Burke, J.D.  

Overall, Burke was an okay teacher. He was really confusing during the quarter because he would give us multiple schedules telling us when things were due. The paper topics and due dates would constantly change. He's not consisent at all and is very disorganized. Also, at the beginning of the quarter he told us that he would drop 10 of the 20 writing assignments that were to be assigned and 5 of the 10 major paper assignments, but in the middle of the quarter he "changed his mind." He decided to count all the assignments instead. A good thing about Burke is that he let us turn in all our papers at the very end of the quarter. Burke's quizzes are extremely easy. He gives us the multiple choice questions before hand and gives us the answers in his lectures. Burke's writing assignments and major paper assignments are pretty easy, seeing as how they're only 2 pages each. The longest paper we ever had to write was the term paper which was 5 pages. Oh yeah, one more thing...he refuses to use e-mail so it can be a pain to try and reach him.

Dr. Burke is a nice guy. With that said, he is also very disorganized which can be frustrating. Just take a deep breath and don't worry about it. He will make sure it all works out in the end. His quizes are very easy, he is big on group discussions, assigns about 15 2pg essays over the quarter and a 5 page final. If you have to take Phil 230, Burke is not a bad choice, although I'm sure there are some that are a little better.

Joe was one of the most-laid back, interesting teachers I have had yet. The class was all about discussions and interaction. If you don't like that kind of thing then maybe this class isn't for you. I really enjoyed the class though and thought the material was relevant to everyday life. He is so cooperative when it comes to helping students with any trouble they might be having, you'd have to really - I mean REALLY not be trying to get a grade of C or lower (the guy gives you so many chances).

Professor Burke is a the type of college teacher that I expected in high school. He wasn't concerned with grades, instead, he focused on learning. His class consisted from lectures from little reading assignments or hypothetical questions. He made me think about questions that i have never thought about before. Questions about love, hate, death, and reality. Expect a lot of writing in this class. Although, different from most teachers, his assignments are meaningful and add to learning. I enjoyed the writing, but because the topics are so open to different answers. His tests are very easy. In fact, he gives all the answers the day before the test is given. I warn you though, he can be pushy and a bit of a dick head at times.If he asks a question, he wants a direct answerand if he doesn't get it, he'll get an attitude. Despite this, I recommend taking him.

Professor Burke asks that we think; it was a true joy to be in his class. Yes, there is a lot of writing due. You have to read philosophical literary works and write two page "reading responses." But these are not difficult; they are very well structured, so you just have to follow the guidelines and write, whether or not they truly did, that the pieces gave you new new perspective and that you really gained something from reading it. The "quizes" were posted on Blackboard; we printed them and brought them in, done, on the days they were due. :-) I think the lowest grade anyone got was a 22/25. He gave us a CD on the first day of class with an Adobe PDF of 216 pages of material. It's nice to have it all at the beginning to there is no time constraint on reading it. He hands out a very thick packet that is the syllabus on the first day; there are dates to which he holds true. You know exactly what's coming and can get ahead on reading stuff, if you care to. You get points for participating in class, and it really irks him to give people low participation points. Don't fear speaking up; you will not be admonished. Joe is not disorganized; quite the contrary. All of his materials are readily accessible, grades are posted on Blackboardm and you can talk to him and always have an understanding ear. Overall, this class was really easy; just TRY, and follow the syllabus requirements for written work to a T.

At the beginning of the quarter I was very excited to take this course, especially with the professor. The class would sit in a giant circle and have group discussions about the readings and then hand in our assignments. The problems arose when the CD issued with all the readings in .pdf format did not contain all the readings. This was cause for great confusion. Also, the 26 page syllabus that only had about 3 pages of decent information was confusing. All of the quizes and study sheets were posted on Blackboard, but if there was a technical problem, Burke was of no assistance. This professor only teaches a couple courses here at Poly and commutes back to Pepperdine to teach there also, leaving him dissinterested in the material and very boring for a 8-10 pm lecture. If you do not care about Philosophy and don't mind being lazy, take Burke.

Dr. Burke is the most gentle, understanding teacher I have ever had. I took him 8-10 at night, and maybe twice did we actually go the whole two hours. We averaged about 1-1.5 hours of class each session. All you do is sit in a circle and talk about life and the way it works, and how you feel about yourself and your surroundings. At first people were shy and only a few would talk. Dr. Burke, however, makes you feel so comfortable and secure that by the end, everyone had something to say and only a couple people were still shy to talk. Even thought the class was later at night, the room was almost always full. Grading can be hard, but that's only if you don't like to think on a deeper level. If you really look inside yourself and write how you feel, not just some bs, you will get through this course with no problem whatsoever-sounds weird but it's true. I recommend this teacher to anyone taking philosophy. Oh and at the end of the course, he throws a party and buys pizza and subway for everyone.

During this entire quarter all I could think about was how this professor reminded me of that small little dog that runs through the back of scene 23 in The Incredibles by Pixar. Seriously, if you look it up you will only be able to see it...