Mark Pestana - Grand Valley State University

Professor: Mark Pestana
Department: Philosophy
College: Grand Valley State University
Rating # 1
Overview:
  • Course: PHI103
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 3.0
  • Course Difficulty: 4.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: Yes
  • Attendance: Mandatory
Comment:
Don't let your advisor tell you that this is an easy substitute for a math class. THIS IS HARDDD. Very lecture heavy and Professor Pestana is really hard to follow at times, he also kind of talks slow but even then he's hard to follow because he's just everywhere and is kind of a tough grader. He also says BONK a lot and I love it.
Rating # 2
Overview:
  • Course: PHI103
  • Grade Received: B+
  • Overall Rating: 4.0
  • Course Difficulty: 4.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: Yes
  • Attendance: Mandatory
Comment:
Prof Pestana is great. Logic did not come easy to me, and I struggled in the course, but he takes your work ethic into account when he grades. Show up, ask for help, and he will remember that. Review the textbook, it helps a lot. Finding others to study with is also a good idea. Ask questions.
Rating # 3
Overview:
  • Course: PHI102
  • Grade Received: A
  • Overall Rating: 5.0
  • Course Difficulty: 2.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: Yes
  • Attendance: Mandatory
Comment:
If you don't choose Pestana for PHI 102 you are making a huge mistake
Rating # 4
Overview:
  • Course: PHI312
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 5.0
  • Course Difficulty: 3.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: Yes
  • Attendance: N/A
Comment:
Pestana is seriously great. I've had him for several classes and he never disappoints. His lectures are interesting and he never fails to throw in a few lame (yet hilarious) jokes. He is so lenient with grading and makes class a breeze. 100% recommend.
Rating # 5
Overview:
  • Course: PHI312
  • Grade Received: A
  • Overall Rating: 5.0
  • Course Difficulty: 2.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: Yes
  • Attendance: Not Mandatory
Comment:
Class is never boring with Dr. Pestana, that's for sure. He goes off on tangents but it somehow always relates back to the subject matter. Exams and assignments were challenging but in a good way. You won't even want to skip class! I really enjoyed his class, the man is brilliant. Take a class with Dr. Pestana if you can.
Rating # 6
Overview:
  • Course: PHI103
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 5.0
  • Course Difficulty: 3.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: No
  • Would Take Again: Yes
  • Attendance: N/A
Comment:
It's no lie that the course material is down right confusing. However, Pestana is very passionate about what he does and tries to make the material understandable. He provides many examples and answers on how to solve problems. Quizzes are all take home and you can submit late work. But it's a class you don't really want to skip!
Rating # 7
Overview:
  • Course: PHI102
  • Grade Received: B+
  • Overall Rating: 5.0
  • Course Difficulty: 4.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: Yes
  • Attendance: Mandatory
Comment:
He's a really good professor! It becomes obvious very quickly that he's passionate about what he's teaching, and that automatically makes the class interesting. There's a couple papers, and the homework is to just read, but I never really did and passed without a problem.
Rating # 8
Overview:
  • Course: PHI103
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 4.0
  • Course Difficulty: 3.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: Yes
  • Attendance: N/A
Comment:
Professor Pestana is a very nice man and he tries to make class easy. All quizzes and tests were take home and you can always submit homework late. The class is somewhat difficult but he does a good job at mitigating the difficulty.
Rating # 9
Overview:
  • Course: PHI102
  • Grade Received: A
  • Overall Rating: 4.0
  • Course Difficulty: 3.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: Yes
  • Attendance: Not Mandatory
Comment:
Professor Pestana was a really cool guy who is always willing to help his students. The class is all lectures and the notes can get a little crazy. There's three take home exams and a final paper. Attendance isn't mandatory but the more you show up the better. Philosophy isn't exactly easy for everyone but Professor Pestana makes it easier.
Rating # 10
Overview:
  • Course: PHI300
  • Grade Received: B
  • Overall Rating: 5.0
  • Course Difficulty: 2.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: Yes
  • Attendance: Mandatory
Comment:
Pestana is probably my favorite professor. Nice guy, very understanding and lenient, doesn't screw you over on grading. Lectures were always interesting, engaging, and funny. He's passionate about what he teaches and it makes it genuinely fun. I looked forward to his class.
Rating # 11
Overview:
  • Course: PHI103
  • Grade Received: B+
  • Overall Rating: 5.0
  • Course Difficulty: 3.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: N/A
  • Attendance: N/A
Comment:
Pestana is an extremely wise man. He knows exactly what he's talking about. He's funny and makes lectures as interesting as he can. I had trouble in the beginning with the material and he made accommodations to make sure I'd succeed in the class. He genuinely cares about his students and their experience in his class. I highly recommend taking him
Rating # 12
Overview:
  • Course: PHI103
  • Grade Received: B
  • Overall Rating: 4.0
  • Course Difficulty: 4.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: N/A
  • Attendance: Mandatory
Comment:
If you're looking for easiness, he's not your guy. Class is tough, but if you come to class and pay attention you'll do fine on the quizzes. I found the midterm and final to be the easiest out of them all actually. Pretty vibrant lecturer, it's hard to not pay attention when he's teaching. Probably the funniest prof I've ever had too.
Rating # 13
Overview:
  • Course: PHI103
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 2.5
  • Course Difficulty: 4.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: N/A
  • Attendance: Mandatory
Comment:
Professor Pestana is a really nice and funny man. However, this class is insanely hard. It is unclear what he wants on his 5 quizzes and those are the only grades the entire semester. Doesn't post anything on blackboard and if you skip class you missed a whole lecture because everyday he hand writes notes on the board. Nice man but had material.
Rating # 14
Overview:
  • Course: PHI311
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 3.5
  • Course Difficulty: 4.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: N/A
  • Attendance: N/A
Comment:
Professor Pestana knows so freakin' much. He's able to bring in references from ancient, medieval, modern, and contemporary philosophy-- in addition to psychology and physics-- all while staying on topic and very informative. If you pay very close attention, you will get so much out of his class.
Rating # 15
Overview:
  • Course: HNR217
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 3.0
  • Course Difficulty: 3.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: N/A
  • Attendance: Mandatory
Comment:
Pestana is hilarious and makes class interesting. But, he's super disorganized and you'll only be able to read the first two letters of every word he writes. Very knowledgeable and I learned more than I thought I would. Tests are essays. Pay attention and write some stuff down and you'll be golden. He's super passionate about philosophy too.
Rating # 16
Overview:
  • Course: PHI10210
  • Grade Received: Not sure yet
  • Overall Rating: 3.5
  • Course Difficulty: 3.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: No
  • Would Take Again: N/A
  • Attendance: Not Mandatory
Comment:
I had him for my 6-9 in Ethics. 6-9's can be rough, but it's even worse with him. He's an amazing prof but I wouldn't suggest taking a 6-9 with him. It's extremely difficult to read his hand writing and sometimes he can't even read it, so make sure you listen. He's open to helping you all the time. If you show him you're working hard he'll pass u
Rating # 17
Overview:
  • Course: MOE
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 4.0
  • Course Difficulty: 3.0
  • For Credit: N/A
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: N/A
  • Attendance: N/A
Comment:
Extremely knowledgable, capable of summarizing 1500+ years of philosophy in under an hour. He rarely showed up on days he didn't have to teach, but when he did he would eat poptarts and snuggle into his huge beard and nap. Fair tests, but I still don't know how to write a paper for him. Overall pretty bro.
Rating # 18
Overview:
  • Course: PHI193
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 2.5
  • Course Difficulty: 4.0
  • For Credit: N/A
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: N/A
  • Attendance: N/A
Comment:
For me at least, this class was extremely hard for a 103 class. He graded exams and after everytime he handed back, he says " the quiz scores were not to good" so he must be doing something wrong. I have heard he is an honors prof.. Very difficult to me. not recomended for hard learners like me
Rating # 19
Overview:
  • Course: PHI102
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 4.5
  • Course Difficulty: 3.0
  • For Credit: N/A
  • Textbook Used: No
  • Would Take Again: N/A
  • Attendance: N/A
Comment:
Professor Pestana was my favorite professor this semester, no doubt. The material was dry, and his handwriting was messy, but his lectures were pretty easy to comprehend. He always gave us really good examples and his dry sense of humor made the class entertaining. His exams only contained stuff from the lecture. His beard is pretty great, too.
Rating # 20
Overview:
  • Course: PHI102
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 4.5
  • Course Difficulty: 2.0
  • For Credit: N/A
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: N/A
  • Attendance: N/A
Comment:
Professor Pestana was a very good teacher, and although his notes are potentially confusing, he will explain anything in simple terms and it makes a lot more sense. He loved using multiple synonyms for concepts we discussed in class, which was a little weird. Definitely recommended.
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