Professor
Joshua Dienstag
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Most Helpful Review
Winter 2022 - The professor was okay, to be honest. Not the best professor and not the worst, I found the lectures and readings to be really boring. I found it easy to pass the class not by watching lectures but by watching youtube videos breaking down the readings and main concepts, with that I was able to get Bs or As on the weekly 500 word papers. I also want to give a shoutout to Naomi Ellis who was my TA as she was amazing and honestly one of the main reasons I even passed, she was very lenient grading, always open to asking questions about any subjects, and not super strict on tardiness or having to switch discussion times for the day. But the class and discussion did require you to have the physical copies of the books which can be pretty pricey, I got away using online formats in the discussion, but I can't speak for everyone. I found it ridiculous how for the final paper, the professor upped the word requirement from 500 to 2500 with no warning, it was hard writing 500 words already. But if you don't mind reading about philosophy from old white men, go for it.
Winter 2022 - The professor was okay, to be honest. Not the best professor and not the worst, I found the lectures and readings to be really boring. I found it easy to pass the class not by watching lectures but by watching youtube videos breaking down the readings and main concepts, with that I was able to get Bs or As on the weekly 500 word papers. I also want to give a shoutout to Naomi Ellis who was my TA as she was amazing and honestly one of the main reasons I even passed, she was very lenient grading, always open to asking questions about any subjects, and not super strict on tardiness or having to switch discussion times for the day. But the class and discussion did require you to have the physical copies of the books which can be pretty pricey, I got away using online formats in the discussion, but I can't speak for everyone. I found it ridiculous how for the final paper, the professor upped the word requirement from 500 to 2500 with no warning, it was hard writing 500 words already. But if you don't mind reading about philosophy from old white men, go for it.
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Most Helpful Review
Fall 2016 - I took the class the whole year and I am just entering the seminar quarter, but for sure this is worth it. You can get by with understanding the text but not reading if you don't want to, the class is difficult and certain professors are more clear than other but the TA is what matters, I had Twyla and Keil and they are both awesome! I didn't take quizzes my first quarter with Twyla but i did with Keil and I think it helped me understand more because I pushed myself to read more. It is FOR SURE worth it!!! I recommend and it is better than other GE clusters.
Fall 2016 - I took the class the whole year and I am just entering the seminar quarter, but for sure this is worth it. You can get by with understanding the text but not reading if you don't want to, the class is difficult and certain professors are more clear than other but the TA is what matters, I had Twyla and Keil and they are both awesome! I didn't take quizzes my first quarter with Twyla but i did with Keil and I think it helped me understand more because I pushed myself to read more. It is FOR SURE worth it!!! I recommend and it is better than other GE clusters.
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Most Helpful Review
Winter 2019 - The content of the course is extremely interesting (esp if you're really interested in theory) and Dienstag delivers it coherently and eloquently. You HAVE to go to class b/c he uses no slides at all but you will genuinely want to because he is such a great lecturer- always super engaging and insightful. I also really can't stress how interesting it was; if you engage with the readings and the lectures like you should, you'll leave class feeling like a different person. Also shoutout Steve Cucharo for being a great TA who genuinely cares about his students' learning!
Winter 2019 - The content of the course is extremely interesting (esp if you're really interested in theory) and Dienstag delivers it coherently and eloquently. You HAVE to go to class b/c he uses no slides at all but you will genuinely want to because he is such a great lecturer- always super engaging and insightful. I also really can't stress how interesting it was; if you engage with the readings and the lectures like you should, you'll leave class feeling like a different person. Also shoutout Steve Cucharo for being a great TA who genuinely cares about his students' learning!
Most Helpful Review
Professor Dienstag is a very intelligent person with a lot of valuable insight to offer. My class was small and discussion based so I did not get to witness his ability to lecture and teach very much. However, he gave great insight to the works we were examining. I only wish he was more approachable in his demeanor with students and presenting a more open, comfortable environment when discussing to help students feel more empowered to speak. At times, it did not seem like he respected our ideas. But otherwise, he is an excellent Professor and worth taking particularly if you are interested in theory.
Professor Dienstag is a very intelligent person with a lot of valuable insight to offer. My class was small and discussion based so I did not get to witness his ability to lecture and teach very much. However, he gave great insight to the works we were examining. I only wish he was more approachable in his demeanor with students and presenting a more open, comfortable environment when discussing to help students feel more empowered to speak. At times, it did not seem like he respected our ideas. But otherwise, he is an excellent Professor and worth taking particularly if you are interested in theory.
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