Kathleen Akins - Simon Fraser University

Professor: Kathleen Akins
Department: Philosophy
College: Simon Fraser University
Rating # 1
Overview:
  • Course: COGS310
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 2.0
  • Course Difficulty: 3.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: No
  • Attendance: Mandatory
Comment:
She is very knowledgeable but she is VERY disorganized and could improve with her presentation skills. She speaks in a monotone manner and is not very engaging, which is really bad because the classes are for three hours. However, she is a generous marker and goes above and beyond to help you improve and understand the material.
Rating # 2
Overview:
  • Course: PHIL455
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 5.0
  • Course Difficulty: 4.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: Yes
  • Attendance: N/A
Comment:
Kathleen is amazing! Incredibly knowledgeable about the subject matter and is able to make it all interesting and engaging. Very supportive of group discussion and very willing to help students succeed in her class. Great class and great professor!
Rating # 3
Overview:
  • Course: COGS310
  • Grade Received: Not sure yet
  • Overall Rating: 4.5
  • Course Difficulty: 4.0
  • For Credit: Yes
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: N/A
  • Attendance: Mandatory
Comment:
She is amazing! Finds a way to make very complex ideas look simple. Going to class is a must! Though they were long (3 hours, 1 break) they are essential for understanding what's going on. She was unclear at first and forgot to send us the instructions for the assignments. Still, she is always available for students and gives great feedback
Rating # 4
Overview:
  • Course: PHILGRAD
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 1.0
  • Course Difficulty: 3.0
  • For Credit: N/A
  • Textbook Used: No
  • Would Take Again: N/A
  • Attendance: N/A
Comment:
I've never met a professor who has less control over the material and syllabus than her. She's smart, but she'd get hung up on the neurology behind whatever issue we were discussing and put us further and further behind in the syllabus. This course was a waste of time and money: I'll never take another from her.
Rating # 5
Overview:
  • Course: PHIL100
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 2.0
  • Course Difficulty: 4.0
  • For Credit: N/A
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: N/A
  • Attendance: N/A
Comment:
Her notes did nothing to clarify the very labyrinthine textbook she had chosen for us. She even apologized for the choice just before handing out our course evaluation sheets. The tutorials had little to no overlap with the lectures, and the final essay in this 100-LEVEL CLASS consisted of finding a contradiction in a Harvard graduate's thesis.
Rating # 6
Overview:
  • Course: PHIL100
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 3.5
  • Course Difficulty: 2.0
  • For Credit: N/A
  • Textbook Used: No
  • Would Take Again: N/A
  • Attendance: N/A
Comment:
Took the course in Fall '08. Lecture notes are clear and easy to read, but they're available online, so don't bother going to class. She just reads her notes anyways. I only went to about 4/5 lectures the whole sem. Assignments require some thought and work, but plenty of time to complete paper. Her final was impossibly easy, mostly knowledge q's.
Rating # 7
Overview:
  • Course: PHIL100
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 2.5
  • Course Difficulty: 4.0
  • For Credit: N/A
  • Textbook Used: No
  • Would Take Again: N/A
  • Attendance: N/A
Comment:
Marking scheme seems to be difficult and seems completely dependent on the TA. Lectures & tutorials didn't complement each other. Lectures are extremely boring; she basically just reads the notes. She spends way too much time on concepts that are almost entirely irrelevant from the core course material. Not recommended.
Rating # 8
Overview:
  • Course: PHIL100
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 2.0
  • Course Difficulty: 5.0
  • For Credit: N/A
  • Textbook Used: No
  • Would Take Again: N/A
  • Attendance: N/A
Comment:
Overall, this course is quite boring. TA has greater power over marking than prof. If you meet wrong guy, you may fail in this course. When you write a paper, bodies should lead conclusion and be relevant.
Rating # 9
Overview:
  • Course: PHIL100
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 2.0
  • Course Difficulty: 4.0
  • For Credit: N/A
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: N/A
  • Attendance: N/A
Comment:
the class material is quiet interesting and the books are not so hard if you are really interested in philosophy. however, the lect is very boring and the tutorial is really unconnected. Not a gpa booster, definitely!this course is hard, Not recommended!
Rating # 10
Overview:
  • Course: PHIL100
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 2.0
  • Course Difficulty: 4.0
  • For Credit: N/A
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: N/A
  • Attendance: N/A
Comment:
Excessive workload considering it's a 100 level class. Tutorials and Lectures felt like two different classes, didn't connect well together at all in regards to assignments. Nice person, but speaks much too quietly and slowly resulting in boring lectures. One book was hardly even used. Not recommended.
Rating # 11
Overview:
  • Course: PHIL100
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 4.0
  • Course Difficulty: 4.0
  • For Credit: N/A
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: N/A
  • Attendance: N/A
Comment:
Uh so she made us get two textbooks, and one was NEVER used. Anyways, she's really boring and talks too quietly, so nobody can really hear her. I don't know, but my TA marks really hard, the average for my tutorial is fail. I have no idea whether it is the prof that asks for too much or what. Seriously, just avoid the trouble!
Rating # 12
Overview:
  • Course: PHIL100
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 3.0
  • Course Difficulty: 3.0
  • For Credit: N/A
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: N/A
  • Attendance: N/A
Comment:
Lectures are boring, and assignments are HARD. You need to understand the material completely, and not go off topic. She posts all the notes online, and since she reads off notes, lectures aren't mandatory. Your TA is what determines your understanding. Overall, average teacher.
Rating # 13
Overview:
  • Course: PHIL100
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 2.0
  • Course Difficulty: 4.0
  • For Credit: N/A
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: N/A
  • Attendance: N/A
Comment:
I hated this class more than I could possibly describe. The textbook was ridiculous and much too difficult, the lectures did NOT help, and the tutorials focused on only the easier topics. The assignments were unreasonably difficult for a 100-level class. The subject matter was pretentious and trivial.
Rating # 14
Overview:
  • Course: PHIL100
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 2.5
  • Course Difficulty: 4.0
  • For Credit: N/A
  • Textbook Used: No
  • Would Take Again: N/A
  • Attendance: N/A
Comment:
kinda annoyed how she told the class it wasn't curved AFTER the drop date... boring lectures, painful marks, brainwashing book that didn't make sense without lecture notes. Not bad prof... but not recommended
Rating # 15
Overview:
  • Course: PHIL100
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 2.5
  • Course Difficulty: 3.0
  • For Credit: N/A
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: N/A
  • Attendance: N/A
Comment:
BORING!!! TAs are just as bad.
Rating # 16
Overview:
  • Course: PHIL100
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 3.0
  • Course Difficulty: 5.0
  • For Credit: N/A
  • Textbook Used: No
  • Would Take Again: N/A
  • Attendance: N/A
Comment:
im a business student, so i took philosophy to avoid any of the lower division english classes. and honestly, i regret it so so sooooo much. her lectures are okay, but she gives A LOT of assignments.. and her TAs are HARD too...
Rating # 17
Overview:
  • Course: PHIL100
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 4.5
  • Course Difficulty: 3.0
  • For Credit: N/A
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: N/A
  • Attendance: N/A
Comment:
Bases most of the assignments on the lectures so it's really useful to attend lecture and not really necessary to read the text (Thinking it through). The book used was really interesting (Stumbling on Happiness). She's a good prof, pretty organized, and the powerpoints are online after the lectures.
Rating # 18
Overview:
  • Course: PHIL100
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 3.5
  • Course Difficulty: 3.0
  • For Credit: N/A
  • Textbook Used: Yes
  • Would Take Again: N/A
  • Attendance: N/A
Comment:
meh
Rating # 19
Overview:
  • Course: PHIL100W
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 1.5
  • Course Difficulty: 5.0
  • For Credit: N/A
  • Textbook Used: No
  • Would Take Again: N/A
  • Attendance: N/A
Comment:
Just painful. She talks so incredibly slowly so I downloaded the recordings of the lectures online and sped them up by 25% just to make her bearable. Assignments are fairly difficult as well.
Rating # 20
Overview:
  • Course: PHIL100
  • Grade Received: N/A
  • Overall Rating: 1.0
  • Course Difficulty: 5.0
  • For Credit: N/A
  • Textbook Used: No
  • Would Take Again: N/A
  • Attendance: N/A
Comment:
Would not recommend her at all. Gives way too many assignments, lectures are boring and useless, and refuses to answer any emails (makes us go to office hours instead).
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