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Tufts University: Joseph Walser - Comparative Religion - Professor ratings, reviews and much more | JumboAccess
Review:
Joseph Walser is perhaps the best professor I have had. His knowledge of religion is vast and deep and his ability to communicate it is impressive; he picks excellent readings, gives interesting, engaging lectures and is very willing to talk outside of class. It would be nice if his classes were not so early most of the time, but, so goes life. I can honestly say that I learned more in the classes I have taken only from him than I have from the combination of most of my other courses. I would especially recommend his classes on Buddhism.
Workload:
The reading workload is pretty intense -- the readings are many and difficult, but, allow me to stress, really, really worthwhile. There are usually 2 papers, about 10-20 pages in length.
review a class you took with Joseph Walser - help your classmates make informed decisions!
Tufts University: Joseph Walser - Comparative Religion - Professor ratings, reviews and much more | JumboAccess
Review:
This was, surprisingly, one of my favorite classes at Tufts. Walser has a very approachable, friendly and helpful demeanor and his enthusiasm for the material will keep you interested and engaged (even at 8am in a damp basement classroom). I learned so much about Buddhism from this course; it was nice to feel like I actually accomplished something rather than just memorizing by rote. He's an amazing lecturer and very easy to reach outside of class. While the class is not easy by any means, he will help you through it every step of the way. There's no busy work which is GREAT - everything you discuss in class is just to further your understanding. I'd love to take more classes with him.
Workload:
There were a LOT of obscure and very difficult readings to slog through - definitely the worst part of the course. The good news? You can pretty much skim most of them and still be just fine, since even the people who read them cover to cover will still be confused and need clarification. The grades are based on a midterm paper and final paper, which are challenging but definitely not impossible (even without doing all the readings).
professor rating:  | course rating:  | major: N/A | |
review a class you took with Joseph Walser - help your classmates make informed decisions!
Tufts University: Joseph Walser - Comparative Religion - Professor ratings, reviews and much more | JumboAccess
Review:
I found this class very interesting and simultaneously very frustrating. Prof. Walser did manage to keep me awake and engaged at 8:40 in the morning which is a feat. You can tell that he is incredibly enthusiastic about his subject, which can be contagious. His lecture style is relaxed, and though not always on topic, he could rarely be accused of rambling. Walser was very tolerant of alternative views and students' questions. I'd love to take another class with him, but I'd love to take it Senior year pass/fail.
Workload:
There is a lot of reading, mainly of original texts, some translated into English around 1901. Which I'm sure were wells of knowledge waiting to be tapped, but the often left the class confused and completely at a loss. I think that for an intro class he needs to reconsider his reading choices just a little. There are only two assignments which determine you grade. Two take home finals which weren't bad except for Prof. Walser's annoying habit of assigning a very involved question, giving you a very small word limit and then subtracting points for leaving things out. If you take the class ignore all word limits, you'll do better that way.
professor rating: | course rating:  | major: N/A | |
review a class you took with Joseph Walser - help your classmates make informed decisions! |
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