Dr. Steven Shively
Classes taught
- English 111 (Composition) (10-111)
- English 112 (Composition II) (10-112)
- Multiethnic Literature of the United States (10-224)
- American Literature: 1865 to Present (10-234)
Style & personality
Dr. Shively has taught a Missouri Academy section of English 111 or 112 every semester since the program's beginning, with only one exception. However, he has recently taken a position at Utah State University to examine his favorite subject: Willa Cather (a.k.a. the "Willameister" or "Willa Babe").
Dr. Shively, like any English teacher, will make you read and write. Expect to write 4 or 5 papers a semester for this guy. He assigns a lot of mini-papers and random assignments as well. That is where you'll encounter his lucritive and ambigious check mark grading system. But, I've tried to crack it....
- A plus sign (+) = an A
- A Check plus = a high B or low A
- A Check = a low B or high C
- A Check minus = a C or low C
- A Minus (-) = a D or F
This is what I believe to be the cracked check code... however, it is hard to solve the puzzles of Dr. Shively's mind, so this information was terribly difficult to come by.
Update: Dr. Shively abandoned the infamous check system. Hopefully it will never resurface...
Dr. Steven Shively is a man who loves English almost as much as he loves Willa Cather--and that's a lot. Dr. Shively has been a teacher for the academites since the beginning and has close ties to this place. He often tries to organize activites for academites in his class that involve leaving campus (a rare treat for any student at Cooper). Last year he took students to a private viewing of the "Science in Art" display at the Maryville Art Gallery (yes, there actually is an art gallery in Maryville, though not much of one.) You can almost always find him in his office (from the crack of dawn 'til dusk). He is also known for hosting an annual bbq in his backyard once at the end of every school year.
Student opinions
Ben: During class, Dr. Shively has a lot of things to say, some of which are important and others of which are not. However, independent of how boring the class may or may not be, it's how he handles students' writing that really matters. He spends countless hours going over essays with students until they reach their potentials. Further, he frequently takes the last few minutes of class to set up appointments, even outside of his office hours. So basically, his emphasis on revision and how much he cares about his students' writing abilities make him an excellent choice for a composition course without a doubt.
Robyn: Dr. Shively is a really sweet man amd a big supporter of the academy and its students. While his obession with the "willa babe" is a bit much, the writing skills I aquired in his composition class have been my good friends throughout my college career.
