3.1

Jonathan Katz

Philosophy - Kwantlen Polytechnic University - Surrey

3.1
Quality
3.8
Difficulty
N/A
Would Retake
84
Reviews
3.1
Quality
3.8
Difficulty
3.2
Helpful
3.0
Clarity

N/A

Would Retake

84

Reviews

Rating Distribution
Official
84 total ratings

5

25

4

19

3

9

2

15

1

16

What Students Say

dont even bother taking this guy unless u want your gpa to drop

PHIL1145 - 1.0 rating

Good lecturer, funny and interesting

PHIL120 - 5.0 rating
Class Info

Attendance Mandatory

0%

Textbook Required

100%

Grade Predictor

Your expected effort level

LowHigh

Predicted Grade

B

59% confidence
Based on 3 grades
Most common grades:
Incomplete (1)
A (1)
Not_Sure_Yet (1)
Grade Distribution
A(1)B(1)C(1)D(0)F(0)A-/B+(0)
Based on 5 reported grades
Incomplete: 1
A: 1
Not_Sure_Yet: 1
B-: 1
Rating Trend

Declining

-0.68 avg change
Jun
Mar
Apr
Mar
Nov
Jan
Last 6 months
Ratings by Course

PHIL120

5.0

(1)

PHIL

5.0

(2)

PHIL101

5.0

(1)

PHILLOGIC

5.0

(1)

PHIL1112

5.0

(1)
+24 more courses
Difficulty by Course

1100

5.0

1212

5.0

PHILRELIG

5.0

1145110SFU

5.0

PHILOFRELIGIO

5.0

Reviews (83)
5.0
3.0
PHIL120
Jul 29, 2002

Good lecturer, funny and interesting. Very friendly and understanding.

5.0
2.0
PHIL
Sep 25, 2002

fun class

4.0
3.0
PHIL1150
Nov 13, 2002

easygoing, fun, goes too fast though

5.0
3.0
PHIL101
Nov 27, 2002

Very good teacher. You will have fun in his class.

5.0
3.0
1145
Nov 30, 2002

Nice teacher. He will give you a chance to hand in the missed part of assignment

3.0
2.0
PHIL1145
Jan 8, 2003

class was easy but was stupid he liked to pick on peolple in a very mean way

1.0
5.0
PHIL1145
Mar 1, 2003

No Comments

5.0
2.0
PHIL1145
Mar 12, 2003

good prof. helpful and curtious. Made me think of things in a new way. Thought provocing class.

3.0
4.0
PHIL1145
Mar 28, 2003

very fast class if you miss you are screwed, he is a ok guy but needs to slow down.

5.0
4.0
PHIL1150
Jul 23, 2003

Katz is a great teacher. He's curious, open-minded, articulate, and humerous. I liked the fact he taught logic from the perspective of someone who had found it hard in the past. I greatly benefited from his teaching.

4.0
3.0
PHIL1145
Aug 22, 2003

you MUST attend ALL his classes or you're gonna eat ****. he's hard to keep up with; very confusing. but he's very bright and has a great mind. he likes to entertain, hehe.

5.0
1.0
PHIL
Sep 29, 2003

he's great~~ tests are very similar to things he taught in class~~

2.0
4.0
1120
Oct 23, 2003

some would say that he is a good teacher, that is if you agree with him. for your papers,you have to regurgitate what he say in order for you to get a decent grade. as a result, if you are a christian you have to be prepared for discrimination

1.0
5.0
PHIL1145
Nov 20, 2003

worst teacher ever...so unfair in his marking and thinks every automatically understands the material. Hes an ass!

5.0
2.0
PHILLOGIC
Nov 24, 2003

Very fun class. Well presented, easy to follow. Gives weekly homework and a couple midterms.

2.0
5.0
PHIL1145
Dec 18, 2003

Makes it very uncomfortable to ask questions, especially in class, so save yourself some embarrassment and don't bother.

2.0
4.0
PHILO1145
Jan 3, 2004

phmm,his final take-home test was damn difficult!if you have a chance to choose other professor's class, don't prefer his.

4.0
4.0
1145
Feb 26, 2004

never ever miss a single class or ur screwed. he teaches difficult material very well and is an extremely fair marker. the take home final is a CINCH if u get a few friends together and work on it.

5.0
4.0
PHIL1112
Mar 3, 2004

Awesome teacher, even for an on-line course. His standards are very high, but it's pretty easy to get a C or C+. But if you want an A, you've gotta WORK.

4.0
5.0
PHILRELIG
Mar 18, 2004

i actually think he's kinda sexy in a prof sorta way...lol..anyways, if you arent' an atheist beware of his phil or religion class...VERY SCARY!

3.0
4.0
PHIL1120
Mar 27, 2004

woahhh if u believe in God, dont take this class. He is a very hard marker, and if you want to pass, come to EVERY class, or you are screwed. Talks to much, and is a total Athiest.

5.0
3.0
PHIL1120
Mar 29, 2004

Awesome!

1.0
5.0
1212
Apr 1, 2004

He is so damn hard. And he would tell you straight to your face that you are so not up to standard to be in this class.

2.0
5.0
1120
Apr 12, 2004

this teacher is hard. Go to every class i you wanna pass. He's a total athiest, and if u beleive in God, you should know as to why u believe in God. Hard marker. I didnt like this class one bit.

1.0
5.0
PHIL1120
Apr 16, 2004

WORST TEACHER EVER, very crewd, stuck up, not helpful, and well tell you if your below the standerds for his class.

5.0
3.0
PHILO1145
Apr 16, 2004

Katz is a nice professor and always has a smile on his face..^^

5.0
4.0
PHIL1120
Apr 24, 2004

Katz is an extremely bright man...which makes him difficult to understand sometimes. His philosophy of religion class is excellent if you've been leading a sheltered life. Heh heh.

5.0
4.0
CRITICAL
Jun 6, 2004

very very easy to get a C+, so work. But he's a great teacher, and will say whatever he's thinking, I love it.

4.0
4.0
PHIL1120
Jul 24, 2004

a great teacher, very helpful if you ask questions. you must show up to class and study hard for a good grade, but overall a good prof

4.0
3.0
PHILLRELI
Aug 18, 2004

This teacher is a genius and the reason he is an atheist is because he doesnt believe in Fairy tales. Hard course,so he might seem difficult. If u r religious and think about it logically, u will see that he is completly correct.

4.0
4.0
PHIIL1110
Sep 23, 2004

If you believe in God it is only out of Desperation and your NEED to belive and not out of REASON and truth. A difficult course. This teacher does not belive in Fairy Tales........

4.0
1.0
PHIL1145
Grade: Incomplete
Nov 9, 2004

Very easy, just pay attention in class and do the readings, doesn't take much else.

5.0
3.0
PHIL1145
Grade: A
Nov 24, 2004

Katz is cool! He's always got a smile and is really laid back. His class is tough, but he is always available to talk if you need help or have questions.

5.0
2.0
PHILOSOPHY1145
Nov 25, 2004

Super nice. Tests are fair. Lectures are fairly helpful. Philosophy 1145 isnt very interesting but katz teaches it in a way that makes the students pay attention and stay interested . its hard to find a teacher who can do that. i would definitly recommend this teacher :D

2.0
3.0
PHIL1120
Nov 30, 2004

Do not reccommend this teacher. No respect for religious people. He won't accept anything from a theist perspective, even if well explained. Best marks were when i tried to write from his perspective, should not have to give up beliefs for a class! If you can explain, you should get marks.DON'T TAKE

1.0
5.0
PHIL1145
Grade: Not_Sure_Yet
Dec 2, 2004

He's a nice guy personally, but lied about how much math would be involved! I got a measly C because arguements are in math formulas! Bad reputation though. Very bigoted towards religious people. Tries to dispel religious beliefs based on wordplay. If you hate religion, you'll love this teacher.

2.0
4.0
PHIL1120
Dec 18, 2004

He rambles a lot about stuff that has nothing to do with the course.. lol

4.0
5.0
PHILOSOPHY
Dec 21, 2004

He's fun. I don't think he has much against religion just knows that religion in and of it self is not logical. I had fun in his class.

4.0
4.0
PHIL1110
Mar 23, 2005

This teacher is very intellegent and well spoken. I found his lectures to be very interesting. Yep, he ripped me for my spiritual beliefs; he is a devout athiest. The course material is not easy and the tests are pretty difficult. He makes a possibly dry subject extremely entertaining.

4.0
4.0
METAPHYSICS
Apr 8, 2005

Katz is a nice guy, but a very hard marker. This is an online course so it can be tough. Ask lots of questions, meet with him whenever possible

3.0
4.0
METAPHYSICS
Oct 14, 2005

I was doing so-so with the assignments in his online class until I discovered the secret: Write as many thoughts as you can think up! My best score for an assignment was when I wrote so much that even I wasn't entirely certain what I was talking about.

3.0
4.0
PHIL1145
Nov 12, 2005

Nice teacher, but seemed to get confused a lot of times. Extremely boring lectures and textbook. Pretty damn hard marker too. Would take class with him ever again.

2.0
5.0
PHIL1145
Nov 21, 2005

He is a nice guy, knos phil. But i found the class to be all over the place and not very structured. Hes seems to be helpful but the test are a little hard, you eather know it or you don't. Doesn't have a final.

3.0
3.0
PHIL1145
Dec 15, 2005

NO FINAL!!!!Very nice guy and knows alot of the course.lecture is boring and confused,so as the text book.Tests r a bit hard.Attendance is not required.There are 4 exams(25% each) for the course.If u know u can not come for the tests tell him earier,he will ask u to take it on other time in the library without your bag.Overall he is not bad!!

5.0
4.0
PHILOSOPHY
Apr 11, 2006

Great Prof!

5.0
5.0
1145110SFU
Jun 24, 2006

Katz is everything you want in a great teacher: He's extremely intelligent, very well spoken, clear and concise on expectations, helpful, and consistent and fair on his marking. You will learn sooo much more than you paid for.

1.0
5.0
PHILOFRELIGIO
Jul 4, 2006

All he does is lecture, no discussions. Half of the class dropped out, since we all felt that if we weren't clones of him we would get bad grades. His reasoning isn't clear, and he can't explain very well.

5.0
4.0
PHIL1120
Sep 2, 2006

Awesome teacher!

4.0
3.0
PHIL1100
Dec 7, 2006

really knows his stuff. interesting to talk too, will discuss questions in class.

5.0
2.0
PHIL1150
Dec 11, 2006

Katz is an awesome prof. May be boring sometimes, but he'll always try to make it interesting. Course is slow paced, he does LOTS of ex in lectures. Go to class, do the text exercises, tests should be simple. I was late for 1 of the tests & scored a C-, but he was willing to shift the percent weight of the exam, & in the end, he bumped me up to 90.

5.0
3.0
PHIL1150
Dec 11, 2006

katz is an awesome teacher. his tests are fairly easy if and only if you understand the material, otherwise your dhoomed. if your taking logic, be sure its with katz. katz rules!!

5.0
3.0
PHIL2120
Dec 16, 2006

super duper prof... material can be try, but Katz knows his stuff. He tries to make class interesting, is extremely clear on what he expects, does not require attendance as long as assignments are in on time, though attending class helps. He's a nice guy, just take the class and don't act like a retard.

5.0
4.0
PHIL1150
Jan 21, 2007

Logic is very hard but Katz goes to great ends to make sure that all of his students understand the concepts. Just be warned, he goes much farther in the textbook than the other instructors do for this course (predicate logic). Best teacher at the school though, and one of the most interesting courses!

4.0
3.0
PHIL1100
Feb 6, 2007

With the exception of the probability lecture, very good prof. Found the lectures a bit tedious because of the length (and as a result, maybe have *cough* missed a few...) but he was always very thorough in explaining things so I never felt left 'out of the loop'.

5.0
2.0
PHIL1145
Apr 24, 2007

Nice teacher! If you go to his lecture and listen carfully and take notes, then you don't need to read the book,though the lecture sometimes is confusing and boring

4.0
4.0
PHIL1100
May 3, 2007

Katz is a smart guy... maybe too smart. He is a good teacher, but make sure u bring your notebook, or even a tape recorder. He goes through the material way too fast, and the textbook is just as confusing as his lectures. I would like to take a different phil course with him, but for now, I advise taking Basic Logic with someone other than Katz

4.0
3.0
PHILPHIL
Mar 13, 2008

He's such a smart guy it was almost intimidating. But he's super nice, and laid back too. Only problem is that classes always seemed longer than they were, but not for a lack of interest and effort from Katz.

2.0
5.0
PHIL1100
Apr 9, 2008

this guy is really hard. but he does give a lot of information and examples. and he does stay after class to help students for about 30mins. uses a lot of analogies.

5.0
2.0
PHIL1100
Apr 23, 2008

Professor Katz was a great teacher, fair marker, and very helpful. Having never taken a philosophy class before this I didn't know what to expect, but it turned out to be fun. The only problem with the class is that I feel like I left it with more questions than answers!

4.0
3.0
PHIL1100
Nov 26, 2008

enthusiastic teacher, and he knows his stuff. only negative thing is that when i asked him for help with 2 of my papers, he did. when he marked them, he said that he didnt see a flaw in my argument, and i got a low mark. this happened twice. he also said that he may have been a bit harsh, but didn't change my mark. not very helpful with papers

3.0
4.0
PHIL1100
Jan 5, 2009

Katz is very intelligent and has a good sense of humor, but more discussion would have been helpful. I think everyone was scared to talk in class.

1.0
5.0
PHIL1100
Dec 16, 2009

loves it when you call him katz cause he meows every time. his name is katz but he owns a dog. in all seriousness though DO NOT TAKE notes do not make senc, goes threw material very fast, MEOW.....

1.0
5.0
PHIL1100
Dec 17, 2009

AVOID AT ALL COSTS. 3 essays worth 20% 25% 30% final 25%. Marks essay so hard out of 20 impossible to get a 14. Says one thing during lectures, marks the total opposite for essay. AT ALL COST AVOID. DO NOT TAKE IF YOU CAN NOT WRITE 100% ESSAYS.

1.0
5.0
PHIL1100
Dec 22, 2009

This guy is not organized, writes notes on the overhead w/ messy writing. He even told the class only 1 person in his 35 yrs of teaching got 18/20 on the essays Also when u ask him for help on ur essay he gives it to you but when you get it back there are a number of other errors which he doesnt mention in the initial first draft revision GPA DROP!

1.0
5.0
PHIL1150
Dec 23, 2009

i regret not dropping his class he makes you hate philosophy and never take another philosophy course again ever..

1.0
5.0
PHIL1100
Dec 28, 2009

has his favorites. notes dont make sence. no point in going to class. worst prof ever.

1.0
5.0
PHIL1100
Dec 28, 2009

worst class ever. worst teacher ever.you will regret taking this class avoid just like everyone else says. they are not exaggerating biggest retard ever.

4.0
5.0
PHIL1100
Jan 8, 2010

Doesn't hold back for people who dont understand philosophy first glass. Holds out for people who understand. Notes are useless. He weeds out only smart students to try to discourage students who dont do well from taking higher level philosophy. Knows very much about the subject, offers one on one help.

2.0
4.0
PHIL1100
May 9, 2010

class was brutal, worst teacher ever!

2.0
5.0
PHIL1100
Jun 14, 2010

I see he is teaching next semester, DO NOT take him. Guaranteed GPA drop, almost everyone in the class got a C on the midterms. The assignments are confusing even though he is willing to help. "In all my years of teaching only ONE person has ever gotten 18/20 on my essays"-J.Katz He uses the overhead and has messy writing, plus the class is BORING!

4.0
5.0
PHIL1145
Aug 22, 2010

Nice teacher, but his exams are so hard. He does not seem to understand that not everyone has a PhD in Philosophy Logic and Critical Thinking. I am a straight A student and I work hard, but this was just hard! His notes are all over the place, but it is not to say that he isn't organized. But overall, nice guy.

1.0
5.0
PHIL1145
Sep 6, 2010

dont even bother taking this guy unless u want your gpa to drop

2.0
4.0
PHIL1150
Oct 17, 2010

Material is complicated and he teaches his lessons because he assumes the students know it after one explanation. Claims everything is "easy as cake." Nice guy overall, but didn't bother smiling when I smiled at him in the hallway. I would HIGHLY NOT suggest this class if you just need a elective.. NOT WORTH THE STRESS!

5.0
1.0
PHIL1150
Nov 23, 2010

good pro, responsible, and help me go thru questions 1 by 1. go to his office hour and make him remember you, he will go easy on your test XD.

2.0
5.0
PHIL2120
Nov 25, 2011

one of the most frustrating teachers ever, picks favorites, acts like he's understandable for people who have never taken philosophy, but is completely the opposite on one of my papers he said not to bother to continue with the course because I was unitellegent

1.0
4.0
PHIL1145
Dec 6, 2011

I honestly had no idea what he was talking about most of the class, his writings on the overhead were just totally unorganized and if you weren't paying attenion for a second you'd probably be lost. I got a B in this class only thanks to the text book...

1.0
5.0
PHILO1145
Jun 11, 2012

I just don't get it what this professor is trying to prove :S. He treats 1st/2nd students like they are PH.D candidates..cumonn man..i m a computer science student which is 500% harder than what he teaches and i almost always get A+ in my classes but here, i am barely managing to pass and class average was like 59%. U get my point i guess..don take

2.0
5.0
1100
Mar 11, 2013

PLEASE READ! Overall, he is a nice person and obviously passionate and knows about PHIL inside-out. But that does not mean he knows how to teach. Also, he is a HARD marker. I took my chances and decided to not listen to other people who rated him poorly on this website. DON'T make the same mistake I did unless you like being challenged to the max.

2.0
3.0
PHIL1145
Mar 23, 2013

this class was useless. i cant believe that i was paying just to take 4 tests. he does not care if you come to class or not. if you read the chapter and take notes you will know everything for the test. he uses every odd example on the test and the even ones for the examples in class. No retests NO MATTER WHAT! even if you have a family emergency!

1.0
5.0
PHIL1145
Apr 22, 2013

Terrible professor. Notes are unreadable not to mention they don't make sense. Uses odd examples that no one understands. Thinks everyone is a master at Philosophy who has a PhD. Not recommend at all! Test don't make sense, oh and to mention, only has 4 tests, no assignments. You fail a test, good luck on getting your grade higher!

3.0
5.0
PHIL2215
Grade: B-
Mar 28, 2014

Really interesting professor with a lot of great stories. Also very friendly. The problem being he always goes off topic and literally none of the content in the tests/essays (Of which there are only 3) is covered in the class. It's easier to just stay home and you'll probably learn more, which kinda sucks because other than that he's cool.

3.0
4.0
100
Nov 24, 2014

knows his stuff.. but does not know how to teach, especially not how to write notes! so basically you end up being lost throughout his whole lecture!

2.0
4.0
PHILXX1
Grade: C+
Jan 19, 2015

Two one hour lectures a week are to two hours a week sitting there blank and confused. although he writes note, most of them a scrawled on an overhead and are mostly just words on a page with no elaboration. tends to go off topic every class with the same example every class socrates is a man. need to teach yourself with the textbook and online.

Class Info

Attendance Mandatory

0%

Textbook Required

100%

Grade Predictor

Your expected effort level

LowHigh

Predicted Grade

B

59% confidence
Based on 3 grades
Most common grades:
Incomplete (1)
A (1)
Not_Sure_Yet (1)
Grade Distribution
A(1)B(1)C(1)D(0)F(0)A-/B+(0)
Based on 5 reported grades
Incomplete: 1
A: 1
Not_Sure_Yet: 1
B-: 1
Rating Trend

Declining

-0.68 avg change
Jun
Mar
Apr
Mar
Nov
Jan
Last 6 months
Ratings by Course

PHIL120

5.0

(1)

PHIL

5.0

(2)

PHIL101

5.0

(1)

PHILLOGIC

5.0

(1)

PHIL1112

5.0

(1)
+24 more courses
Difficulty by Course

1100

5.0

1212

5.0

PHILRELIG

5.0

1145110SFU

5.0

PHILOFRELIGIO

5.0

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