2.5
Quality2.6
Difficulty36%
Would Retake110
Reviews36%
Would Retake
110
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
18
4
19
3
19
2
23
1
31
What Students Say
“Doesn't respond to emails and isn't helpful at all”
PHIL104 - 1.0 rating“He is one of the worst professors I have ever had”
HUM114 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
75%
Textbook Required
89%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
+0.13 avg changeRatings by Course
ASIA104
5.0
(1)HUMN114
5.0
(1)HUM114FALL2013
5.0
(2)HUM114FALL13
5.0
(1)EASTREL
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
PHILO104
5.0
104
4.0
ASIA114
4.0
LEGACYOFASIA
4.0
PHILO105
4.0
Reviews (110)
intersting subj but sloppy notes
always changing hw due dates, unclear, but tests are easy
Easy summer class.
He looks hard...but his grading is hella easy, because he's unorganize. Funny guy.. Once you get him, his class is like the easiest class, even though he wants us to write alot. Recommend to take him. Bear with him, and you'll pass with an A+++.
He is very unorganized. Would not recommend. Seems pretty easy at first cuz he's unorganized, but the reality proves it not. There's a term paper at the end, and so much criterias required. Most of all, it gotta be at least 12 pages long. ahhhhhh!!!!
The worst teacher i've ever had !!! He repeats one idea over and over and over again, as if the class is stupid. This is like he does not respect people in the class and does not give them any credit ! After 15 minues I space out and stop following him.
Very poor teacher. Obviously knowledgable but you couldn't tell by this class. Very disorganized, contradictory in instructions, condescending to students (who would _want_ to participate??). Would never recommend.
if u don't want to deal with all the confusion &aggravation that comes w/ this prof..DON'T TAKE ANY CLASSES W/ HIM!!! isn't a very pleasent experience..BELIEVE ME...GET OUT WHILE YOU STILL CAN!!!!
this teacher sucks. unorganized.....unclear.....overall a bad teacher. other than that, his assignments and tests are easy. u just have to deal with his teaching.
It is an easy A if you are serious student. if you space out in class, How could one achieve the purpose of being in school!His lectures are very interesting, funny....He is indeed unorganized guy.Highly recommend this class.
Do not take this class unless you are already knowledgable on Asian philosophy because you will learn absolutely nothing. His lectures are unorganized and he enjoys hearing himslef take about excrement.He requires a ten page paper at end of semester.
This teacher is helpful you can always talk to him after class and in his office, his teaching method is disorganized, other than that no problem attaining an Easy B, B+ class. He has a lot of projects therefore even easy not an A class!
Earn student's respect for his knowledge. He is helpful for the paper. If you are into Asia culture, this could be a fun class. He is a hilarious and easy professor. A easy "A" class. Recommend to take.
He is a bad teacher. He is unorganized and doesn't know how to teach well. He does know his stuff though. I got the highest grade in the class, and that was only an A-. I think I had the only "A" grade.
I was very excited to take this class, but quickly found out that I had made a mistake. On assignments and exams he has a definite answer in mind and will mark you wrong if you deviate at all!
The worst teacher I've had in college. His lectures are contradictory and unclear, he condescends to students as though they were in middle school and have no knowledge of how to write a paper. I won't even go into his special theories on religions.
doesn't know what he is talking about.doesn't speak good english.
the professor is hard to understand... material is unstructured. Course content is unclear. But if you do all the work and attend the classes you will get a B. Do not take if you actually want to walk away with a good understanding of Asian Philosophy
This class was the worst class I've ever taken! Due dates are just as unclear as the assignments. The lectures are just as bad! Your'e better off not taking this class.
got an A in his class with all the extra credits offered....will usually curve to make students happy. other than that....midterms are just like study guide, if you study the study guide, you will do fine
cool teacher. funny and friendly too. his english is imperfect, but then u'd have to be an idiot if u can't make out what he's trying to say. fun class if ur interested in asian religion and culture. easy tests. study guides provided.
Take this class if u want to pass without problem. He's unclear sometime, but at least he's funny and easy going. He looks serious but he's not. RECOMMEND take him. Easy grader. If u don't get the assignment, just ask him directly. He'll help you out. Do!
This class is really cool. prof.phan is an Easy grader and you will learn and be enlightened. Lectures are interesting and his jokes are hilarious. Makes you want to come to class. I highly recommend him!!
Dr.Phan is great! Unclear sometimes, but he's very knowledgeable of the material. If you have trouble understanding, just go to him directly, he's more than willing to help! He's also FUNNY! It's important to be interested in phil. if not, then this class is not for you. Great teacher!
very knowledgable teacher...but you have to know what you want to ask otherwise you may get a long answer in return.
He's a kickback prof. Really cool, you will learn alot and he's a good grader. He cares about the students and is willing to help you out if you need it.
He is a very confused instructor. Always changing dates on assignment. Quizzes and Exams are multiple choice .. straight from his notes. He mades us do lots of writing assignments.
one of the worst i have ever had!! unclear and unable to help students both during and after class. very strong Vietnam accent and very hard to understand. althought he passes mostly everyone and hand out imcompletes at the end of the semester, almost all people who passes will get a C and dont expect learning anything meaningful from his class.
Has Viet accent but shouldn't be too hard to understand. He has alot of knowledge, u will learn alot if u are interested in the subject. Due dates are jumbled up, teaching style can be confusing but if you can sort thru the confusion then easy A. Class debates, 2 research papers, quizzes, midterm & final.
It seems his strategy for teaching is not just to tell you about Daoism, but to show you. Whenever there is an inconsistency, there is a reason behind it. He's accessible. When I was a little confused, he talked with me in his office for over an hour. He loves his craft, and is easily sidetrackable. In a nutshell, it's what you make of it.
Has yet to change my incomplete to a real grade...from two semesters ago. Was always behind in his teaching; made the students run the class by the end of the semester...
He has a very thick accent and his english can get in the way of teaching. He does however try his best and gives a lot of extra credit to make up for the way he poorly phrases questions on quizzes, etc.
Great teacher, very funny, Vietnamese accent, but easy to understand...
love the class.... nice going teacher
Pretty entertaining class. He's a bit unorganized but overall easy. Takehome midterms and pass/no pass papers are the best. Other than that, all you have to worry about is the final paper and final itself.
God damn this guy is boring. Doesn't include the class in any lectures. He talks nearly every class from beginning to end
syllabus: midterm, final, two research papers, 1 field trip, ten quizzes, and class participation. He talks continuously from start to end of class repeating himself often. Likes to say the things he repeats much louder than before. Very boring lectures. His notes aren't organized. Scribbles all over board. Stares at one guy while lecturing to us.
His lectures are really boring! 2 exams, 2 reseach paper, 10 pop quizs, and one final. He grades you like your going to get a P.H.D in Phil. At the end of the semester, more than half of the class recieved C's. STAY AWAY FROM HIM!!!
Worst teacher i've ever had. Terribly unorganized. Lectures more about what he's going to lecture about and never really gets to the material. His tests are so hard. He expects so much from you when he doesn't teach you anything. Last semester he pleaded to us to give him a good evaluation so he could get a promotion that year.
This guy is a joke. Changed our research papers several times during the semester and was very unorganized. Then at the end he has the gall to ask us to give him a good review so he can get a raise! He even went so far as to post a bogus evaluation sheet that said any score of 3 or below that we gave him was equal to a D!
He is boring and talks forever. However, he is a very nice guy and cares about his students. His midterm is not hard as long as you study off his review on yahoo group. Plus, his papers are easy too and as long as you go by the grade checklists you will get an A for the paper. He gives good amount of extra credits!!!!
If you want to boost up your GPA, take professor Phan. This class was so easy.
I took this teacher because there was no one for this course. He is boring, not very organized, and teaches nothing! Do your paper based on his guidelines for score; do his extra credit; study out of Yahoo Group! notes. Go to class even if you fall asleep so that you can get points for being there. I got an A-; and worked hard for the papers.
He was not organized. very repetative. Not helpful. Could not contact him through e-mail or office hours. If possible take another professor for the class.
You need to be in class for this course. Very lectured base class. A lot of material to cover and can be overwhelming at times. Term papers are a lot of work, and there are many hurdles to meet when writing them. He is hard to follow sometimes, what he is looking for in a response. Good Luck!
Professor Phan NEEDS to organize his cousework and materials so that it will be clear for his students. He is a good guy and a good professor, but he could also do a better job of listening to the student responses to questions he poses in class. I WOULD consider taking another class with him.
Professor Phan is a good guy. Granted his lectures are wacky.. but if you have a genuine interest in the material you WILL learn something. I agree he is totally unorganized but the students are not punished for this. If you want structure or clear lesson plans, he's not the prof for you. If you are flexible/open, you'll love him.
Class is so unorganized and a waste of time.This Summer class sucked! He changed his syll. at least 10 times. horrible at communications skills with students and conveying information. I hope he reads this 'cause this class sucks!!!! Pick another GE requirement course to take. Expects students to be PhD's in writing papers and with information
I don't understand why people complain, the quizzes and midterm/final are easy, he gave you the questions + answer all you have to do is basically memorize them. Term papers are not that hard, all you have to do is philosophize some BS and you'll get a good grade. TAKE HIS CLASS!!!
Very funny old guy with strong Vietnamese accent. Extremely disorganized and chaotic, which he blames on his rural upbringing. Super easy class, wrote less than 10 pages, he spells out what he wants, though he is a very hard paper grader. Uses textbooks to structure his lectures and loses track of time. Extends deadlines easily, very sympathetic.
Taking him for Winter Session right now, so the course load is REAL easy. He's a funny and slightly politically incorrect guy. Some may not like the fact that he's SOMEWHAT unclear, but overall he's a good-hearted guy who tries to help as much as he can and he tells funny stories.
Entertaining teacher but boring when it comes to the content of the lectures. The class is relatively easy as long as you respect the guidelines in the syllabus. Really crazy teacher, not necessarily in a good way.
This is honestly the worst class I have ever taken in my four years of college. I was excited for the class but he crushed it. He makes no sense not only because of his accent but because of his unorganized lecture. I went to every class, did all my work but got a C. Nice enough guy but impossible to take notes or even understand. AVOID!
This class was alright. Teacher cares about students, so make use of office hours when things are unclear or you need help. Presentation was difficult, but if u did it u got full points. Gave study guides for tests which weren't hard if you studied his online notes. Paper due at end of semester is time consuming, but groups are allowed.
ALTHOUGH THIS PROFESSOR'S PERSONALITY IS A BIT "OUT THERE," HE WILL WORK WITH YOU IF YOU WORK WITH HIM. SHOW HIM THAT YOU WANT THE GRADE AND VISIT HIM DURING OFFICE HOURS. HE IS QUITE A CHARACTER BUT HE ACTUALLY CARES ABOUT HIS STUDENT'S FINAL OUTCOME. TAKE HIM.
This guy is a MESS! The final paper might as well be a Masters thesis. The instructions for the paper were 10+ pages where he tells you in full detail EXACTLY how to write it, to the point where you can't write it. You can work in groups, but NO ONE knows what's going on so that of no use. Spends most of his lectures rambling about useless info.
Very unorganized professor I have ever taken. I took a make up midterm exam because I was really sick, but he didn't grade the midterm at all. When I received my final grade, I was surprised to find out that my midterm grade was BLANK. I emailed him as soon as possible to find out what was going on. He told me that he had the exams and still haven
*Unfit/Unacceptable presently* On a brighter note, if he improved his English, sought help for his organization and clarity, & put more effort into preparation, who knows? 10% good points, 90% bad. As of now, he's highly unprofessional, confusing, capricious, & unorganized. Lacks effort/care. Although ESL, needs to master English as a professor.
I would not retake this professor. He is unorganized and does not answer emails or phone calls. It's hard to follow his lectures. Though, his tests are passable if you read everything required and use his study guide. 6-10 page essay that he explains in a confusing 17 pages!
Great profeesor. Just VERY DISORGANIZED!!!!
Not sure what I learned in his class. He was not very clear or organized. Knew his topic, but repeated himself too much. He is very attentive to details, but not his own. Still managed to get a B.
Mr. Phan was the most unorganized professor I've had at SJSU. He rambles on the entire class and no one quite knows what he's talking about with his accent. I would definitely take a different class to satisfy your Area V requirement. If you have no other option, the class is comprised of 2 powerpoint presentations, 1 research paper, 3 tests.
I can't understand how Professor Phan still has a job right now. He's one of those professors who is intelligent but at the same time cannot teach. I didn't learn anything due to his lack of organization. I think I learned more, if anything, from the other students in class.
He is very unorganized, unclear, and forgets things. His exams are out of the blue. Unclear about everything. Most of the times he was confused himself. He knows the material but does not how to teach it to students. Will not consider others' view points. I still don't know the point of this class.
if not for dr. phan's winning personality i would be tempted to give him much lower ratings! he is disorganized, but amusing sometimes and he seems like he is trying, just has a hard time conveying extactly what he wants and staying on track. class is easy if you read what he wants you to and pay attention to your syllabus.
Avoid at all costs!! Worst professor I've had at SJSU
He is very disorganized. Do not bother emailing him because you will not get a response. Instructions for research paper and his ppt slides were so confusing. Overall, he is a fair professor because of the extra credit here and there.
Horrible! Hard to understand, absolutely unorganized, and comes unprepared to class everyday . He does not follow syllabus,quizzes every class. He messes up on grades and forgets to update them. Tests are not related to lectures. Uses only books that he wrote and are useless. Only enjoys listening to the sound of his voice and not his students.
I do agree that Professor Phan is a bit unorganized. However, he is not a bad professor like what some people on here say. His grading policy is very simple: There are 2 midterms, 2 group presentations, group research paper, and final. He gives you the questions to the midterm ahead of time so you can study.
This was an easy class. Dr Phan goes over everything so many times that it's hard to forget the material. The exams are easy too. Make sure you find a group that is willing to devote time to the research paper though. As for the book, we only used a few pages for presentations and it was group presentations.
Wonderful professor! Dr Phan is one of the nicest professor that I have in SJSU. His test is super easy, he gave you all the questions and you just have to study it to get an A. The paper is ok. If you have problem with the paper,come to his office, he will help you. Overall, easy A ever:)
Dr. Phan is the bees knees!! He is a bit disorganized, but is the KINDEST and most understanding teacher I have met at SJSU. The people who are giving him bad reviews did not do their work and expect teachers to baby them through class. His class is easy, just do your work and be on top of due dates. He also allows class parties!Take him!!
He understands student's need very well and he is willing to help . There is no reason to get below B unless you want to. Take him and you won't be disappointed!
He is very disorganized and his instruction is very confusing. Avoid if possible.
Phan is so confusing and NOT HELPFUL! He gets mad if you ask a clarifying questions. I would have panic attacks trying to get my stuff together for this class because it was so confusing! The only good thing is he accepts assignments late, because he does not keep track of them. I have no clue how I got an A.
He is one of the worst professors I have ever had. He is unorganized, does not answer students' questions and his lectures are completely irrelevant. There is no point in going to class yet he takes attendance for participation. Avoid him if you can.
Doctor Phan is a great teacher I have ever met, I enjoy learning in his class for his knowledge and courtesy/empathetic to his students. We learned a lot from his lectures about other countries' economic and culture, which helpful for my education and real work-life. He is organize and gives a fair grade. I strongly recommend you take his class.
Doctor Phan is a great teacher I have ever met, I enjoy learning in his class for his knowledge and courtesy/empathetic to his students. We learned a lot from his lectures about other countries' economic and culture, which helpful for my education and real work-life. He is organize and gives a fair grade. I strongly recommend take his class- easy A
Doctor Phan is a great teacher, he is organize and knowledge. his lectures are clear and helpful for our education and real career-life, and we can memorize right at his class meeting. He is empathetic and nice with his students. I strongly reconment for taking his class.
He was very unorganized, almost half of the assignments on the syllabus were never discussed or even necessary. Doesn't really seem to care that his unorganized ways make class unnecessarily difficult. Avoid him if you can.
like any other professors. having their moment and style but over all Dr. phan is a nice professor. I learned some basic stuffs which he expects us to know. His lectures are interesting and sometime very fun. I know he makes mistake sometimes on assignments but he has passion and willing to work with all students. Highly recommended.
I am a former student of Dr. Phan. He is a great teacher. Pay attention to everything, and remember him in the future, that is when you will really appreciate him...Be sure to keep his text (the one written by him) and read it repeatedly over the years.
He can be unorganized, but he really cares that people are learning the material and becoming educated. I feel bad because he's kind of a pushover and the students in class take advantage of that. Just listen to his lectures and read all the material he assigns. The assignments are easy as long as you don't over think it.
Although he was a bit organized, I really enjoyed the material in this class. He gives us the practice tests and midterms before the actual tests. It's a little time consuming but as long as you do good on the practice exams you have the answers to the tests! There was one PowerPoint and paper due which is short and simple. Not a hard grader.
2 online midterms and a final which is in person but you have to bring your laptops and take it online weekly quiz which you have 2-3 chances I barley went to class and got a B+ because of participation points. He's confusing and unorganized but he's really passionate about the topic. Def recommend him for easy GE class. easy A! (if you show up)
He's a super fun guy to watch in lecture. His mannerisms are really funny and hes very engaging with students. Tests 1 and 2 for us were online so its easy to collaborate with friends and do well. Papers aren't too bad at all and the final is pretty easy as long as you take the practice exam. Would totally take again!
Dr. Phan is there to help you when you need it. We had plenty of assignments on CANVAS so if you do poorly on a midtermfinal, it won't affect your grade so much. 1 quiz per week (2-3 attempts). 1 group project. MidtermFinal come straight from his practice test so take it! You don't have to study much; just attend lecture and look at his ppt
Felt like a middle school social studies class with A LOT of busy work. He quizzes you on simple things like the process of specific essay writing frameworks by other authors, so you have no choice but to readresearch on really basic things. Attendance is mandatory, with 3 absences allowed before it affects your grade. Overall waste of time
HUGE DRAG, lectures are a pain to go through. AVOID IF POSSIBLE! If not, I highly suggest buddying up with someone for the quizzes. A google docs was started in the class where half the people shared quiz answers. I would fail this class if it wasn't for that. And bc he's disorganized, it's up to us to stay on top of all our assignments.
His teaching does not instill a good learning environment. He thinks college students need to be taught what a thesis statement is, and spends the entire lecture yelling and wailing his statements. Half the time it doesn't seem like he himself knows what he's talking about. Absolute waste of time. If you get him stay on top of your assignments!!
He seems knowledgeable, but its hard to understand him with his heavy accent. His assignments have these random requirements that just make it all busy work. Class wouldn't be worth going to if he didn't make attendance mandatory. I don't know why he still has his job or why I'm paying for him to waste my time. Take another area V class if you can!
Easy class to pass because the tests has the same exact questions on the practice test, but be ready to be bore to death and confused 99% of the time in his class. He is so unorganized and confusing, students never know how to answer his questions because he critiques everybody's answers. Doesn't respond to emails and isn't helpful at all.
His class is easy, but he is very confusing. It is an easy A as long you understand what he wants and the concept.
He speaks more than he knows. He teaches about other cultures and religions and uses very derogatory language against other cultures but his own. Very confused and confusing. Sometimes very interesting and engaging and funny, but mostly it is wrong information and confusing. Do not take!
He is very unorganized He makes class attendance mandatory to pass His handwriting is atrocious His accent makes it very hard to understand concepts He contradicts his own points and doesn't let students voice their opinions All in all, please take another class . This class feels like a middle school class, so expect a lot of busy work.
Prof Phan is an interesting man. His lectures consist of him loudly voicing his opinions and giving confusing/unclear ideas about philosophy. Pros: gives extra credit, easy A on tests since they're online and gives practice versions. Cons: unclear of what he wants on assignments, confusing lectures, pretty forgetful. All in all, an easy A. 5/10
GREAT GREAT professor. clear instruction. he is very intelligent and he wrote his own text book. well dressed. Exam are online and if you read his power point and attend the class, you would get an A. Attendance is mandatory. He is very clear and ready to help for those who need it.
Essays are short, single 'big' one was 1200 words. Tests are online and extremely easy - the study guides had every single answer for copy+pasting answers in on Canvas. You will need to purchase both books for tests and the group project. Grades on attendance. Bad at Canvas quizzes detecting right answers, so gives lots of extra credit.
This Professor is probably the worst professor at SJSU. He is so confusing and super unorganized. Too much pointless/busy work for a GE course. He needs to understand that his students have tons of other courses as well, so he should not assign too much work. He is also a harsh grader :(
DO NOT TAKE THIS PROFESSOR!!! One of the worst professors at SJSU. This professor is so confusing and gives too many assignments. I worked so hard in this class to only receive a B which is annoying because this GE course should be a course that boosts your grade. Please do not take this professor unless you want to be confused 100% of the time.
Do not take this professor unless you want to put a lot of time into a GE class. His assignments are so confusing, he is constantly changing deadlines and requirements. On top of the material you have to learn, you ALSO have to learn how he wants you to write. It's so much effort and I have so much anxiety thinking about this class.
Horrible teacher. This teacher does not stand by his syllabus and deadlines. He is constantly changing due dates around. Homework and essays are expected to be written to a style that fits him. This style will not be used in any real-world situation and if not written in this style you will be marked down points. Exams do not match any quizzes
super unorganized teacher. tons of material to read with no power points. Most online courses have power points to follow for each chapter and this teacher has none of that. He only tells you to read the chapter and take quizzes. Instructions for any assignment are very unclear. You will be confused 100% of the time with this class.
Learned a lot, he cares about the material and students. Easy A if you do all the work. Hes an easy grader
Took his class for an online GE. Since online classes usually require more work than in person classes, his workload was expected. He was very understanding with deadlines and was willing to work with you if you simply ask. The material was interesting and enjoyable to learn.
I took this class for a online GE. He was kind of all over the place, but fairly an easy grader. This class is a lot of work, but it's manageable. There was about 10 short essays, 3 midterms, 2 finals. I studied a lot for the tests, and for the essays I wrote whatever because my head hurt too much from trying to understand. Overall, easy for most.
I have no idea how he got such good reviews. I was so excited for Asian Philosophy, but this has been one of my most difficult classes at SJSU. He acts like he's so clear, but the instructions are all over the place. He wants "scholarly" written work, but he expects everything written word for word how HE wants it (at a third grade level at that).
Anyone who speaks against him is simply wrong. He has been the most caring professor I have had at SJSU and is truly there to help students. His lessons are straight-forward, lots of interesting videos, and the textbooks are cheap! Truly a rare professor who is always accessible & wants to see you succeed.
This class can be a little hard to follow because slides can be hard to read and videos can be unclear. However, I would say unless you are totally slacking off, it is very easy to pass this class. He gives you ample amount of time to complete assignments, many extra credit opportunities (easy, just set a meeting w him), and is very understanding.
I took Professor Phans class this past semester (Fall 2020) and I passed with an A. His instructions are unclear most of the time but it is definitely possible to pass his course if you read the assigned material. Assigned 13 quizzes, two papers, and 2 exams total. He is a fair grader and very caring if you reach out to him but so philosophical!
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
75%
Textbook Required
89%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
+0.13 avg changeRatings by Course
ASIA104
5.0
(1)HUMN114
5.0
(1)HUM114FALL2013
5.0
(2)HUM114FALL13
5.0
(1)EASTREL
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
PHILO104
5.0
104
4.0
ASIA114
4.0
LEGACYOFASIA
4.0
PHILO105
4.0