2.5
Quality3.8
Difficulty23%
Would Retake111
Reviews23%
Would Retake
111
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
20
4
15
3
18
2
15
1
43
What Students Say
“Allan Back is, in my opinion, the best professor at Kutztown”
PHI310 - 5.0 rating“One of the best professors I have ever had”
PHI200 - 5.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
71%
Textbook Required
50%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.48 avg changeRatings by Course
ETHICS
5.0
(1)INTRPHI
5.0
(1)PHI200
5.0
(1)PHI310
5.0
(2)PHI121
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
PSY101
5.0
PHI110
5.0
ORPHIL
5.0
HONORS
5.0
PHI040
5.0
Reviews (111)
No Comments
Definitely a hard professor.
No Comments
Had Dr. Back for Western Philosophy and Oriental Philosophy (previously called Eastern Analyzation of Western Thought). Great teaching for both courses and he was pretty easy. He is really funny also.
had him and dude mumbled alot and he held the book infront of his face when he read and talked. so it was hard to understand. the papers were hard to write. i dropped it in a month.
No Comments
No Comments
He is a Kung-FU master and can kill you but with a thought. So watch out! P.S. he's blind as a mole.
some of my worst times at ku were spent in dr. back's class. i wanted to shoot myself in the head on numerous occasions in this man's class. the only good thing about him is that he gives so many opportunities for extra credit.
Great teacher, provided good information and tested your thoughts.
Definitely a challenging class, but the material covered was interesting. Overall, he's a good professor, if you are willing to push yourself. If not, don't bother, because it's a lot of work. I got a B, but could never quite finish all the reading.
Plato/Aristotle. The hardest class of my college career. He's brilliant but you'll spend all your time email him or in his office discussing more. I still remember everything I learned in his class though. And it was 3 years ago.
This was the most boring class i have ever taken at KU
One of the few challenging Professors on campus, who also has a personal interest in your learning the material and succeeding in the class. Would recommend for anyone who takes their time here seriously.
The readings he assigns are impossible to understand unless you read them over a million times... who has time for that?
Dr. Back is the man. Probably the only professor i've taken serious all semester. Gives tons of extra credit and makes getting an "A" very easy. As far as i'm concerned whoever rated him poorly is just not good at school...CRYYYYYY.
Great Professor. Gives tons of extra credit.
He is a very intelligent person. There were some things that he said which were strange. If you need help, just ask him.
Dr. Back is, without any doubt, the finest professor I've ever had. He's certainly the most intelligent, certainly the most willing to go out of his way to push you if you show interest and promise in the subject matter.
Wow, he assigns crazy readings that are impossible to understand. Then he isn't much of a help clarifying. The only good thing is that he is easy when it comes to grading short essays and papers. I'm just worried about the final!
As a person, this guys not so bad, but he grades too harshly for an intro class...i had to drop it because i couldnt get anything above a C in that class. You'd better know a lot about philosophy before taking this class!
Dr. Back is a good guy, just do the work he assigns and go to class. He is a very intelligent man and has a very great depth of knowledge on the material he teaches. Dont let the class scare you off in the first couple of days it gets better as you go along.
Take him if you love goats. Otherwise don't bother. Although this professor is very intelligent and passionate about philosophy, he dosn't seem to like teaching or students. Frequently, I'm lost in the readings and class cause he sort of rambles in the voice of kermit the frog.
He is the worst teacher I have ever had in my life. No tests and all essays which are impossible to get a good grade on. He expects everyone to love philosophy as much as him and he will not help you understand it.
No Comments
Not a bad professor, it just seems that he rambles on all the time about nothing that relates to the extremely difficult reading. He is way to strict on the essays. The readings are too much to do; He does give a lot of extra Credit which can help your grade.
He is a hard teacher at first. LOTS of work!!! If you want to get a good grade, think outside the box. I wrote a paper about, "Satori and a Happy Meal" and got an A+. Class was fun.
Very difficult with his grading of papers. This is an Intro class. It is impossible to get above a C.
By far my favorite professor at KU. Incredibly intelligent man. Makes me laugh everyday. Strange obsession with goats and Britney Spears. Difficult material, but meet him during office hours, he explains it all in laymens terms. Use www.sparknotes.com to better understand the texts. Essays are fair.
he is hilarious. he was a pretty good teacher. for the most part he was thorough and clear. definitely a weird guy. he had 4 or 5 quizzes, only one or two tests, a big paper which was easy, and 10 or so small essays that really just wanted an opinion on the readings. his class was not really hard, but it was not easy either. it was a lot of fun
Good guy. In my opinion, he does a good job explaining the logic behind proofs/etc, rather than just demonstrating on the board. I don't know for sure, but I believe a student who is struggling with the concepts would be able to learn from him. I've been to his office to talk to him. He's doing some interesting (albiet confusing) research.
This is the most challenging class I've ever attempted to take. My essay writing (which barely gets me anything below an A in any other class) was "too difficult" for him to follow. I've never had philo. before, and I never will again. He's a good professor, but I just don't have the time for it.
If you like writing many many papers, take this prof. If not- pass. His grading is very difficult. Very nice guy, has obsession with goats and britney spears. I wouldn't reccommend taking him, though.
Never take this man, if you do, you are as dumb as his lectures about britney spears and goats. Try all you want and get a C. Very sad excuse for a professor, should be fired.
funny
DO NOT TAKE HIM EVER! even if you are a philosophy major, avoid him. Absolutely terrible teacher, taught most of Medieval Phil, IN LATIN!!! I had no idea what was going on half the time, and no matter how hard I tried to get help from him, he was "to busy". Avoid this teacher.
He is a very good man and means well. He seems crazy because he wants to make a boring class a bit interesting and to keep students away even though it may not work. The only reason it is hard is because his readings are insanely hard and if you don't do them you will be lost in class without a doubt. Take him if your a serious philosophy major.
WORST PROF EVER! Never take this man. He is ridiculous, and doesn't know how to write, let alone talk, in actual English. Gave a problem on the final referencing a website that didn't work. Grades unfairly. If he seems crazy it's probably because he is. STAY FAR AWAY FROM HIM...FOR ANY CLASS!!!!
worst prof ever. went to class till the end, was lost since the beginning. he talked a lot about Britney Spears and goats. sometimes sounds like kermit the frog. (personally). papers and quizs were very hard. he didn't teach the info, you had to teach yourself. avoid him. seriously. boring, hard, weird, out there, don't do it to yourself.
He presents information about difficult material very clearly. he represents some of the best ideas in human history well and is therefore good for any major due to his ability to challenge inside of the box thinking. take him if you value strengthening your ability to think. don t take him if that is not a value you hold. he is a very hard grader.
He was by far the worst professor I ever had the misfortune to deal with. I'm generally a very good student, but his incessant ramblings about Britney Spears and goats and not discussing the subject he was meant to teach made it difficult to sit through. Don't take his class unless you're absolutely strapped.
Absoulutely horrible professor. Talks about goats and Lady Gaga way too much and is very difficult to understand. Most of your grade is based off of two papers and it turns out your final is another paper. He is aweful at helping you with your papers and is in general or horrible teacher. AVOID AT ALL COSTS
Back is as useless as a person can be. I have been here at ku for 2 years and that was my only C in college. he is a terrible proff. He will make you look bad and stupid and is no help. His number 1 goal is to fail students. He really makes this wonderful university look terrible. Do not take him!!!
Back is more than willing to help you understand the material. He said repeatedly in class if you did not understand to talk to him about it and he would work with you until you did. Admittedly the material toward the end was not easy but he is aware of that and seems to grade kindly. Does talk about goats and lady gaga, but it?s all good fun.
Frequently talks about goats, Lady GaGa, roaches, and Britney Spears. Not very clear on his expectations and a ather hard grader. Absolutely hilarious, but overall not a very good prof.
hands down worst professor i have ever had in my life! AVOID AT ALL COSTS
Back trys to make his class interesting by including humor into his class. If you share his sense of humor then his class is fairly enjoyable..if not then his classes are brutal. Hes willing to help you on anything you don't understand but even if you try its likely you wont get higher then a C. I don't recommend you take him unless you have to.
Back is an awesome professor. He teaches philosophy through humor. He also teaches by making you think. It is not a black or white answer sort of class, you need to open up your mind and listen. He will teach you so much. One of the best professors I have ever had!!!
Very cool guy - very intelligent. Very flexible with work schedules and as long as you are willing to use your brain, he will be the best teacher on campus for you. Take the time to talk to him, and read the readings occasionally. You will not regret taking one of his classes, trust me.
Worst teacher i have had since I got to KU. His class is the most boring thing ever. There was two guys who sat next to me that fell asleep every class. You can barely understand him talk and and cant read his writing. He bases your whole grade off of two papers and the final ends up being another paper. Stay away from him, PLEASE!
Back is an alright dude but he's a little off... He makes corny goat jokes all the time and he doesn't you electronics at all. No slides or anything, Really old school. Its easy to do well though if you just do the work and take the essays seriously. I wouldn't take him again though
I am in a P.PhD program and I found Mr. Back's class to be harder than any of my classes as a graduate student. His grade was the lowest I have ever received in college period. He should not be teaching anywhere and should be relieved of his duties.
Very very hard to understand. He talks quiet, uses no technology, and doesn't write any kind of notes on the board. If you take this class read the book and sit in the front of the class. Avoid if possible
Allan Back is, in my opinion, the best professor at Kutztown. He he does high expectations of students. He actually wants them to learn something at Kutztown. But if you're willing to put in the work he is willing to go out of his way to help you succeed. If you're one of those people that don't like puns though, he'll really get your goat.
He is a horrible teacher. uses no technology, and you can barely understand what he is saying when he's lecturing. Which is everyday. Lowest grade I've received at KU. Avoid at all costs.
Hands down the best class I've had here. He opened my mind to philosophy, and might open yours if you're up for it. Some of his jokes are corny, but some are downright hilarious. No powerpoint, but not sure why that would be a problem. You have to just pay attention to, like, words. The work is hard though; but you can do it, smarty.
He's one of the best professors at Kutztown. As someone who has struggled with writing for his entire life taking a writing intensive course was very nerve wracking, but he helped me out and even offered an extra day for my term paper when I turned it in and I felt it was incomplete. If you talk to him he will always help you. Also goat jokes.
If you take his class you should 1. read 2. sit up front 3. actually put in effort. he's a really good teacher but doesn't just hand you the grade he wants you to take from his class and actually try. if you do that and go to all the classes you'll pass with no doubts.
Back is a good professor, brilliant, and holds interesting lectures; but, don't expect an A without working for it. Lots of extra credit opportunities. People at kutztown want an A without working for it, dont be scared by other comments if you need to take this class. But, the chances of actually getting an A are slim. Get ready, Goat jokes.
Great guy, one of, if not the best, Professor at KU. Such a smart guy, you just have to sit close cause he doesn't talk loudly. Changed my life forever, brilliant man, give him a chance and listen to his wisdom. Don't expect easy grades, but put in the work and you'll pass. His handwriting is a little rough try emailing for more clarity in feedback
Dr. Back didn't write down any of my grades for the majors assignments, although I have copies of grades on them. If you're going to take him, make sure you're on top of HIS grade for you.
Dr. Back is awesome. If you don't like his class, I'm sorry to tell you that you don't like college. He wants students to get a similar education to those at top tier schools, which means you are going to have to actually work for your grade. I know, that's hard for some of you. But if you just read the book and write the papers, you can handle it.
This class was tough because I don't understand philosophy, but back himself is a genius. I never went to class and passed with a B anyway, but I'm a strong writer and got As on all my papers. He does take attendance and gives 6 random quizzes. He's nice, but good luck following his lectures, which is why I stopped going.
Awesome Prof! Best class and teacher at Kutztown! makes you think outside the box and opens new ways of looking at life. Inspirational and hysterical.
Dr. Back is by far the most intelligent professor at KU. He genuinely cares about his job and wants all of his students to succeed. For those who don't like philosophy, do yourself a favor and don't take him or any other PHI course. However, if you do like PHI, then he will always be my go-to prof. PHI is my minor and he makes life easier for me.
Very smart professor and knows his stuff very well. However, he is almost way too smart for the average person to understand. He doesn't write a lot of notes, just words on the board and he talks very quiet so it's hard to understand. I did go to his office hours a few times and it honestly was helpful but I eventually dropped the course.
worst prof. ever, i mean he was cool, but got off topic and talked about dumb stuff and he dragged on. never again, if i didn't withdrawal i would of failed.
GREAT prof. He is a tough grader but he's also not ridiculous. He will go out of his way to make time to help you, as much as needed. He does a lot to help students outside of the classroom and is the reason I am a philosophy major. Unorganized lectures seemingly, but if you listen and read the material you'll get a lot from it. Very insightful.
Worst professor I ever had. If you need to take him, make sure you sit in the front so that you can attempt to understand anything he says. Always gets off topic and you constantly have to be on him about knowing your grade because he doesn't use technology.
Talks about goats. Often. Gives short essays & small pop quizzes. 2 5-page papers. One final (another paper). The material is extremely difficult to understand because he DOES NOT make sense. Does not put grades online. TOUGH grader. If you have to take him, I recommend watching 'Crash Course' Youtube videos explaining the concepts. NEVER TAKE HIM
Ok, well he's actually a really nice guy, but this class is just so hard. the material is very difficult to understand and there are a lot of readings to do. the 2 major essays are completely open ended so figuring out a topic is really hard. and there are a lot of shorter essays to write. hes a tough grader, but will allow you to redo work.
Dr. Back is a great professor. You can work for the grade you want. People who say his class is hard or unfair just dont get it. Many oppertunites to work for the grade you want.
He's such a nice guy! He is always cracking jokes. YOU NEED THE BOOK! it's a lot of short essays (one page) and two papers. no homework aside from that and he is VERY lenient and a fair grader but you need to do the work to pass. you don't need to show up for every class but he does take attendance and it would help you more if you did
Drones on and rambles about nothing philosophical nothings, if I could have titled this class the ramblings of an old man while attempting to push incoherent personal beliefs I would. Does not grade anything or post grades on d2l so the grade you receive is what he feels like giving you, Id maybe pay this guy to be a janitor but not much more
This is like a very intense math class , hard to understand his handwriting and he assumes everyone get and moves entirely too fast. DONT DO IT
While entertaining in a grotesque way, he will bring up goats at every opportunity, and he rambles on in a way that makes him really hard to follow. I spent most classes wishing for them to be over. He's clearly a really smart guy, and I learned some things/did well, but it was painful, to say the least.
I spent a lot of time confused by the content of the class. While yes, I skipped a lot, I still understood the content once I read it outside of class rather than going to class and hearing him ramble on. Also, we're on winter break and I still have papers to write for him. It seems like I couldn't go a day without remembering to write a paper.
Lectures are all over the place. Extremely hard to even know whats going on in the class. So many, papers/short answers essays.
He's a very wise man, he might come off as weird and disorganized to many. For symbolic logic it was surprisingly hard for my first semester, but if you just work at it, you'll be fine. You can go to his office hours if you're struggling and he will sit with you and help.
real good guy. We had a nice talk about stocks at the beginning of the semester. And he let's you catch up if you fall behind, at least for intro to philosophy. I only had him for zoom classes. I definitely am glad I took the class, I feel like I actually took something away from it and how I view the world. College is obsolete but knowledge is not
Professor Back is an amazing professor. Though he may be paper heavy, if you do the readings and pay attention you'll pass. He was very helpful and understanding and allowed me to receive extra time on papers. Would def take again.
Sweet guy, not your conventional intro class, he kind of just rambles about different things straight off the bat on day 1. Talks a lot about goats. Nice enough guy, not a very good professor. Do the readings and short essays and you will pass.
Horrible Professor. Makes you submit everything through email, and the d2l is all over the place and unorganized. Class consists of him rambling complete nonsense which makes note taking extremely difficult. Instructions for assignments are very unclear and vague. Avoid this class at all costs if possible
Disclaimer: I probably overloaded myself a bit this semester took spring 2022. this was an extremely difficult class. i was constantly stressed and everything was so confusing.
If you are like me a non-philosophy major who just needed a filler do not go with Back because you will stress yourself out. He is a great guy but he is very confusing to understand and does not explain things very well. If anything going to office hours help, he is always willing to help.
I don't dislike Dr. Back, but the course I took with him was utterly useless. He's obviously tenured, and very comfortable putting in the bare minimum. His "lectures" are actually just barely coherent ramblings. Absolutely no value in coming to class (mandatory attendance). Watch YouTube videos to get a sense of what's actually going on.
Incredibly unclear for all his assignments. Doesn't seem to understand how much he asks of his students at times. Spends more time joking about assignments and criticizing student's attempts than actually explaining the assignments themselves
This course and professor were terrible. Didn't know philosophy could be so rigid and oppressive. No D2L usage, and all assignments are to be emailed? What a joke. Attendance is mandatory, but lectures are incoherent and useless. Take something else.
Really nice, funny guy, but so many papers and very very disorganized. Pretty lenient with when stuff is due, but actually do the readings it'll help so much, but it s a torture to read.
His lectures are him rambling about random stuff that comes to his mind. He seems like a nice enough guy and sometimes funny but his 5 minutes of actual comp class were talking about differences between "it's" and "its". You are paying for this class to not understand or learn much, I do not personally recommend it.
I had such a difficult time with this professor, i couldn't even understand his syllabus. When i did ask for help id get a answer that was completely irrelevant. Rambles alot during lecture and hes extremely unorganized.
Went on tangents irrelevant to the class and is unorganized.
if you can take another professor do it. this man spends his entire lecture rambling about random things irrelevant to what we need to do the assignments. requires the papers to be about specific topics.
lost more than one of my assignments that I handed in on paper. when I asked him about it he shrugged and didn't offer any solution despite me not having any of the papers in my bag.
Rambles the entire time about random things which confuses everyone because, what are we even learning? Assignments have 0 clear instructions and we have little to no time to complete them. Has 0 clue how to use D2L which causes issues and more confusion for assignments. Lots of essays with unclear prompts.
One of the worst professors I have ever had. Never take him ever. hes like 108 years old and snorts borax for lunch.
Worst class I've ever taken in my life, if you can take ANY OTHER PROFESSOR/CLASS DO IT. Mandatory to be here, waste of my money and time. Uses class to ramble about whatever he feels like. Will never remind about assignments (usually papers)- which are unclear with oddly specific short criteria. Guess he assumes we can read his mind.
Oh my god, this guy. THIS GUY. With the two weeks i took his class i felt like going insane. The ENTIRETY of our class had no clue whatever we were doing. His lectures made zero sense. Papers were due like every week, and who the hell knows what they were even on. Do NOT take this prof, you have better things to do with your life, time, and money.
Nice guy but avoid his classes. His "lectures" are him rambling about who knows what for an hour. His assignments have little instruction and guidelines, and it's almost impossible to know what the criteria are and how you will be graded. Extremely difficult to be in his class.
Instructions on assignments are ridiculously vague making assignments difficult. Attending class is useless and doesn't at all pertain to assignments you will complete. Professor Back was pretty lenient with late work which was nice but all other aspects were awful. Grading also seems completely random. Take a different course if possible
dr back is honestly a good guy. he does tend to ramble a bit in his lectures, which makes them seem a bit dry. for comp he had about 8 or 9 essays due total, which may seem like a lot but it should be expected in a writing class. super lenient with late work and will answer (most) questions asked. respect him and he'll respect you, simple as that
Quite literally the worst teacher on campus. There are no PowerPoints, no presentations, no writing things down. He just talks. And it's not about writing or composition, it is literally just about Christianity or random things (mostly Christianity). He will bore you. Do not take his class unless you just want a waste of your time, but an easy A.
In my 6 years of college, this has been my all time favorite professor. he is a kind hearted and gentle soul, who is as humble as he is caring for his students. I recommend that all student take his class if possible because he left a lasting impression on me.
He's a nice guy but I never really knew what was going on in the class. He had a research paper at the end, but it wasn't really talked about in class, and you have to buy this $40 book. Just overall a very confusing class.
Prof. Back has a specific teaching style, but if you engage with it, the class can work well. The assignments lack clear instructions, but unstuck ai and the free textbook help with study prep. Take it seriously and you'll learn a lot.
yeah absolutely not nothing made sense, i couldn't tell you one thing that i learned in the five weeks i was there, and he talks about.. i don't even know???? no note taking, or powerpoint, it's very easy to not have a clue in this class.
Funny guy but can't teach. Only gives lectures about the reading we already did and assignment guidelines are very confusing.
Alan is one of the most influential teachers I have ever had the pleasure of learning under. As a young student, he made complex concepts accessible to students from varied backgrounds and experiences. He is a genius level scholar and incredibly compassionate in his interactions. My life was genuinely improved through his guidance and perspective.
Professor is both hard to understand and speaks far too quietly to hear well enough. Professor frequently gets off topic in lecture and leaves you wondering what class you're really in. Professor once changed the prompt of an essay on the day it was due after I had already written the paper, and made me rewrite, because he listed it incorrectly.
lectures are a drag and practically useless, they usually have him rambling. its literally just him talking. didn't learn any specific writing skills. instructions don't provide clear instructions. no notes, no powerpoint. you need to submit essays through email and his grading on them is so... bad. assignments are somehow vague but oddly specific.
He is such a sweet and understanding guy. However, he doesn't post any grades, his essays are all turned in through emails, and he'll give you these vague gradings at the end of them. He says he will give extra points or points for participation and attendance but when I raise my hand he doesn't call on me cause he has trouble seeing.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
71%
Textbook Required
50%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.48 avg changeRatings by Course
ETHICS
5.0
(1)INTRPHI
5.0
(1)PHI200
5.0
(1)PHI310
5.0
(2)PHI121
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
PSY101
5.0
PHI110
5.0
ORPHIL
5.0
HONORS
5.0
PHI040
5.0