4.2
Quality3.2
Difficulty76%
Would Retake84
Reviews76%
Would Retake
84
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
44
4
25
3
10
2
3
1
2
What Students Say
“Petrik gives great lectures”
PHIL1010 - 5.0 rating“Petrik motivates and helps students in any way that he can”
PHIL1010 - 5.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
21%
Textbook Required
20%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.20 avg changeRatings by Course
1010
5.0
(3)PHIL312
5.0
(2)PHIL538
5.0
(1)ETHICS
5.0
(1)MODERNPHIL312
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
PHIL312
4.0
MODERNPHIL312
4.0
PHILMULT
4.0
PHIL310
4.0
PHIL528
4.0
Reviews (84)
Dr. Petrik is the best professor that I have had since I have been at OU. His class is very interesting, and he is a really nice genuine person. He is also very helpful outside of class and is very responsive to his emails. Great prof.
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Great, smart, funny. He has all the goods. You will learn much from him but the one thing to know is that he values dedication. You must put in alot to get out alot in his classes.
Nice, funny guy. Kept class interesting, even after 2 hours. The tests are not easy, but not impossible either. I would definately recommend this class!
I took two philosophy courses with Dr. Petrik when I was a student at OU 5 years ago. I'm now a 4th year Ph.D. student at another university(so I've had classes with lots of professors) and I still consider Dr. Petrik the best professor I've ever had.
petrik is fun and i was constantly amazed by his knowledge. there was a lot of class discussion which made the 2 hours go by faster but expect to read a LOT. his tests aren't too bad if you put in the time and effort.
Petrik is worth the challenge. He is fair, clear, witty, with the ocassional lame joke. I took him just for fun, and got more out of it than most of my major courses.
Great guy. Very smart.
very interesting class. very interesting professor. i had a great time, but the tests are a bit more difficult than i expected them to be. despite this, TAKE CLASSES WITH PETRIK. he knows his stuff.
I did not understand the class at all. He is kind of funny, but I was still lost the entire time. I ended up having to drop. Studying is a must!
Petrik is a funny guy and knows how to get his points across without boring you. And he knows his stuff. He explains everything clearly and although it's a quite a bit of reading, it is still a good class. I thought it'd be my worst class but I ended up enjoying it A LOT. Just make sure you study the notes he gives and memorize them for the exams.
Ethics requires lots of reading and the material is a bit tough, but Petrik will explain concepts more clearly if you ask him. He encourages participation and the more questions you ask, the more prepared you'll be for the exams. The exams aren't too bad if you dedicate a decent amount of study time to it. Petrik's class isn't for slackers.
Awesome guy! Fun to listen to. Very very smart. knows what he is talking about and tests are fine if you attend class!
Good teacher but grading scale is flawed. A 81 is the lowest for a B-. I got an 80.42 and got a C+.
He made the lectures interesting, but the information he was trying to get across was never really translated to the class. I know several people I studied with complained they had no idea what he was talking about. Also, he only has 3 tests and a final with no other opportunities for points. He drops the lowest test, but test difficulty is high.
Far and away my favorite philosophy professor at OU. I wish he would teach more classes!
Great prof. Encourages class participation. He is very neutral, and is more than willing to talk outside of class.
There was way to much reading and the lectures could get dull, but Petrik did his best to make it interesting. He's funny and nice too, which doesn't hurt.
If you want a proff that is passionate about his subject matter hes the guy your looking for. He made a lot of the text a lot easier to understand, and was very entertaining as well.
People. I've had Petrik for PHILO 101, 130, 312, and hopefully 438 next quarter. Sure, in order to pass his class you have to do the rading, take good notes, and actually go. But, it will never just be some class you took sometime; you will remember what he teaches in his fun, quarky, smart way.
Professor Petrik is by far the best philosophy professor in the department. He has a way of framing complex issues into a clear and concise format. He loves his students, is funny, and genuinely cares about your success. Extremely fair professor, loves what he does, and will make you learn.Take him!
I've had Petrik for many classes now and he is by far my favorite professor on campus. He is an awesome teacher. He's fair, intelligent, entertaining, and he explains everything clearly. He will expect you to put the work in, but it will be rewarding. Take his classes!
Petrik is my favorite professor at OU. He's very helpful, VERY smart, goofy, and loves his hazelnut coffee. You HAVE to go to class and study. His class really defines a college course. His exams aren't tough if you do more then memorize material. I won't have him anymore since I'm a senior but I go to his office to chat about philosophy.
excellent prof
Petrik is a great teacher. He's really fair, funny, smart, nice, yadda yadda. He's a great guy. I thought Philosophy was going to be totally dumb. And it was. But Petrik made it a lot more fun than I thought it would be.
Favorite Professor for shore, he's hilarious. If you take this class, watch when he writes on the board. He breaks a piece of chalk every time.
Tests were extremely difficult but he was a cool dude.
By far my favorite professor at OU so far. The two hour lectures get a little dull at times, but he knows how to liven the class up when he senses the class is getting bored. I recommend taking his class if you have even the slightest interest in Philosophy.
Definitely the nest professor I've had at OU. Explains everything really well and is very helpful if you need it. Tests are pretty difficult though.
Did not mind the course, but it was jammed pack with information. I, and many others, had a hard time comprehending his insights and lectures to the subject. When it came exam time I found the exams very difficult. It may depend on your interest in the subject but I found the course very difficult even when I showed a lot of interest in the class
Not a bad guy, but just way too smart to be teaching a 100 level class. I felt like I was listening to a foreign language during the entire two hour lecture. It wasn't any help to read the book either, because he wrote it. I would find lines from the lecture in the book. If possible, take with another professor.
Extremely intelligent, but not the right prof for a 100 level class. Commits the very fallacies he talks about. Notes are clear, and you know where test questions come from. Review notes and READ THE CHAPTERS, and you should be fine. Odd personality though, don't sit in front row, he has no boundary. DON'T MISS CLASS!
Dr. Petrik's class was very enjoyable. I learned quite a bit and hope to take a class with him in the future.
This was the best class I could have taken for my first quarter at OU. I love Petrik! He made me love philosophy!T
Intelligent man and great professor. He teaches the complex information in a very understandable way. No assignments other than tests. The tests require a good amount of studying, but if you put the time in you should be fine. He adds humor to his class and makes it enjoyable.
Honestly a great teacher for the class. If the subject is not for you however, then don't take the class, but his teaching style is easy to understand, and his tests really are not difficult if you study for them a bit.
Hands down the best Philosophy prof. out there. Just be a little dedicated to it and you can pull an A. He curved the tests 8 points every time but I never really needed it. When reading for the exam, you don't need notes outside the ones from class, just pay attention to it and you should be able to get the questions right. He's a funny guy too.
Great professor, but he was too intelligent for a 1000 level class. He also is sometimes hard to understand. Tests recquire a lot of studying if you are not really interested in philosophy. It is also easy to fall asleep in the class even though he has a sense of humor!
I love Petrik, I've taken him for three classes so far and I'm a Psych major. If you come to class and at least skim the reading you'll get a good grade. He makes everything so clear and gives very clarifying examples. He's nice and funny and very respectful and understanding of his students.
Petrik is my dawg. He's engaging and using great illustrative examples. once you get the notes pattern down, its super easy to follow. Also i would highly suggest doing the assigned reading. has a dry but halarious sense of humor. my favorite professor from freshman year.
He talks in circles and doesn't really give resources for success. He does not really use blackboard. He wrote the textbook so if you don't comprehend his lectures your kinda screwed
Extremely smart and clear, which is everything you look for in a philosophy professor. The course is challenging, but if you stay on the readings and pay attention in class it isn't too hard.
Very intelligent. willing to help you whenever you need it. extremely important to go to class and stay ontop of reading.
By far the best professor I have had. He wrote the textbook, so lecture is always reinforced by the readings. He gives multiple answers away on purpose during exams, and he is always ready to help students who put the time in. People who gave negative reviews here clearly didn't do the readings. Professor Petrik is very smart and I loved his class.
By far the best professor I have ever had. I had Petrik years ago, and he really made the class impossible to do poorly in. All he asks is that you do the readings and pay attention in lecture. If you do that an easy A is coming your way. He really wants his students to do well, and even gives away test answers on purpose during the exams
Great teacher, he writes all the notes on the board and knows his material. Cancels class a lot. When his canceling gets high he starts to put lectures online.
Its not often you get a professor who wrote the book youre studying (and doesn't tell you every other dayabout it). Petrik is passionate about his subject and works hard to keep it interesting. His level of clarity certainly makes it easier to understand the difficult concepts. HIghly reccomend any course with this professor
He is very nice and helpful! However, philosophy is a hit or miss! If you don't understand it, you won't understand it. If you go to his office hours, he'll offer to quiz you the day before the exam and he'll help you a lot!
He is by far the best professor i have ever had. The class i thought was hard but he made it great. He also gives extra credit. I would highly recommend him!! funny guy. However you do have to read some for this class to do well on the tests.
4 exams and he drops the lowest of the four. He's very generous and even gives you free extra credit on some of the test. The only homework is the reading he gives out and its all on the syllabus. Just go to class and study for the exams and it should be an easy A.
Funny professor, Makes class interesting! Fun to participate. Tests are challenging but the course contains some challenging concepts if you are not familiar with philosophy. Overall a good course, you'll pass but you'll be challenged a little
You have to take a loooooooot of notes for the class, but he is a great professor. You can't afford to skip class because so much material is covered every day. He gives a 6-8% curve for almost every test, though.
As long as you study, you'll pass.
When I had class with him, he wrote on a chalk board, in a big Morton lecture hall. The class seemed to drag on, and being philosophy, hard to follow (unless you're really into that stuff). If you wanted notes, you had to attend class. He didn't assign a textbook. He was very insightful, but definately not a favorite professor of mine.
Dr. Petrik is a very knowledgeable man. I took his PHIL1010 class, and it consists of 5 tests. Each test is worth 20% of your grade. Attendance not required, and quite frankly, not needed. I went to class only the days we had a test, and received an A. He offers extra credit, and all tests are multiple choice. just read the sections, and you pass.
Professor Petrik is without a doubt my favorite professor at Ohio University. He's, funny, wildly brilliant, and exceptionally engaging. His classes are lectures and the only grades you receive are on exams so if you struggle with the exams the class may be difficult. If you show up to class and take good notes the class is an amazing experience
Great professor who is very willing to help students out in office hours. Very approachable too. Textbook is not really necessary for the class. Each test might have two questions from the book. He cancels class majority of the time and attendance is not mandatory. Gives extra credit.
Although Philosophy is a difficult subject to understand, Mr. Petrik motivates and helps students in any way that he can. He's very respectful and one of the coolest guys once you get to know him. Although not mandatory, I do recommend going to class if you want to stay on top.
Overall pretty easy class. 5 exams, final is not cumulative but this may have been the most boring class I've ever taken at OU. Class almost always goes the full hour 20. Extremely dry topic hard to listen to and even harder to study for but overall not terrible.
He's very in to what he's teaching which i like. It was hard to follow lectures at first but you get used to the way he teaches and his tests are all the same format and as long as you go to class and take notes you can pretty much get an A or B. He also gives several extra credit opportunities
Loved this class. You can either attend every lecture to take notes and be fine for the exam. You can never attend a single class and read the textbook and be fine for an exam. But doing both is unnecessary. Petrik gives great lectures! I hated to miss class because I really enjoyed his lecture style and sense of humor. Absolutely recommended.
Petrik is a great professor. He cares about what he teaches and understands most people who are taking PHIL 1010 are non-philosophy majors and helps students as much as they can with office hours, extra credit, and just easy questions on exams. You should have proficient note taking skills for this class as they are key for studying before tests.
Professor Petrik is very funny and obviously very passionate. However, the course topic is boring and hard to follow. The text book (which was partly written by Petrik himself) takes some serious effort to comprehend. So the class itself is boring but Petrik tries to crack jokes and make it relatable.
Definitely don't skip class as he does not put his lectures on Blackboard. His exams are over what he talks about in class. I'd recommend typing your notes because he speaks fairly fast. Definitely need the book as he refers to it often.
James Petrik is super aware that philosophy is not the most interesting or easy to understand class. He helps you out with bonus points and freebie answers on tests.
unless you are really into philosophy, I don't recommend
Petrik is the kindest man you'll ever meet, and shows a clear passion for what he teaches. However, he doesn't water down any of the material, and it's definitely not easy to comprehend. So if you plan to take this class for an easy A, consider something a little easier. Like, dance.
Petrik is a real funny dude. One time he stopped a lecture because he thought it was boring and started talking about breakfast food. That's just how he is. The class is super easy as long as you listen to the lectures, (which unfortunately can be pretty boring) easy class
Take the quizzes weekly and you will pass the class. The repeat quiz questions on exams were identical and worth enough points to pass the exams. Friendly guy who likes what he teaches. Text unnecessary to purchase.
Petrik is passionate about philosophy and makes it interesting for non majors. For the online course, we just watched the weekly lecture (approx 1 hour) and had some reading- could skip. Be sure to do the quizzes every week as most of the test answers can be found through them. Lowest grade of 5 assignments (3 tests, quizzes, paper) is dropped.
Cares about his students and loves to teach. For online class you only have to watch his presentation and take a quiz each week. Easy quiz as long as you take notes. 3 exams, 1 essay, no final exam and drops lowest of the 4 grades. Highly recommend this class even if you dont need it for your major.
James Patrick seems like he could be a good professor if taken in person. The grades you get are quizzes and tests. The quizzes are easy because the answers are all on quizlet but the tests are extremely hard especially if philosophy doesn't come easy to you. The tests are proctored except the final exam. The lectures don't make much sense either.
He's a good lecturer and you can tell he's passionate about what he's teaching. His exams can be difficult but he often includes questions that are basically free points. The lectures can be confusing because of the wording, but that philosophy for you :/
Dude REALLY knows his stuff and takes it and himself very seriously. I felt the difficulty of the readings and his grading were what you may expect out of a 3-4000 level class, not an introductory one. Tests were 100% proctored with software you have to purchase, or you can go in person on campus. Fair, but TOUGH. Dr. Newman did much more for me.
James is clearly passionate about what he's teaching, which is great. His assigned readings for the course are a little heavy towards the beginning of the course, but even out as time goes on. His dry humor makes lectures enjoyable. One reaction paper and three exams with some "free points" thrown in. You have to use your brain for this course.
My first philosophy class and yes it was confusing, I bet it would be with any professor. Petrik's lectures were very long online but I guess that beats having to go into class twice a week. He used examples that were easy to understand (for the most part) and tried to simplify the tough language used in our readings. Proctored exams, u have 2study
Amazing professor and super nice, gave me an extension on my final. Most answers for quizzes are on quizlet and are easy to find.
This course is quite difficult, but Professor Petrik makes the learning experience easier with his detailed lectures, which are quite wordy but he provides audio recorded lectures in addition to the written ones. I thoroughly enjoyed his course and feel he made the learning experience easier with his vast knowledge on the topics.
I really enjoyed this course! Although there is a lot of content, don't let it scare you - If you complete the weekly quizzes and understand some of the material, you will pass the class. The test questions are mostly derived from the quizzes.
Class in itself is not difficult but there is a lot of lecture material (from the book to his drawn out PowerPoints) to go through. All quizzes are open note, while tests are not and are proctored. He reuses questions from the quizzes on the test (which he himself states this) so if you study the quizzes you should be fine.
While I wasn't a huge fan of philosophy, Mr. Petrik was a great professor. He's very understanding if you have extenuating circumstances and he grades very fairly. The class can be hard to keep up with sometimes because it is shortened. There are two proctored exams, both of which aren't too difficult and have bonus questions to help your grade.
Dr. Petrik is sweet, very knowledgeable, and passionate about philosophy. He does his best to break down info in a way that is easier to understand with examples from every day life. Tests are approx 30 ?'s worth over 3pts each so it is test heavy, but there are study guides on quizlet to help prepare. You do have to watch lectures each week
absolutely loved this class, he clearly understands the subject really well and does a great job at explaining everything. do the readings and watch the lectures and you'll be totally fine.
It may be different because I am taking his course online, but it was typically around three assignments each week outside of the reading. You need to read the textbook material outside of the notes to do well. You can tell he actually read what you wrote for the journal entries and provided feedback. He wasn't too tough a grader.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
21%
Textbook Required
20%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.20 avg changeRatings by Course
1010
5.0
(3)PHIL312
5.0
(2)PHIL538
5.0
(1)ETHICS
5.0
(1)MODERNPHIL312
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
PHIL312
4.0
MODERNPHIL312
4.0
PHILMULT
4.0
PHIL310
4.0
PHIL528
4.0