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SUMMARY OF TEACHING EVALUATIONS
FOR KERI ELIZABETH AMES, YALE UNIVERSITY, 2003-2005
Direct quotes from freshman students in Directed Studies:
“Perhaps as the effect of spending so many years at Chicago, Prof. Ames has this weird
quality of just exuding scholarship—almost tangibly. It fosters an excellent base for
experimentation and a kind of celebration, in a way, of aporia. Really, it does.”
“She is motivated, insightful, delightful, cheery, energetic, encouraging, sensitive, and
funny--not too many teachers I've had throughout my years have matched her! She has
bestowed not only her wisdom but the depths of her soul and heart upon all of her
students, and we're all the better people for it.”
“This class challenged me beyond the classroom and seeped into all areas of my being.”
“Dr. Ames is a lovely teacher with vision. She fosters a multiplicity of opinions and
allows students to interact with the text on their own.”
“She was incredibly effective in communicating with the class. By allowing for humor
and sincerity, our class discussions only seemed to get better and better.”
“I was always challenged to look to the text, for myself.”
“Prof. Ames is the perfect DS instructor because she refuses to dally - instead, she gets
right to the point, working with the texts brilliantly and systematically so that each class
period brings a unique discovery.”
“Texts which initially seemed dull sprang to life when she talked about them.”
“If you want to engage your students, hire Keri Ames! Her interest and enthusiasm are
positively contagious. She was a great discussion leader who prepared well for class,
always pointing out key passages for discussion, but then letting the students take the
reins….Overall, she was a stellar professor, from whom I greatly enjoyed learning.”
“She has a true enthusiasm and love of literature that is sincere and invigorating.”
“Prof. Ames was one of those amazing professors who I will remember long after other
more forgettable professors have been forgotten. A bubbly explosion of energy for the
entirety of every section during the course of the semester (even when the rest of us were
a bit too tired to match her energy level), Prof. Ames' engaging smile and enthusiasm for
the works we were reading was infectious and refreshing. We had many incredible
discussions in section that really helped illuminate previously obscure works, and Prof.
Ames inevitably made these discussions enjoyable. She handed back papers with
admirable and unusual speed, and covered the pages of these papers with extraordinarily
ego-boosting remarks ("yes!" "very nice!" "great!) yet read them unusually carefully and

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always made helpful suggestions and offered helpful insights.”
“She was excited, interested, and engaged throughout the semester and her enthusiasm
was contagious. She fostered wonderful discussion and was encouraging of all to
participate…Overall, she was great professor who was a pleasure to learn from.”
“She is possibly the most influential instructor I’ve ever had. She taught me how to
systematize my analyses, capture the crux of a literary argument, and refine my language
to capture the particular quality of narrative and thematic nuances. In fact, it was she who
taught me that these nuances are just as important as the blindingly overarching messages
in literature.”
“Prof. Ames has a distinctive connection with literature that comes across as a probing
insight and inquiry that gets to the heart of the texts.”
“Prof. Ames is a fantastic teacher. She is enthusiastic, lively, enthusiastic, smart and just
generally nice. Every day, Prof. Ames came to class excited about the literature…while
she understood the material from a scholarly perspective, she allowed us to explore the
works as first time readers. She was realistic in her expectations. And in being so, I think
that students were more willing to do the work she asked us to do. Prof. Ames tried to
make the reading fun, and she definitely succeeded….In all seriousness, I've had few
teachers that have matched her level of motivation, compassion, preparation, wisdom,
eagerness, and desire to teach. She would be a jewel to your organization.”
“She has great energy, an infectious laugh, and she leads discussions very well. She is
always open to new ideas, and she got virtually the entire class involved.”
“Professor Ames is one of the best instructors I have ever had, and I feel privileged to
have been exposed to her love of books and her infectious enthusiasm. Her organized
approach to textual analysis is compelling and precise, and she is proof that a great
literature professor can open up whole new avenues of thought for her students. She is
excellently prepared to tackle any text and illuminate the way for others to come to their
own conclusions about the challenges it sets forth for the reader.”
“Prof. Ames is one of the strongest professors that I have had at Yale. She was
incredibly willing to work with each individual student to improve his or her work.”
“Professor Keri Ames was outstanding for her tremendous enthusiasm and dedication to
her students, both to their learning and to their general well-being. She gave countless
hours of her time to schedule half-hour time slots for brainstorming about papers and
talking about the writing process. She also gave very detailed and concrete instructions
about how papers should be written, which was extremely helpful because it left none of
us guessing. Prof. Ames's enthusiasm and love of learning was contagious--her help and
her acceptance of students' opinions spurred them to deeper inquiry and to voice their
opinions in class. She introduced me to a new style of paper writing- point last, problem-
based papers-- that I have found incredibly useful for making new discoveries about

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texts. Professor Ames was like one of those rare professors that you see in the movies,
who made her class special and fun, and an experience that we'll never forget.”
“Prof. Ames is the best teacher I've had at Yale so far. Her energy, intelligence, and wit
make the class a fun experience, one which her students look forward to with great zeal.
Her commitment to the students is outstanding-- she regularly writes over a page of typed
comments on my five-page essays. It is rare and extremely gratifying to find a teacher
who is so able to both convey her knowledge and help the students hone their writing
abilities. She was always willing to meet with me outside of class for help with
coursework or just life in general. Keri Ames is one-of-a-kind, a true asset to Yale.”
“Aside from being a brilliant woman, and incredibly well versed in the material we read,
she was also just a friendly human being. She met with every student in the section
before papers were due to go over any problems we might be having, and she was always
willing to listen and talk when we needed help. It was very welcome to see that
professors at this school actually care about their students.”
“Her remarkable openness to ideas and enthusiasm for one that is well-thought out and
enlightening always made me do my best.”
“She is excited about what she teaches, and inspires students to find significance and
pleasure in their work.”
“She consistently treats students with the utmost respect. She made everyone comfortable
to share their ideas because she always responded in a very positive way.”
“While she is a superb scholar, professorship demands more—and she provides more.
She cares deeply about her students and she is passionate about seeing them succeed.”
“She was very effective in generating class discussion precisely because of the respect
which she gave to each viewpoint presented. She also was able to rephrase and
redefine/interpret comments well to clarify issues and order themes.”
“She is excited, inspirational, and intelligent. All classes with her were engaging and
fruitful.”
“I feel like she really cares about her students as people.”