Review:
Denby is a crazy Brit with a fun sense of humor; basically, he is absolutely fabulous. He is the kind of professor who actually cares about his students in terms of their understanding and encourages participation to the point where you want to speak up and are not obnoxiously urged to. He is available when you need to speak to him regarding matters of class, but also is there to just talk about philosophy in general. His lectures can be a little drawn out sometimes, however, I found myself laughing more in his class than I have in any other. I am taking a second class with him next semester and would really encourage anyone endeavoring into philosophy studies to take a class with him, regardless of if you are a major or not.

Workload:
There was a course packet and small book assigned which I would fathom half the class started with for the first few weeks of the semester, but by the middle of the semester, no one had done any of the reading. Denby knows it and takes it with a grain of salt, which is nice. No midterm and no final, just three 5ish-page papers and an optional fourth which were graded by a TA. The actual material of the course is actually upper division material because much of it is very abstract, but the writing of the course is not challenging, which is why it is a lower level course. If Denby is not teaching this next, make sure you get a professor that is patient, fun, and thorough otherwise the class could be awful.

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David Denby | PHIL043 - Justice, Equality & Liberty | Philosophy

2004-04-21

Review:
David Denby is a wonderful professor. He is always very well prepared and is very good at conveying ideas and concepts to students. I would highly recommend him.

Workload:
The work is not overbearing, but it does exist. All of the assignments were well suited to the course.

professor rating: | course rating: | major: N/A

review a class you took with David Denby - help your classmates make informed decisions!

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David Denby | PHIL001 - Introduction to Philosophy | Philosophy

2004-04-10

Review:
Professor Denby is one of the most interesting professors that you will meet at Tufts. Considering that it is very easy to go off on tangents in Philosophy, Professor Denby is incredibly organized and challenges his students to think. He reviews all material taught in the previous class before every class. In addition, he presents arguments very clearly, gives vivid examples, and encourages students to challenge the arguments. He is very neutral and will challenge any student that challenges him. He is also very enthusiastic, extremely funny, and available at most times (although he is so popular, there is a line out his office door). It is essential to attend this class because most of the course material is presented there. The readings are supplementary.

Workload:
This class does not have a tremendous amount of work. You can even get away with skipping the readings as long as you attend class. Although the readings are helpful and if you enjoy philosophy, you will love the readings. There are 4 papers throughout the semester (which are about 5-6 pages each) and then an optional paper. The papers are more of an exercise to show that you understand the main concepts than anything else.

professor rating: | course rating: | major: N/A

review a class you took with David Denby - help your classmates make informed decisions!