2.3
Quality3.5
Difficulty32%
Would Retake100
Reviews32%
Would Retake
100
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
18
4
11
3
9
2
17
1
45
What Students Say
“Would not recommend, she is a tough grader for this course”
CPHL606 - 1.0 rating“3 main issues with her 1) Limited creativity (content derived from works of others) 2) Unreasonable grading technique 3) Lectures are not related to the midterm and final My advice: Do not take this course, you'll very much regret it”
CPHL606 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
68%
Textbook Required
38%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.29 avg changeRatings by Course
MHR501
5.0
(1)CPHL509
5.0
(1)CPHL501
4.0
(5)PHIL
4.0
(1)PHL505
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
CPHL301
5.0
CPHL
5.0
CPHLEXIS
5.0
PHIL501
5.0
PHL605
5.0
Reviews (100)
Not a good teacher. Rushes through everything and doesn't explain things thoroughly. She answers questions with another question. Easy marker.
Great summer class. Easy marking + take home exam. The course finished 2 weeks early, not to mention 2 movies. Very easy going class. Prof is great, easy to get along with. AWESOME!!!!
Easy marker but she wasn't clear on what she wanted for assignments. Questions were always given a vague answer. Overall the course was good.
My mark actually slipped from an A+ to an A! Awesome course. The readings are a bit boring but the movies are group discussions are great. I didnt get too much out of this class but I did have a lot of fun, isnt that what counts?
what an awesome prof, my gpa thanks her over and over. and over. and..... over.
She was a great lecturer...that is when she showed up. The easiest A that I ever got and so much life-rich information just wish she had taught more and was more available.
Awesome prof, extremely easy going. An awesome summer course if you plan on having a social life. An easy marker. Definitely does her best to get class participation. Overall, a definite recommended prof!
This prof is great and very influencial. Grat life learning and easy to grasp concepts. Marks quick and easy, and your still allowed a social life (even throughout a normal semester).
Not the best lecturer (the course content didn't help) but definitely one of the easiest markers on the surface of this planet. A very nice lady.
its a very nice course. and she is very nice, if you have any difficulties with the essay she helps you with it. the course brought out a lot of debate and not so much lecture, so is a very nice class and she makes it easy.
Great course, great prof. Pointed out a few things in life that i never bothered to notice. Great course period, absolutely no complaints and i pray to god that she remains this way forever. Goes to show not all profs are gone! Long live the fountas!
Never answers her e-mails. And I mean never.
A great prof overall. always willing to help.
One of the few profs still around who care about teaching and about what the university experience should be. The Bloom reading was tough but well worth the read. Course and prof are both highly recommended.
The woman is nice but does not know how to teach. If you are not an abstract thinker you will have a hard time with her. Her notes are horrible and she speaks too fast. The final exam is horrible and don't expect her to reply to your e-mails. This was the worst class I've taken!!
Insightful prof. One of those courses that will endure over years. Philosophy is not something you can memorize overnight. Loved the short Bloom readings, & the subsequent heated class debates to re-inforce current & past ideologies. Her teaching methods are different, but eventually you'll get it.
Boo hoo. Completely over-rated. One more anecdote about her pampered daughter, or intelligent cat, and I was this close to whipping my pencil case across the room.
Bring back Ms. Fountas-god knows we need her for the liberial studies in order to complete our degrees.
Does anyone know if she makes the exams very hard as they sound?
The Bloom book is rediculous..really Allan Bloom was an idiot and reading is book is not very rewarding. The proff. is o.k. It's not easy to teach philosophy at ryerson after all.
This teacher is the worst i have had at Ryerson. She talks a lot and doesn't explain anything. She is really boring. I suggest you take a different class because you will regret it. The exams are long and she doesn't tell you what's on them or what it covers. Trust me she is bad and rude.
took two of her classes phil of love and sexx and phil of film , both were great!! Very interesting material and i would take her again.
RUND DON't WALK!!! Her anti dairy talks make you think that sticking sharp objects in your eyes is more injoyable then listening to her yap!
Doesn't explain properly, no handouts, speaks too fast - no time to take proper notes - wish I had switched to another elective!
worst prof EVER!! do NOT take her class..you have been warned..
The worst prof. I've had at Ryerson. Doesn't want to help students do well. Won't give out class outline if you miss the first class. Does not use email, blackboard - computer illiterate. No handouts, overheads etc. Tough marker.
A course like this should bring forth a free flow of ideas, but if you even have an original/valid thought in you essays that doesnt reflect the profs, then dont expect a favourable mark. Even if you're a sheep that just follows to get a good grade, good luck because she's not easy. This prof sucks the life out of this course. Just wasted my time.
She changed the readings/schedule almost every week. She lectured mostly on stuff not in the readings! She gets off topic constantly!!!... BORING!
She doesn't use blackboard or email!She gives sketchy explanations for theories, and in general doesn't seem like a good philosophy prof. in comparison to 2 the profs I've had in 2 different philosophy courses.I dropped the course immediately and will take it with another prof. next semester.
The only course I dropped during my 4 years of study. You can figure out the rest. No prof had ever told me that introduction of paper should be exactly 4 sentences otherwise she wouldn't read it.
She has gathered 17 articles which could be studied over the internet without any extra text and the price is around $40. No material is provided to study for exams
The most boring class I have ever taken. Lecture is hard to follow, ideas are convoluted and scattered, a lot of material is not in the textbook. If you are late, you will not be allowed into class. No room for your own thoughts, it's either her way, or it's wrong. If philosophy is your thing, take it with someone else.
A very intelligent woman. I'm just not sure that teaching is for her. She is too abstract and vague for testing purposes. I know that education is about more than just grades, but unfortunately we are graded and her teaching style is not very conducive to this. There were also problems with accessibility as she does not use email or blackboard.
this teacher is rediculous, she does not know how to teach her class, we were not philosophy students (nursing finance etc) and we are totally lost She goes of on tangesnts and makes no sence. Her midterm was insane,she got the names of the theorists wrong and didnt even care. This class did not make me feel smarter it made me want to end my life
worst class you will ever take. and worst professor that i've ever experienced at Ryerson University. she is terrible and totally out of it. If you see her name on your schedule DROP THE CLASS! trust me.
Loved her so smart I mean SMART Knows her staff but a very HARD marker
WORST professor i've had at Ryerson so far. She goes off topic and her lectures are hard to relate to the text. She does not respond to e-mails so if u have questions for her ask during the break. I recommend dropping her class as soon as u see her name on ur schedule!!
Don't take her courses, I think its better if she just doesn't teach, course was a complete waste of time.
Lecture has nothing to do with text. Exam doesn't relate to lectures at all. Prof gives long examples which don't relate to what is being discussed. Allows for very little student input/questions during lecture. I would drop this call and take it with another Prof.
Extremely hard, tests don?t relate to anything she talks about in class. My final grade was the lowest I?ve ever received during 4 years at Ryerson. The WORST prof ever!
1Half the class can't hear her voice, she still using her weak voice to talk instead of using the microphone. 2. Lecture is damn boring and not related to the content. 2 17 rediculous(all statisitcs) MC questions for over 100s pages of women's health studies in UTSC she even test on the wrong chart in the text !!
Very petty (if your 10 minutes late just go home). Is not a fair marker, it is clear she just doesn't care, because when you ask to talk to her about any issues she gets angry. I am an honor student and this is my first D in all my education. Do yourself a favor, just drop! I wish Ryerson would look into this matter, because its very discouraging
My impression is that students do not appreciate Emily Fountas because she refuses to give good marks to sub-par work. In reality if you attend class and do the requisite work of breaking down the readings into clear premises and conclusions, she is actually more than fair with her marking. Her teaching and content is cutting edge and insightful.
Not a very good prof. Likes this pick on ppl and asks them question. if u dont like to speak in class, beware she will pick on u. boring course
Very obtuse, doesn't want to help. doesn't care, and is NOT ACCOMODATING. Absolute idiot will definitely be complaining about her and escalating to the highest authorities at Ryerson.
A lecturer - not a facilitator of learning. Will not clarify class information.When a student in the class offered their opinion, she laughed at them and told them they were incorrect. How does that facilitate learning? Does not offer any lecture notes and refuses to assist those who miss classes. Asks other students to explain when she refuses to.
This professor and class is hard, but I am wholly satisfied. Professor Fountas gives you a certain kind of respect. This respect is found in expecting you to think for yourself. She is lucid with what she does say. And the points she offers are relevant. More importantly than her points, was the way of thinking she demonstrated. Want a challenge?
Does not use email and prefers to meet up prior to class. Very anal professor. She says she's willing to help student but at the end of the day she doesnt answer to any of your questions for the essay. The title of the course is more interesting than what she delivers (which is mostly a biased opiniion of her own)
She has her quirks, but she's actually really passionate about what she teaches. She's pretty clear about her expectations and guidelines. Don't show up late or speak out of turn, and do all your readings and you should be okay. She's an easy marker,this is first class that I've gotten 100% on an essay in, and 2 other people got the same mark!
WORST WORST CLASS YOU WILL EVER TAKE!! I almost cried in class because my frustration got to me, since I could not understand anything. She is a terrible prof because she may know a lot about this course, but students can not comprehend anything she's trying to teach. I HAVE NEVER HATED ANY COURSE MORE THAN THIS ONE ='(
Here's the thing. She's very boring and monotone BUT her exams are super easy and She's a very easy marker which helps you get that A. I never really went to class and am still going to end up with an A in the class. She's helpful as well if you have questions. Just very boring though. Only downside to her.
Easily the worst class I have ever taken, she teaches Freud as solid fact (and if you argue only gets angry). She rambles on about irrelevant things and is not helpful at all when approached for clarification. Its clear that her ego comes first in her classroom. Ryerson dumped her and Laurentian picked her up, dumbest mistake ever.
THE WORST CLASS EVER,Worst professor. Refuses to help, or to answer back emails, fails to upload anything online and when you ask her for help she will tell you to ask another student rather than helping you herself. She does not provide any outlines for assignments and essays and expects you to memorize everything she says in the lecture!HORRIBLE.
Honestly, worst professor ever. she just brings the book to class and talks non stop about irrelevant information. There is no structure and we basically teach ourselves. Do NOT take a class with her.
BEWARE of this prof!She has no interest in her students whatsoever.If you ask her a question she simply tells you to ask others in your class.She doesn't respond to emails so there is literally no way you can contact her for help.She is the most inflexible prof I've ever taken a course with.I strongly advise against any of the courses she teaches.
This prof has no form of interest in her students whatsoever. If you ask her a question she simply tells you to ask others in your class. She doesn't respond to emails so there is literally no way you can contact her for help. She is the most inflexible prof I've ever taken a course with. It's a shame Ryerson still has such despotic profs nowadays.
This prof is an example that just because you've got a Ph.D. in a random course does not mean you can teach others! It's really sad to see that Ryerson still employs such despotic and inflexible "academicians"
The worst prof I have ever had. I was extremely excited to take the course and it had the potential to be such a good one too, but she completely ruined it. If I could give her a zero on clarity and helpfulness, i would. I highly do not recommend her.
Easily the worst teacher I've ever had. I actually wondered whether she was suffering from a mental breakdown during the course. There was very little structure and she spent a lot of time promoting her personal politcal agenda. This woman is simply not capable of educating anyone. DO NOT TAKE ONE OF HER CLASSES.
I'm rarely very impressed by a prof but I loved every session of this class. Maybe she got complaints & changed drastically? She's enthusiastic, friendly, clear knowledgable lecturer, facilitated & encouraged LOTS of excellent class discussion, had interesting content. We had a great class vibe & everyone enjoyed it. Easy A if you try. Recommended.
Good Prof. If you do the readings it's an easy course to pass and it doesn't hurt that she's an easy marker
She did not provide feedback for midterm nor was anything lectured in class on the midterm. NO point of going to class. Midterm did not reflect our knowledge.
I didn't enjoy her class at all. She spends a lot of time on tangents and talking about what appears to be her true passion (politics). I spent a lot of time wondering what was testable material and she wouldn't clarify. But she must be an easy marker as I managed to get an A. Wouldn't take her course again though.
A majority of the people who voted for this prof, I can easily predict don't show up to class or don't pay attention in class. She is a decent professor. As long as you go to class and pay attention you should do well
Her class was actually quite interesting. The Prof. seemed to be inspired by Prof. Jordan Peterson from U of T as she mentioned about him a lot in class. Lack of originality -- she often used similar topics that Peterson utilized in his lectures (they're on YouTube). Fair grader.
Would not recommend, she is a tough grader for this course
3 main issues with her 1) Limited creativity (content derived from works of others) 2) Unreasonable grading technique 3) Lectures are not related to the midterm and final My advice: Do not take this course, you'll very much regret it.
Highly skilled in teaching this course as an overview of right wing and left wing beliefs and values. Check your biases at the door when you enter the lecture, this class is about understanding the differences between right and left wing beliefs, not choosing one or the other. If you can just go in ready to listen and learn, you'll do fine.
Emily Fountas was one of the best professors I have had. She teaches in the most unbiased way, which is important when it comes to properly understanding political philosophy. With that being said, this course is extremely political. Crucial to attend class as she discusses points in readings and requires participation. Has a lot of knowledge.
Absurdly specific in how she marked assignments - not reasonable in the way that most philosophy professors are, that allow for more freedom in writing style and ideas discussed (very picky in what she expects).
I dont think she reads any papers tbh, she just gives out marks and if you complain shell give you a good mark.
Her lectures are amazing and weren't a dread to attend. In-class participation is expected every class so if you don't like public speaking don't pick this prof.
Fountas takes the time to give live lectures, filling gaps with anecdotes to keep everything interesting. You have to follow along in-class and make sure to take good notes and ask questions for clarification if you need any. Loved listening to lectures and the discussions from the class.
Literally the worst professor. Her online class consists of a journal submission, a discussion post, and a response. All are due at 6 pm on Friday, and she posts the question at 4:30 pm on Friday. Presents a lot of attitude in her emails. Tries to pin the fact that she did not post the question is because not enough people submitted their journal
Literally just makes you do journal entries and reply to your classmates' discussion posts for marks. There are no lectures for you to watch, and made us read, always. I've seen her ratings in other classes and I'm sure she's a great prof for them, but this particular class felt like she didn't want to put any effort into it.
Very tough instructor but insightful and brilliant, a true gem at Ryerson.
Clearly knowledgable but can't lecture/teach in a way that helps students learn. She's all over the place; lectures about the readings AND extra content that seems barely related but WILL be tested on. She also perpetuates bigoted stereotypes and uses outdated theories/ideas. Don't expect feedback with your grade either; she does the bare minimum.
Extremely unorganized with no understanding of how her students learn. Ive recently graduated and would strongly advice against taking any course she teaches.
Amazing professor, need more like her in academia
good prof, very heavy lectures which require you show up and actually pay attention and engage with the material. A very unique and interesting academe, gets you to really challenge your assumptions and the way you think about the world around you.
Very unfair and rude. Does not really care about the well being of the students. Just wants to retire.
Random tangents in every lecture which have no relation to course material. Gets distracted by her dog and phone which goes off every lecture. Rude tone when speaking to students. Completely unfamiliar with zoom and internet technology -- no excuse for that, it's been two years of this now. Might drop because of disorganization and just nonsense.
The course material is interesting but the lectures are her droning on for 2-2.5 hours and making no sense. She doesn't abide by her own class syllabus regarding tests and their availability and when questioned she stated we should appreciate the amount of time she did give. Is not tech savvy at all. Didn't know how to use chat in Zoom.
Terrible professor with a pretentious attitude. Thinks of herself as better than her students, and therefore treats them as such. Do not expect to reason with her in anyway. She will always think she is right. The actual material she covers is interesting, but she will make tests pointlessly difficult and mark hard.
Long lectures with even longer tangents that have no correlation to the course content. Assessments are worded unclearly and she's a hard marker who also doesn't give any feedback. She doesn't record lectures and had insufficient slides with next to no relevant information on them anyway.
To future students, You may be looking at these reviews and think "It can't be THAT bad". I thought the same. It is that bad. She is technologically inept, disrespectful, incoherent, redundant, and has absolutely no concern for the time of her students. If you're going to be awful at your job, at least be a decent human being. Run.
Save yourself. Run in the other direction. She has no humanity in her, and she makes absolutely no sense. She's a hard marker for someone who can't even explain things properly. Her content is boring to read and her lectures will bore you to death.
1. Her lectures were 85% unrelated 2. She forgot how to post onto the zoom group chat, a student had to tell her "you to need to press enter" 3. Got very mad when you ask basic questions for clarity on assignments 4. I told her weeks in advance I wouldn't be able to make the first-class due to work she said she "highly encouraged attending class"
I am very fair to say that this teacher is very cold and very uncaring about the students' feelings. I don't know why she is like this, she doesn't seem to care about anything, she's not very good at bachelor ability, and I even find it curious why such an interesting subject matter is made so boring by her. Really a very bad professor.
Just an absolutely rude and vile person. Do not take her course if you want a professsor who cares, gives good feedback, is understanding and will not absolutely berate and belittle you. We are human yet she seems to forget this and treats us as merely a number who apparently does not have feelings. Terrible professor and person
She is rude and a tough grader. If you care to have more than a passing grade, Emily is not the one for you. The course could have been interesting with another professor. There are no lectures in her class, just PDF modules. Your learning on your own, since there are no lectures. Do yourself a favor, read these reviews and run.
I was hesitant at first to take a course with Professor Fountas after reading the reviews but I had a very different experience. The course is asynchronous with modules and reading.For participation journal/discussion posts due every week which was very tidiest but easy marks. I would say she's an easy marker with the two papers and take home exam.
She is a professor whose unorganized course content does not match the level of pretentiousness she gives it. I am an A student, and have taken two of her courses. However she behaves as if it's some Harvard level course on Zoom refusing to budge on extensions even when given proof of medical emergencies. There is no point of extending courtesy :(
Seriously the worst experience I've had in a course. Her method of "teaching" is wasting the entire class time by re-reading the assigned readings only to barely comment on them, expecting us to learn something? She's disorganized, technologically inept, unreasonable and condescending. Save your sanity and do not take her class, hope this helps!
Not very good at the fundamental role of teaching that comes with being a professor. Goes on irrelevant tangents and also has very strict ideas of what text mean even though it's literally philosophy and most texts are meant to foster discussion (which she hardly allowed). Very condescending and doesn't foster a safe space for learning.
The worst professor I've ever had. If you see her teaching a course, run. You must follow her instructions entirely or she'll give u a 50 or 0. She rarely responds to emails but when she does, she's extremely rude and condescending. The course itself was interesting but she made the experience awful. Just avoid her. She should not be a professor.
Professor Fountas runs a challenging yet unengaging course. With no lectures and only PDF modules, learning is largely self-directed. Thankfully, unstuck ai and other study tools helped me stay on track. Overall, not recommended.
I decided to take PHL606 anyways with Prof Fountas regardless of reviews. As long as you follow the instructions and take her feedback into account you will be fine in the course. I don't really understand the negative reviews about the profs attitude as she was very helpful and kind.
despte the ratings for her she wasnt that bad of a prof. she marks her essays and assinments a little hard but as long as u follow her instructions u should do well
23 years teaching but still can't use tech..?? No talkin in zoom chat allowed, always naggin abt cameras, n barely stays on topic. Ion even leave reviews but this class was a MESS—group project was 40% n she never posted lectures/readings so notes is a must. Work wasn't even hard, she just made it harder (discussions, group project, 1 exam)
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
68%
Textbook Required
38%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.29 avg changeRatings by Course
MHR501
5.0
(1)CPHL509
5.0
(1)CPHL501
4.0
(5)PHIL
4.0
(1)PHL505
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
CPHL301
5.0
CPHL
5.0
CPHLEXIS
5.0
PHIL501
5.0
PHL605
5.0