Joseph Heath - University of Toronto - St. George Campus

Professor: Joseph Heath

Department: Philosophy

College: University of Toronto - St. George Campus

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: PHL265
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Professor Heath is amazing, made me fall in love with philosophy... its very rare to come across such a passionate and engaging prof. also so approachable and friendly and open to answering any questions. I would go to his lectures to genuinely learn and did not feel like it was mandatory because i enjoyed learning from him

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: PHL295
• 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:

Heath definitely made this course for me, I'm not sure I'd have understood the concepts if someone else was teaching it. 295 is not a typical PHL course, and as a philosophy major I was surprised by how hard this 200 level course was. That being said, Heath was very helpful, use his office hours!!! He made learning about creative accounting fun.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: PHL268
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Heath is a brilliant, brilliant professor. PHL268 was my first philosophy class ever, and the content, and the readings can be dense but the lectures make it so incredibly accessible. His lectures are relevant and engaging even without ppt. Just the kind of inspirational mindset-changing professor you read/hear and expect to come across at uni.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: PHL265
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

I despise philosophy. Needed this course to graduate the Ethics, Society and Law program I shouldn't have majored in. This prof made me not want to kill myself reading Hobbes, Locke etc. He was funny and made students understand. He also made it relevant to modern issues. Would have loved more classes with him.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: PHL373
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Heath is extremely funny and makes abstract theoretical concepts relevant to current events. Course expectations are also clear and reasonable. Doesn't hurt that the substance of his course is very palatable, in that it often strikes an oft-missing practical middle ground on contentious issues. Wish he was a little less repetitive in class though.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: PHL265
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

The man truly is a great professor. I was also in POL 200 - Political Theory with professor Orwin where you cover some of the same material (Hobbes and Locke) and it was this class that helped me understand Hobbes and Locke, not POL 200. Heath breaks down the content in a very understandable and clear way. Great Professor.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: PHL265
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

One of my favorite profs at UofT. Unbelievably engaging, even without using PPT. He relates seemingly abstract material to real life, assigns short relevant materials, is always available for discussion, gives out halloween candy, and is quite humorous. Also, he is nice to look at.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: PHL265
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Without a doubt one of the best professors at U of T. You can feel his passion for philosophy in every lecture and he ensures to convey the message in a clear and entertaining manner. I actually wanted to attend every single lecture. It also doesn't hurt that he dresses impeccably ;)

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: PHL295
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Brilliant dude. His lectures were fantastic, he has immense knowledge in Business Ethics. He is one of the pioneers in the field, and does a darn good job of getting his views across. His theory in Business Ethics is amazing, too.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: PHL265
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Such an amazing prof! This was my favourite class so far. He taught with enthusiasm and made such intricate work seem very light. Very clear. And so insanely good looking. Take his class if you can!!!

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: PHIL265
• 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:

Prof Heath is worth the class. Not only is he easy on the eyes but he is very funny and very engaging. The books that I have used in his class I read in others too and I always refer to his explanations. Very funny guy. Also, bringing (Halloween) candy to lecture for his students was always a plus. Highly recommended

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: PHL265
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

May not be the 'real' philosopher that some here have said he is not, but for a second year course introducing political philosophy he made the material very accessible and fun to work with. The course material, exams, and essays were all relatively easy as well.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: PHL265
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Good prof, made a class that could have been very dull quite fun; also pretty to look at!

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: PHL265
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Sophist, not philosopher.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: PHL295
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

My friends seemed to find Heath kind of funny. I guess making people laugh is part of what popularizers of philosophy are supposed to do. Myself, I'd go for the real philosophers, of which there are many at u of t. Hurka, Sumner, Sreenivasan, Reibetanz--these are the real thinkers. Heath is just a comedian.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: PHL295
• 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:

In class, Heath is hilarious & knows how to teach well. His ideas in business ethics were really good too. His exams are not hard, BUT make sure you clarify with him what his essay topic is asking about - the questions can be confusing. Although, once you get what he is asking, they are not difficult to answer.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: PHL295
• 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:

Best course I've taken at UofT. Heath gives clear, concise lectures and is so funny I was sometimes laughing so hard I had to stop taking notes for a few minutes. All around great, except he is a bit cocky and not that helpful in office hours.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: PHL295
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

very entertaining and informative lectures, though the material was pretty straight forward. not as nice one on one as i thought he'd be.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: PHL295
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Prof. Heath's understanding of the material he teaches is quite defective; and the organization of his lectures is remarkably poor. If you are looking for an entertainer, Heath is probably your man. But be advised: the traits that distinguish a good philosopher are sorely missing in this professor of mediocre verbal and analytic skills.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: PHL295
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Graduated last year and I can now say out of the 30 professors I had at U of T he was the best. Every lecture was excting. I especially enjoyed his use of examples as it kept everyone's full attention.