professor
Benjamin Martin

Ben Martin will probably be the best teacher I will ever have at Columbia. As the other review states he is only a graduate student, but he knows how to run a class. He lectures for 5 minutes at the beginning of each class about the life of each author, but that is the longest you will ever hear him speak consecutively in class. His questions are very well formulated and he strongly encourages student participation. The discussions are incredibly enlightening and thought-provoking, (I was especially lucky to have a fairly opinionated and diverse group of talkative classmates). My favorite aspect of Mr. Martin's teaching was that he never brought his personal opinion into the classroom. His grading can be harsh -- he is a former Chicago University student. His assignments are challenging yet have really improved the way I think critically. I strongly recommend taking CC with him if you can, you will not regret it.

Benjamin Martin is the best professor I've had at Columbia and he's a grad student. He is incredibly engaging, refuses to lecture, guides the class through the key points every text while never spelling them out, and he kindly sends out question lists before every class session to guide the reading. He pushed every one of us to improve immensely in our writing and clarity of argument. He doesn't allow for shooting off at the mouth unless you cite the text, which encourages you to read closely and carefully while taking notes. This class has changed my life and I wouldn't trade anything for it.