Grad School Concerns

Grad school begins in about a month. This is good. Mostly.

The more I read/hear about the professor I've got for the more literary class (not naming names on purpose, folks), the more I worry. Not only does the class look like it's going to challenge the living shit out of me (which, hey--it's grad school, not pre-school, so ok, fine), but the prof is beginning to sound like my least favorite kind of teacher.

One former student writes of him that he marked her grade down for supposedly missing three entries in an assignment. When she showed him that those entries were, in fact, in the paper, he replied "I never change a grade." He repeats this on his homepage. Now, not changing a grade earned is one thing, but if you-as-teacher made a mistake when grading, you change the grade.

Others call him an "arrogant ivory tower male professor who glorifies the Canon." On the other hand, there's this:

Is incredibly intelligent & interesting; he obviously knows his stuff. Method is to teach by asking directed reading q's. What I didn't like: class atmosphere. Felt very stiff in there. (PROFESSOR)'s intimidating, so you don't want to look stupid in front of him or the class. Have to be ballsy, not shy.

That, I can live with. But I'm still worried, because I know folks who've taken his classes, and while they liked him, they said he was the hardest teacher they've ever had.

I'll do fine, I know. I'm not looking for affirmations here, or reassurance. Just stating how I'm feeling.