3.5
Quality3.2
Difficulty70%
Would Retake88
Reviews70%
Would Retake
88
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
34
4
20
3
9
2
11
1
14
What Students Say
“One of the best profs in the department”
PHIL306 - 5.0 rating“Laid back and into his teachings”
PHILO100 - 5.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
49%
Textbook Required
50%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
+0.17 avg changeRatings by Course
PHIL330
5.0
(1)PHIL250
5.0
(1)RATNLISTS
5.0
(1)PHIL
5.0
(2)PHIL306
4.4
(14)Difficulty by Course
100
4.6
PHIL301
4.0
303
3.8
PHIL303
3.5
PHIL
3.5
Reviews (88)
Has no lesson plans and is five months behind schedule. Avoid.
Tends to get behind schedule, but he's a cool, reasonable prof. Try him.
Davis Scott is a very laid back, down to earth guy. He's a bit unorthodox, but
Shoots from the hip, which is great for cowboys, not so for Philosophy.
interesting and engaging, seems like he loves what hes talking about
No Comments
He's great!! I love his lectures and he's funny too.
In-depth. In whole-year 100 level phil class we studied at most six philosophers
Interesting but kind of hard to follow, I wish he would stick to the text more
Would help a lot if he really believed in teaching.
nice guy will to discuss anything until everyone understands
No Comments
Scott is a random guy but he is a really genuine person who loves what he's doin
funny, explains everything well, great guy
Good course, and a cool teacher. Smart guy...
No Comments
Nebulous. Relatively entertaining.
In April we had finally caught up to other sections October midterms. He would repeat himself for weeks and never covered new material. We only studied about 6-7 philosophers all year. He stared out the window for 5+ minutes thinking silently. HORRIBLE!
Boy howdy... Dave's a tough nut to crack, but once you catch on to what he's actually saying its pretty mindblowing. Don't underestimate him. Cool dude.
If you say anything original, he'll give you a terrible mark; if you say what he wants, you'll get an 'A'. This guys is the kind of person you wonder how he got his PhD.
Very thorough and clear. He initially seems like he has no clue, but don't be fooled. Leads you to the answers and inspires plenty of criticism. Made an otherwise painfully boring class pretty interesting.
DR SCOTT IS THE HOTTEST PROF IN THE PHILO DEPT. DONT LET THIS DISTRACT YOU FROM WHAT HE HAS TO OFFER INTELLECTUALLY...HE'S ONE OF THE FEW PROFS WHO IS ACTUALLY WILLING AND HAPPY TO HELP WHEN YOU NEED IT
At first Dr. Scott seems vague and many of his comments seems unecessary, but once you do the reading and pay attention you realize that he is handing over brilliant comments on the material, making clever jokes, and is really helpful outside of class.
Dr Scott's class is however easy or difficult you make it. He doesn't force you to work or to learn but if you pay attention to the issues he raises, although they may seem mundane, may hold more than meets the eye. Very helpful prof.
I graduated a couple of years ago from UVic and still remember the absolute pleasure of taking a Rationalists class with him. I can honestly say he's one of the best profs I've ever had. Fascinating guy, excellent teacher.
Great phil prof. Makes the issues clear. Fair marker. (I found it helped to take notes in class and look back)
Brilliant
natural-born actor, very good at explaining abstratc concepts. Well-organized lecture and willing to help.
talks slow, and kinda just says whatever comes into his head. very hard to take notes from, and following along in his train of thought is hard. make sure you pay attention the ENTIRE time, other wise you will get very lost very quickly. you'll either love him or hate him, no where in between.
Good Guy, very helpful. Class gets a little confusing but if you pay attention and ask questions it shouldn't be too difficult. Fair marker and actually marks stuff himself instead of the TAs doing it.
Scott takes great time (often long pauses) and care to find the right words. He is intensely analytic and is inclined to depth analysis of a few key passages; he is incompatible if you like to gloss over the material. Expectations on tests and papers can be unclear, but he is extremely helpful in office hours.
Avoid him if possible... If he dislikes you, you will do bad. Horrible lectures. Its obvious he is never prepared for lecture, how people like him become profs is strange to me.. UVIC dropped the ball hiring this one...
Some people just should not teach. Ever heard of preparing a lecture..? Obviously not...
At first i hated this guy.He clearly is not prepared and rambles.He also likes to repeat how much he doesn't know about Aristotle which also can make you feel like you are wasting your time. But by the end of the course he had snuck all the knowledge into me. just make sure you attend class and stay awake. You will enjot it by the end.
Had him for 303+306 this semester. Outstanding teacher. So he mumbles a lot and writes a lot of random lines and arrows pointing nowhere on the blackboard...who cares? He doesn't spoon-feed students, you need to want to learn to learn from him. If you go to class and pay attention, you'll take a lot from his classes. I fully recommend Dr. Scott.
Excellent introduction to Aristotle. Scott set up the philosopher's system as something total and all-encompassing. The class actually built towards a climax (beginning with the categories, physics, and then building towards the de anima, metaphysics, and ethics). It was a very satisfying method to learn Aristotle as holistically as one can.
Best day of class was the last.
not a very good teacher. class is boring, it is hard to understand him and he does not explain things very well
SO GOOD LOOKING OMG...very distracting. Great prof as well. Make sure you take EXTREMELY GOOD NOTES or you will fail the essay/exams.
This man is permanently flustered. If nothing else, come to class for his failed attempts at pop culture references. I eagerly await the day he writes something legible on the board. WHERE ARE ALL THE ARROWS POINTING?! Still, he makes many interesting points and does a great job at explaining difficult concepts. You can't help but find him adorable
Does not provide a balanced view of the philosophers, runs with his baises and marks accordingly. Very rambling and does not answer student questions well. The first time uvic has dissapointed me in my many years there (this is my second degree).
One of the best profs in the department. Lectures are energetic, learned, hilarious, riveting, wise. As a friend says, David doesn't teach; he does philosophy. In case you think me a flunky, here are my bona fides. I'm at the end of my philosophy degree. I'm a full blown naturalist antipathetic to rationalism. My grade in this class is not great.
Anyone who doesn't like Prof. Scott is not a good person. It says something about you if you don't like Prof. Scott, not him. He's charming, charismatic, energetic, lively, insightful and just mesmerizing. As someone already said, take good notes, if you don't do well, you're not intelligent at all, get out of University and learn a trade.
The worst. Someone said it below: he doesn't teach, he does philosophy. Unfortunately I pay to be taught. He doesn't lecture, he is absent minded, he isn't helpful to talk to outside of class. His assignments are simple enough, though people do well despite him, not because of him.
Spends the class selling Deism.
David Scott is trying to get across the point that at one time, it made sense to abandon sensory experience as means to know the world. The lectures aren't always easy to follow (i.e. he doesn't state where he is going), but David has a sincere desire for you to be able to leave the class able to read and understand a paragraph from Descartes' work
Hes a great teacher. Laid back and into his teachings
Goofy and endearing, makes difficult concepts as clear as possible and develops your love of Philosophy to the level of his own. I don't know how you could not like him an his genial demeanor.
The best professor in the department. Brilliant.
Phil majors should take 306 with David. His lecture style is indirect but all the more instructive for that. He makes an art of close reading, selecting a few key paragraphs that he tills deeply through the term. He's one of the three most memorable profs of my undergrad career. Rigorous, caring, insightful, modest. A+.
Disappointed by the negative reviews on here-Scott is a wonderful prof, passionate and eager to help. His classes do require some critical thinking on your own part, but it's a third year philosophy course, soo... Highly recommend his class, it's fun and engaging. Do the work, participate in class, and you'll do fine.
I went into this course very excited, but have been nothing but disappointment. Dr. Scott rambles profusely, is unclear, and its nearly impossible to follow his train of thought. He started the year off my saying "I don't expect you all to be philosophers," though he marks unforgivingly and even coming into exams prepared, marks disappoint.
He is one of the few professors in the Philosophy Department that make philosophy fun. I will grant that his lectures may seem like he goes off topic and talks about random things, but in reality everything he talks about is important in the class.
I must reaffirm a previous commenter, if you did not like David Scott it says more about you than Scott. A wonderful man. Really passionate about his class, willing to challenge students. Although his classes may seem disorganized initially they will become clear with time. A+
So I actually had to drop the class because I found the prof to be so rambly and I just couldn't understand him. He's extremely difficult to follow while he's teaching, and it doesn't really seem like he comes to class prepared to teach. He doesn't answer student questions very well either. He's hilarious, but not a great prof in my opinion.
I dropped this course because of how disjointed it was. He doesn't have slides or notes and what he does write on the board is confusing and useless. It's year long with 2 exams + 2 papers, that's it. While he can get the occasional laugh out of the class he lacks the ability to finish a sentence. I would recommend taking this with a different prof
His lectures could be structured better, but as long as you take lots of notes you'll be good for the papers. All study questions for tests and papers are assigned with plenty of time to do them. Will answer every question, very passionate and will clarify anything if you ask. Hard marker, but if you put in the effort you can get a good grade.
Just lectures. No slides, notes, etc. If you're not good at taking notes and listening, do not take this class. Scott is disorganized, hard to follow, and his lectures are so boring that listening for 80 minutes is painful.
Dr. Scott is very lecture heavy and does not have notes or slides to follow along with. What he does write on the board during lectures is unclear and hard to follow. For the full year the only things you are graded on are 2 tests and 2 exams. The best way to get clear information from him is during his office hours.
David Scott provides an impressively unbiased explanation of the readings listed in the class syllabus. His lectures are quite interesting and provide clarity on the readings from when you first read them and don't know what language they predicate. Attend lectures most of the time and participate in class discussion and this class will be a breeze
One of the best profs I've had. I have learned more from this one class than I have in most others taken together. If you want to learn what philosophy is all about and how it is done, take any of his classes. His lectures explore foundational, taken-for-granted concepts, and as such you will use what you learn here everywhere else (I know I did).
One of the few profs who actively fosters intellectual autonomy in their students. Gives choices between open-ended essay topics, which encourage you to grapple with ideas presented in class. Approaches material in multiple ways so you're bound to catch his drift eventually. Provides a balanced account of opposing positions. Gives precise feedback.
Most dry guy to have for a lecture at 830 in the morning. Genuinely one of the worst profs I've had. He has no clear structure in his course and if you even zone out for one minute, you're screwed for the rest of the lecture. His writing on the board makes no sense, and I'm always confused when I look back at my notes.
I can see why some people really do not enjoy his course... the lectures seem completely unguided and all over the place, and can be hard to follow. That being said, this man is incredibly well versed in his field, and if you stick it out it is well worth your while. Workload was easily manageable.
While it can seem like you are taking notes forever, David is very knowledgeable, and has a great sense of humour. Even though this is a year long course it is very easy as long as you put in the time and effort. The essays are handed out at least a month in advance, and exam questions are given before hand to prepare for.
I am a UVic philosophy graduate. David Scott was, by far, the most influential professor in my journey from philosophical neophyte to who I am today. He is thoughtful and brilliant. There is probably no person who has inspired me more than David. Take his class - you may not like it, but it may change your life. It certainly changed mine.
May well be best instructor I have had while pursing 2 degrees at three universities. By far he exhibited the greatest fundamental knowledge of the subject material. He doesn't hand you the material on a silver platter. You have to think about it and work at it but the level of understanding and knowledge I gained was deep and thorough.
Skipping is absolutely not an option. This guy doesn't post any slides so the only way to understand the readings the way he wants you to is to goto class. His lectures seem very unstructured, but I still learn a lot in his lectures and find him very engaging.
Professor Scott is incredible. He's extremely passionate and informative and gives the most thought provoking lectures of any of my profs. He speaks clearly yet is extremely comprehensive and intelligent. If you actually like and are passionate about philosophy you will love Professor Scott. If you take Phil for easy credit you will not.
One of the greatest profs I've ever had and definitely my favorite in UVIC's philosophy department! He's witty, funny, approachable and just brilliant. He doesn't spend time on power points, which I think, are only distracting (esp in philosophy). His lectures are so engaging that it is harder to not pay attention then to pay. Exams given ahead.
Dr. Scott is very intelligent and is easily one of the best philosophy professors at Uvic by my experience. His classes aren’t on easy subject matter but I really recommend him if you’re interested in learning something.
The textbook is literally awful. I did not like reading the textbook at all, it is hard language I don't recommend taking this class, its a year long course. If you don't like it mid-way, or are not getting good grades on stuff, you literally cannot drop it. Good thing: there was not really any tests throughout the semester, only final exams.
Does not provide any notes, and wants everything sourced from textbook. I didn't learn much in this class. I found my high school Phil class and teacher to be more engaging and beneficial for my learning style. If u don't like reading textbooks, do not take this class. Work is graded thru using textbook. No other sources are available, only text.
wasn't a fan of this class. I've heard good things about his higher level Phil courses. But 100 was so boring, and I didn't take away much from course. Notes are not provided online. He gives decent feedback, but essays and finals are marked extremely harder than other work. Gives final exam questions ahead of time. Did not like the textbook at all
Just lectures, no slides, notes. If ur not good at taking notes, actively listening, don't take this class. He is disorganized, hard to follow, and his lectures are so boring that listening for 80 minutes is pain. Most people in the class stopped showing up. I honestly think he is a good prof for PHIL, but NOT for an intro course, not for 100.
I took PHIL 210 as an elective with Dr. Scott, it was my favourite class of the year. If you are a conversational learner, benefitting from strong discussion and back and forth between professor and students, you will love Dr. Scott's pedagogy. He teaches without slides, which I found helped me focus on what was actually being said/meant.
The assignments are graded well, however David Scott himself did not submit grades online and he would not respond to emails, which made taking this class very annoying. His lectures are hard to follow as he talks about nothing most of the time. And to pass this class you must listen to the lectures fully. Very difficult professor.
Didn't have much support from him, as I left due to health reasons in 2nd semester. Emailed him, & he seemed understanding. Only listened to recordings, & textbook, other study materials aren't provided. & felt graded unfairly for not attending. Asked for my graded paper, he said papers were returned in class, even when I'd explained my absence.
-Does not use any slides or textbooks besides a few hard to understand online readings -Writes on tiny hard-to-see whiteboard with illegible handwriting -Graded only on closed-book essays with paragraph-long questions -Some class discussions are good, he talks himself in circles This prof is NOT beginner-friendly Take it with another prof
I was only able to understand his teachings of Aristotle because I took PHIL 100 with him a year prior. He is LECTURE HEAVY + does not use slides. He is quite scattered in his teachings but he knows what he's talking about. Hard marker so make sure to discuss essay assignments with him before they're due. Attend office hours. Quite a funny guy tho.
Lots of people are saying he's a hard marker, but I have been putting his class on the back burner and have still been able to get A's on most of the assignments and tests. He is quite lecture heavy! But most of his lectures are quite engaging, he also posts all lectures on brightspace and writes up a summary of the lecture if you couldn't make it.
he's a nice person but kinda difficult prof. very random order of lectures - jumps around a lot of topics. records lectures though. grading for reflection paragraphs are sooo different than the grading for tests. and test questions are like paragraph long. i feel like if you're not actually interested in philosophy choose a diff one
Genuinely the most enjoyable lecture I have ever had at UVIC. Sometimes, I don't learn much, and we jump around on a bunch of digressions, but I still have a lot of fun along the way. David is so witty it's unbelievable. Definitely read the material, it makes his lectures so engaging. Also, you won't be able to read his writing on feedback lol
Dr Scott is amazing! He is always cracking jokes and his lectures are super interesting. There is one assignment a week, a paragraph, but that assignment will really help with future in class writings and tests. My only issue was that I felt like he would sometimes not explain things in enough detail but he always answers questions!
8.5/10 would recommend.
Dr. Scott is by far my favourite professor Ive had at UVic. His lectures are super engaging and he is quite funny as well. While the course material may be difficult to comprehend, he does a great job of outlining it and restating the main points of discussion that are of importance to your tests/papers. Definitely Recommend taking his classes!
The best guy.
The material is somewhat clearly conveyed, only because the material itself is composed of very abstrasct philosophical ideas. The course itself is very heavy reading based, and it directly influences his teaching style. In class the readings are reviewed and explained, which is his teaching style in a nutshell, read reading off ipad and discuss.
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
49%
Textbook Required
50%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
+0.17 avg changeRatings by Course
PHIL330
5.0
(1)PHIL250
5.0
(1)RATNLISTS
5.0
(1)PHIL
5.0
(2)PHIL306
4.4
(14)Difficulty by Course
100
4.6
PHIL301
4.0
303
3.8
PHIL303
3.5
PHIL
3.5