2.8
Quality3.1
Difficulty37%
Would Retake88
Reviews37%
Would Retake
88
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
18
4
22
3
9
2
14
1
25
What Students Say
“Worked hard, earned an A-”
RELG101 - 4.0 rating“Best advice I could give you would be to AVOID TAKING HIS CLASS NO MATTER WHAT”
REL101BIBSTUD - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
98%
Textbook Required
20%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.32 avg changeRatings by Course
RELG335
5.0
(2)PAUL
5.0
(2)RELIGSTUDIES
5.0
(1)RELIGION
4.5
(2)RELG330
4.5
(2)Difficulty by Course
RELIG
5.0
INTROTOB
4.0
BIBLICAL
4.0
RELIGSTUDIES
4.0
REL101BIBSTUD
4.0
Reviews (88)
His paper assignment is pass/fail.
No Comments
No Comments
It is an easy course. The weekly quizes make the final very easy
Great teacher and funny as hell!
Guy is hilarious, quizzes are hard, but paper and final make up for it
Funny guy, I had a hard time with the paper, but easy final
Nice guy...very dry humor...easy as hell...take him!
There are 2 A's in Zaas and one of them is yours. Enough said!
Weekly quizzes are hard, but you get to leave every friday in like 10 minutes plus the paper and final are extremely easy...you will get at least a B even with a 40 average on quizzes....
really odd guy, if you can deal with dry humor and arrogance, take him, a guaranteed A
Awesome guy! Very fair and the quizzes are a joke. The final is composed of old quizzes, what more could you ask for?? Easy A; solid course. You might actually learn something!
Probably the single funniest person, as long as he's not ripping into you. HE WILL MAKE FUN OF YOU, garunteed, but don't take it personally, cause its fun to watch him make fun of other people. Seems hard, but in the end isn't bad!
When you get the sylabus seems a lot easier than it really is. Quizzes tough, esp when you're hung over Friday taking them. Don't think about missing a Friday quiz, even if you're really sick because he doesn't care... you still get a zero.
not very helpful. chooses favorites and examns are extremely difficult
sometimes quizzes are easy sometimes hard, class is canceld a lot, and you get out early every friday
He's okay-quizzes are sometimes tricky. He's fun to listen to though. Classes go by quickly.
you get one paper to do and you get a 0 or 100, and there are quizzes every friday, dont bother studying for the quizzes, he pulls them out of his ass.As far as the paper, he will mess with you, but you will most likely get the 100. embarrasses in class
so easy you can get bad grades on all your quizzes, but the final and the paper make up for it and you can still pull an A in the class
quizzes are so hard, paper is not so bad, classes go by super fast :)
Interesting man. He knows his stuff about the Bible. His weekly tests can be trying, but they're easy to handle if you read. If you can handle his sarcasm, you'll be fine.
Funny as HELL! Interesting material, Extremely knowledgable, fair, clear, concise, objective and tough. Quizzes every week, requires memorization but its easy when the material is presented his way. Puts things in real perspective.
No Comments
good teacher, very smart man. just do your readings. always lets you out of class early, cancels class a lot, and lets you watch southpark. His term papers suck a big one though.
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No Comments
Dr. Zaas is the MAN! He gives a very easy quiz once a week and then its South Park. You get to watch south park in class. The only tough part is the 5 page single spaced paper in the first semester and the 6 in the 2nd semester (use lots of footnotes). TAKE HIM!!!!
take this prof for foundations if u have the chance! He's prob the easiest and most helpful foun prof there is. Class is fun and many times he lets you out early. Quizzes are easy, i never read and i usually aced them all. Essays are easier than they look, id rather do a 5 pg essay than 3 2-3 pg essays a semester like the rest of the classes.
Dr. Zaas trys to make class interesting but it is hard to do. class is dry and boring. sometimes he will spend two days on one passage from the bible. surprise quizes are rough and the midterm was 10 questions. assigns a 5 page single spaced paper that is due at the end of the semester. its either a 0 or a 100
As long as you take good notes and pay attention in this class you will do fine. His quizzes are hard if you don't stay on your game. Term paper is rough but he helps you out so hand it in early. You will regret it if you don't.
I had dr.zass for foundations and took his again for jesus gospels and christian origin. he is the best professor i ever had and im not a religion major now i would want to. funny easy. if you go to his office hours he will tell you everything to study. he is so cool and really cares about you as a student if you get to know him. hes the best!
Dr. Zaas is one of the best professors I have had. he has a crazy sense of humor, which makes the class much more enjoyable. Not a lot of work other than the final 5 page, single spaced paper. Midterm and final exam were fairly easy as long as you took good notes in class and reviewed them beforehand.Dr. Zaas is a cool guy!
All you do is read bible passages. There is one big paper that seems completely impossible & ridiculous. The class is very boring, id suggest NOT taking it in the morning if you want to stay awake. He is late sometimes, goes off topic, and stalls alot. Hes a nice guy but religion is just boring, he sometimes plays South Park episodes.
Usually lets you out early. Shows South Park and Seinfeld but then asks questions about them on the final. Term paper seems impossible but just follow what he says, I haven't heard of anyone getting a zero yet. I'd recommend him.
really funny guy... he'll let you out early a lot and not much work at all besides the 5 page single spaced term paper which is rough
Watch out for this guy. Dead serious. He has a final paper that he gives and you either get a 100 or a 0. If you get the 0 you fail the course! I know several kids this happened to. Comes off as a nice guy but he will give you an F with out blinking an eye. Nice teacher to have at a Franciscan school. Watch out!
Dr. Zaas is a great teacher if you have a strong knowledge of religion. If you don't then your screwed he expects everyone to know too much for an entry level class. The work load is a joke becuase there is none other than your five page single spaced final paper. This is the worst part of class. its a 0 or a 100. midterm and final are aweful!
Such a frustrating professor. The class is so disorganized and you never seem to stick on topic. You learn a lot more about the quirks of the Bible than the actual Bible. The 5 page single spaced paper sucks and he takes forever to get the comments back to you, even if you hand it in early. Midterm and final are hard and way too short.
he expects you to know alot. Don't take him in the morning..its a struggle to stay awake. not much work though except the 5 single spaced paper and the midterm and final. You have to pass the paper though or else you fail the class
There is hardly any work done other than readings. He expects you to know everything about religion. 5 page single spaced paper is the toughest. It's either you get a 0 or 100. Not many people get a 100 unless you have total knowledge of religion. Don't take him. He's a terrible professor.
Dr. Zaas isn't the best professor ever, but he doesn't deserve the bad rating he has. Can be a bit abrasive, and makes fun of a person if you disagree. Don't let it make you feel bad, though, because that's just who he is and he is actually really lenient. Class can be very funny. I was put off by the lack of reverence, but overall not bad.
Funny professor, strange sense of humor--but quite entertaining. Took summer session, learned a lot about religion, watched some interesting movies/TV shows. Worked hard, earned an A-. I liked this course, definitely recommend.
he is a terrible teacher. puts irrelevant info on quizzes. boring as hell
Oh Dr. Zaas... he can be hilarious at times, but his teaching is deplorable. His assignments are often so vague that you have to guess and hope you're doing it right, not that you'll know though, he almost never hands any graded assignments back. And even when he does, his grading comes off as arbitrary. He is an astoundingly poor prof, avoid him.
Best advice I could give you would be to AVOID TAKING HIS CLASS NO MATTER WHAT. There are pretty much just 3 graded assignments: a midterm, a pass/fail paper, and a final. His tests are comprised of minute details that were barely mentioned in class. He can also be very rude and vulgar. By far my least favorite professor at Siena.
DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS!!!!!! You have 3 assignments a midterm a pass or fail paper and finale. He dose not lecture on what is on the exams and there is no half credit everything is pass or fail. His syllabus might say you have two skips but you don't they both must be excused and if not drops you a letter grade. Repeat DO NOT TAKE!!!!
His course has no content at all. Every exam & paper is just the same basic question which you can answer with one word but he makes you stretch it to fill a whole page, makes fun of students who dont agree with him, no slides, no projects or notes & only a few readings, no content at all! Terrible at communicating with students, horrible lecturer
DO NOT TAKE!!! You get no feedback at all. He doesn't tell you your grade even if you ask. Acts as if every student knows everything about the bible even though it is an intro level course. Makes you read from the bible and then tests strictly from the lectures. Our review class was useless because everything we covered was not on the test.
Just don't take this class
This was definitely my least favorite class/professor at Siena. The tests were on topics that were barely talked about and his review classes were not helpful at all. There is also a 10 page pass/fail paper. I would highly recommend NOT taking this class
I would not recommend this class. Taking notes during lecture will do you no good because the tests are made up of little details that were talked about for like half a second. I also do not recommend speaking up in class unless you want to get ridiculed.
DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS!!! This professor has made me get a terrible feel for Siena College and his actions are SO AGAINST all Franciscan values!! He is vulgar and rude, and will belittle anyone who does not agree with him. I beg of you to spare yourself and do not take this class.
Literally the worst professor I have ever had. Made us write 10 short essays and all together they counted as half of a letter grade. The only grades are the final, midterm, and final paper. If you make a point that he does not think is right, then its wrong regardless of if it is proven. STAY AWAY FROM ANY OF HIS CLASSES
This class was a HUGE waste of time and money. Dont bother paying attention when he reviews for exams bc he will put everything BUT that material on the tests. No partial credit given on the tests which was annoying. Just a super annoying class that Siena requires. No textbook- just lectured on random stuff. Just another reason to transfer...
Great professor. You have a midterm and a final which he prepares you well for as long as you are in class the class or two before the exam. You have a paper due every Thursday which is easy and only has to be 500 words, but that is not hard to get to. The final paper is a little hard, but he offers to look at it three times and is very specific
Great professor, tests are very specific and that is the only qualm I have with him
Boring, shows no enthusiasm. Attendance is mandatory. Ten papers that have to be a page long single spaced. Midterm that only two people in my class passed. 90% of the material on the test was not taught to us. Final paper that is 4 pages single spaced and if you make one citation error he gives zero credit, 25% of total grade. And long Final test.
Dr. Zaas is not a bad guy do not let his rate my professor scare you. He is intimidated at the beginning but he actually is quite a funny old man. He TELLS you what is on the test and gives you the notes for the semester to study for the final. There is one pass/fail paper make sure you take the seriously it's BIG chunk of grade!
Dr Zass isn't a bad guy, he's genuinely a nice person. That said I wouldn't reccomend taking this class. There's no way to take notes because he ramble for every lecture. Students are expected to know major background on the Bible, Christianity, and Judaism, despite the fact it's an intro course and not everyone is Jewish or Christian. Not worth it
Taking this class was the worst decision of my entire college career. Prof. Zaas will go out of his way to belittle you if you don't mindlessly disagree with him. His lectures completely make fun of the Bible and he will certainly make fun of you too. The tests consist of things he BARELY mentions in class and he misguides you in his review class
do not take this class if you dont need it for your major
Ridiculous class and professor. He never stayed on topic, and his tests were on the material he told us he covered but he actually was always to distracted to ever cover it! Such a strange man made the whole class very uncomfortable. It wasn't a lot of work, and he gives no partial credit- wither 0 or 100, but an easy grader. Would not take again.
I had a one page paper due every week, which sounds like a lot but papers are based off of your opinion. Good prof, talks all class and you listen and take notes, no quizzes, two hard tests. He is funny and keeps it interesting.
Zaas really isn't that bad. Lectures can drag, but overall it's not hard to get an A. There's a 1 page easy paper due Fridays (graded complete/incomplete). He tells you everything that'll be on the midterm &final. On the final paper you either get 100 or 0 but he lets you submit drafts & as long as you take it serious you'll get a 100. Hw is light.
Zaas is honestly a cool guy. Classes are made up of him just talking but take notes because anything he says could be on the test. A one page paper due every Friday, which is not hard, easy grade (100 or 0). You can tell he has been doing this a long time. He is always available for office hours and doesn't want to see students fail.
There is a 1 page paper due every Friday but it is an easy A.
He's rude and will not hesitate to belittle you. He might sound nice in his comments on your papers but will belittle you and humiliate you if you get an answer wrong in class. Then he wonders why no one answers his questions.
Hes really nice and funny Ill give him that. But he does have a sassy side and will call you out in front of everyone, but he never means anything by it. Great guy definitely take him if you can. Just make sure to have a bit of a thick skin
Zaas is very sarcastic. Hes a funny man if you can take a joke. However, he rambles and mumbles and doesnt lecture well to take notes. Im withdrawing after midterm which I did very poorly on. If youre not familiar with religion, its a little tough to catch on. The man means well, just not the right professor for me.
Took biblical studies my first semester (online through Zoom). He is a great, funny guy--likes to joke. Classes are a bit boring, but go by fast and usually end early. There is a 500 word essay due almost every Friday based on a Biblical passage. There was a midterm, 2000 word term paper, and a final exam. Prob one of the easier religion classes.
He likes to joke, which makes the classes go by fast, but they do get boring. Every Friday you have to turn in a 500 word paper on a biblical chapter. There is a midterm and final, along with a 2000 word term paper. The papers are graded either a 0 or 100, so it's easy to get an A.
500 word essays each friday, 2000 word final, midterm and final exam, the basics. His lectures are boring but throws in jokes occasionally. Although he does ignore emails and loves to talk and vent about himself. Grades were also never posted. He's just ok.
Worst professor at this school. Should be ashamed of himself. Lazy, stupid jokes, does not do grading, just uses the pandemic as a scapegoat. Should just retire
If I could rate this man zero, trust me I would. This man is an awful professor and should not be teaching at all. Talks to students like we are stupid and is a horrible professor who thinks he is the best person on the planet. TAKE RELIGION WITH LITERALLY ANYONE ELSE.
Peter Zaas is one of the worst professors at Siena College. During Zoom classes, he would never get the teaching point across and only make fun of students or criticize them for getting answers wrong. When it comes to teaching, he puts definitions on a google doc, then makes the quizzes completely different from what he teaches. 0/10 Professor.
Tests are insane- one question asked what the last work of The Book of Ruth was . All open response with no partial credit. Questions are insanely specific. I have 4 A’s a 3.5 GPA as a health studies major and still get a c- with him. He’s the worst professor I’ve had so far!
He's kinda rude. Doesn't really care. Basically set this up as a pass fail course. The quizzes/tests are pretty hard and he will catch you if you cheat. The final 2000 word essay is extremely difficult, get a good head start (also makes you do formatting perfectly). The lectures are fine and they go by quick, but he calls on you at random.
Zaas was alright. Kinda weird and said lots of off topic stuff. Take good notes because your entire grade revolves around notes in class and on assigned readings from the bible. Pass/fail 2,000 word paper but he lets you submit preliminary copies and he'll give u feedback. easier than most religion classes. says 1 funny thing a day
Dr. Zaas found a way to relate every class about the bible to something sexual, which made his classes extremely uncomfortable. He made references to porn almost every day. In addition to this, he would ramble for the entire class and rarely stayed on topic. His tests were extremely hard to pass and nothing on them were mentioned in class.
Zaas was the worst professor I had this semester. He took away a big paper so the only grades were the midterm, the final, notes, and participation. He posts example midterms and finals from previous years that are the layout of the test so make sure you look at them.
It's always been about love and hate, now let me say I'm the biggest hater I hate the way that you walk, the way that you talk I hate the way that you dress I hate the way you sneak diss, if I catch flight, it's gon' be direct
Don't get why people hate him so much. He is funny and actually makes the class somewhat enjoyable. Super caring and always willing to help so long as you ask for it. Pretty quick to respond to emails. Does get off topic during lectures but if you do the reading you will survive.
Dr. Zaas may seem sarcastic and intimidating, but is actually a great human being if you get to know him. He has an excellent sense of humor and says the most hilarious things during lectures. Overall, he's a very intelligent person and has great life advice to offer. I recommend taking Religion with him if you want to gain valuable knowledge.
Honestly Dr Zaas is a good guy. I can see how people would not like him or his class but his class is extremely easy. Just submit your notes and attend class and it's an easy A. He is funny, but I can see how the humor he uses will turn people off in a religion class, they are inappropriate, but very funny. His lectures get boring at times tho.
Funny, Underated, Give him a chance and you will like
People hate on him for only having 2 real grades in the semester, but doing bare-minimum studying is enough to get you by. Maybe its toned down for my class, but the midterm and final were very easy, and while he says no partial credit, if you give him the notion you know what you know what your talking about you pass. Bonus points for being funny.
Avoid at all costs. He is absolutely HORRIBLE. The midterm class average was a 65%. He is useless when it comes to answering questions, he rambles on about everything, is obsessed with porn, and tests you on random stuff he has never mentioned once during lecture. He doesn't give out proper material. Take religion with literally ANYONE ELSE.
I don't understand why people don't like him, the big PZ is awesome, yes he makes dirty jokes sometimes but who cares? I looked forward to his RELG335 class every day and his lectures were like watching a comedy TV show.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
98%
Textbook Required
20%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.32 avg changeRatings by Course
RELG335
5.0
(2)PAUL
5.0
(2)RELIGSTUDIES
5.0
(1)RELIGION
4.5
(2)RELG330
4.5
(2)Difficulty by Course
RELIG
5.0
INTROTOB
4.0
BIBLICAL
4.0
RELIGSTUDIES
4.0
REL101BIBSTUD
4.0