Great professor, knows his stuff and how to get it through to the students. He uses interesting examples and does not entirely limit class discussion to the topic. Overall a very interesting and usually fun professor.

No Comments

No Comments

best teacher I had first year. I had some good teachers too. great examples, class is funny and interesting.

He's a good prof, has a clear voice and makes sure people get their questions answered, even if he has to prompt them a little. On the other hand, his organizational system confounded me. Overall good prof, but take your own notes, don't just copy his.

Great Prof! Very helpful, very interesting, and has great notes.

was a great proffesor, though he seemed very disorganized at times, but that was half the fun with him. Although his TA's were harder markers, he relaized since it was a nursing philosophy calss, we are not there to becoem philosphers and thus marked us much more appropriate to our elvel of phil knowledge

He was hilarious in class and was always making little random jokes. He made the class enjoyable! This was the first nursing class he had taught so the material was new to him but he was extremely enthusiastic about it and taught it effectively.

Good guy, interesting class and material. Useless notes, and weekly quizes are unreasonably hard. Hard marker on papers as well.

Awesome guy. Hilarious mannerisms make the class enjoyable and interesting. Thanks to him, I changed my major to philosophy. His note system is almost useless and his quizzes seem to be focused on the most obscure factoids possible. However, he is very clear and helpful when questions are asked and essays are reasonably marked.

Awesome, fun lectures.

Funny guy. Extremely helpful and easy going. Provides good feedback and constructive criticisms on essays. The weekly quizzes made attendance mandatory. They were good though because it made sure that I kept up with the readings. I would definitely take another class with Dr. Kowlasky in the future.

Excellent prof who gets all students actively engaged and interested in learning about philosophy. His Lectures are quite clear and he is always willing to provide further explanation anytime. His weekly quizzes are quite difficult because he only gives you 5 minutes on a 10 minute test. However, overall he is great teacher

The course I took is a seminar lead up to an eventual STS 300 level in the philosophy of technology. Dr. K was pretty helpful and quite understanding of other circumstances such they arise. He is appraochable for guidance and can moderate well. I have heard both good and bad reviews for him, but my expeirence was positive.

Bill and Ted Would be proud, there little bobble heads nodding in approval

I actually found the quizzes easy... just underline the details in the readings and novel and go over them before the quiz. If you've taken a bio course, this is nothing new. Anyway, Dr. Kowalsky is hilarious... he's a bit of a nut. Very interesting lectures. Notes definitely could be better, though.

Funny guy, very energetic about what he's teaching. The notes are a bit confusing, so make sure you attend every class and know what's going on.

Dr. Kowalsky was hilarious,he made class interesting to go to. There are weekly quizzes and seminars, which forces you to keep up on the readings. The quizzes should be really easy if you have done the reading. He definitely made what could've been a very boring class really fun. I definitely suggest taking his classes!

Doesn't really give out the best notes in class, but if you pay attention he does cover things quite well. He's kind of crazy, but is an awesome guy, and really fun to have as a prof.

Great prof, totally crazy but that just made class a lot of fun. Clear notes and easy quizzes and great with extensions, would recommend him.

The best professor I have had in my whole university experience. He is hilarious, his lectures are engaging. He has weekly quizzes or seminars, don't worry, they are not hard and in the end they help you. The final was great, he gives a very clear indication of what he expects. Marking was fair, and comments were very helpful.

He's enthusiastic(jumps on tables).At times he goes on tangents, is a hand holder(weekly quizes),but has an interesting philosophical perspective. He's v. approachable, helpful,friendly & actually puts effort into teaching undergrads well. He's not the !!bestest prof EVER in the universe OMG!!,but he's definitely an excellent prof.

Very interesting lecture topics and incorporated his own quirky examples. Very enjoyable professor - would take more classes with him if I had the space.

Best University Prof I've had so far!!!!!! His lectures are always fascinating with great and often humorous examples. He has regular 5 minute tests which are very helpful and keep you prepared. If you come to every class and do the readings you're sure to get an awesome mark. I'm trying to get into every course he teaches!

Dr. Kowalsky is an awesome prof! He marks very fairly for an intro course, but it certainly is not an easy A as there are weekly quizzes and seminars. A really nice guy though, and certainly understands the material he teaches. If you are into philosophy, I would highly recommend this prof.

It was a pretty good course. The lectures seemed to drag on about nothing but somehow you actually seemed to learn stuff. Just write down what he does and remember it and your golden for the tests, and if you visit him he's super helpful on the essay. Overall, an interesting, easy class

Dr. K is a lot of fun. He's engaging and works very hard to make difficult concepts clear. It's important to attend all the classes and to take good notes as well as to do all the readings. He makes you think critically about how our society views science and technology while giving S&T a fair shake too.

Holy moly take this course. If you've ever struggled with the Problem of Evil, this is the course and the guy for you. Seminar style class. Dr. K is hilarious and always available to help you.

Great instructor- interesting, enjoyable lectures. Highly recommended.

Amazing

Perfect Prof. Fun, adorable, keeps class engaged and an all around sweet guy.

awesome prof! so funny, hilarious and very helpful! take notes in class, pay attention and ask for help! It will definitely pay off at the end! Love this prof- so awesome!

Dr. Kowalsky's STS course is one of the few University courses that I've taken that I will actually probably remember and care about down the road. He's open to criticism and eager to assist students and answer questions. Easy marker, as well. Would recommend to anyone!

Dr. K is awesome! My favorite professor of all time, hands down. Fantastic sense of humor, managed to be entertaining and engaging even with a room packed with students. Always ready to help when needed. His marks were fair. Love this prof! He's on my "watch list" for future semesters.

not the easiest marker. otherwise fantastic in every respect: very knowledgable, very engaging, very easy going, very helpful, and very interested in his subject matter. I'd recommend him and this class (philosophy of religion) to anyone interested who's willing to put the work in.

You cannot go wrong with Kowalsky. He is super entertaining and drills concepts into your head but you have to attend class. It's not the most exciting course but Kowalsky manages to keep you awake. Make sure you do the review questions before exam and you are golden. He is also super helpful during office hours!

Wasn't too big of a fan. He has weekly quizzes that are quite tricky. Just take notes and listen in class and you'll be fine. I just didn't like how he was so excited and jumpy, and it came across as unprofessional for me

Great professor! He is very engaging, and very willing to help students outside of class. He's not an easy marker, but I feel like I actually gained something from his class.

Very engaging prof. His unorthodox way of lecturing keeps the class alert and, makes you feel like you really learned somenthing at the end of the day. Quizzes are pretty tough but worth it.

He was great!

Possibly one of the nicest and funniest profs I've had. As long as you go over your notes and study the concepts he tells you to study you're golden.

Brilliant class and professor. I'm not studying in STS but this class changed my philosophy more than any other. Every lecture challenged beliefs I took for granted and he's witty about it too. Custom course pack with approachable readings you can do the night before. Clearly tells you concepts that are tested. Take with C LIT 242 for more kicks

I just had my first class ever with Dr. Kowalsky - he really shows how to put philosophy to a great, practical use. His lectures so far are very lively and interesting, and he is very engaging and humorous. It also does not hurt that he is easy on the eyes too.

Fun prof to take a class from. Notes he gives are semi-useful. You MUST read the selections, other wise you'll fall behind and fast. Weekly quizzes are painful and killed me, and I studied for them a lot. Papers are generally graded. Take this course if you like philosophy, but prepare for a painful challenge.

Great speaker, his hair is so big because filled with philosophical secrets.

Dr. Kowalsky is an exceptional prof. He took the pretty niche subject of Philosophy of Hunting and made is super applicable to day to day life. His lectures are hilarious, interactive and very easy to follow. If you do the work and participate you will be rewarded. This was by far the best philosophy course I have taken at the UofA!

The lectures were very philosophical and often jumped from one thing to another without any connections. HOWEVER, he gives a "What will be tested on the midterm/final" before the exams with 85% of the questions covered. If you go to his office and ask for clarification on these questions he is extremely helpful! Boring book -but it is university...

in STS200, Dr. Kowalsky makes you read a ton of stuff. you read an entire novel and a textbook/coursepack that he's put together. you have to read the entirety of each to get above a 3.0 Dr. Kowaksky is a really good prof though. one of the best I've ever had.

Clearly passionate about the philosophy behind technology and today's use of it. There are lots to read, but he makes sure to help you understand the texts during his lectures. He's pretty fun to interact with, during office hours he really is willing to help fix the mistakes in a paper. Always enthusiastic about the course. Attendance is important

He is a funny prof and a really nice guy (responds quickly to emails). I found the class material to be not too bad and I wish there were more than 4 things to make up your grade. The content was a bit difficult at times but he explained it well. If you are not good at writing do not take this class.

Great prof, really good at simplifying material and making it interesting. Lectures were fun, but participation was important and there was some pretty heavy reading.

Nathan is an amazing prof. His lectures are inspiring, insightful and eye-opening and his background in Philosophy adds a unique flavour to the topics covered. He is skilled in breaking down complex concepts to an understandable and digestible level. He is always happy to meet for office hours to clarify or discuss concepts further. 10/10

Kowalsky is like my hero. He has awesome energy and is passionate about what he teaches. He is kind of chaotic, which I love but some people might not lol. He was super accommodating and understanding with health issues and paper extensions. One small assignment and three papers plus the final. READ HIS FEEDBACK ON YOUR PAPERS. Best prof.

Dr. Kowalsky is a great prof, passionate and simplifies stuff very well. Class is discussion-based, and attendance is marked (doesn't post/provide notes, writes on a whiteboard) but he's pretty accommodating about circumstances. This class is *not* an easy-A and he expects you to think for yourself+his essay comments can be more critical but useful

The class average for my section was a 2.2, but overall the class isn't particularly hard and he is a good prof. Most of your grade is from written assignments where he is a fairly difficult marker. Exam questions came straight from the lectures and study guides so pay attention! He definitely knows his materials, but the class is a little dry.

Professor Kowalsky's class was by far one of my favourite classes I have ever taken. He's very knowledgeable in his field and you can tell that he's so passionate about what he teaches and his passion is so contagious. Like everyone said, he's a tough grader but does give really great feedback on your work. But definitely such an incredible class

10/10, changed my worldview. Nathan was an excellent professor and having a science fiction novel as the main body of required reading was great.

Lectures are funny and engaging, but you do have to take your own notes. The class is fairly tough and it's a lot of material, but I thought it was interesting. Grades pretty quickly and gives lots of feedback. He talks about the readings in class so they get easier to understand afterwards. Find a buddy if you miss class cuz he doesn't post notes.

Dr. Kowalsky's lectures are great - he's engaging and hilarious. Don't skip class if you can, he doesn't have/post notes or slides + he takes attendance (10% of grade). Rest of grade made up by 3 papers. Relatively short readings (for phil) and he really breaks them down concretely during class. Super caring and accommodating of circumstances.

Outstanding class, Dr. Kowalsky gives great lectures which really explore the readings. I found the content super engaging and enjoyed every minute of the class. I have heard he is a tough marker, but In my experience, he was very fair and gave good feedback. Gave lots of help in preparing for exams as well

Tough grader but some of the best feedback I've ever received on papers. Material was extremely interesting and he offered a variety of readings from different viewpoints and styles of philosophy. Excellent lecturer and fun to talk to. He is a bit particular about things but that's not a bad thing by any means.

His lectures were very interesting, would love to take another course with him. I would however recommend that you attend all classes and read all the course pack material beforehand, it makes understanding the material way easier.

His lectures very interesting if you like this subject!! Lectures are helpful for understanding the book of required readings. You have to actively listen in lecture cause just his written notes (which are not uploaded) aren't enough(i fell asleep a few times but still managed). Tests are straightforward if you actually do the readings and study.

Lots of readings and difficult exam. He is also a hard-marker unless you're good with making essays you'll probably get higher grades. Came to class everyday and studied hard for the exam and still ended up with C+. Would not recommend if your taking 6 courses (engg) as it requires a lot of effort. Also class average usually C to B- for exams/essay

Dr Kowalsky is a wonderful professor with engaging lectures. Even though I had difficulty understanding some of the reading material, his lectures made the content easily accessible and understandable. Assignments and tests are straightforward. He is passionate about teaching and the content of the class which made it really enjoyable.

Very interesting, organised yet laid back lectures that made the course very easy to follow. Although this was the first time PHIL219 was offered, Dr Kowalsky did a great job in structuring the class. His grading for assessments were tough but gave thorough, constructive feedback. Would recommend this class for a fun elective!

Nathan Kowalsky is one of those inspiring profs that are the reason you attend university. The world looks very different to you after you attend one of his classes and you are changed forever.

He was very engaging and I really enjoyed this course. You do have to do work on your own time to do well in this class but I did not find the workload too crazy at all.