He's a funny, confident guy, but also has a tendency to water things down. Has an odd thing about refusing to give 100% on anything, which is usually fine, but in his case includes multiple-choice tests: he'll arbitrarily take marks off a multiple-choice test to prevent you getting 100%.

Great Prof! Loved this course and his lectures! His mid term was really easy, but the final was hard. I wasn't sure about philosophy before I took this course, but now I'm going to be a philosophy major for sure.

Prof Ranganathan is the best!! I hope he's teaching other ethics courses next year. I'd take any class he taught.

Sometimes it feels like he's checked out, but the knowledge and interest are still there. A fun lecturer provided you can buy into a more casual approach and don't mind some bantering. Assignments are spectacularly easy and require hardly any effort. Has a weird website-based passwordy system which frequently malfunctions.

Greatest Prof Ever! He gave us weekly commentaries which were graded on a pass fail basis and we got 1.5% for each lecture we attended. I got a 74% on the exam, 100% in participation (which is expected) and 46% on the exam and I still got an A (84%). I love this guy. He does act stuck up towards his students but hey I would too if I was a prof.

Love his classes, he gives 40% for participation generally, 30 on the exam and 30 on an essay! Fabulous! G. Taylor was a good TA...and HOT!

Good prof. Emphasis is placed on participation (online commentaries and T/F quizzes), which does mean attendance. Very down to earth and friendly.

He is a wonderful teacher with excellent teaching technique. I am highly motivated in going higher in philosophy. I now have very keen interest in going further to Ph.D level in this course. My professor had impacted me with reading and this is amazing. My passion now for reading have been greatly enhanced. A big 'THANK YOU'to him.

Material for the most part presented then related to real world examples and discussed. Relaxed environment; prof. not a snob. Hate the 30% participation grade; mixed with online commentary of the week's readings and attendance (TOO HEAVY!) Class is enjoyable as long as people actually SPEAK about the material. Overall Good experience

I have made an excellent choice by choosing this course with this professor. I have learnt a lot about the different great religions of the world. I like very much his grading style as it is very fair and motivating. I have already chosen another course given by him in winter. He is a great knowledgeable teacher and is one of the best teachers .

He is Great. I learned a lot in this class.

Good prof. Clearly interested in what he is teaching, and very good at getting across the main points of the lecture.

Great Prof! Have taken as many courses as possible with him and will continue to do so in the future. He is very helpful outside of class which helps, although it might not be necessary because he is very clear and to the point during lecture. I will take his classes again for sure

Awesome Prof! Funny, intelligent, and fairly easygoing. I've taken 2 of his classes, and willing to take more! Keep up the great work Shyam!

Gr8 Prof! very clear on every topics and he's very knowledgeable about different religions

Overall, I like his course structure, his teaching and performance. Everyone should take his course. It's absolutely an inspirational course, as well as, a course that one can learn and understand about their inner self.

Awesome professor. I've had him 3 times already and am always pleased with his teaching. He is clear, makes topics interesting, and has a way of getting through to kids. He's also a fair marker. Definitely should enroll in on of his courses.

Prof Raganathan is passionate about philosophy and does a good job at imparting his understanding of the concepts of philosophy. Overall the class is enjoyable and fair.

Good prof, knows his stuff and is unbiased in the treatment of all views. Encourages questions and discussion, but sometimes cuts students off before they can make their point!

Easy class, a huge portion of the grade depend on attendance and doing easy commentaries/quizzes based on the readings. The prof explains the readings really well, but tends to go off topic in the latter portion of the class.

you'll learn a lot about religion.

Its a good course , that made me think further and change alot of personal opinions, not a philosophy major , this prof did kindle my interests in this subject.

Thoroughly enjoyed this class. No surprises, he lays everything out and it is very easy to track your grade.

Very interesting course and very well taught by prof; thoroughly enjoyed the lectures!

It was absolutely wonderful to take a course with Prof. Ranganathan! He explains everything very well, and really helps students get through the material and broaden their understanding. He is very nice and makes the course very accessible, even to people (like me) who have never taken a phil course before. So I highly recommend taking his courses!

Prior to Asian philosophical trad, I hadn't taken any Phil courses. This prof was more than happy to meet me during his office hours and assist me through concepts and questions. He's a no-nonese guy, so if you really want to learn, this prof is awesome. It's not a bird course and he will help you whenever you need it. very prompt with emails too.

Professor Ranganathan is one of the greatest professors I have had at York U. He is extremely thorough and precise with his lectures on the material. It is not difficult to see that he is genuinely passionate about what he teaches. He has also helped me during my application process to Graduate school. I highly recommend taking one of his classes.

Great prof. I?ve taken 3 courses with him and he is always clear in his explanations about the articles discussed in the course. He really encourages class participation (40 % of your total grade is allocated to this), and generally makes the class interesting. He is also very approachable. Overall I would recommend taking a course with him.

Great prof. Very friendly, helpful and clear in class. Recommend looking into and taking the many courses he teaches.

Shyam Ranganathan is a great prof. He is knowledgeable about the course material and tries his best to answer questions students have. He is also very clear in his explanations about course material and promotes student participation and interaction. He is approachable and very friendly. I recommend taking the courses he teaches.

Shyam Ranganathan is knowledgeable about material and does his best to answer questions. He is clear in explaining material and promotes a healthy learning environment. He is friendly, approachable, a great prof., and I recommend taking the courses he teaches.

Professor Ranganathan is a clear, approachable and very knowledgeable professor. He works hard to ensure that students understand what his expectations are and what he expects his students to learn. I had him for two classes, and found that if you attend the lectures (which are worth a large part of the mark anyway), then you will do fine.

Awsome Prof. Very clear, engaging, and makes the classes interesting. He'l always make himself available, and spend CONSIDERABLE amounts of time helping you. However, if you want a prof who coddles and tells students all their ideas are brilliant,then steer clear. But if you want a prof to help you improve as a thinker, he's your man.

He is a great prof.He knows his stuff and goes to great lengths to make sure that students understand the course material. He is approachable and very helpful. He is available, and so students have to make use of him.That said, studetns have to work hard too, for there is no shallow end to philosophy.

Loved his classes so far. Attendance counts for a lot so go to class and you'll probably get a good mark

A Professor that was able to turn rather bland areas of philosophy into very interesting topics of discussion. He is very clear and knowledgeable in this subject. He's also a very fair and helpful Professor that makes himself available for the students. I would definitely take another course with him.

Prof. Ranganathan is a fair professor. If you show up to every class and do the work, you will do well. Also he is open to meeting with students and discussing essays and assignments with them.

Professor Ranganathan did an excellent job breaking down, and guiding the discussions we had on the work of John Stuart Mill. Given that this is a fourth year course he did a good job of gearing the workload/readings/discussions towards the level that a seasoned undergraduate would appreciate. He made this class very interesting.

Very good prof. Made Introductory Ethics exciting. I took this class in first year and because I liked professor Ranganathan, i took two more of his classes at the 3000 level, Ethics and Philosophy of Language.

This class was rather tricky due to the course material. However, Professor Ranganathan did an excellent job helping the class understand the material. I would highly recommend taking this class.

Good class, not the easiest exam and the essay was a challenge, for me at least, but interesting and fun, and learned a lot.

Shyam's an Amazing professor, I love his teaching style, it enables his students to understand different theories and concepts effectively through the use of commentaries and the tutorials. I gainned a lot of insight from his lectures and it helped put different theories into perspective for me. Overall, I respect his teaching style.

Great teacher. If you attend all ur classes you will end up with a good mark. Only tests on lecture slides, although exam really tests ur knowledge. Grading was fair. My class was graded as follows: Participation: 40% (pass/fail each class) 30% essay and 30% exam. I got 42% our of 40% on participation (bonus opportunities). I highly recommend it:)

Great class. I was extremely happy with the fact that it was not focussed on the typical monotheistic religions. I learned different perspectives, specifically with regards to South Asian "religions", for lack of a better word. The professor is very easy to talk to and allows for a great deal of class discussion as well as asking questions.

Shyam's philosophy of religion class focusses on various forms of meditation. I was glad there was exploration of eastern texts. He's easy to understand and course assignments were very fair. Highly recommend this class!

Good prof! study the lecture note will do well on the exam!

You need to read course material to be successful in this course. Shyam gives students ample chance to do well: 2% bonus marks, 40% participation, 30 essay, 30 exam. If you read course material there is no reason why you shouldn't get the mark I received. For a 3 credit course it required 6 credit reading, but it was a great experience for me.

Work: 4 page essay, and a multiple choice exam, and class participation. The essay is easy; just read the guidelines. Exam = study slides. Participation = easy 40%. It's hard only if you don't review the slides, or slack off. This is an easy class, but you need to do philosophy. Enjoy the class, and do some thinking!

Professor Shyam makes this course very interesting! The subject matter will enlighten students to open their minds, see different perspectives from philosophers on the meaning of life, and be able to effectively formulate arguments. Any student who says he is "unfair" clearly did not read the course material or try to understand it thoroughly.

Really great course!! If you go to tutorials, do the readings with commentaries and quizzes, and you have a fair understanding of the material, you WILL do well!! Professor Shyam knows what he's talking about and really helps you understand the material better.

Overall "The Meaning of Life" class taught by Professor Ranganathan was an easy and intriguing class to attend. One can easily achieve an excellent mark in the class only if they work hard and stay committed to their readings. I highly recommend others to take the course.

Shyam Ranganathan is a very good and fair professor. He legitimately cares about the students - in terms of their grades, views, etc. As someone else mentioned, if you show up to class and do the work, you will do very well. He works for and with students, not against them, and has a profound interest in the subject matter.

Interesting course material, clear and precise lecturing. Overall, a decent professor.

Great class, I took the 2nd year and the 3rd year, wish there was a 4th year. Such interesting study material and a unique experience to be able to read such diverse material from a philosophical standpoint. The prof's extensive knowledge of eastern traditions is so helpful.

Thank you for an amazing class and an amazing course :)

Weekly readings are long but commentaries are easy and are a good way to increase your mark. Exam is fair if you know the material. Class participation and attendance is crucial if you want a good mark in this class.

Professor Ranganathan is an awesome professor. I really enjoyed his class. He is very approachable and welcomes students to participate in class. He is fair and does not penalize students who choose not to participate. He is excellent at clarifying and condensing the class material. I would definitely recommend to try getting into his courses.

Great class, competent prof and teaching staff. Comprehensible and interesting readings which are explained with ease. I. Would recommend this course to non-philosophy and philosophy majors. Very fair and helpful professor.

Makes difficult concepts accessible, highly recommended.

The class was really informative and the professor was fair. He was excited about the material, and the course was quite enjoyable! If you do your fair share in participating in the course, then you'll do well.

Professor Ranganathan is great lecturer! Course readings vary in concepts and theories but not at all difficult to grasp. Participation is a great way to guarantee a high mark. Exam is fair and directly from the course materials presented in lectures. I highly recommend PHIL 1100 and Professor Ranganathan

As long as you keep up with the course, you'll do fine. He set up the course so that you SHOULD get a good grade at the end. The exam was fair as he stated it was. If you want a good prof that cares about students, take his classes.

Great prof, he presents the course material clearly. Contrary to what has been said in earlier posts he is very approachable and values student input (he allocates a large proportion of the grade towards student participation). PHIL 3095 was particularly interesting because the readings in the course dealt with unconventional perspectives.

Really nice prof. Extremely clear with his lectures.

Great easy prof!

Professor Ranganathan is by far one of the best professors at York from what i know. I've taken 4 courses with him so far and hope to take more. Do your readings and show up for class and you'll be guaranteed a good mark. He's clear, articulate, and makes material easy to understand.

great prof

This was a great course.Shyam creates an atmosphere of mutual respect and fairness in the classroom where it's hard not to actively engage in the discussions.He cares about your success-he spent hours outside class helping me understand the concepts. Bottom line,Shyam makes class interesting and explains things clearly I can't recommend him enough.

The Meaning of Life was an interesting class. As long as you attend tutorials and attempt to answer the questions on minor assignments you can receive a really good mark(40 % participation). The prof is more interested in whether or not you attempt to understand the material and he explains everything in class and will answer any question indiv.

I have enjoyed the great attitude of Mr. Shyam; he explained well the material,he delivered short, concise notes and he didn't ask for an impossible exam to get an A(also, it is important to be serious about participation).However, in the exam there were couple of questions(around 10) that I was unsure although I did all reading.

I would recommend taking Philosophy of Religion with Dr. Shyam Ranganathan. I enjoyed the class discussions, lectures were great at clarifying the text, and overall an interesting course to take :)

I found this professor to be extremley informative and helpful. He would accept arguments given by the students and allow them the chance to strengthen and defend their possition. He would also help to make their points sound while simultaneously showing holes and aiding them in it's reconstruction. He also gave valuable insight into the readings.

When you take Dr. Ranganathan's classes you can be ensured that there are no tricks. On the contrary he will do anything and everything to help you understand the material. The class is set up such that active participation guarantees not only a pass, but a moderately high grade. If you love the material you will get an A.

Awesome, efficient, top-notch professor. It was a pleasure!

Dr. Ranganathan is a really great professor. He is extremely intelligent, very helpful, and an overall kind person! I loved his course Philosophy of Religion, and plan on taking another one of his courses. If you have the chance to be taught by Shyam, take the opportunity! You won't regret it :)

Lectures where extremely interesting and intellectually stimulating. Professor is well learned and knows what he is talking about. It makes no sense to say that the course was confusing or hard..after all its philosophy. I would gladly take another course with this prof. Treats university students as university students.

Extremely helpful and nice. Attend all lectures and tutorials, take notes, and follow the guidelines, guaranteed an easy A!

amazing proff! amazing class! learned a lot. =)

His course philosophy of religion was AMAZING! I recommend the course and HIM as the prof. He is extremely objective and fair. Rate My teacher is clouded with ONLY dissatisfied students and in accurate. In making a fair and honest account of my experience. All I can say is take the course, and the prof. YOU WONT REGRET IT

Awesome prof, really easy-going, straight-forward instructions on how to do well on assignments :)

Extremely helpful professor who gives enough chances to do well in the class. very good class and it is very interesting and do able

Overall the course was not difficult to complete, except that I wish that the course itself could be a bit more challenging.

Great course outlining contemporary moral theory. Prof is terrific, I have attended many of his courses, and they are all very organized and your expectations are clearly outlined. Class engagement is always a main part of the lectures as he really wants to see you battle with the material. Highly recommend Prof. Ranganathans courses.

Intro of Philosophy of Religion is a MUST course for those who are in philosophy major. I took this course with Dr. Shyam Ranganathan and I loved his class because PHIL 2090. of some reasons. First, HE CARES. Second, he is knowledgeable. Third, he is Fair. Forth, materials he provided are awesome. I definitely suggest taking his class

The professor was approachable and made an effort to relate the text material to everyday situations. The professor encouraged questions and answered each of them thoroughly.

Great class, very very interesting, was very apprehensive about philosophy but the grading system helps, so interesting I brought my friends to attend the classes.A different view on the meaning of religion, differences in western and eastern philosophy about God or the meaning of life, simply a really interesting presentation and subject.

Interesting class and knowledgeable prof. Prof is approachable and helpful. Lecture material and discussions were insightful. An easy A if you attend class and do the quizzes/commentaries.

Amazing professor, they only way to fail his classes is only if you fall asleep. I really recommend him to who wants to start learning about religion and phylosophy, Just keep an open mind!

While this 2nd year class was very difficult,and the marker/grader (Azar) was rude, the course was overall quite interesting. Professor Shyam Ranganathan is obviously very knowledgeable and eager to educate his students.He is nothing if not fair, and went out of his way to accomidate and to clarify and explain.He is a good professor

good proff and class :) fairly easy to get a good mark

Great prof! Very engaging, helpful, and above all both clear about course material and work expectations

Through weekly writing assignments students practiced and refined writing skills, and numerous assignments provided students with the opportunity to gain participation marks. Lectures were engaging even while they challenged common notions. Dr. Ranganathan encouraged discussion and debate. Well organized, effective presentation & communication.

If you do your work and pay attention to what this professor says you have every opportunity to do well. He is very clear and explains everything very well.

PHIL 3020. It was a great class! The final grade consisted of 40% Participation (i.e. Attendance and Commentaries), 30% Essay and 30% Final Exam. The final exam was unique for a PHIL class in that it was all multiple choice (with up to 7 choices), but was fair and objective. Class lectures were great to attend and informative. Great professor.

Overall great class, great lecturer, very clear lectures, and professor does not go off in tangents.

Prof is organized and helpful. I found him to be one of the best ones I have had so far. Do your work and you will get a good mark, slack and you will not. Exam is hard so study! Participation really helps you get that A. Great course.

Great lecturer who provides extreme clarity of the various philosophies that were studied throughout the course. He is very approachable which is extremely important to students. I am looking forward to having another class with him.

I really liked this course! I had no prior interest in taking this course either than I had to take it because it was a prerequisite, but I really enjoyed it! The professor is very clear and very helpful and you can tell he really loves philosophy ! The TA were awesome too and it's great that its 40 % participation

Absolutely hilarious, attending lectures is very beneficial. His notes are clear and concise and are the main material for his exams. I enjoyed the class very much!

Very well spoken professor and extremely interested in what he is teaching. He went the extra mile to explain concepts, and provided brief notes online to help outline what was important out of the readings. Only issue is that sometimes what he was saying was inconsistent with the slide he was showing on the projector.

Good guy, funny, makes the course as easy possible it seems. Very Smart, and participation marks are a breeze!

Very interesting presentation of classic western philosophers balanced by eastern counterparts made for a unique and more balanced ethical perspective than I ever expected

Prof. Ranganathan knows his stuff. He encourages discussion, which makes his classes very interesting. He provides clear explanations. But he also challenges you. It’s a 4000 class so you are expected to perform. An excellent class for anyone interested in ethics or Philosophy in general.

Amazing professor. His lectures are very informative and I recommend everyone to attend his lecture even though lecture notes may be found online. His lecture notes are vague, so attending lecture is required to develop a further understanding of the course material. Great guy, don't propose silly arguments, he will shoot you down so hard lol.

Good prof, knows his stuff and is enthusiastic about it. Lecture notes were clear but slightly on the brief side, attending lecture definitely helps. LOTS of reading is involved. Participation marks helps a lot. Essay and final exam really tests your knowledge. Not easy but not too hard either, if you keep up with readings and understanding it.

A very nice and helpful professor. He has objective views towards topics discussed in class, and give room for students to think.

Prof is very clear and has very straight forward/explicit expectations. He uses current online texts, so you'll get to save some money too. A large component of his mark tends to come from attendance/participation, which usually comes out to an easy 20/20 percent. Highly recommended.

This is was my fourth course with Prof. Ranganathan. He is hands down the best Prof. I've had. He creates an atmosphere of mutual respect and fairness in the classroom. He's good at explaining things and picks interesting topics. Highly recommended.

Funny and straight-forward professor. Very clear expectations. Just follow his guidelines when writing assignments, do all his online quiz and attend tutorials. Should atleast get a B :)

Prof was an excellent speaker, uploaded all of the slides online for the final exam (which is all multiple choice). The material is interesting, and the course has no trickiness to it. Overall a great course!

Great professor; very helpful and kind. Class can be a bit dry - but the subject matter is very interesting! Attendance and participation is KEY - and an easy way to bump up your grade. Definitely a fair (but not easy) marker.

AMAZING Prof! He really knows his stuff. Very helpful and interested in student's understanding. Willing to elaborate on ideas if someone does not comprehend. I have taken multiple courses with him, and each one has been engaging. You get what you put in! Attendance and participation are essential for passing any course. Overall, Great prof!

I came into this class not having any philosophy background and slightly frightened that this will put me at a great disadvantage to most philosophy majors within the class, but the professor's teaching style made it possible for me to understand concepts. He is very helpful when it comes to clarifying concepts and is always very enthusiastic.

Participation is a must if you want a good grade. Exam is hard but it is still possible to get a good grade.

I would rate this course among my top 5 courses in my 4 years of university. Professor Raganathan is extremely knowledgeable and also a fair teacher--you don't have to be a philosophy expert to get a good grade in his class. I loved how there were no tutorials. This is the only course where I have attended every class--and I hate going to class.

Dr. Ranganathan is one of the best professors I have had. His class was right to the point with no sneakiness and everthing (including the final exam)was VERY fair. He is there for the students to help them out and is very accomodating with any situation. He is a GREAT professor and I am happy to have taken his class. Thank you!

Great course! you get marks for just attending class, there are 2 bonus marks. The prof also bell curves if needed. The prof gives a very detailed rubric as to what you need to include in your essay to get an A on it. Do the online commentaries,online quizzes, come to class and study all of his lecture slides for the exam and you will get an A/A+.

AMAZING PROFESSOR AND AMAZING COURSE! Everyone that wrote negative comments obviously didn't even BOTHER trying. This course is an Easy B and if you try enough that A is just as possible to achieve! Loved this course!!!!!

He's not a bad lecturer. He sets expectations from the start of class on the importance of attendance and essay writing for success in the course. He rewards effort and appreciates after class discussions. I'm not too keen on MC exams in a Philosophy class, but participation is such a huge component that showing up helps. Thanks Dr. S!

Professor Shyam Ranganathan is an excellent professor. He is very knowledgeable in his field of study and presents the course material clearly and enthusiastically. His tests are fair and is also a fair marker. He connects with his students and helps them to understand and grasp the course material. He is definitely one of the best!

If you go to class and pay attention to the main concepts then you can get an A. Prof is very helpful and clear about marking and essay requirements.

He does say that if you try hard then you'll get good grade. And its true. I had no philosophy background at all, studied very hard and I got A. Take participation very seriously, it'll pay off in the end. Exam was hard but managable. Overall, phil2070 is not easy.

Dr. Shyam Ranganathan is an absolutely fantastic professor!!! This course does require a lot of reading but he provides all the readings online and he clearly explains the most important aspects in the lectures. I highly recommend the course with this professor. As long as you go to class and attend all tutorials and study slides, you will get an A

Class was generally pretty easy. But as a prof, he's very mediocre and not too insightful. His lecturing style is primarily didactic, which I do not prefer. True philosophy should be taught in a Socratic fashion.

Class was interesting and the prof simplified and explained the readings very well in his lectures and slides (the readings can be confusing but it's still recommended to do them for the tutorials) and he is open to discussing various takes on the theories. Also,the tutorials are easy marks to get so make the most of them.

Very helpful and if you ever have issues in regards to your TA and grading he will resolve the issue! One of the better profs I've had. relatable material and enjoyable time!

Class is worth taking just for final lecture on philosophy of yoga! You will learn how to properly practice philosophy in this class. Prompt grading. The exam: difficult, if you master the readings/notes, you will do well. Give yourself more time than you think. Lots of opportunities for discussion. Prof has great sense of humour :)

Professor Ranganathan is very knowledgeable and helpful. You can easily get a good grade by doing the online assignments - there are even bonus marks! This class was a great introduction to philosophy.

Great lecturer! Always on topic and makes things really easy to understand. I had a great experience. 40% of the course grade was just for doing the readings every night and going to tutorial.

Professor Shyam is a very intelligent individual who is committed and dedicated to both his students and his profession. He is very clear as to what he expects from his students and leaves very little room for misinterpretation. He's also very approachable and easy-going, which makes the atmosphere very comfortable. One of the best prof's at YU.

Course was very straight forward. 90% of the readings were posted online so you dont ahave to spend a penny on books. HUGE percentage of the course is participation so it is very easy to get 100% on 40% of the course. Overall very easy course since you can skip lecture and use his very detailed slides but you need to show up for tutorial.

Interesting course but too much work for the summer. Readings are long but you can skim through them. The professor is clear and encourages class discussions which helps for the exams. The tests are multiple choice on his notes so if you study they are very fair.

Professor Ranganathan is an intelligent and dedicated individual who is passionate about ethics. He is responsible and committed to his students. His expectations are very clear. He is also very approachable and understanding, which makes the atmosphere in the class welcoming. If you want to get an A, you MUST attend lectures and do the readings.

Amazing and approachable professor! Classes are interesting and the time flies by! He really wants you to gain interest in the field of philosophy and learn how to think philosophically. Grading is very fair, exam is extremely doable as long as you bother to study. Lots of bonus marks for participation! Overall, amazing course and phenomenal prof!

Professor Ranganathan is an excellent Prof (always available for assistance/questions, as long as you email him and set-up an appointment), this course is structured very well with about half of the course grading in the student's hands. If you just keep up with the readings you will do great.

Make sure to do the readings and if you have difficulty understanding, don't worry as Prof. Ranganathan really helped explained them during lecture. Note: Prof spoke fairly quickly during lecture, so take notes of things he says that are not on his slides, as those are very detailed. Also, make sure to go to tutorials as those are very helpful.

The readings can be difficult to understand, but the course is very straight forward. For a summer course, there are readings every other day to do an online commentary - but they are less than 200 words. Also the exam was based off of slides only - ofcourse its best to show up to class to have a better understanding of it.

The best prof I have ever had. I look forward to take more courses with him. You just need to get perfect on participation and you will get an A for sure. I recommend to tak this course..

Dr. Ranganathan is a great professor!! He gives very thorough explanations, and also clearly tells you what he expects you to know for the exam! This was the first Philosophy course that I took , and it encouraged me to possibly take more next year! I would recommend taking this course with him!

The teacher was very clear and concise, and provided notes online for each lecture to cover the main points. Attending lectures was still extremely important for elaboration and full understanding. There were many readings to do however,and they were about 20p and many of them were confusing. Lectures managed to clear them up perfectly well though.

If you enjoy philosophy then I highly suggest you take this course. The professor is moderately challenging, a very clear speaker and very intelligible on the subject, however if you want an A or higher you must put in the work.

He's a really good professor. I took the course in summer session with him and he was very helpful. He posts his lectures online, he gives you 2% just for attending the lecture and 2% for just 1 question quizzes.

Mr. Ranganathan's classes are really geared towards helping students understand the material. And with 40% of the grade going to participation(half attendance, half online commentary) it's easy to do well . Essay was only 4 pages and what he wanted from it was very clear, which helped a lot. His lectures were informative and concise.

Good professor. Interesting course.

I really enjoyed his class because he is a fun guy and I found this class interesting and meaningful. You would learn about different philosophers and think more critically about your own life. Trust me, A is definitely attainable~

Best philosophy professor at York.

Very good professor for fourth year courses. Detailed and helpful notes for thesis proposal.

good course.

Prof. Ranganathan is so chills. 40% of the course is just commentaries/quizzes and tutorial attendance. If you can get 100% on that 40% of the course, you only need to get 68% for the essay and final exam to get an A overall. He uploads all the slideshows on moodle. Recommend it as an elective for non-philo majors! Easy B minimum; with effort A.

Very helpful YouTube videos and lecture slides. Watch out for the very tough multiple choice final exam.

Amazing prof genuinely cares for his students and he knows his stuff plus he tries to make the lecture fun and interesting.

Take Asian philosophical traditions, one of the best courses at york.

I think Dr. Ranganathan is a great professor. He clearly listed course criteria in the syllabus, and provides detailed documentation about grading criteria and assignments at the start of the course. He also makes his lecture notes available for further study. I found him easy to talk to. The course was also interesting.

I think Shyam Ranganathan is the best professor at York. I think his classes are well run and interesting. I find him very helpful if you ask, and I think he's sweet and funny.

In my opinion, Prof. Ranganathan is the best prof. at York. I've taken a lot of philosophy classes. His is the first of my classes were everything is stated up front: grading criteria and class expectations are documented as of the first class. He gives credit just for showing up, and his knowledge of the subject is amazing.

My favorite prof so far.

I have taken different courses with Prof. Shyam. I love how he clearly sets out his grading criteria and course expectations, and curves his exams. He's the best prof I've had at York.

I think he's a caring prof that knows his stuff. When I had trouble, he helped me out.

Very good teacher! Opened for students, always welcome to help, not a hard marker. Would take again.

If you master the material, you can get a 90% in this course easily. Easy participation marks for 40%, a standard essay worth 30%, and an online open book exam worth 30%, beware of the exam, it sounds easy, but it was really hard, which is justifiable due to the ridiculously generous portion of participation marks. He is also a very good person.

Loved this class.

This was a really interesting course. Challenging. Great lecturer.

I loved how knowledgeable the prof. is about philosophy, and not just Western stuff.

Easy A. Participation, if you do it all (commentaries and tutorial attendance) is 40% of your grade. Essay worth 30%. Do good for participation and essay and you'll go into exam with and A+. BUT exam 30%, is purposely made difficult. Most likely the hardest exam you'll ever do in university. Made sure I did everything for participation to get the A

Easy A. Weekly commentaries and tutorial participation is worth 40%. The commentaries take about 15 minutes to do if you only skim through readings. He post lecture notes for you so you do not need to take notes in class. Do the reading and get 100% on participation and you should be fine. The exam is VERY difficult but he will curve your grade up.

I've taken a few philosophy courses but this is my favorite by far. I'll certainly take more courses with Prof. Ranganathan. He is friendly, unjudgemental, helpful and he really knows his stuff. He makes the course easy to participate in and I think his tests are fair.

Amazing prof: so knowledgeable about philosophy and Asian philosophy too. He's also kind, helpful and understanding, but he's also pretty strict, which is good. One of my favorite profs at York.

Shyam is a great, reasonable prof. You don't NEED to show up to class, BUT, at least for MODR1770, participation is worth 40% so just show up and do your work. He puts online lectures up so that in-class time can be WAY shorter, which to me is super efficient.

Dr.R, albeit sassy during lectures, does a good job outlining exactly what to expect with this class and how to excel. If you go to all classes, you are guaranteed 40% of your grade. The essay was a bit difficult. The exam was BRUTAL, But it was open book & was 90% on his lecture notes. If you are willing to work for it, this course can be fun!

Flipped classroom ("class" max 1 hr in length for questions and discussions mostly), and easy at marking online assignments, attendance is 40% and quite a few extra credit options. He is very nice but teaching style is confusing, marks essays quite hard, easy A for sure but would not take again due to how little learnt. Online test that are curved.

I loved how knowledgeable Prof. Ranganathan is about so many traditions of philosophy from Europe to China! Learned a lot about philosophy from this course. Great use of class room time for discussion.

He taught modes of reasoning through a very unique lens. His expectations were clear. He fostered discussion. His lectures were vital life lessons. I'd recommend everyone to take his course, anyone with an open mind and wanting to learn.

One of my favorite profs at York! Set up the class on a 'flipped' model and gave lots of easy participation credit. The annotated bibliography, essay and exams were tough, but if you kept up with participation it was easy. Learning about Yoga Sutra was cool too.

Awesome prof! Can't say enough good things. He's an expert in so many areas of philosophy and Asian phil too! I loved learning about traditions you don' t normally hear about. Great model for allowing students to access material on their own schedule. I might be weird, but I loved the in class discussions too. Definitely will take more with him.

Awesome. An expert who really knows his stuff. So glad I was able to take this course with Dr. Ranganathan.

Dr. Ranganathan is a paradox: he's tough but he also makes it easy to do well. He's also really understanding if you have a problem. Will be taking more with him.

Never took a course with this prof before. He's pretty cool. He sets things up so that you can view lectures on your own time, have a conversation with him during lectures, and also attend tutorials .I loved the philosophy from all of the world the taught.

Professor Ranganathan, is very knowledgeable and an expert in his field. The course had weekly assignments (accelerated version) regular reading assignments, an essay, and online quizzes. Professor Ranganathan is transparent in his expectations, and there to help you learn. A Professor who aims to set you up for success.

I love this guy! He showed up every week and engaged students personally in lecture. He set the class up so that it was easy for us to get information we need. When classes had to be moved online, he was ahead of the game. Cool prof.

The prof was very understandable, knowledgeable and passionate about the topic. I really enjoyed his classes and highly recommend it

love this guy! genuine expert in his field. we were lucky to have him teach us about Asian phil. he makes you work for it though. Don't assume that you don't have to do any work and you can coast by.

i didn't know one prof could know so much about philosophy and different traditions of philosophy! It was a cool intro. he has high expectations and he makes it easy for you to do well. if you try.

I had to leave early because of the pandemic and I missed some assignments before as I was stressed, and this prof. was so kind. he really helped me out.

I never took a philosophy course before. I was blown away by everything about this course. Great prof. Will definitely take more with him.

I loved his video lectures and the way he set up participation. It made it easier to keep up with the material. I also loved the emphasis on diverse philosophy from different cultures. Will definitely take a again.

I loved Dr. Ranganathan's class. This course was online with online tutorials. My TA was great but so were the lectures and support provided by the prof. I'm definitely taking more with him.

he's a neat professor that's all I can say

Professor Ranganathan is great, All his lectures are posted online, so you can take the readings o your own time. Just have to be ready for tutorials and you'll be fine. He's an easy marker on essay's, its just the exam that can be hard, but if you've done the readings during the year and participated in tutorials, it'll be an easy A.

I've never taken a course with Prof. Shyam before, but this was a great experience. i think i'll be taking more with him. Unlike a lot of profs, he posts everything including the grading criteria, gives easy participation and shares his lecture notes to study for the exam. He's also super knowledgeable about lots of philosophy.

This prof sets things up so that everything is available upfront, no surprises. The range of philosophy taught was amazing (I haven't seen this kind of knowledge with other philosophy profs at York). The exam was tough but the video lectures and participation make it easy to be prepared.

Shyam is an amazing prof. He sets up his courses so that everything is obvious and students have what they need to study and do well. Also he's really kind if you have a problem and need accommodation.

Shyam is dope. He's got this unique and broad approach to philosophy. He's a bit tough and makes learning the student's problem but then again it's not his problem. I love how he structures the course. Participation matters a lot, but that makes the test and essay worth less.

I had so many challenges with this course because of COVID but Prof. Ranganathan was amazing. He set up his whole course so that I could easily catch up and he was great outside of class in helping me with makeup assignments and accommodation. Totally understanding.

Amazing prof! So pleased I took this course in the condensed S1 with Dr. R. He's knowledgeable, organized, and completely accessible outside class. He really makes it easy for you to take control of your grade by making everything so dependent on regular and easy participation. Highly recommend him.

I didin't know anything about philosophy or Asian philosophy. Dr. Ranganathan made this dive into these fields easy, but that made it challenging too as you had to really think about how so many of our assumptions are based on the Western tradition. I loved the organization of the class and the split between self-study and class participation.

This was an introduction to critical reasoning type class. I didn't think that reasoning, logic and meditation had much to do with each other until I took Prof. Ranganathan's class. I learned so much and try to apply these lessons of careful thinking to all parts of my life.

I loved this course, and I loved the way Prof. R set it up. Tutorials with Jill were great and it was nice to have all the knowledge and research about differing cultures and traditions we learned. I'm definitely taking more classes with this professor.

Exploring non-western philosophy is not something that is done in university so this class was awesome. Dr. Ranganathan is an expert in the field, both as a translator of South Asian philosophy and a scholar about overlap between imperialism and the representation of Asian philosophy. When he teaches, its based on research. Take his courses.

I loved how Dr. Shyam began his teaching by drawing distinctions between explanation by way of one believes and logic, and how this difference plays out in how one understands the metaphysics and epistemology from around the world, covered in this course. It was also need seeing how logic based investigations can allow one to be critical. Awesome.

I highly recommend Dr. Ranganathan. He set up the course so that it was easy to keep on top of your grade while keeping up with the course content. He taught the basics of critical thinking and logic, and tied that to models of meditation. I learned from him that good research and understanding leaves room for lots of disagreement.

Prof. Ranganathan set up a great online course that kept me company during this part of the pandemic. He included philosophy from lots of different cultures, and helped me think more critically about distinctions between secular and religious thought. I'll be taking other courses with him for sure.

For me, Prof. Ranganathan was the one of the best profs I've had. He was organized, and really upfront about the expectations. He publishes his grading criteria at the start of the class. There are no surprises, and all of his teaching is based on amazing research. I'm going to take more classes with him.

I loved this class so much. Dr. Ranganathan is an expert on what he teaches, and it shows. Participation matters a lot, but take it seriously as it's easy. The exam and essay are tougher but they are all based on class content he teaches, and he gives you his lecture notes to study from. One of the best teachers's I've had.

This was an amazing exploration of epistemology and metaphysics form around the world. The pre-covid part of the class had video lectures, tutorials, and Dr. Ranganathan met students in class for open discussion if they wanted to come. Lots didn't but I went and it was great. Once covid came, he was so organized it didn't feel like a huge change.

This course was well set up. I wanted to do well so I made sure to ask for Dr. R's help. He met with me many times outside of class to discuss the assignments and to give me feedback on my work. He was wonderful. I didn't like his tests, but he graded them on a curve so it was all good in the end.

It's possible to do well in Dr. Shyam's classes. He sets things up so that your participation, which consists in online assignments and attendance count for a lot. But they also help you keep up with the course, so studying for the exam and writing the essay are easier.

I don't have much to say except that I loved this course.

I'm going to take more classes with this prof. I thought the prof. did a great job in allowing everyone an opportunity to speak or discuss the material without letting any student take over the class conversation. It's work to keep up with the reading list, and it's challenging as its ancient and foreign. But it was a great learning experience.

Dr. R. is amazing. He worked on the translations of the stuff he taught while completing a PhD on translation. One book we had to buy as it was published (it was cheap), but the others that he did just for the class he shared with us freely. Test was hard, participation easy. If you take his classes, you will learn alot.

Take Professor Ranganathan's courses if you want to learn. He makes learning the focus of his teaching, and creates a course where it is easy to keep up with the course lessons. Just make sure to follow the participation rules and don't try to waste his and everyone's time by trying to teach him and the class what you know.

I was worried that other students who had a philosophy background would have an advantage over me. Prof. Ranganathan explained everything from scratch and made ancient Asian philosophy relevant to today's life. The 40% participation component was helpful, the 30% exam was difficult but he curved it. The 30% essay was pretty easy.

PHIL 1001 with Prof. Ranganathan was my favorite philosophy class so far at York. He sets up the course so if you do the work you will do well. Be careful to pay attention to the syllabus and the assignments. Participation is filled weekly things and if you keep up you are well prepared for the exam. Open book exam and essay were tough, but curved.

This course was amazing. Dr. Ranganathan's teaching is based on so much research, and it comes through: he's not just repeating all the old stereotypes. He makes you think about prejudices and how philosophy from around the world helps us do philosophy. Participation is easy, and it made doing well on the exam and essay possible. Recommended!

Prof. Ranganathan is the best. Personal problems were getting in the way of doing assignments and keeping up. Prof. Ranganathan was so kind and accommodating. He made me work for my grade, that's for sure, but I ended up learning a lot too. I think he's a prof. for you if you want to be challenged and you want to earn your own grades by effort.

Dr. Ranganathan was able to turn a class of 90 into an opportunity for discussion. I hate how there is always some guy who wants to monopolize the floor. Dr. R. didn't allow that. He made it possible for everyone to contribute. Final exam was curved and open book. Essay was fun. Take courses with this prof.

I had to leave Canada because of the Pandemic but did this class online with Dr. Ranganathan. The TA was great and Dr. Ranganathan was really helpful. I have taken some philosophy before, and this course was in comparison REALLY good. I completely recommend it. We learned about philosophy from around the world. Learning from Dr. R was awesome.

Critical thinking course was not what I expected, but it was really cool. The prof. spends a lot of time explaining logic and the basics of reasoning and ties this in with meditation, and then with contemporary research that we are supposed to apply these critical thinking skills too. I learned from the discussions and the prof. It was cool.

Terrific class. Love the prof. I hope to take more courses with him. If you get a chance, it's worth studying with Dr. Ranganathan. He's organized, and sets everything out clearly. The class is easy to keep on top of, but easy to get behind on too if you don't do the regular participation assignments. It takes work but you can do well in his class.

wonderful prof and course. nothing I would change. in addition to the video lectures, and the tutorials, prof. shyam was available for class discussions and virtual office hours. he was always helpful. I recommend taking his classes.

This was a great course. The prof makes you work for your grade though. Make sure to do the participation, which is worth 40%. The other parts of the course, the open book exam, and the papers, are harder but he curves the exam. Also participation is really easy, and you can get 100% in it.

Dr. Ranganathan runs a strong course. He's clear on his expectations and helps students achieve their goals by working with them through out the course. His two part paper assignment was great: first part outline, second part full paper. You were able to learn from his comments and put them into effect. He was also strict in class, which is good.

It's possible to do really well in this course, but you have to take the weekly participation seriously and also pay attention to the details, that Dr. R publishes on moodle at the start of the course. He likes to get down to business, and so do I. He teaches logic and critical thinking in a way that shows its relevance to life. Check it.

This was my first philosophy course. Prof. Ranganathan's video lectures, live class discussions and the tutorials lead by the TA were all great, and helped me become comfortable with the material. He's a stickler for rules. That makes it easy to plan and learn in his course. It's definitely worth taking courses with him.

Great course, great prof. Everything is set up for students to build on their grade at a regular pace. The lessons are great and Dr. Ranganathan is available ALOT outside of class for extra help.

The most organized and upfront prof. I've ever had. When the pandemic came, it was no big deal to transition to online interaction as he set everything up in September for all sorts of possibilities, including weather disasters. This meant that learning was the student's responsibility. Completely easy to do well in Prof. R's courses. Take them.

I wanted to try a philosophy class, having never taken one before, and this was a great experience. I learned so much about logic, and philosophy from around the world. Don't disregard participation requirements. They are easy and make up for the challenging assignments. I'd recommend Prof. Ranganathan.

This class was both easy and difficult. What was difficult was the final exam, which was open book, and curved (so not too much to complain about). What was easy was the participation, which helped keep up with the readings and be prepared for the other assignments. Prof. Ranganathan was engaging, and clearly knows his stuff. I'd take again.

I think we were really luck to learn about Asian phil from Prof. Ranganathan whose done so much research on translating philosophy and the intersection between imperialism and how we think about Asian traditions. The course was challenging but he makes it easy to participate and that sets you up for the open book exam, and essay. Great prof.

I wish I had more time to interact with Prof. Ranganathan. He set up the course really well, and left everything accessible on moodle. And he was totally available for weekly class discussions. But I suppose it was the online nature of the course. Talking with him about the material is really great cause he knows a lot about what he teaches.

Prof. Ranganathan was great at answering questions I had and giving me the extra help I needed to catch-up and do my best in this course. The participation is easy but you can't let that slide. The open book, curved exam was tough, and the essay was so so. I think he's really good at what he does.

So many good things to say about Prof. Ranganathan. He teaches from his research, but also know so much about so many traditions of philosophy. And he cares about students who are interested in philosophy: his students. Take the course also for the easy participation that makes up for the hard test. Keep up with the weekly assignments to do well.

The most useful course I've taken at university. Prof. Ranganathan's exploration of critical thinking, and logic, as it tied in with meditation practices was mind blowing. The skills taught in this class are applicable to every part of life. I also learned how to write a research essay in this class. Take courses with Prof. Ranganathan to learn.

This is a fully online version of the MODES course on social issues. It's a critical thinking course on social science lit on social issues. Dr. Ranganathan teaches logic and critical thinking by connecting them with models of meditation. It's been challenging but I'm learning a lot. Participation is easy, and so is the curved open book test.

Modes of Reasoning, Techniques of Persuasion by Dr. Ranganathan teaches the difference between reasoning and mere persuasion, and how you can do both if you are engaging in research. Great life skills taught. Watch out for the exams, open book and curved. The easy participation can make you feel like there is no work. But a doable A for sure.

This online course was condensed into 6 weeks. It had tutorials that were well run. I enjoyed the lectures and talking to the prof. during the optional weekly discussions and office hours. Prof. puts everything online so you can keep up. This was my second course with the prof. I'll take more in the future if I can.

Put in the work and he is very reasonable and flexible. A lot of weekly attendance assignments.

In this 'flipped' course, the lectures were on demand videos, and we had weekly pass/fail participation assignments, and Zoom virtual class meetings for the discussion. The Prof. is sweet and great at organizing online class. Lots of profs struggle to provide a decent online version of normal courses (because of the pandemic). Prof. R succeeded.

This Philosophy of Race class was amazing. Dr. Shyam did a great job of organizing the lessons, providing structure to the course and making the readings (that were sometimes written really poorly) easy to understand. I also like that he makes everything clear upfront, like his grading criteria. Take his course if you want to learn!

I loved this critical thinking course for nonphilosophy majors. So many important life lessons taught by way of teachings on meditation and reasoning. Exams are hard, but the grading is fair. Do the weekly participation work and you will do well.

I thought this prof. did a great job of teaching critical thinking for a whole year. The lectures were interesting and the live conversations (albeit on Zoom) were challenging and helped clarify the material. Tough assignments but easy grader. Makes everything clear and upfront. If you work, you will get a good grade in his courses.

I loved this PHIL of Religion course. It was so awesome to see someone talking about the overlap of colonialism and what is called religion. I learned a lot about philosophy too from Prof. R. The participation is easy, the exam is tough, but overall he seems like an easy grader.

I loved Dr. R's intro to critical thinking for nonmajors: classes were small, no TA and it was all taught and graded by Dr. Ranganathan. Most students didn't show up to the weekly Zoom Q and As which was the best part of the course. The exam was hard but he gives a lot of really easy pass/fail participation assignments. Take Dr. R's courses.

This PHIL of Race class was amazing! Dr. Ranganathan not only taught the literature on the philosophy of race in the academy, he also brought in interesting BIPOC philosophy from Non-Western traditions to shed light on race. Hard to imagine that this is not standard. The readings were difficult but he explained them well.

The prof did a good job of making this course accessible to students. Lots of easy participation assignments and curved exams. I prefer in person classes but it was good to discuss the content in the online classes.

Dr. Ranganathan is one of my favorite profs so far at York. He's lowkey but makes everything accessible and is pretty clear about his expectations. When I had unforeseen problems show up, he was really kind and helpful.

This is a blended course, so you attend tutorials with a TA but the course lectures are by the prof, online. It's well organized. Everything is laid out clearly. You just have to follow the directions. I had a problem and had to talk to the prof. in office hours. He was kind and helpful. I'd take Dr. Ranganathan's courses again.

I loved all the different sources from BIPOC traditions in this course. And it was also a really good introduction to philosophy. Blended: lectures were by video, but there was also in class tutorial. My TA we fine. It was a fast course: 4 months squished into 2 because it was a summer term. But it was good. Participation is easy.

This prof makes you work but a lot of the work is easy. Everything is set out clearly including the grading criteria for papers. He gives so much information that you have to do the work in learning it. I feel like I have a good intro to philosophy now. Will definitely take more courses with Prof. R.

This was a great course. An easy A. You had to work for it but the way the prof set things up it was doable. I also thought all the topics and lectures were great. I learned a lot about lots of different philosophies from various traditions. I recommend this prof for anyone who wants to learn.

This was a cool introduction to critical thinking and research skills. It began with the basics of logic, like deduction, induction, and abduction. But the prof. used BIPOC philosophy to provide context for the skills. Then we applied this logic skills to the social science literature on meditation. I'll definitely be taking more with Dr. R.

Great prof. Great class. You will have to do some work, but it's easy to do well. Just make sure you keep up with participation and follow his lessons. What you take away are skills for thinking that you can use in any course or context.

I loved this course. The critical thinking component, both historical and contemporary was really cool. It was also fun to apply it to the literature. Take the annotated bibliography essay outline assignment seriously. It sets you up for a good essay. Will defiantly take more form Dr.R.

Professor Ranganathan has a unique teaching style, but if you engage with it, you'll gain valuable critical thinking skills. Using resources like unstuckstudy ai alongside the course materials can be really helpful for study prep.

She was great and much better than I expected. I find these people lacking but this prof made up for it with her attitude and her personality. Thank you dr! “Wow!” Is really all I can say

I thought this was a great intro to critical thinking. We learned all the basis of logic, and we went over how it applied to writing and research. I loved that the prof. draws from Asian phil when teaching logic. Well organized course.

Great prof. Everything was completely organized. It was awesome to learn about reasoning and persuasion by also using Asian philosophy in addition to the logic. I wish more courses at York were like this.

Amazing prof. We went through the basics of ethical theory. It was fun and insightful. I liked how he structured the class. He was funny and helpful.

I loved this course. I plan on taking other courses with Prof. Ranganathan. He has this way of making logic and critical thinking relevent to everyday life. I love how he draws on sources from around the world.