I really enjoy his critical thinking class. the class is what is it, if you have logic and common sence then it should be really easy, but the material does require studying, and going to class. The textbook is great, its actually helpful, but you really need it to do well. Julien is funny and seems like a goofy uncle, not a funny prof. he's cool.

Easiest professor. Nice guy, helpful. You want a free 80+, take him.

Best Professor!! If you have to take a liberal, take this one.

Easy easy teacher, free 80%. A good liberal to take you actually learn something out of the course compared to most others. I slacked off and ended with a B+. The two essays he marks them super hard but the quizzes and final are easy.

He is a very nice person but often gets carried away during lectures and its hard to follow along. Midterms and exams were easy, his sample exams are good examples of what to expect. If you participate in class, he is great at getting you to think about your input by repositioning his question. Smart guy, nice guy, sometimes boring though!

Nice guy! Interesting lectures!

Great prof and a really nice guy... I actually enjoyed going to class! He knows his stuff and he re-words things in a way that is completely understandable. He's pretty funny too. The class was super interesting, and bonus: no text! (just downloaded readings). Overall, awesome class. I'm happy I took it :)

Nice guy. Very hard marker. He tries to help you. Unfortunately the content he was forced to teach was very boring. He did try to make the class interesting.

Yes, very nice person. Genuinely cared about our success in this course. Very helpful, very fair with grades, tests and essays. I got exactly what I deserved on my final paper. Wish him all the best in his teaching endevours!

Greaaat prof...attend his classes though or else the material will be pretty hard to comprehend. His exams are not bad as long as you attend his classes specially his review class!

Oh my gosh! Super fun!

He is my fav! This course and his philosophy really inspired me to want to be better in my writing and critical thinking, which is helping me in my new writing course :) My critical analysis of articles and literature are wayyy better because of him, plus he has good teaching style. Look forward to other Philosophy classes!!

Great professor. As long as you attend the lectures and read the material, you should do well. He is willing to go over material as many times until you understand. He's patient, polite, and intelligent. What more could you want for a prof?

I agree, he's awesome but I disgree that his lectures are boring and dry. I think some readings and certain content is difficult to fully comprehend at first, but he has a way of trying to be so helpful and patient with us! I got an A- in my other course mostly becuz of his influence in the way I think now and his awesome teaching style!!

He is very nice and helpful. Granted that the online readings were dense and sometimes a bit boring, he went through them in detail, cut things out and did as much as he could to help you understand. He is also a very easy essay marker, just include what he asks from the article and make an opinion on it.

One great prof. He makes thinking worthwhile and his clarifications really help when writing essays. It's far easier now to give opinions on concepts that can be super hard to grasp. He's fair on the grade you get if you follow his essay instructions and keep asking for help when you get stuck! I wishhe could mark my essays from my other course!

The Professor is very friendly, intelligent, and polite. He cares that his students understand the material. He is willing to go over the content as much as you ask.The journals are extremely lengthy however the material discussed in class is engaging. The course introduces a different way to think.

I totally agree! He's the best for a Professor becuz he's so caring, friendly & super smart <3 he's so inspirational that he makes Philosophy more interesting than I ever imagined it would be and plus he keeps me curious and thinking and thinking and thinking!!!!

Amazing prof! makes you think, is funny, responds to emails quickly, doesn't put anything on the test you didn't cover, is easy and laidback! best prof i've had for phl courses

JB is my favorite prof *_* his lectures are interesting & I can't get enough of the new ways we were introduced to thinking. He has a gentle voice too! He makes awesome sample tests (when most profs don't) esp for exam! As busy as he is, he's open & friendly to help you whenever you need him. Just the best, & very hard to come by at ryerson!

Awesome professor! He teaches extremely well and is very helpful. Attending the course will help as he teaches the material he feels is important, but if you can't, the textbook is flawless, you can learn the entire course by yourself. 2 midterms, 2 essays and a final; sounds like alot but they are simple if you know the material.

I don't agree that the previous commentor should undermine this course & the professor.The book may be pretty straight forward, but not so much that "you can learn the entire course by yourself" at least, not without an instructor & esp since there are essays included as well. Overall, amaaazing prof :)

Great teacher, deserves all of the positive reviews. Loves philosophy and it shows in his teaching. Very easily understood, extremely fair marker and its a joy listening to his lectures. Highly recommended.

This guy is amazing, he uses material straight from the original form which might make it more difficult to get through but he makes sure to make the tests and essays lenient to make up for the difficulty in the material. He's extremely funny teaching in a relevant manner with the most random examples. Awesome dude.

*JB is among the BEST Philosophers there are at ryerson! He presents clear & concise course material without any bias, like some profs who can be so close minded in their discipline. Really, fair & gave me the chance to re-write my bad essay, & ended up doing alot better! DEF "red hot chilly pepper" worthy too!! haha He has great teaching techn's.

Great Prof! Fair, clear, pacient and compassionate. The very best of the best! I can't wait to tak another course with him!

Great professor! He will talk and talk about the articles read in class so you will be able to understand in many different ways. He also makes great notes for studying for exams and reviews everything that will be on it. No surprises on his exams. But, if you do not show up for class, you WILL miss important things. Loved him!

Amazing Prof. Very interesting material. Never bored in this class. No textbook. 1 short essay, 1 easy midterm, 1 long essay and easy final. Open to discussion, very approachable. Loved this class, would def take this class again. The class is based on about 10 readings and that is it, just discussion. Puts up helpful notes before an exam. Awesome!

A funny, interesting and approachable professor! Readings mostly covered the questions addressed in the course. He explains really well and just makes you think more. Having sample tests and notes for midterms and exams were super helpful! Easy, laid-back but caring and cool!

One of the best professors at Ryerson, known in and out of his subject. I took it as my Upper liberal without prior knowledge in the field. Very helpful, fair and never let you down even you are in deep trouble Philosophy field. Finally, made me learned the very fundamental foundation for law's Critical Thinking. Very grateful to this Prof.

Really funny prof. Sometimes his class feel really slow. I didn't use the textbook much. Not too difficult, just pay attention. 3 tests and an essay.

Interesting class. Course is not hard but some material are a little confusing.. but if you read the textbook and attend class you are golden. 3 Tests, 1 essay.

He is a great prof. Talks a lot, but all of it is important. Do not miss a class otherwise you will probably miss ALL the information. He tells you exactly what he wants from your assignments.

Awesome prof!

Great prof (perhaps my favourite so far), presents the lecture material very eloquently and makes it very interesting, enough for you to think about the material when even outside of school/studying. Can get a great mark as long as you read the provided texts, keep interest, and go to all the lectures.

If you are skeptical about this class the first week and are considering leaving, don't! His class was difficult in some respects, such as little blackboard usage (no online powerpoint -had to write notes in class) and his fast talking, but, he is always ready to clarify and is approachable. Few assignments which are open ended and enjoyable.

Julien doesn't have any notes and almost never writes anything on the board, so you have to catch everything he's saying and you need to show up to class. Sometimes notes can get messy cause he loses his train of thought. Only one quiz, an essay, midterm and final, but he always gave the format. The mid-term felt like a quiz. He's an easy marker.

He is a very nice prof. very easy going and flexible. No ppt, you have to be ready with pen and paper. While talking he might jump from philosopher to philosopher but is always willing to go back and clarify. 2 exams and 1 essay, easy marker and willing to help. Genuinely cares about student success. DON'T SKIP CLASS, one lec. hell a lot of info!

Nowadays it's quite rare to find a prof who's not hiding behind hisher power points. But Beillard is an exception, he talks passionately about the subject until he covers and clarifies everything. He engages students and makes it interesting. The key to succeed in his class is to show up, stay focus, ask questions, and take NOTES. Great man

julien is interesting. pay attention, take notes, and youll do great. he is a bit scattered until he starts getting into his analysis, then get ready to write quickly. he is super smart.

Great prof. He will definitely make you think. Highly recommended!

Fair marker. There was a small amount of reading per week which wasn't mandatory as he would go over it extensively in class - you could probably pass without doing any of the reading but I wouldn't recommend doing so. He is a great lecturer, he makes the material very interesting (which is tough when referring to Kantian ethics) and is very funny

He is such a sweet and gentle man. He is very passionate about Philosophy and you can tell that he really loves to teach his students.

Solid professor, discussion posts every week, which are very easy. There are 2 quizzes, 3 papers, and a final. The papers are each very easy, just an opinion piece with no research and are very short: easy grades. The quizzes are a bit ridiculous, extremely specific and you still get bad marks while googling the answers! A bit scared for final.

The best professor I've ever had. Makes philosophy interesting, and summarizes the readings for you in class in simple terms. Goes on tangents, but they're interesting. Super easy marker, you just need to think about the concepts on your own and make your own conclusions for essays.

I took the Knowledge, Truth and Belief course in January-April of 2012. Julien Beillard is a solid instructor, who gave select articles to read that engaged the students. There was no clunky expensive textbook to buy; so I appreciate that. Julien is a pleasant, humble, and approachable man.

I have got to admit, that I have learned a lot through him and this class which I can carry on beyond my education experience in Ryerson. He is a good teacher, makes funny jokes, gives clear examples to explain his points, responds quickly to emails and grades fairly. Overall, I had a very positive experience and will highly recommend.

Not for bus-stop philosophers. Prof engages the class critically on the material and very open to legitimate philosophical objections and queries, but leave your biases at the door. Lots of varied readings and discussion points, often tangential but always related the question at hand, however indirectly. Fun course for true philosophers.

A solid professor. The material is difficult but do the readings and listen in class and you will be fine. Lectures are heavy and it can be easy to zone out but try not to because you will be completely confused and lost when you zone back in. Tangents and no slides are pretty routine for philosophy courses and you learn to appreciate it.

love this guy.I also love how he references his rate my prof page in lecture. He gives some VERY strange examples!Truly is one of those crazy phl prof but its very enjoyable. I was dealing with some health issues well taking this class and he always made my day better. didnt participate given my health but would recomend the convos are facinatin

This prof isn't for everybody but he is truly entertaining. I respect him for diving into such controversial topics without fear of how it may be recieved by all the students. Plus he gives thoughtful points to back up his example/opinion ect. He gives you a full page of feedback for your essay even if you got an A+ which is great. Tests are easy.

Chill dude and the lectures are really interesting. Do not skip class!!

I absolutely loved his class! It was online so the discussions and readings were done online, however the assignments were unique and I really enjoyed doing them. He really doesn't just give you the copy paste generic essay questions and gives topics that make you want to learn more about them. Really appreciated his detailed feedback on the essay

Those who gave Julien a low rating must be too incompetent to understand that they have yet to open their mind up to new ways of thinking about life. If you have a hard time following his lectures it's time to pull out some philosophy books and start educating yourself on life topics that really matter. He is a very intelligent &amp; entertaining prof.

Dr. Beilard is a funny prof that will get you interested in philosophy. Coming from a science major who is bad at essays, he marks pretty easy as long as you defend your point properly. You do have to read all the readings and show up to almost every class, but as long as you do that with a little extra effort, you'll have no problem getting an A.

Second time taking a course with him. Very lucky to have him as my philosophy professor. Thank you Ryerson and thank you Prof Beillard.

If you are looking for a GPA booster take this class with Julien. Weekly discussion posts were 20% of the grade and fairly straightforward material on tests and essays.

Julien is so real with his students and is truly a great guy. Loved this class!!

I hate philosophy but I loved this class so much because of him! He is so real, and helps you personally connect to the readings and the class. He is an honest, genuinely good person who wants you to succeed.

He is just awesome

Very nice guy. Is able to relate the readings to life and examples which help you understand the reading.

I always look forward to his lectures. You can tell he's really passionate about what he's teaching, and it makes his class so enjoyable. He's an amazing guy all around.

he's such a nice prof one of my faves. he marks a lil tough but if you pay attention you should be fine. overall, def recommend taking his class :)

best prof I has this semester. He is kind, funny, and always smiling in his lectures even though everyone's camera is off. If you do the readings you will get a good mark. He is the best! and if you need a class to bring up your average deff do a class with him he is the best prof I had so far

He is a real cinnamon roll. Super kind, caring, accommodating and makes you think! His tests are very easy if they are open book and you have the article handy. In terms of essays, he just wants to see that you understand the argument and have your own opinions and reasoning behind what you think.

Julien is a great orator, and I imagine under any other subject I wouldve absolutely loved this class, but this kind of philosophy just bores me to hell. Easy going, good marker, great to listen to, but the readings are absolutely mind numbing. Would love a class with him under a philosophy subject I enjoy

Great Professor, show up and listen to do well.

The sweetest prof, youll love him. He goes off on a lot of tangents but its always nice to hear his own personal opinion on the topics he teaches. He provides thorough explanations on the articles he assigns, and the assignments were never difficult, easy As if you pay attention to his notes and do your best to understand the readings.

The man is a legend, he treats students with respect and isn't afraid to delve into controversial topics and incite fruitful discussion.

Imagine a philosophy class where the essays are informal instead of lectures, you just discuss a reading (that isn't even mandatory). That's what it's like having this guy teach. For me the exam was worth 40%, which may seem intimidating but this prof is extremely caring and doesn't mark very hard.

SO NICE. bumped bad quiz marks up (mine 20 percent) if we did well on the 2 papers. He's very understanding of the stresses of online learning, laid back, and a lenient marker. Papers are informal, no research, and max 1500 words. I vowed in first year to never take another philosophy class because I sucked so bad -- I passed this class with an A

Hes a really nice person, sweet and cares about the subject. The lectures however were confusing at times, just him talking for the two hours straight - lack of visuals etc makes it hard to follow. If it werent for his good personality and kindness I think this class would be pretty hard.

Lectures are heavy but recorded, easy marker, super caring and friendly, laidback about deadlines and assignment requirements. Easy pass

Honestly, great prof. Really understanding and caring for his students. Chill guy and good lectures. Had him for my first ever PHL uni course, and was a great first teacher who made me interested in philosophy.

At first: seemed very lenient, but I would work very hard on the essays and get a &quot;low&quot; mark (e.g., 70-80%). *However,* he was very lenient on the final exam. I would therefore recommend him, as he was fair in the end.

Dr. Beillard is one of the best. His lectures are thought provoking and moving. Only class I've cried in! I see the world differently after this course. He's understanding of life circumstances if they arise. The grades are based on papers and one short test. Participate in class, turn on your camera if online!

the course was online but lectures were all recorded so you can access at anytime - watch them and take notes! grading was based on two essays, a test and a take home exam (another essay) beillard was very accommodating, didn't take marks off for late work, and his lectures and readings made me interested in school during a tough time. 10/10

He is one of the best professors I had, I strongly recommend taking him if you are taking a PHL class, explains material very clearly, helps his students where they feel confused or stuck, cool guy. Makes philosophy ten times better. Personally, I respect him. Also, get ready to read and discuss a lot. (good discussions)

I really enjoyed my time in Professor Beillards class. Hes super funny and laid back, doesnt have strict rules regarding assignment formatting or deadlines, and overall truly cares about his students. He explains all materials clearly and you also dont need to buy a textbook because he provides all of the reading material himself.

Never seen so many hands go up in a classroom before when a Prof asks a question. He makes students comfortable speaking about abstract topics that he is clearly philosophically developed on. His essay instructions are so simple. Don't forget that this is a PHIL course and not ENG! Don't be stunned when you have to argue and provide reasoning lol.

I would say he is a great prof if you are really into philosophy, but to those that are not fully into philosophy, I would suggest you turn away. Classes are light but you will need to put all your energy into those few assignments. Also, the feedbacks you will get are overall not very helpful to how you can improve on future assignments.

Literally the easiest class ever. Attendance not mandatory (I showed up to class like 3 times). No late marks (I handed in almost every assignment more than a week late) and very easy grader. Assignments were also very easy (500-1000 word essays on easy topics) He honestly just wants to have a good conversation with students about philosophy.

Professor Beillard teaches a controversial class but does it well. He always challenges your perspective to allow you to grow and grades fairly. He only gives feedback upon request, but said feedback is very helpful. Looking at the bad reviews, note that over 70% of the class did not show up nor try and are mad now that marks are out.

Essays were short and he's a very understanding prof. I recommend this prof to anyone taking this class. The course readings however contain massive amounts of degeneracy which make you pause and think what in the world am I reading, who comes up with this nonsense? Anyways, put in the effort, do the assignments, and you'll get a good grade.

He's a nice guy! In terms of grading, I honestly found it difficult to do super well in this course as I didn't really understand his marking scheme and got 70s on all papers. But I didn't try super hard. He's chill, but don't expect an easy A+ because the papers can get a bit difficult. Nothing crazy though, just try your best! He's a sweetheart.

Professor Beillard is very reasonable. Course was easy and interesting. 3 essays one small quiz. Not that hard just do the readings and pay attention. You don't need to show up, but if you do, DON'T go on your phone. He is super nice and cool but the only thing you can't do is go on your phone as he finds it rude and will get upset (fair enough).

Lectures are engaging but bizarre, he went off for an hour about race and IQ one time (only tangentially related). He's a generous grader but it seems sort of arbitrary, my laziest paper got a 90 and a better paper only got 80 despite it also being a final exam. Doesn't care about research/format, so very low effort class

Beillard is a great professor and is capable of taking abstract concepts and explaining them from various angles. Your grade is dependent on your understanding of the assigned articles which form the basis of the lectures and assessments. Basically, either listen in class or read the papers on your own. Both strategies yield a decent grade

Amazing professor, is very passionate in what he teaches. Lectures are always very interesting, and looks to create class discussion. Sometimes lectures can be a bit redundant but he tries to hit important points of the readings down. Always open to chat about readings and related topics, and is a lenient marker. Overall, great professor.

Dr. Julien Beillard is a lenient marker and makes the class enjoyable. His dedication to his students' learning and growth is truly remarkable, and I am grateful for the opportunity to learn from such an inspiring educator. He cares about his students a lot. I always enjoyed taking his classes.

Dr. Beillard is an excellent professor who gives honest feedback while marking that will actually help you learn the concepts. His assignments are open ended and give you freedom to write. His class is one of the best upper level liberals you can take.

he presented his lecures through readings he created himself. So never have to attend online or anything. I only skimmed his lecture notes and did weekly discussion posts. there was 1 case study and the midterm and exams were just essays. it is a very interesting course considering I am a nerd who games and had no initial interest in the course.

I love him, i've taken his class 3 times, id highly recommend. Lectures about really cool philosophical ideas and makes it a group chat/debate. Very simple, doesn't want crazy MLA format papers and jargon, just wants your honest thoughts. I'd call him very very chill. He grades a bit tough but you'll never fail. If you want an easy class take his!

I really liked Professor B. I'm taking him again next semester. People complained about him a lot, but as long as you show up, participate in discussions, understand the material and make sure you're respectful (don't go on your phone or sleep in class, or leave early), you'll do well!! :)

Professor B is very smart and gives great feedback. Is a tough grader and can ramble a bit, but overall very good.

I took Professor Beillard's class in the Winter 2024 semester. He is such a great lecturer and you will learn so much. He is such a nice guy, (just no phones, leaving early, or sleeping in class.) It's worth it to pay attention!! Fair grader and overall a great professor.

I love JB. I'm a science student minoring in philosophy and Ive taken many of his classes bc I love his style. No textbook, just assigned readings which he discusses in class. Class is important though, otherwise youll miss key things that will be useful for future assignments. Caring and laid back. Really teaches philosophy in its truest form.

Challenging but rewarding class. Professor B provides great feedback and open-ended assignments. Attendance is mandatory, but worth it. For study prep, I found Unstuckstudy and the course textbook very helpful.

No textbook, he just posts readings. Even with those, you have a good amount of time to complete. I find the lectures to be very paced which I love. He will talk about the readings for about a class or two and makes sure everyone is on the same page. his essay grading is critical but extremely helpful imo

Philosophy courses are about thinking, arguments and debates. Students that are not willing to think and participate, well, perhaps Philosophy is not for them. There are other possibilities. One of them is students are not as smart as ten years ago.

Julien's teaching style was very natural. It was similar to having a conversation with a person you had known for quite some time. Being an online class, participation matters, as it is heavily weighted in the final grade. I am a shy person, but speaking to him felt like I could learn new things by being so open to conversations and discussions.

You do 1 reading each week and then class involves discussing it. Lectures didn't have a structure, no slides, he just went through the reading and the class discusses (participation matters). Essay criteria was also vague but he's not a hard marker, he doesn't care if you're right he just wants you to back your claims up. Very interesting prof!

This professor will show up for those who show genuine interest in understanding the course content. He is entertaining and takes care to be clear when communicating complex concepts. 10/10, would recommend to those who are willing to put in some effort.

The reviews are a bit harsh, but they aren't wrong. While I enjoyed the topics covered, Professor Beillard can definitely be difficult. He will call out distracted students and tends to go on a tirade about it. The lectures can be a bit dry, but as long as you skim the readings you will be okay. He isn't a horrible professor, just eccentric.