Dr. Manning was the professor and was a total tool. He didn't teach the theories of syntax. He was trying to get published with his theory of syntax and that was all we studied. It was a garbage theory that we shot down in the first week and he just got pissed. I tried to be a good student and go to his office hours to get help understanding because there were so many contradictions. When I said, "These rules seem to contradict one another." his reply was, "Well if you come up with a better theory that has no holes in it then I will give you an A. Until then, you have to learn this." He openly mocked students in class who asked questions. He told non-native English speakers to switch majors because his class would be too hard for them. (He did get reprimanded by the dean for that). We would break down standard sentences using his theory and then the tests would have us break down Shakespearean prose. The tests were 160 questions that took hours to complete. He mocked the class for 100% of us getting the first question on the first test incorrect. He said he knew we would all get it wrong because none of us were smart enough to understand. (I would contend that if a teacher can't teach a concept to 100% of his students, then it is on the teacher. I did have an Islamic Humanities professor, Dr. Toronto, that would throw out any questions that 75% of the students missed because he took that on himself as failing to teach it well enough for his class to understand). He would not give out an A, no matter what. Everything was based on a curve, but the highest grade on the curve would always be an A-. He argued that if he had to curve the tests no one deserved an A. He bragged that he had never given out an A and never would because no one was as smart as he was. When he got AWFUL student reviews he would just laugh and say he had tenure. I stopped going to his class and just read the book and took the tests. There was nothing in the lectures that wasn't in the book and there were only 3 graded tests done at the testing center. I was a good test taker, so the class wasn't particularly hard for me, it was just the worst class I have ever taken. He was incensed that I passed without going to lecture to the point that the entire linguistics department was aware of his disdain for me. He was supposed to be my academic advisor because of the first letter of my last name. When I was walking through the department hall looking for him, another professor asked what I needed. When I mentioned that I needed Dr. Manning to sign my forms, the other professor chuckled, told me that he would be my advisor and if I needed anything I should just go to him. He then invited me to take part in his master's level course as an undergrad because he enjoyed having me in his class. I only share this because it wasn't that I was a bad student that Theoretical Syntax was the worst class. It was simply that Dr. Manning had an ego bigger than anyone I had ever met and loved lording over his students. Absolute tool of a human being.