Asks for too much for a level 100 course

Great professor, but expects a lot from a 100-level

He's difficult but interesting. Tests are too hard though.

Brilliant man. Hard tests.

good course, test are memorization of arcane facts

Awesome Proffessor, Do the reading, go to class, can't get worse than a B

good teacher, easy class

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Dynamic and interesting. He is definately an experience.

He engages his students like noone I've ever seen and reeks of total command of his class. He truly makes Greek Myth a wonderful experience! One of the best professors I've had.

Learn a lot and easy class if you do the work and go to class. Really great professor!

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the tests are easy if you do the reading and show up at class, seems like a lot of reading but its really like 10pgs a night, hes a lot of fun and makes jokes, listen to what he says after NOTE!

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Got to love the Stories!

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he's the man

One of my favorite professors ever! He's really knowledgeable and always interesting. After every class, there's someone talking about the material at the bus stop outside. So, so recommended!

The class sounds daunting at the beginning, but don't be fooled, it's worth it! I wish I could take more classes with prof. Philippides. He tells the greatest stories, a pleasure to learn from!

wicked hot and very sexy!!

He's the best Teacher I've had my Freshman year at UMass. He's the Indiana Jones of the school. I highly recommend his classes!

The best teacher i have had here

Marios rocks! He has the greatest stories, and actually answers questions.

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The absolute man. Like taking class with Indiana Jones. Easily one of the best at UMass after 4 years of my being here.

Good professor, funny guy.

I love him. He's an amazing professor and is honestly Indiana Jones. He has the most crazy stories. I'm in love with Marios.

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whoa... at first i thought this is gonna suck, but if you're just a little bit interested in greek myth, you'll love the class. very interesting, very crazy... marios is funny and in love with his job! take the class!

what an amazing professor! it's like being in class with indiana jones; he's just not hot.he's been very helpful and i loved his class so much that i'm taking more of the courses he teaches.

Pretends to be a hard-ass the first class. Really just a laid back guy who won't put up with B.S. Realy funny stubborn sense of humor, very knowledgeable and experienced. He lays everything out for you very clearly. The tests were cake.

Marios rules! But Greek Civ does not. Even the funniest guy ever cannot make civ not suck. Myth, however is about the easiest class I ever took.

He's an amazing guy! He's been all over the world and dug just about everything up. I love the way he speaks, you get so pulled into his adventures. The class was tough but if you try, you'll do well.

Indiana Jones appeal.

I'm a biochem major and he still makes classics interesting to me.

I loved him. One of my fav. teachers...and he has some sex appeal that I can't explain. He's smart and funny and truly a nice guy

First day of class he really intimidates you, but he's actually a really cool guy and he makes the class very interesting. I loved him! One of the best professors I've had

He was very informative and knowledgeable. He didn't waste any time. He was also rather humorous at times.

Very interesting class, lectures are interesting, tests are very hard even if you read all the material and study.

Awesome teacher. Made the class very interesting. However, there was way too much reading to keep up with. It seems like you learn enough from the class that you dont need to read 4000 pages. The tests were difficult if you didn't do all the reading.

awesome class, awesome guy. If u do the reading and go to class- you can easily get an A -

Want to know how good he is? I'm not even ENROLLED in his class and I still go. Every class is enchanting. And the very essence of this man lets my mind place him among the Gods. Philippides, you've made a fan of me.

awesome class. the class is pretty much storytime with marios. he makes the material easy to learn, and very interesting. go to class, keep up with the reading, and youll be fine

Pretty good guy. The topic isn't that interesting, but he has done a lot and he really knows his stuff. He scares you the 1st day, but don't be intimidated. Its not the easiest class I've taken since I got here, but not all that hard either.

Do the readins, go to class, and 100% on tests is not an uncommon thing. This is my favorite class because it is so interesting and the time goes by so quickly! 500 people, and the class flys by!

AWESOME teacher. very funny and keeps your attention even in a huge lecture. high recomendation on this class

Cigarettes and Diet Coke... this guy is great professor. I highly recommend taking this class.

I love this class! He is really funny, and he keeps your attention through out the lecture. Grade based on 3 exams so study! (There not that hard if you did reading and paid attention.)

Great Professor!

Best class...great professor, nothing could be better. attend all the classes and do the readings (like you should be doing) and it's a given A. not cause he's easy, but cause it's just a great class. would take it again if i could. this was the only class i refused to miss. Philippides is the best!

Do not take this class if you are not interested. It is more challenging than most HS gen ed classes, but it's worth it. Philippides brings an aura of intelligence and splendor with him, and his classes are very interesting. He is funny in class and is easily my fav prof. Lots of reading hardtests

I LOVE MARIOS!!!

He is the best teacher at this school!!! His lectures are very interesting and his exams are easy as long as you read.

Great class! The lectures are very interesting, resulting in a good look at the ancient Greeks. The tests are straightforward if you do the reading (put emphasis on important people), attend class, and study!

The best teacher of my freshman year!Although he does not write many notes on the blackboard, he is very thorough and keeps you interested.He shows slides of his first hand experience with greek artifacts and ancient buildings. I highly reccoment this class to all non-classic majors cause it's fun!

One of the best gen eds to take. Second test is wicked hard tho, so make sure you take notes on the reading. He inspired further interest in the subject and I actually WANT to go to each class.

Really cool guy with a lot of knowledge pertaining to Greek Myth. Classes are interesting to attend and is required if you want to do well on exams. A fairly easy Gen Ed course.

The most amazing teacher ever. He's like a modern-day Indiana Jones... he won't let you record his class because of all the illegal stories he has to tell. Simply AWESOME

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i want to marry this man.

BY FAR my favorite professor ever. Super interesting, pretty funny, and way cool accent. The class isn't hard AT ALL as long as you go to lectures. We always called this one "Story Time with Marios" and definately looked foreward to it. I reccommend playing "Count the Erection" when he shows slides.

Marios is great but class is tricky. dont expect to skim thru the reading the night b4 bc it wont work. break it up and take notes on ALL the greek chars in it. as for the essay portion- cant help ya. find someone who can :( The class is great but doing bad on the tests will leave a bad taste in ur mouth so dont let them ruin the experience. READ!

This class is NOT easy. If you go to less than 1/2 the lectures, youll prolly still pass cuz most of the exam criteria is in the book. The exams are so hard cuz theyre hand written, not multiple choice. You also have to read about 250 pages for each exam!! Not your typical gen-ed.

please people DO NOT take this class! all the exams are essays, each exam is on tons of material, and one of the exams is just pictures that you have to memorize about 150! i thought this was going to be fun and easy but it really is hard and boring

Is good in there

His essays are hard but if you read the book and go to classes, you'll surely get an A. Even if you don't pay attention in class or get knocked out, just read the book and write as much BS on the tests and you'll get 100.

this class was AMAZING. he teaches myth through pottery, which makes it far more interesting. i pretty much want to marry him.

Awsome teacher! tests arent bad as long as you go though the book and look for the bold words

Amazing professor! I loved going to lecture and the tests are easy as long as you read. I got an A in this class and this man is truely amazing. Listening to his first hand experiences makes you want to visit Greece and Rome. One of my all time favorite professors! I highly recommend this class!

Great class and professor. His lectures are really interesting. The tests are pretty easy as long as you read and even if you don't you can BS alot and still get a decent grade. I wasn't crazy about being in a class with 400 people, but that's umass, what can u do. I highly recommend taking a class with him if at all possible.

Such an amazing professor! He has a great sense of humor and his lectures are interesting. He teases students, but it's funny because of his accent. He knows so much about what he's talking about and will tell you about excavations he's been on. This guy has a bunch of TA's that are basically his groupies. Generally awesome and hillarious.

Best history teacher I have had at Umass.

Many of his lectures are memorable and very interesting. If you attend most classes you will do awesome on the tests.

WONDERFUL CLASS!! I loved it!! It isn't an "easy A" but extremely interesting. He is AWESOME!!! I recommend it to anyone who likes a good story. =)

He is a great professor with a passion for what he is teaching. However, the class is extremely difficult and requires a lot of work/study time. If you're not invested in the subject, I do not recommend taking this class (especially for a gened). I love it though!

he is an awesome professor, i enjoyed his class thoroughly. to do well in this class you have to like stories about the ancient world, myths and have to put time aside to read. the books aren't bad they are super interesting

i took this class after taking his 224, and enjoyed it again. hes a great professor, take a class with him!

His stories and jokes are not bad. The material is good. Just read the book and go to every class to take the lecture notes and you'll be fine. He's really good. Drops one exam

don't take a class from him unless you want to learn. i only took an intro with him, and i got the feeling he could or had written a book about every lecture he gave in that class. not to be taken lightly, but don't get intimidated, either. tons of reading/note-taking if you want to succeed, but do that and you'll do fine. take any class he teaches

Very interesting and knowledgeable professor. I really enjoyed his class. His method of lecturing is more like listening to a good story than the usual lectures I encounter. He expects hard work, but he drops the lowest grade. I will probably take another class of his just for fun because I loved having him as a professor.

He is a pretty solid professor. Has great interest in his field along with great knowledge. Made my interest in the subject grow very much so. If you go to test and just do the reading which isn't that much as it may seem you should do fine. Anyone know how old he is thought? He says he was doing work since 1950...

I am very interested in Greek Myth, I've been to most of the monuments he talks about, and it still didn't help. TONS of reading, exams pay too much attention to minor details, all blue book, a lot of memorization. NOT an easy A gen ed, make sure youre up for doing real work, its not a blow off gen ed, and you have to go to lecture to understand..

A clear, experienced professor who grasps every nuance of his subject. Puts on a show of being old and grouchy, but definitely still possessed of a youthful vitality. You won't do well in Greek Myth 224 if you don't attend the lectures and do the reading (~100-150 pages per exam; 3 exams + slide exam), but there's nothing else you need to do.

classics100. the grade is based on 3 tests, you take 4 and he drops lowest.half the test is on lecture, so youll do fine if you take notes and go to lectures. the other half is on books you read...you have to read a lot but only take notes on names and places. we were supposed to read "the odyssey" but just sparknote names and youll be good.

AMAZING! He by far the greatest professor. I want to take every class with this man! I enjoyed going to every lecture, and actually enjoyed reading the book to understand more about the Greek people. LOVE LOVE LOVE! A+!

Great, great teacher. Manages to make boring topics interesting and engage students. Does require some reading (reasonable), but I highly recommend Classics 100.

4 exams (drop 1)-IDS, short essay(options), picture test. Tells a story each class. 3 books- retell story, location, or myths. Fine if you go to class, pay attention, do the readings...if not...hope you can BS really well

Best professor i've had at umass. Class was easy if you read. Definitely need to read and attend class. I ended up loving this class and had no prior interest in Greek culture. Definitely recommend it!

THE BEST PROFESSOR YOU"LL HAVE IN YOUR LIFETIME. Go to class you'll bound to enjoy every word that the man speaks. Extremely interesting. You cannot graduate UMASS without taking a course by Philipides.

I LOVE MARIOS!!!!!!!!!! Such a hilarious personality and great Greek accent. He knows EVERYTHING about his subject and his deadpan lecture on herms while the entire lecture hall was cracking up was the highlight of my UMass experience. I wish I could go back and go to more of his lectures!!!!!!!! All grading is done by TAs.

I took him for Greek mythology and he was AMAZING!!! I wish I could have him as a teacher again, but I am graduating.

wicked good teacher. read the books and go to lecture and you will ace the exams. he cares mostly about names and places. very very good class! i took as an elective and LOVED it.

Hes a nice, funny guy, but his class is pretty hard if youre looking for an easy gened. Tons of reading, which takes up about 50% of his exams. The good thing is, the picture exam is really easy, and he drops the lowest exam. Overall, you could do better but you could do worse.

Nice guy, hard class. A lot of reading that is pure history, which is not fun. Class can be boring but also interesting. Exams are 50% essay, which is material covered in lecture, the other 50% is reading character IDs, this is the hard part, you read like 5 chapters of Greek battles, names, etc. There is usually around 300 names he can give.

It's easier & harder than people are making it sound. It is a lot of work, but his bark is worse than his bite. He acted like he would test on the most obscure characters of the Odyssey, but come test day he really only asked for the main characters. He expects you to know the most important things from lectures and texts. Has boss taste in suits.

Watch out for the crowbar.

Great teacher. Can be a little tough to understand b/c of his accent. Easy Class. Tests are 1/2 on textbook 1/2 on lectures. 4 tests, drops lowest grade.

One of the smartest professors I've ever had. He knows everything about Greek Mythology, so this was one of the most interesting classes I've take. His tests are pretty easy, IF YOU READ THE BOOK, otherwise it's pretty hard to get a good grade. He drops the lowest 1 out of 4. Would recommend his class to anybody who likes Greek Mythology.

I think he is a wonderful professor. He explains things very clearly, and what he asks on exams are fair. It is primarily based on lecture, but also a good portion of the book (and even so, it's only on the more obvious heroes and deities). As long as you attend class, it's not a problem. Wears awesome suits and has a good sense of humor!

The class is half lecture half slides. If you go to class and take notes you'll do fine. Exams are 50% essay based on lecture 50% identifications from the book. Don't have to read the book, just skim for names. Easy class as long as you go to lecture. 4 exams, drops lowest, one is a slide exam which is an easy A.

Very entertaining and nice. The book should be read for each exam. I had a friend who came to class just to hear him lecture.

You definitely need to read the book because if you don't you will fail the exams. If you go to class and do what you're supposed to then you will pass with flying colors. Plus he doesn't give any excess homework assignments. The only thing you have to do is read.

Easily one of my favorite professors I've had so far. He's very into teaching this subject. His exams are mainly based on the book and the essay part is based on a big topic he discussed during class. He seems intimidating at first, but he's a really cool guy. I regret not reading the book so read the book because I would have gotten a better grade

Marios has the most swagger I've seen in any professor at UMass. Very respectable, intelligent, man. If you read the book and go to lectures the class is a breeze. The hardest part for me was getting into it, but once you take the time to understand the material on your own, this class feels like a hobby. Take this class if you're ready to learn.

This class isn't extremely hard but it isnt an easy A. if you study properly for exams and do the readings that are assigned you will be fine. the readings are only like 150 pages over like a 3-4 week span for each exam... but the last two exams are back to back so its a lot of info to take in but the tests are very very fair

Greek civ is my favorite class. Mario is the best and always knows how to make you laugh. If you study, you will pass the tests. Be sure to review notes and definitely do the readings.

The class itself is difficult just because of the amount of memorization. There's a lot of reading and you have to pay attention in the lectures. If you keep up with the work though, the exams are a breeze. Marios is an inspirational professor who has great tastes in suits. One of the best classes you can take.

I am currently taking Marios class and it is my favorite class this semester and I'm not even a classics major. Definitely take notes. If you're relatively interested in greek myth at all, its not hard to pay attention. Reading the book is necessary to pass however. He's a funny prof who knows what he's doing. Always has a diet soda by his books :)

Philippides is hilarious and very entertaining. There are 4 tests, he drops the lowest grade but you still have to take all of them. Tests are based on 50% lecture, 50% textbook so you have to read and you have to attend class. Studying for the tests requires a lot of memorization of specific people but it isn't too difficult.

Great subject, great professor.

Amazing professor, very clear lectures, and simple grading. No quizzes or papers, just exams, and he'll drop your lowest one if you show up to all. The pages to read seem like a lot but you skip most of it and only read the myth itself. If you don't read, you don't pass. Try flashcards. Such a good class I'll be TA'ing in the spring.

Philippides is really passionate about the field, and that carries over into his lectures. Engaging speaker, fascinating to listen to.

The class material is very interesting and his lectures are great but he only grades based on four tests due to the large class size. The tests are based on the readings and pictures he shows in class. The tests are mainly identifying terms in paragraphs and then answering an essay questions which are vague and hard to study for.

Great lecturer with a very clear and well organized way of teaching. The only grades are from 4 different tests but they are fair and if you pay attention in class and skim through the reading you will do fine. He also drops the lowest score if you show up to all tests. Overall, Greek Civilization was a great class and Philippines was great.

Great lecturer, interesting material. Your entire grade is just based on 4 tests, but he drops the lowest, and lets you forgo the final if you want to just take the average of your other 3 plus one letter grade. Skated through the class with minimal effort. He never checks for attendance, but if you don't show up to class you'll have trouble.

Great class! I'm not all that into Greek Myth and just took it as a gen ed, but the lectures were really entertaining and the workload was not too difficult. You're only graded on 4 exams, but the lowest is dropped and the grading isnt too harsh. Just go to class, do the reading, and make flashcards to succeed!

His lectures are fun and captivating, but the exams are hard and highly rely on textbook readings. Pace yourself and it won't be too much

Amazing professor, def. take Greek Myth if you're on the fence about it. He makes it so worth it for the class. The only downside for the class is that you have to read 100+ pages for each exam which really sucks since the textbook is really boring.

Overall, this class and professor were excellent. You learn a lot from this coarse. Four exams that make up your grade (lowest gets dropped). You have to attend every lecture and take good notes for the exams. You HAVE to read the book. Marios is a very nice and hilarious professor. He always brings something new to the class and a bottle of cola.