Challenging professor for first timers, but his knowlege and helpfulness makes up for it! Recommended.

Students like to call him Mr.Yale as he makes a point of reminding you he went to Yale every lecture,but really,it shows!Super intelligent and well-versed in just about anything.He loves his tangents but they are just so fun and interesting,people love it.Highly recommend, definetely a REAL scholar!

Had this prof for 2 courses,and thoroughly enjoyed it.Can be challenging, but I like a challenge lol He's always available to lend a hand if needed anyway.Extremely intelligent, funny and just very likeable altogether!Encourages students to think for themselves.Great addition to Concordia.Recommend!

Intense class. At first I was a bit unsure of the workload but ended up learning so much. Professor is very knowledgeable and approachable.

Take this course! Smart prof and a great guy. Gets off topic sometimes, but always interesting and fun to listen to. Really tries to help students.

as these people said, this is a challenging teacher. but he seems to learn his lecture by hard, what up w/ that? very knowledgeble and funny.

Awesome. Direct and demanding, but will spend hours with a student and their paper. Lectures witty and smart.

nice prof, but very hard. if ur not a theo major, ur in trouble.

like these people say, very hard, yea, but fair. he's a good prof and a really smart guy. but the word is he'll kill you on essays if you don't write well or give him some b-s. you'll work yr butt off. interested or advanced students will love him.

Tough but fair and smart. Don't take the class if you don't write well. Does he memorize his lectures?

you're papers will be graded by a TA which SUCKS as he has no idea what he's doing. The prof however is absolutely amazing! A hillarious, demanding, rewarding and all around chilled out class. If you're a better exam taker than paper writer you're screwed as there are no exams but alot of weekly papers @700 words so this was a very easy class....

Your papers are graded by a T.A but contrary to other comments, his T.A is very helpfull if you're interested int he course!! As for the Prof., wow! he's tough but fun. you never want to ski his class!!

i agree with the last comment. contrary to what has been said, i think the TA has been very helpful not only with email feedback but with the comments left on my papers. perhaps it is that student who does not know what they are doing.

he is really a genius, as well as a truly wonderful person. more advanced students will love him the most. students who take a class with him just keep coming back for more. he was made to be a teacher.

One of the greatest teachers I've had the pleasure to take. DiTommaso knows his stuff and after his classes so will you.

Wicked amazing class! This prof has a great and unique teaching style and I can't wait to take more courses from him! He is very helpful and strays from topic often. Marking is from 4 or 5 papers instead of tests.

Cool prof. Knows everything about everything. Lectures without notes or overheads.

amazing professor, helpful, friendly, easygoing, relaxed classes. Lectures are always amusing and interesting. I ALWAYS looked forward to each class. 4 short essays no mid-term no final, take his class you WILL NOT regret it!

Dr.DiTommaso, is an extremely engaging professor, he works hard to make the material relatable and tries to put you in the historical context of what you are studying. He has very high standards for writing, but this is a good thing, as his class is structured so that you can improve with time.

Super interesting prof. really engaging. not super difficult, just answer the question. No nonsense.

Amazing professor. The man knows his stuff. Class discussion is great, assignments are fairly standard yet thoughtful. Highly suggest this class.

He's very interesting to listen to. Sometimes goes off track and talks about his many trips around the world, but even those are insightful. Would love to take one of his courses again.

Some profs bore you to tears, others put you to sleep. Not this Prof. Every class is interesting, its like having a private tutorial on western civ even though 200 other students are in class. Likes discussion and listens to questions like hes really interested in what you have to say.

I disagree with the last comment. This class really opened my mind to ideas in history and how ideas are formed and change over time. Lectures witty. Prof engages in diversions but always ties up the main story.

He's an amazing teacher! He can be pretty scattered but his stories are always interesting. Short papers throughout the semester and one long final exam worth half the grade which was 14-15 pages. None of his assignments are open to interpretation because he looks for very specific information. Participation is a must. Flexible with deadlines.

No nonsense, nice guy, I enjoyed going to his class and found that the papers were not too difficult and were graded fairly. He is clearly very knowledgeable and answers questions willingly. I am not in theology, I am a fine arts student who wanted to take an interesting elective and I found his class to be engaging but I wasn't in over my head.

heard alot about this class. great lectures, never uses notes. best line (last class): "a sense of your own mortality gives life that extra zest"

Solid course, amazing lectures. short essay, pretty clear. not too hard, learned alot

Amazing teacher, one of the best I've ever had the pleasure to take! Gripping lectures, thought-provoking and very interactive. Unlike certain other terrible teachers I've had, he is extremely open-minded and easily approachable. Answers questions and likes to chat with students, has a good sense of humor. Readings were good.

I must be inhabiting a different planet then the last student. Class discussion is really interesting. Prof. Ditomasso takes lots of questions every class. I don't agree with all the question, but he's pretty fair. His lectures are interesting too. I recommend this course.

loved the class, good lectures

Reading and Writing intensive, but fair course if you put the effort. Interesting matter to study, but a background in Religion and / or History does help. Teacher is a bit disorganized in how he brings about the information he conveys, but towards the end of each course it regroups into an interesting whole.

Love this teacher, he's a sweetheart and he teaches the subject passionately. I would have liked it if there was more discussion in the classroom other than him just lecturing, but he does it so well that I couldn't care less. 10/10 would take again!

Amazing lectures. Essays not difficult, but do the readings!

professor relates topic to the real world. great lectures.

Amazing lecturer who knows his topic by heart. However is also brutally honest, what you see is what you get. Intense paper work and he's a hard grader. If you aren't willing to give it your 100% then don't bother taking his class.

So special & interesting. Best prof at concordia. Reignites your curious spark. Lectures full of wisdom & life advice. Always fascinating topics. Don't take it if you hate philosophy, history and learning. Not a class for the lazy but for real university students. I wish I had more time to take more classes with him. Sit in on lectures if you can.

One of the best profs I've ever had. not only is he passionate about the subject, he will go out of his way to make sure you understand the material. I actually enjoyed attending his lectures as he is so animated and funny. I would recommend him to anyone.

I've taken 5 classes with this prof. Lectures are great and he cares about his students. He also inspired me to be a better student. Usual grading format is 7-8 short papers and a final essay. The papers biweekly can be annoying, but they are short (500 w) and you can heavily use them to help write your final paper. Easy grader if you do the work.

Class was great. 4 papers, final exam, not too difficult.

Amazing teacher. Knowledgeable, engaging, enthusiastic, punctual, fair and clear grading system. Clearly loves teaching. 4 short papers and 1 long paper. Material is super interesting and he contextualizes/relates it to history, contemporary politics, religion, etc. One of the best classes I took and it was an elective.

Super lectures, good class discussion. Engages with students. Takes time to explain the material. Related material to real world.

Interesting class and topic however he goes off topic a lot and could focus on the material more. He is gone a lot in which his TA takes over, who is very good at teaching but I find it pretty annoying that he's never there. Papers are not that difficult to do but both he and the TA have biased opinions so be careful what you write about.

great course

Fun course, easy grade. I come for the lectures, sort of like a TED lectures. Prof is very approachable.

Good class, excellent lectures. Too many papers!

Really an amazing teacher, it was really a joy to come to class and the lectures were really interesting. Sometimes the terminology and concepts can be a bit complicated given that it is a theology class. I also genuinely enjoyed writing the papers and the final essay for the class and he gives really good guidance as to how he wants them to be.

Interesting Prof who relates class material to the real world. Easy A if you attend his lectures. Recommend.

Super interesting course. Online lectures are delivered with passion and authority. Another reviewer said that then Profs lectures are TED lectures and that's about it, except that he's sitting down.

Professor DiTommaso's video lectures are engaging and his enthusiasm and knowledge make the Zoom meeting fun and informative.

One of the better video lecturers. Low key but not boring, since he's obviously interested in new religions and of course anything to do with apocalyptic. He likes to circle around an idea from multiple angels and suddenly you get the point and the big picture behind it.

Wonderful class. Professor made the course interesting and exciting.

Recorded video lectures tiring but fascinating. Fairly heavy Moodle readings. Class meetings are more informal, you can skip at least half of them. What he says about veganism and living a life in critical interaction with the planet a is profound, Mr. Zen. But 12 - 15 pages final is a load. Lighten up there, Prof D!!!!

This professor enjoys teaching, talking with students and answering questions. He has a dry, quirky sense of humor. Alot of weekly reading but the assignments aren't too difficult. We even watched some opera. He say's he doesn't want to make podcasts but he should.

Thank you for a thoroughly enjoyable semester!!

I have to take online courses becouse I live outside Montreal, but prof makes zoom lectures interesting.

I came for the course and stayed for the lectures. Professor DiTomasso makes the class interesting. His digressions always return to illustrate a general point that he's making. A brushstroke here, another there, like he's painting a picture.

The last two Zoom meetings on religion and violence were incredible. Great discussion!!!!

The class was interesting and I learned about new religious movements. He is a good teacher and answers emails promptly. Lectures were long and comprehensive but then zoom meetings often repeated lecture material. Easy grade. Very good overall.

I really enjoyed this class and the online meetings.

Amazing lectures!!! One of the few courses where I enjoyed the readings and the lectures.

Thanks for a great semester during this very trying time.

I have taken two classes with Prof. Ditammaso during my degree and they are my among my favorite classes at Concordia.

A fantastic class with great discussion. A fascinating introduction to various aspects of the world. This is my first RELI class and it was amazingly interesting.

Awesome lectures. Professor explains his material in details and encourages questions. My fave class so far.

I love this guy. Really smart, clearly has a deep interest in Religious Studies. Great lectures, really funny but not to the point where the lecture loses it's substance, he actively hates technology which I love. This class is the reason why I am now pursuing a minor in religions, taking another class of his next semester, very excited for it!

A very interesting class. Prof's dry wit complements his awesome lectures. Detests technology but knows pop culture inside out. Best line: "You know, of course, that the film THE MATRIX is all about you." That started me thinking.

Lorenzo is funny and engaging, which made for some great lectures. Make sure you stock up on print credits, though, because all his assignments are to be handed in during class. 4-5 papers during the semester and a 12-15 page final but the assignments are very straightforward and all the info you need is in the readings.

I really liked this professor. He was engaging, which helped me, especially since I struggle with focus. I'd definitely take another class with him. He didn't use slides or write on the board, so I had to rely on taking notes from what he said.

Super inspiring and passionate teacher; truly amazing! Though, I personally had quite a hard time with his assignments: five 700 words papers and one final 3000-3750 words essay. This class is a mix of history and philosophy, so if this is not your cup of tea, do not take this class. Felt like I was constantly missing the mark even though I wasn't.

AMAZING lectures!!! Sharp wit and super smart but encourages class discussion and engages with students honestly. Still, you always get the sense that he finds the world endlessly amusing.

brilliant lectures

This guy should be making podcasts. He goes off on a tangents and then suddenly he reals in an idea that he threw out 30 min. before and all of sudden it everything makes sense. He just stands there on the stage, like he's in a play, and talks for 2 hrs.

perfect prof for adhd people. his assignments are always quite easy; yes there's a lot of reading, but they're not all mandatory. you can tell he loves what he teaches, and even if he gets sidetracked sometimes i think his lectures are always fun. would take another class with him if i hadn't taken all the ones he offers lol

I agree with the last rating. DiTommaso's lectures are good for adhd students because he states a point one time and later on in the lecture returns to it from another viewpoint. Also he likes to list major points, like 7 reasons why people join new religions.

Super lecturer. Always enjoy going to his lectures. Encourages class discussion and you don't feel intimidated. Goes over his points a bit too much. Some of the cults are weird.

Honestly I loved his style of teaching. Even when I didnt come to classes I was able to ace the assignments. He is super passionate and clearly knowledgeable even when goes on random ass tangents lol