginning professors can't teach this kind of class, it's too intense, you need somebody good like Prof. Leonard.
/Professor Leonard's humanities 130 class has been one of the best classes I have taken thus far at SFSU. The subjects were great and diverse and contributed greatly to my knowledge. The museum trip was a wonderful experience and I hope to go again soon. He should be allowed to teach these lower level classes because he is a very inspiring person and professor.
/Dr. Leonard is amazing. I admire his intelligence and vibrancy. I never wanted to miss a class session, lectures made me always want to come back for more.
/Enjoyed the class by Professor Leonard. It's actually quite a treat to be taught by a true {professor{ and not a {teaching assistant{ which is happening in many classes. The actual museum visit was a valuable experience.
/He was very funny and at the same time taught very effectively. The museum trip was great. It was a pleasure to actually have a professor teach my class.
/I found Professor Leonard's astute perspective and knowledgeable experience inspirational in the classroom. Of all my professors this semester, I found myself interested and excited by the majority of what he chose to teach.
/This was my favorite class this semester. Since this is a beginners course I feel that I really benefited from having Professor Leonard and all his experience. I don't think I would have learned anything from a graduate student because they don't have Professor Leonard's experience. And I loved the museum trip!
/Professor Leonard opened my mind to thinking creatively and taught me how to enjoy art. Taking the trip to the museum was a great way to present to us different artworks and it allowed us to absorb the information and made a greater impact. His lessons are very valuable, stimulating, and interesting. He has been my best teacher and the one I have learned the most from.
/Very intense class and teacher! Really enjoyed the artwork and getting to know the painters and backgrounds. It really helped to grasp the situations in which the painting was created. You do retain information!! I was able to carry out a two hour conversation argument about Degas and impressionism, and boy, did I feel smart! The museum trip was invaluable, I bought myself a year pass and keep going back for more.
/I think it is better not to have a graduate student teach these types of courses because what good is it to have a new teacher teach new students? It is like the blind leading the blind. I really enjoyed the museum trip it was very helpful in my learning experience.
/As a beginners course I enjoyed this class very much. Prof. Leonard taught at a level that made it comfortable for someone who has little or no knowledge of art. His experience and commitment to the subject has enabled me to get a good sense of what art represents and what my feelings are towards this form of expression.
Fall 2009
/I really enjoyed this class and am happy that I was able to take it freshman year. It was a great intro to art history and I look forward to taking more classes with him.
/This was a great course and I think it is great to have Prof. Leonard early in my college career.
/Prof. Leonard made my experience in the Humanities department great. He is a great teacher and infuses freshmen with drive to pursue course work after complete.
/Great teacher, learned a lot of things that I can bring into real life.
/Experienced professor, taught subject matter extremely well.
/This course was very good, I enjoyed the passion in the teaching. I wasn't sure about my major and now I consider changing to humanities because he is a great professor.
/Thank you. Hopefully I will get to take another one of your courses.
/I think Prof. Leonard should teach freshmen because he knows what he's doing. He helps us get used to this first year with any questions we have and any help we need. He reassures us that we can do it.
/Grad students are too overwhelmed with their own studies to effectively teach undergrads which is why full professors should.
/I think it is a great thing to have full professors teaching me. However, this course was somewhat misleading in it's initial description.
/I value having a professor over a graduate student teach my class. I learned so much this semester that I wish it was a full year course. He helped me work with my struggles while encouraging.
/This course simulated a true educational environment. It made me cherish education 2X as much as I did before.
/I feel that it is much better to have a full professor teaching rather than a graduate student.