Kosta Bagakis

I decided to take this class because a friend of mine took it, and said it was easy. He said it's a small class with less work because it is mostly discussions. When I took it, Bagakis issued more work than the pervious semester because of budget cuts. The class size grew from 35 to 75 students. Bagakis couldn't keep track of everyones performance so he issued more work to stay on task. We did about 4 papers throughout the semester. Attendance is part of you grade too. Sometimes less than half the class shows up and Bagakis will issue HW because no one came to class, so make sure you know people in the class if you plan to skip class. When collecting work, he collects them at the beginning, so if you're late to class have a good excuse. Oh yeah if you're those people who don't like talking infront of people don't take this class. This class is perfect for talkative students. If you have any questions ask them during class, if you ask him after, he gives an attitude. Besides that, the material that he teaches is very good. You will learn a lot. I've learned a lot and you'll be able to see somethings differently.

He's a great teacher besides the fact that he gave me an A on my final paper assignment and an A- overall. It just seemed odd when he'd tell the class to form small discussion groups and suddenly he'd leave the classroom then come back 5-10min later. What was the purpose of this? Was he trying to make a philosophical statement? Was he trying to get us to question in our minds as to why he'd leave unexpectedly? I wondered if he used those every 10min or so of each of his classes to get coffee or take a nap in the lounge or who knows what. I believe he still has my final paper, which he was pleased and insisted on giving his feedback on it but its been 3 semesters, and every time I'd come by to ask for it, he'd still forget and say he'd give feedback. Till this day I doubt he has!

This class is fun but interesting at the same time. He lets you hink real hard about things going on in our lives and helps us to question them. This class helps to open up your mind to newer things and brighter possibilities. Great class!!!

if you want an easy a take this class. there is virtually no hw except to read the one book you read and discuss for the whole freak semester. the book is pretty difficult to read and understand. dr. bagakis shows about 6 films which were a nice break from the book. he gets very upset if the class doesnt talk or if the same people always talk. he begins the class with a share and tell which is basically the time for students to tell the class about weird news tidbits. i got an A in the class b/c i went to class everyday. the lectures are boring b/c they are always about the same topic of soceity being so unaware adn blinded by what is going on. as far as his office hours go, after class i went up to him to ask him a question and he answered my question, but was like "i dont answer questions if its not aksed in front of the whole class" so yeah..... and to add to that, i think he is sexists towards women. i know that whenever i would try to talk in class, or other girls would, he would have a hard time hearing us and after we would say what we want to say, he would have to repeat it out loud for himself, but he would never do that when a guy would talk

Professor Bagakis has opened up my eyes to so many things. He's not the typical philosophy teacher. I had him for critical thinking and expected to do a bunch of useless problems all the time. Instead, I actually learned and am now a lot more aware of so many aspects of our society. He's so laid back and I admit that his class was a piece of cake...but that's not the point. His main goal is to get his students to think for themselves and to question reality. Sitting on your ass might get you an easy A...but you'll learn more in this class than in most of your other classes. The class itself may be easy, but really thinking and participating is what it's all about.

Real easy teacher, everything is done in groups, even the final paper was a group project. I also took his Phil 101 class. Bagakis is a nice guy, his class will be a lot easier if you approach the class with an open mind. You don't have to buy into his beliefs as long as you can provide substantial info to back your argument.

pros:

-if you want to learn nothing, but jsut get an easy A, take this class

-jsut come to his lectures, watch the shows and you'll get an A

-he's a really nice teacher with a good heart. very understanding

cons: -you might get sick and tired of this class, but jsut hang in cus it's an easy A

-beware that no one will get all into the discussions unless they are hard-core philo fans. haha

overall, this teacher is nice, easy etc. you dont have to do anything. jsut sit and listen. the only thing he really grades on is if you show to class and the TAKE HOME FINAL

Professor Bagakis has three things he hopes his students to get out of class: do your share of the work- including thinking; be social to the point that we actually HELP each other (oh no! not that!); and be aware that the world does not revolve around you, as a person, as a human being, in this moment, and never has- the function and balance of the world exist beyond us- but we can fix the problems we've created. If you cannot handle these simple modes of conduct, Bagakis openly says hey, it's not YOUR fault- you were TRAINED to think that way- but it is your fault if you don't attempt to improve.

Contrary to some opinion- he is not hard-liner or communist (and anyone who says so wasn't paying attention). I actually went to him with a valid complaint about one of the assigned texts and he really considered my comment!

He is actually open to debate and contrasting opinion more than most teachers anywhere- but you have to think about what you are saying and not open your mouth just to speak.

He is a very genuine man and is actually working for the benefit of students who, unfortunately, by majority, will never care to recognize this or challenge themselves to think that they are not always right and admit they have much to learn.

I recommend him as an excellent teacher- and wish him a few excellent students! He deserves it and his thinking and personality are worth it!!

Yes, he can be lazy and oftentimes late to class. This, however, came as expected because the typical philosopher mind does not enjoy schedules, organization and basically anything to set limitations. So, with this understanding, I didn't mind that part that much. I myself am down to earth and saunter through life as well. Sorry to those that don't like that.

I've only been in his class for 4 weeks, but so far the pace of it has been quite slow. Many of the ideas seem rather simplistic..i.e. the "giver" vs "taker" world and we will spend a considerable amount of time on the same concept. I suppose though, that it is because he wishes to really reach certain students that have not yet developed that objective mind. I've disussed philosophy with educators and friends all throughout high school, so most of these concepts aren't exactly eye-openers. He has such potential to bring even MORE into the class. He could really be interesting at times, don't get me wrong, but I'd often like to see him take things a step further.

As a person, he certainly is not as intimidating as I felt some of these posts to portray him as. Something about his demeanor I suppose. I immediately felt him to be an approachable person. I'm actually considering (seeing that I'm currently on the 3rd floor of the humanities building, rather close to his office), visiting his office just to talk. I'm sure I'll find him interesting.

Something I don't like would be his assistant that is attempting to take over the class. He is trying to get into grad school, which immediately suggests his motivation. Now, I'm not saying it's his only motivation, and it seems to be coupled with a "I need to give back to the community" mantra in his mind. The guy has a good heart but is plain BAD at lecturing. He's entirely predictable, and has trouble articulating his point so he'll jump around it for some 10 minutes. The questions he asks are extremely obvious and I think Bagakis even becomes frustrated occassionally. Thanks for letting me vent. :)

The homework is easy enough. We'll be having an exam on the movie, "The Matrix" soon.

I would recommend this class for open-minded people that seem to realize that there is definately something more to droning through the systematic patterns of day to day life. Yes, he'll try to sway you to his particular mindset, but just continue to remain open to anything. If you disagree with something, say it. You're probably not alone and it prompts an even better discussion.

I think that's about all I wanted to say. If you're patient enough to read this far, you might just be the kind of person that will enjoy his class.

Adios.

Im suprised how many students find Bagkakis so smart and interesting. The whole purpose with his teaching is to convert students to the excellent ideas that Marx and Communism stands for, its so obvious that I thought more people would understand that. He is interesting to listen to though but he never encourage any debate about his preaching. So my advise is: if you like the communist ideas enroll, otherwise stay away because this guy will only make you angry.

I found Dr. Bagakis to be an exceptional instructor. I am not at my intellectual best at 8:00 in the morning but Dr. Bagakis made this class so interesting that it wasn't too difficult to get going at that hour. He knows his material well and makes great efforts to actively engage his students in the material. It is clear that Dr. Bagakis cares about the material he is teaching and about his students' understanding of that material. Dr. Bagakis does have strong opinions but he also treats his students' opinions with respect and is open to discussions of a wide variety of opinions. Overall, this is an interesting class with a wonderful instructor.

Bagakis is a very sincere and nice teacher. But as a student, I only took this dumb class for a GE requirement. I hate the idea we get into groups, and talk about our bullshit ideas, because GOD DAMN IT, my ideas are always right!!! j/k =) Anyhow, at times I missed a lot of classes (because it's was an 8am course). I had a classmate who is a close friend of mine, so he kinda help me pass this course. I never really learn anything from this class, and I hated some of the classmate who shared their ideas, thinking that there ideas should reflect to us. As a GE student, this is another one of those bullshit GE class to get by, but I can't argue for PHIL majors.

Dr. Bagakis is a seeker of knowledge. He will not accept ideas if they aren't well thought out and backed. Some students find this disturbing, as they have no spine nor some sort of backbone to make and defend a stand. But, for those of you who know who you are and aren't ashamed of yourselves, who know what you believe in, and who are willing to defend their ideals valiantly, this teacher is for you.

Dr. Bagakis is an excellent instructor that opened my eyes to many of the flaws in our society. However, he is very strong and unwavering in his views, and expects the students to take what he says as dogma. Overall, though, he is more accessible, more down to earth, and much friendlier than other instructors.

I found Prof. Bagakis to be both refreshing and frustrating. He's very knowledgeable, and is excellent at integrating otherwise dry material into students' everyday lives. His choice of reading matter was unusual and engaging, and though we watched quite a few videos, they were all appropriate and interesting. He truly encourages class discussion, and I was especially pleased that he refused to allow homophobic and other bigoted comments to pass without comment. On the other hand (and you knew it was coming), he definitely has preconceived notions about many of the topics discussed. Although he never said so, it's clear he's somewhere in the socialist/marxist spectrum, and you'd better not challenge or contradict those ideas, either in class or your writing. It will help a lot if you've studied Marx/Kant/Hegel in the past, otherwise you might find yourself at a loss as to how to answer some of his exam questions. The general style was many short papers, which, joined with a few longer ones, formed a portfolio, which was collected twice for grading. DO NOT fall behind on these assignments. It's much easier to write them when everything is fresh in your mind, and it makes it a lot easier to participate in class if you've already processed the reading. Overall, I'd have to say that I enjoyed his class, though I definitely felt that I, as a capitalist, had to, well, not exactly lie, but maybe just not tell the whole truth about how I view the world.

I have found the professor's lectures to be quite informative; very interesting. He seems to hold a passion for the subject he teaches, unlike some other teachers I have had that does not seem to care much about the content he/she is teaching. He also seems very caring and helpful with the students in his class if one happens to have trouble with the work. For me in particular, I have felt him to be very friendly and quite encouraging, especially when I have to give my opinions out in class, since I get a little frightened in such circumstances when everyone's eyes are directed towards me, even if I am just sitting in my seat. The way he puts his lectures together is that he may introduce to us some reading from a past Philosopher's work, have us analyze it together, and perhaps integrate it with situations that may apply in our own daily lives. We mostly are just assigned readings in this class and are told to be prepared to discuss with other students about the literature we read with several assigned questions he lays out for us. He makes us become more critical thinkers and I find some of the perspectives that do derive out the discussions very insightful, extremely interesting. His thoughts itself was in fact incredible. I'm quite sure that what I have learned so far in this class will be quite beneficial towards me in future time and I doubt I will ever forget his lectures. In fact, I have been having doubts into whether I really want to be a Business major. I may for all I know become a Philosophy major instead.

You better think the same way Professor Bagakis thinks or you won't make a good grade. He has plenty of Communist undertones in his class and does not appreciate an open discussion which might challenge his viewpoint. My advice to you is to learn to like Karl Marx before attending his class. Also, he is not willing to give your final project back to you.

Prof. Bagakis is an excellent teacher. He provides the class with stimulating lectures and information that entrigued me to think about life. He has a style of teaching that does not fall into the norms of the"typical" college professor. I like his style of thinking and teaching because it provides a fresh envioronment to the class. I thought his class was one of the best classes I took this semester. Some students may not like him because he is not very strict and clear with deadlines. In other words, he expects you to know where you are in the class and if you are lost then all you have to do is ask questions. We had two major portfolios through out the semester. The key to acing these assignments is to stay as far away as you can from procrastinating. Overall I recommend Prof. Bagakis to anyone who loves to think and sincerely learn about life. He definitely has opened my eyes in ways that no other teacher has in a really long time.

Prof. Bagakis has interesting points of view, however he rarely prepared for class, other than playing a taped NPR interview.and reading a Dr. Seuss book (no joke). He assigned lots of work, but never collected any of it. No midterms, no final, only a 10 page paper he assigned two days before the end of the semester which was supposed to be about some Marxist perspective on society. I did learn a few things, and for that I am greatful. However, I am unable to figure out what his Marxist rhetoric had to do with the subject we were suposed to be learning. I would not recommend his class.

Dr. Bagakis is a fantastic teacher. He gives very informative and stimulating lectures about philosophy. But unlike many other philosophy instructors, he makes a real attempt at bringing philosophy down to earth, that is he ties philosophy with our own personal lives and most of all he makes philosophy revelent to current political concerns and events. While he may have a fairly dogmatic about some of his political and philosophical beliefs, he does strongly emphasize class discussion; in fact, he tries to lecture (diffrent from teaching) as little as possible so that students can have the opportunity to express their ideas and while thinking critically about them. If you like to think critically about everything and like stimulating discussions, take any of his classes.Furthemore, he is a very approachable person, someone who is more than willing to stay after class to talk about philosophy, politicas or whatever concerns a student may have.