3.6
Quality3.6
DifficultyN/A
Would Retake297
ReviewsN/A
Would Retake
297
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
297 total ratings5
110
4
79
3
55
2
29
1
24
What Students Say
“The most professional professor I've ever had”
PHIL110 - 5.0 rating“With that said, he can be very helpful and a good Professor for those that understand the subject I'm sure will excel”
PHIL110 - 4.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
100%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Rating Trend
Stable
+0.14 avg changeRatings by Course
PHIL00111
5.0
(1)PHIL0012
5.0
(1)PHILO110
5.0
(1)PHIL110120001
5.0
(1)MORALPHIL
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
110
5.0
PHI001
5.0
PHIL099
5.0
PHILO001
5.0
PHIL101
5.0
Reviews (295)
very clear & articulative
AVOID HIM
trickest prof i've ever had
not easy, but tells you everything you need to know
BEST lecturer I've had. Tricky exams, however.
He tricks!
Top notch! This Prof will leave an indelible impression
tricky
Enjoys to see students suffer
LOVES HIS OWN VOICE
Love him! planning to take everything he teaches-too bad i already took phil100
No Comments
Intelligent, Articulate and wise professor. After his class, I became rational.
Great prof. Really knows what he's talking about.
to-the-point useful classnotes, lotsa past exams available, no prob for an A
I regret the day I walked into his class
Spock wants to weed out non-vulcans. Exams look nothing like textbook.
I can still hear his announcer voice..
Hard. I had to retake the course again. You HAVE to be awake during this class!!
The question remains: is he trying to be Spock or Data?
DO NOT TAKE HIS COURSE... while you may learn a lot, you'll fail!!!!
I call him Dr. Evil !!!! do not take his couse
Good lecturer, an ass in person. Beware of his exams. Harsh tries to trick you.
very clear, I got an A - don't know y everyone's bashing his exams
hard prof!
horrible! tricky exams, low marks, boring classes, his voice makes you sleep!
Tricky indeed, yet lectures helpful if you copy fast enough
though i got A, i still dislike him. clear but cocky and tricky exam
His tests are hard...but he's good at lecturing
Tricky exam,have to pay attention to question otherwise.FAIL! Warn! don't cheat!
Krazy guy! soooo boring and yet so tricky on tha exams..
This final was so easy. Got 50% on the midterms tho. Boring, and tricky
This class was dead easy, and he was a great lecturer. Very clear and concise.
Whiners, he was a good prof, and the course was stupidly easy.
best prof I have ever had
don't even think about copying all of his lecture notes
Smart guy, tricky tests, fast writer, you either get it or you don't.
Excelent teacher, whiners should study more,,,
ruined me for the entire semester! lots of failures in his class!
He is my favorite prof~!
This man is the devil! be careful people! NOT RECOMMENDED!
FINAL IS TRICKIER THAN MIDTERMS
Organized, clear and concise, but exams can be a bit tricky sometimes
Ridiculously easy. Reads directly off notes posted online, no need for lectures.
excellent prof, interesting course
he's so clear, i can't understand how people dont learn from him. Tricky tests
Sounds like a radio announcer, clear prof with hard tests....section c!
Didn't like his multiple choice, all else is okay.
Love his voice, very sexy^^ But very TRICKY exams...
great prof! love the course. midterms are tricky, but ok. glad he's gonna scale!
This professor looks like phil jackson.
Exceptionally tricky exams. Does the Austin Powers finger to mouth thing.
watch out for Part C on his exams. but otherwise he's a decent prof
Was totally excited about philosoph, brought it to a teachable level Great Prof!
boring lecture
lectures are very good, part C on his exams are killer
Great speaker and very organized.
A very clear and concise teacher!
Very hard course, Don't take it!!!
Need to understand the concepts well to get high grade.Beware of Part C in exam!
If you can succeed in this course, uni papers will become a breeze! Fun course.
tricky exams, part c is killer, him=clear, concise course=very tricky
he makes you feel like an idiot, even if you ask *intelligent* questions...
hard!exams suck.have to know your stuff well otherwise don't plan on doing well!
Excellent but hard teacher, one of the best speakers I've ever met
He should put his lecture notes on the Web. There's too much copying.
EXCLUSIVE OR!!!! Dammit, they do exist. Even the text book agrees. Why not you&#
HARD midterms/finals... full of trick questions. you cannot get higher than 60%
must be very very goodlooking when he was young.Excellent teacher
Dr. Evil, you have done it again!!!!
SO SIMPLE!
The concepts in this course are very easy to understand however this prof's strategy to make the course hard is to use tricky wording on the exams hence the hard exams.get your hands on some of his earlier exams and see the type of wording he uses...
best prof ever
there is not enough time to do the midterms. The midterms are too hard, he makes them so tricky by his wording. It's very hard to get over 60%.
Very tricky...
Not too bad. Kinda funny........U noticed that he usually puts his pinky finger near his mouth when lecturing? I found that to be hilarious
Gots a voice that belongs on the radio, not in a university. Wicked at giving lectures but mid terms are tricky dicky. If ya take this course with him as the prof, be pepare for some pretty low marks.
Lectures were interesting, argued both sides well and fairly. Extremely hard marker. Very analytical. Tests are designed to confuse you, not find out how well you understand the course material.
His exams ARE tricky. However, if you do enough of his past midterms, you will see past the tricky wording in the MC and will end up okay on the midterm.
Great prof! Tough class.
I did my best and just got B only.
Exceptionally hard exams with NO preparation. Will not even go over past exam questions...Hardest course i have taken.
midterms and final r so tricky...this course is so hard~~
i did 110 in 2001-2... holy crap! this course is MATH! not phil! and i had extenuating circumstances for a withdrawal and he wouldnt let me out! the dean of phil did, but horban wouldnt. and yet he still to this day says hi to me on campus.... WEIRD GUY!
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Pompous Twit. Doesn't seem to know his stuff as well as a lot of other philosophy profs at SFU. Phil001 is a pretty ridiculous course anyway. It's mostly common sense and basic logic. A bit of a waste of time, I dropped it pretty quick. An Easy 'A' though
The only good thing about this course is that there are not much work. His tests are hard though. Good luck.
need lots of past exam in order to get familiar with his tricky questions....~ Notes are exactly the same every semester.. written part on the exam is way way easier than the MC~ Not an easy course!
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a notes taking courses!!!!!!! Don't even know wut I was writting about!!!
very nice prof,and very useful course.he told me how to use my brain efficiently.To the exam,once u get use to the Thinking pattern,you can pass it
a very nice and funny prof. but he is very very very tricky....
This insane class was math, but with words! The course started off fairly easily but then suddenly lost everyone. There was a crucial bridge of information that was missing. A class failure rate of 30% is SCARY!! Don't take this class!!
this class was the reason i am no longer in SFU..crapy prof..crapy ta..and some stupid logics..if u get it u get it if u dont, u never will..
Good prof...
I took this course a couple of sem. ago. I found it really interesting and useful.... tricky, yes... impossible to pass..no. Just review past exams and get really familiarized with the material, then you're fine.
talks very fast
course content is not useful at all in real life applications. my recommendation is don't take it
If you do not need this course, DON'T TAKE IT WITH HIM.
Amazing class. Will help you throughout your SFU career. Even though i ended up with a crappy mark, it more than makes up for whatever i learned in that class! I recommend EVERBODY to take this course!
Scary Prof. Scary material. run run as fast as you can away!!
Nice prof. Be sure to read the question word by word and beware of part C. Use backward logic to do multiple choice questions
Easy course if u really understand the material. I got an A in this coures... though not too good, but ok. his questions are tricky but u can make it out with more thinking... good luck everybody
Drop it ASAP if u dun need this course
Super awsome prof
Horban's lectures are very clear, and you can always expected to be treated/graded fairly. PHIL 001 is a useful (if dry) course that helps to dicipline your thinking - I highly recommend it to students in their first semester, especially those in Arts.
only take his class if you don't care about your GPA and don't mind retaking classes
funny gesture.. talks little too fast......very sleepy class.......
Good guy, *hilarious* examples and gets the job done. Tricky papers and essays though... Still, he's very approachable during office hours and is eager to help. Take him if you can
his lectures are very well structured.
His tests are tricky, but otherwise a fine professor.
his exams are tough (average of 50 or usually lower)
Definitely an interesting course if you are into logic and all that. Although a lot of people found his exams to be tricky, I felt they were actually pretty easy. The prof is the best part of the course. Funny and very resourceful.
Ruined my life at SFU. Heck my life was ruined when I stepped into SFU.
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we love horban
This was an extremely interesting class with thought provoking, but tricky, papers.
Peter Horban writes extremely organized and simple notes, and the assignments are easy. He has a lovely voice, and is adorable as well.
Great course, great guy, likes to listen to his own voice though (or at least he talks like it)
Horban seems to want his students to do poorly. He attempts to trick his students into wrong answers on his exams, and I feel that in this particular course, I was discriminated against for my beliefs. He is charismatic and fun, but unfair, even mean.
he doesn't know how to teach
This is not an easy course. A lot of the material is very confusing, but Peter does a good job of explaining it. Tests are very difficult - tricky questions, and not enough time to finish either!
This is a hard class!!! Four simple words... Less talk more Rock
It seems that his ultimate goal is to confuse students, and except for the few not-so-funny jokes in class, the lecture is pretty much dead... I guess u can't put all the blame on him, the course material is so freakin' boring.
001 is one of the most challenging courses in university, but Horban is the clearest lecturer you'll ever have. exams require you to *apply* taught material rather than merely write out defs. worth it - you'll come out a much clearer thinker & writer
001 is extremely straightforward. The students who don't like Peter are the ones that don't understand the material. His "trick questions" aren't really tricks if you actually understand them.
No Comments
With notes that are very well organized and easy to understand, homework that are only marked based on submission, and reading materials that are straight forward. You wouldn't expect the midterm average to be slightly higher than 40%. A filtering course.
Peter Horban is definitely a good teacher, i like his style pretty much although i'v been skipping his class for almost the whole semester, haha, but i did pretty good on the past 2 midterms, and remember, his in-class notes r even more helpfulthanthetext
Great prof. Robotically logical lectures. Of course, this IS a course on logical thinking. If you like linear thinking, you'll ace it. If not, well, there's a reason the class average on the midterm is usually around 50%.
Eh, not a bad teacher, very tough course though.
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Curveball exams, but GREAT prof.
The lectures were boring in both of these classes, perhaps not the fault of the teacher, but the fault of the material. I didn't attend many lectures for each class but still managed to get an A+. The classes are very easy for comp. sci. students.
an "always thinking" course. the average is low but the course IS curved, yet it seems like he gives fewer As/Bs than other profs i've had. with each exam it seems to get a bit easier though.
Great and funny prof. Make the lecture so much fun. Materials are easy to understand. But his midterms and Finals are REALLY TRICKY, can't call it hard... but TRICKY. Do more past exams will help to avoid his tricks!
Excellent teacher, exams are hard but it does make you study more
Excellent prof! He speaks loud & clear! His lectures are fun, informative and allows you to think further! It's good that all his midterms are always from his notes, books, hw, and it's similar to past MTs.
He has a good lecture voice. Phil 001 was kinda hard though. I took some other phil. class with him (think it was 110) which was slightly easier
Crystal clear lecture voice, good notes and he sticks to them. Never changes his examples in the I-don't-know-how-many years he's been teaching 001, but nonetheless relatively easy course, other than the fact that he gives low marks. He does scale.
Best prof I ever had in 5 years at SFU. 10/10
His exams are soooooo predictable as long as you have +2o copies of past exams.. Mark my word for it.. I got an A because of it.
where did u guys get those '+20 copies of past year exams'? I love his lectures and his voice, but his exam is soooooooooooooooo tricky. i've just finished my first midterm and i feel hopeless cause i only got 26 out of 36.
OMG this was THE BEST course I've taken so far. Dr Horban introduced me to my new love: philosphy! I love his lectures; they're soooo fun and his voice is just awesome. The q's he poses make me think til my head hurts but nonetheless I had a GREAT time!
I love Peter Horban! The class isn't the easiest but he's got the coolest voice and is super clear with everything he says. He also does nifty hand gestures and wears interesting shirts...
He was a very good prof overall. His voice was clear, and lectures were presented well. His tests were a bit hard, especially for ppl who do not know their stuff =P
Let just get one thing straight...this guy is hard. Everyone may put smiley faces and stuff but this guy's class average is a little lower than 50%. His exams are extremely tricky. He has basic notes and when it comes to the exam it is more complex.
I took PHIL001 and PHIL120. He gave hard exams and he is not friendly. Never answer question after class just because it's not his office hours.
tough tough tough exams....midterms are brutually hard...don't be misled by the course #. his exams are complex and they are too long as well. his notes are ok but still midterms are hard. nice person otherwise.
Horban is excellent. To some he may be hard, but I found the course extremely easy. If you work at it and understand the concepts, the course is simple. He is an outstanding teacher.
oh..nono..it's not an ez course!!trust me..
PHIL001 is extremely easy. He is a very clear and eloquent lecturer, and the notes are excellent.
Class average is less than 50%; extremely difficult exams. If you don't like taking mensa tests then DON'T take this class...you will regret it. This class ruined my GPA!
This has been the worst course that I've taken. He thinks he's funny telling his cheap jokes. When he is not. He's not helpfull and he's also rude. Some ppl find this course ez I didn't. it depends on the type of person you are NO LOGIC, very confuse! Low
The hwk were a lot easier than his midterms
exams are very tricky... the average is low... but sfu has curving... so the outcome grade would be okay... just do all the past exam... then u will survive
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dun like this prof taht much... i agree... midterms are quite tricky..... and during lecture.. he tries to be funny, but he tells relaly lame jokes.. =.=
I got A+...u guys are idiots...
he reminds me of the architect in the matrix
I love his lecture voice, although it could put you to sleep at times. Midterms are tricky but as long as you know your stuff, then it's ok. Do the past midterms, they help a lot!
Very confusing, tests are really hard
This class ruined my GPA too!!! Horrible midterms with a weird format. Has you scribbling down notes during the entire lecture because he refuses to post his overheads on a website!
well, it was a terrible experience for me. I find this prof rilli rude and cocky! he is not bad, but not good either. PS. students who got A+ provide no information about Peter Horban, and keep in mind that it's a curving class.
I've taken 2 classes with this guy and he is an awesome lecturer. You can tell he is really interested in what he's teaching. Midterms are tricky but hey, it's philosophy. Overall, if you studied, you should be fine. The curve is a standard curve so only blame yourself for a bad mark.
Very good professor. Definitely one of the best at this university. Though, some might find the midterms difficult, I found them fair and reasonable. He is also great at teaching the course content with great examples. I found his lectures to be quite interesting.
i dont blame myself for failing his class cuz i actually worked my butt off in his class yet it didnt work out all that well..he's teache techniques are questionable, i took the course again in college and i got an A shows how "good" he was teaching. *shrug*
The Course is hard!!! The teacher has a very nice voice but he is cocky, thinking that he knows too much and he is is a bit rude. Course is boring if you are not a reasonable and logical person. Better take another philosophy course.
listen carefully during class, and write down all notes as possible as you can, because everything in class may appear in midterms and the final. remember, everything, including all of the funny questions and exersices that he said you do not need to write down. They will be really helpful during your review.
Midterm is very hard. You need to dig into your notes and the textbook. If you really understand everything, espeically those in his lecture, then enjoy your mark.
This teacher will not listen to you if you argue with him.
Very good lecturer, tests are hard.
Easy midterms (scored 100 on both) and a more challenging final. The class average, however, is quite low and Critical Thinking is the sort of course where you either get it or you don't. Dr.Horban is a good lecturer and I recommend taking courses with him. Two thumbs moderately high up!
I've taken philosophy before, and it was such an interesting topic, that i felt like taking it again. He makes the topic too boring, philosophy can be a lot of fun, instead its just a very boring class now. No discussion,and his notes are all done in paragraphs..so hard to study off! He needs to talk to the class more rather than talk in class
I am a 3rd year student taking this class and in all honesty, i do not understand how a person in their right mind will ever take another Phil class after being taught by Prof. Horban. True, his lectures are clear and the material is very interesting. But those exams?!?!?! They test absolutely nothing! Very discouraging, And somewhat disappointing.
great class! very clear, always presents both sides of the argument, and really gets you to think
Critical Thinking...Don't do it! EVIL CLASS....he has the voice of God...I was totally excited and pumped for Philosophy and after taking Critical Thinking with him I will never take another Phil...the exams are killer and the material itself was too abstract. ex. If A then B, If B then C, therefore if A then C. Seems simple but it gets worse!
His exams suck. 'nuff said
this class is easy... do his past midterms and u'll get A+..
Lectures are boring, notes are somewhat in the middle, but the quizzes, *sigh*, they're just useless, I must say. Exams are supposed to help a student find out whether they understand the material or not. Horban's quizzes are there to discourage your mark. In fact, the class average was a fail...This is why I'm gonna take xx1 with another prof..
Horban gets off on making quizzes really, really hard. Thanks goodness for the bell curve! Also, I am not a fan of teachers who cover parts of the overhead sheet.
Fail and scale! A mandatory class to satisfy writing requirements and immediately depress the frosh. The prof is clear in lecs, and the exams are easy... to fail miserably! Makes ppl wonder if they learned a lot or if they are blockheads. This course is really interesting but the exams have ruined it all. The TA was the best though.
This prof is a very good and clear lecturer. He really makes it easy to understand the topic. His midterm was fairly challenging, but fair (he is scaling it). The final was disappontingly easy, though. Essay assignments were all right.
This prof likes his own voice wayyy too much. He's very full of himself, his lectures are boring, and he is paranoid about plagarism so much he makes you use turnitin.com with HARSH penalties if you only hand in the hard copy of your paper and send the digital copy in late. Misses the point of the class. Much better PHIL profs out there.
Peter is an extremely organized prof, which helps when the material is really tough (which it is). I haven't had his exams/tests yet, but from what I hear they're hard. I'll post more later once I actually take a test with him.
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Very clear, and the examples that he gives in class really helps. His tests are confusing in the sense that you can never know how well you did until he hands it back.
Well organized prof who is genuinely interested in teaching. Yes, the exams are difficult, but he never tests you on anything that wasn't either assigned as reading, or covered in the lecture notes, and besides, he scales the grades in the end anyway. Great prof if you're willing to put in the time and effort, and actually learn some philosophy.
Yes, i took/am taking three of his classes. Personally, I find his tests extremely hard, but fair. They really show who knows the material best, and pretty much clumps the mediocre people somewhere in the middle. Good prof overall, really knows his material, and is able to understand many foggy questions asked in class.
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The reason he is easy, is because all exams are scaled. All you have to do, is be better than half of your peers. He is a very clear, and concise prof, he teaches material quite well. Make sure you ask your friends for practice material, you must study lots for exams.
I really like the fact that Peter is organized and that he cares enough about helping students improve that he marks essays with an extra page that includes detailed and precise comments about where you went wrong. That said, his tests are HARD. He's one of the best in the SFU philosophy department though.
He's a ponce. Scaling has no place when essays are marked: he gives no explanation of how he marks, what he wants, doesn't even have any idea what anyone is getting. Plays favourites in class, makes no sense unless you're a fundamentalist. This class is not for the serious skeptic.
he speaks slowly, make clear content,very good for international students. but don't miss classes, as course goes along, it is getting harder,exams are not so hard
the course is easy if you actually listen to his lectures without falling asleep. Exams were actually quite easy, yet somehow the class scored a failing average. Midterms were 45-50 minutes so not enough time for you to think before writing your answer down at all. Take too much time for one question, you're screwed
1 of those prof that think they know lots. assume students r like him so teaches hard. tons of notes so prepare ur hands. examples are long and confusing. mt/final are btw hard and fair. read text n go to tutorials n u might do well. dont count on horban.
Horban was a TA to the author of the text he uses, also helped write it, so unfortunately both his lectures and text are very convoluted in spots, and untangling this can be a nightmare.
He is very well prepared for class. Very thorough and clear. And clearly a good instructor. However, his exams are extremely hard. I've barely passed the first 57%, and for finals I've gotten around 70% even after extensive studying. However, essays are farely easily marked depending on your T.A. Which boosted my marks. I got a B- for the course.
His exams are really hard. But dun worry about the grades b/c he curves. I like his lec b/c his lec is very clear and logic. He's a good prof~ I'm waiting for him to teach PHIL 100.
Very clear lectures and notes. (The notes are not in "essay format"; they are in complete sentences. It's not as if he throws an essay onto the overhead and lectures off of that.) Essays can be a bit tough, but exams are easy if you think a bit and do the readings.
What you do on your math course, what you do on this course.
So far so good. Very clear with what he teaches and is always willing to help out with any problems. I have yet to experience his exams, so therefore; i dont know much about them at this point.
His lectures are clear and easy to read, BUT his exams are way hard. U do not have enough time to finish his exams. I knew how to do all the questions but there was just not enough time. Here is a hint of how hard they are: Half the class got less then 50% . The average was 19 out of 36. There is no "paper" that can bump up your grade!
explains every thing realy well, but hates people that dont come to his lectures (that only listen to the recordings)
It was a very hard class, although his lectures were clear--but his exams were way too hard for so little time. Taking Phil 110 was definitely a waste of time and effort, and it's one of things that I'll always regret doing in my university career. Too many exams, too little time, very tough prof, very tough course. A very unhappy student.
I absolutely loved Professor Horban. He explained philosophy concepts really well. All his notes were on the overhead and that made it really easy. I always sucked at anything to do with the arts, but this course is very black and white and isn't hard to do well in if you try (although midterm average was about 40%, but don't be discouraged!)
He has clear notes, lectures aren't too boring, but his midterms are super hard, be prepared to work hard in his class.
Lectures were very clear. Exams were difficult but I liked them. Made you work beyond simple memorization. My only complaint is that the homework assignments don't help you get ready for the exam. You don't really need the textbook if you go to lectures.
His midterms are stupidly hard and very dicouraging. With sections where u can actually lose marks. THe lectures are long and boring and very difficult to understand. Questions are pointless and time consuming. Midterm averages are about 50% and that is what he expects. Very discouraging for a fist year student.
He was pretty good. VERY THOROUGH! Very particular as well. I didn't think that the multiple choice where possibly more than one answer was correct was fair, and there were trick questions on the exams, but otherwise it was an ok class. Definitely pay attention to details and don't try to make it harder than it is.
kinda boring lectures, only cuz the course material is fairly straight forward. exams rely on trickyness but thats what critical thinking is, how not to get duped. so if you easily get lost in double negatives and confusing sentences, you may have problems with the exams.
so difficult. with this course you either get it or you don't. his teaching style is through but testing is brutal. the all or nothing multiple choice were ridiculous. never take a class from him!
I do not like his style, copying notes all the time in lectures makes me knowing nothing in the lecture, so preview the text is pivotal. Anyway, this course itself is pretty straight foward, it is easy to get an A,my TA is really helpful. Thank you, Amenda!
lectures are very boring, always make you feel sleepy. Exams are too hard, especially for midterms you don't have time to finish them. You can barely get marks on the Multiple choice part. The only good thing is his TAs are great, I actually found TAs are more helpful than Peter Horban himself
you can tell he's interested in what he's teaching so it makes you want to listen. otherwise, this course contains useless information
RUTHLESS
heavy inclass note-taking. very helpful tutorials. use time wisely during midterms. hw marks are given out according to effort (all or nothing).
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Hey Horban, listen up! You'd be fun to have as a grandfather, talking about all your experiences and theories. But your classes are dreadfully boring. Your tests are brutal. Heres my philosophy: Philosophers are people with arts degrees who have no other skills besides essay writing who create imaginary problems to make a living.
Very good professor, explains all the concepts in a clear way in which it is easy to understand. Though it's quite difficult to finish his midterms on time, the course is scaled so as long as you understand the material well, you'll do fine.
Very lucid teaching. For people who already know a bit about philosophy, his slow pace can be quite a pain, but this really benefits everyone else. The course does not cover a lot of material so it's easy to keep up with the reading. The course is really about the understanding of several "-ism"s, which if you do it's easy. Otherwise, work hard.
Material was fairly easy, expecially if you do the homework exercises. Lectures were sometimes painfully slow, reading the textbook usually acheived the same results. Interesting stuff if you're into problem solving.
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lecture was ok and the examples that he used were confusing, you can easily get the concept from reading throught the text. His exams were hard and the way he graded was werid...dont really know how him and his TA Richard grade students..
lol horban is actually a really nice prof and his lecture r interesting, but this course is really hard and the material is pretty useless. oh and do the assign reading its important! good prof, bad course~!
He is a nice prof. He prepares all the notes for you and you dont really need the text at all. But his exams are extremely hard. If you really understand his lecture notes, you will be fine. Also, make sure u have his past exams as many as you can cauz they are very helpful. I got a B- in his class. This class has a very discouraging avg...45%!!
One of my favorite pro. His notes are really helpful(suggest you copy one from your friends who have taken his course before class). TA Daisy are nice and helpful. Be careful about time during the midterm, and the final is much more harder than midterm. Overall, I love him.
Peter is a gentleman but picky. For people who are good at math, this course is fairly easy. But get high marks in midterms doesn't mean you are good enough. I still do not know how he grades students. A lot of students think they deserve better, like people who were supposed to get A finally got A- instead.
This class is fun, if you like logic. It's easy to follow until you come to the tests.....They are extremely hard and way more advanced than the questions you do in the tutorials. Its a very unfair representation of your knowledge of the class. And you dont have nearly enough time to complete it.
this class was a HUGE mistake!! for anybody taking the class as a gpa booster,THINK AGAIN.he had 2 midterms which were almost the same exact questions ..and teh final was VERY similar to the final.. MC questions were MESSED UP u had a 1/84chance per question it really screwed me over. and plus u learn about symbols like A.B wth is that useful for??
Horbans a good prof, smart guy, and knows exactly what he's talking about, meaning he is extremely picky and very precise. Which leads to veryy hard mid terms/finals. In order to do well in this class, really wrap your mind on the material and know it inside out. Remember this class is not a gpa booster!
If your a normal student. i.e. not a phil major.. DO NOT TAKE THIS COURSE. the teacher was ok, but he made the course harder than it had to be. If phil is a required class for ur major take phil 120 or something. AVOID THIS CLASSS
Great professor, though you may be lulled by his movie theatre voice.
Overall, a nice guy. Lectures are organized but hard. However, when it comes to papers, he isn't very helpful. He just criticizes it and offers no suggestion.
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He is extremely smart and his lecture + notes are surprisingly Helpful & Clear. All you need to do is to attend his lectures regularily and use his notes to study. You don't need to study the textbook..all you need to do is just study his lecture notes. His lecture notes are way better & clear than textbook. He is an awesome prof. !!
Insanely hard exams.
I had him for XX1 & 240. Probably the most influential professor I've had. I wouldn't recommend taking his class if you want an easy grade (his exams are pretty tough), but if you actually want to learn something about logic, he's a go-to guy. Every time I'm using logic to solve a problem, I hear his voice inside my head - he's my voice of reason.
He's an easy prof..there's 2 midterm and final exam, and he practically just gives you 10% for homework because it's based on completion. Exams are tricky, you must study the notes.
It's kind of hard to grasp the concept at first, but once you do, everything is so much clearer. His notes are really helpful and he knows his stuff. In lecture, make sure your cell is on silent and don't use it openly. Mid-terms are kind of tricky so do your homework.
reallyyyyy good prof...lectures are very interesting..twice he gave 5$ bills out of his pocket to random students...though course is kinda though but uld enjoy it
He's a great prof. Knows how to teach, has a sense of humor so you wouldn't be bored out of your mind. You do your homework and keep up with readings/lectures you should be fine.
As previously stated, he does have a movie theatre voice! I found it helpful to pre-read the assigned reading even though he works the other way around. That way, his lectures won't feel so fast. Likes his job, wants his students to LEARN. My TA sucks so it's a good thing Horban's a good prof. Take this course seriously, though. It's not easy.
This guy is good
He really cares about making sure the students learn in his lectures and always answers questions without making the student who asked them feel stupid. My TA is awful but I always look forward to the lectures, even if I can't always get my head around them.
Prof. Horban is an very good lecturer, but the educational purpose of his grading scale and brutal exams is illusive. Highly inept TAs were also an issue in this course. There is probably a much easier "Q"-Breadth course out there.
Great teacher, but hard course.
peter horban is a very good prof.. his nots are crystal clear, if u copy his notes u will get the material by just reading his notes. his tests are hard with the part of multi-multiple choices section on. but over all a very good prof to learn with
I have him for both PHIL XX1 AND PHIL 110. He's a pretty good prof. Attend all lectures and copy down the notes he gave in lecture and you won't even need to bother wasting your time to read the textbook.
clear prof, very very hard tests, overall his notes are very well organized. One of his TA's is HORRIBLE. i dont kno about the other TA's but my TA did nothing but talk about how he dated models and stuff
U dont really need to go to the lecture .But for me ,having his lecture is quite enjoyable . Anyway , remember to borrow the notes from ur friends from last semester .He gives the same notes and examples every semester .Collect as much sample exams as u can .Otherwise U wont know whats going on in exam~~:)
best teacher ever! everything he explained was crystal clear
Clear, theatrical, engaging. A thought-provoking course; an excellent lecturer.
This class is no GPA booster, and it's not for Arts kids looking for an easy Q credit. I did get money, however, for asking him a question in lecture. My TA is terrible, and Dr. Horban doesn't seem to want to help - so if you like logic, take this course. If not, STAY FAR AWAY!
Had him in Fall 08. Very clear with explaining concepts. Easier to understand him than the text. Tutorial (at least my TA) wasn't very helpful. Exams can be a little tricky but can do well at them if u fully understand the concepts. Doing practices will help prepare for exams. Assignments were simple and for completion marks only.
Exams are extremely difficult.
Argh! Terrible, terrible, terrible. What a let down, too. Marks were messed up at the end of the year! Never taking a course with him again!
I had him for Phi 100, he is an amazing prof, the class is very interesting. However, it's a HARD course ! exams is sooo hard!. but overall I learned lots of interesting stuff
Peter is alright. Class was easy for me, but very hard. Average on midterm was 39%. It is very unfairly marked, but it is unfairly marked for every, and I ended up getting an A in the class with about 65%. I slept thru class most of the time so he is boring, but good.
I thought his exams were alright. you need to read every assigned readings. his final exam does not have more questions based on the post-quiz materials. he's very good at teaching but phil100 is a boring course...oh and his grading is weird...
To the person who said he/she got an A with 65%, you were probably one of those people got the wrong grade because of an uploading error. Dr. Horban is an extremely good prof; lectures are extremely useful. Midterms and final were hard, but not impossible to finish or to get a good grade. Try to understand the material instead of memorizing it.
Had him for Phil XX1 and 100W. He's a great prof, knows what he is doing. I attended all of the classes because he clarifies the reading and gives extra information. The midterm for 100W requires you to do the readings (big surprise) and to understand the material. Overall, take classes with him if you are here to learn.
His lectures are amazingly crystal clear and perfectly paced. He is so knowledgeable about what he is teaching and can answer any question. Really anal about no cell phones in class, but he gave away money when he asked super hard questions in lecture which is crazy. I hope to take another course with him, he's great :)
One of the Best prof I had ! his lecture is so organize and clear. if you are interested in philosophy you MUST take him as a prof !
Peter is a great lecturer, but not a professor that I would take with again. He provides understandable, concise notes that are essential to the success of his course. In terms of his exams, they are intense and very tricky. The time given is short, which is to isolate the students who actually understand the material. Overall, tough course. =(
I agree with most people here that Horban knows what he is doing and he probably is very smart person. HOWEVER, (THIS IS MY PERSONAL OPINION) I think he is somewhat **** in terms of answering questions or attending his officer hours to ask questions. Alo, I think he is the one of the professors that works very hard to lower the average.
This professor seems to miss the logic that when 80% of his students get below 50% on the exams and assignments, that means HE'S doing something wrong, not that 80% of his students are stupid. His lectures are great, but his exams are written to purposely bring down your GPA. In short, skip any class he's teaching, for your ego & GPA.
This class was not hard, as long as you're willing to put the time into memorizing formulas and applying them to things. This class was way more mathematical in nature than philosophical. Test and assignments were 100% logic, but lectures were very dry. Not the most interesting person to listen to, nor the most interesting topic.
it's a difficult subject & course, but he does a good a job to make it easier. Gives good notes (cept u have to copy them urself,but thats the part that helps u remember anyway).Exams are tough, but it's all from the notes, it just takes quite a bit of thinking to get the ans. He gives out $$ sometimes for answering questions correctly in class!!
phil120 is an extremely hard course for me, I even could no understand the materials the prof provided due to my poor english. My papers might be the C- or D level. I thought I would fail this course but I got full marks on the final through simply memorizing all the notes~and Peter is so nice to give me a B~
I fell asleep in all my other classes but not in his - that's how captivating his teaching style is. However, things will sometimes make no sense but that's how it's supposed to be cause this class makes you think. His answers to questions can sometimes be ambiguous and the purpose is, again, to make you think on your own!
He is clear because he reiterates himself a lot more than necessary, and leaves 7 second pauses between every sentence. That said, you must be patient or you will be very annoyed. Lecture notes in class is basically his speech/what he says in class. Expect to be comparatively more distracted than other classes.
the test are so freaking hard.he will take penalise if u hold the exam sheet in just one second when he comes to take ur paper.is that fair?
To the poster below, that is fair. He warns you many, many, many times prior to collecting assignments that if you don't have it ready as soon as the test is over, he'll penalize you. This keeps it fair for everyone else who stopped when he instructed us to.
He was completely rude and cold towards me when I tried to explain that the TA skipped my row and the exams in my hand are NOT LATE! He first of all ignored me and warned me with a threatening tone to walk away from the situation and not get into it. Completely irrational way of collecting exams- many errors can be made on TAs side. Unfairness.
this is probably the worst professor i have ever had. he was a extremely rude when i went to see him in his office hours and provided no form of extra help.the class seemed like he'd taught it a few too many times, some of the forms he handed out were circa 1993! he ruined a class which seemed like it may have actually been interesting.
The worst professor I have ever had. I have never ever seen any rude, mean teacher like this idiot!!!!!
Horban is a great lecturer, with a very pleasant voice. His exams are tricky, and you are required to follow his instructions exactly, but he's fair.
Horban is a great lecturer, with a very pleasant voice. His exams are tough, but in answer to other complaints, he warns repeatedly before an exam how the papers are to be handed in and in this matter he is absolutely inflexible. The best prof I had this semester, will definitely take another class with him
Clear and interesting lectures. However, he is completely anal in his style and he gives exams that he expects the average to be 40%! Feels like he wants you to fail. Hate the prof because of his actions, not his lectures though. Stay away from him.
Professor Horban is fantastic. His voice is pleasant. He is very friendly and easy-going. However, just be wary that during midterms, he gives a "two minute warning" make sure you have your test ready to hand in. Lateness is not acceptable. Some people complain about the difficulty. PHIL 110 is hard, but he does a great job of teaching it.
he is a very excellent teacher!!! fantastic, gentleman, have sense of humor!!! must take his course~!
Never take Phil 101, logic and reasoning. Waste of you life
I took 5 courses this semester, I had 4.0 GPA and I got B in this course. His exams are tricky, VERY TRICKY. Expect to know the unexpected and answer questions you do not understand. Don't be deceived by easy lecture material, do all questions in textbook and pray that you will do okay on midterms. This course seems illogically unfair to me
You can tell he is very passionate about his teachings, and tries to make it as interesting as possible. His notes were clear, but the exams were mostly based on the materials from readings, which were often long and boring. Attend tutorials, they were the most useful for me! Exams were fair.
You can tell he is really passionate about his teachings, and tries to make it as interesting as possible. His notes were clear, but exams were based mostly on material from the readings. Attend tutorials, they helped me most! Exams were fair as long as you READ!
One of the best profs I have ever had. Every lecture was engaging. If you put the effort in, you will get a good mark. He is very intelligent, and always makes a strong argument. I would love to take more classes with this prof.
Great lecturer. Provides good notes and is clear. The class is hard, but its philosophy so it's supposed to be. Be careful on the tests, they are very tricky. An in depth understanding is needed, really more than you can study for.
Horban's Phil 110 class Is extremely hard! I'm outside of the major and wouldn't recommend it to anyone. The exams are only 40 minutes and you don't have time to get through it all! Its ridiculous. I'm sure he's a nice guy but the class is super hard.
This class may seem easy... until you get to the exams. They are VERY tricky and there is JUST enough time to finish them, IF AND ONLY IF you use your time wisely. Average on the first midterm was about 17/36, which he says is normal. He seems to enjoy having his students suffer... study hard, and you won't be one of those students.
The most professional professor I've ever had. His lectures are crystal clear and you can tell he spent a lot of time preparing them. He tells you that you need masterful understanding of the concepts and the terms to do well in the course, which is exactly what you need. It was a pleasure to learn from him. Sad that he is retiring.
PHIL 110 was one of the hardest subjects I've ever taken.It's kinda like boolean logic, so you need to have a computer type mind. I took it for my Q requirement dont recommend as an elective. For ppl struggling like me you can still possibly pass. My first midterm was 12/36, second 15/36. depends on class aver. as he scales marks. I got C- in end.
With that said, he can be very helpful and a good Professor for those that understand the subject I'm sure will excel.
do the work and study and you'll do well if you aren't an idiot
not bad
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