“This course made me think a lot. I disliked at first having to go to the board, but quickly started liking it when made to go up more often than not. I learned how to think more logically. Yes, the course affected how I think about and live my life. I pay more attention to what I hear people say now than ever before. I’m glad I took this course and I’m glad I took it from this instructor. I would definitely recommend it to other students. I would also highly recommend the instructor.” [SR, expects a C]
“I thought the readings were hard to understand, so I didn’t normally do them. Unless the material is easy to understand and comprehend, I tend to learn best from lectures and discussions where I can ask questions. However, the homework was beneficial and reinforced what we went over in class. Grading was more than fair, and anyone who says otherwise is a spoiled brat. Even if the proof was wrong or unfinished you would still give at least partial credit if we were in the right direction, for Pete’s sake. I expected to learn what logic was. I had no real background on the subject. And yes, I found the class highly informative and useful. Logic isn’t something I see myself directly applying, as far as proofs go, but stretching the mind and learning the reasoning behind the logic can be useful to anyone. I certainly thought this contributed to my education and it extended the way I think. I most liked you and the material. I always enjoy your classes. I disliked nothing. As usual just keep up the good job. I am very glad I took this course and had you for another course. I would recommend, and do, this course and other Philosophy classes. Philosophy can be highly beneficial to anyone of any major as long as they put in the effort to learn. You are awesome! Will be seeing you again in the fall!” [SO, expects an A or B]
“Some of the readings were difficult to grasp. This could have been because you must read in a different way. The course really made me think ‘logically’, a way that most people do not think. It took me a while to get used to the way of things but when I did, everything was okay. Before I decide to actually believe something now, I will seek out sufficient evidence. I thought the class would be easier. But it was okay because it did challenge my mind, something that I needed. He worked hard to make students think things out for themselves. This way we were sure to understand the concepts.” [[JR, expects a B]
“I learned something new every time I attended class. I’ve learned flaws in my own argumentation and know how to correct them. I’ve learned that in life most people can’t formulate arguments logically. I watch the news and read the paper and know whose opinions make sense. I’ll be really glad if I get a good grade. I am pleased with Dr. Holtzman. He has a full understanding of everything he teaches. He always listens to students when they make an effort to speak with him and he is sensitive to their needs. He’s the nicest teacher I’ve had. He’s also the toughest.” [FR, expects a B]
“High expectations. My roommate highly recommended both you and this course. She spoke very highly of you and your teaching of this material despite its difficulty. Expectations were met. You’re a fun, energetic, passionate teacher, one whom I respect very much. It’s refreshing to see life in the classroom again. I learned logic is hard. This course did contribute to my education and it caused me to question just about every word problem I’m faced with when I’m volunteering in the elementary schools. All previous thought processes prior to my taking of this course are ruined. Yes, this course affected how I think about my life in terms of processes and the importance of ‘orders of operations’. I liked the difficulty and challenge of this course. It was hard but not impossible. I’m glad I took this course. I’m very glad I had Dr. Holtzman as my professor for this course and I would recommend both this course as well as the instructor to other students at Catawba. Dr. Holtzman was not only effective in teaching the content matter, but also building relationships with his students. He enjoyed his students and made the content relevant. His sense of humor helped difficult subject matter seem less intimidating to the point that I felt comfortable asking questions. My questions were always answered and I never felt ‘dumb’. Dr. Holtzman is by far one of my favorite and most interesting professors here at Catawba.” [JR, expects a B]
“I was expecting to be bored out of my mind and completely lost. No. I loved this class and kept up, followed along, and learned a whole bunch. I was scared to go to class the first day, and by the end, I looked forward to going to class. I actually gained confidence from this class because every time I would get the correct answer I got excited because I felt like I accomplished a huge feat that only the few of us in the class understood how to solve. This course contributed to my education by allowing me to use my brain in an absolute mathematical way rather than an open-ended arguable essay. I now try and put life problems into a logical form. I loved this class!! This class was brilliant. If I didn’t understand, the time was taken to help me understand. Everyone was forced to participate and if they didn’t they were picked out. Did I say I loved this class? I wish other classes were like this one.” [SR, expects a B]
“I found the readings help clarify what we were learning. The homework assignments helped a lot. I liked the pace we worked at. I liked the book we used. It’s a fun course (a lot of laughs). And Dr. Holtzman is a super-riffic prof. I have always loved taking courses where Dr. Holtzman has been the prof. He challenges the students and always expresses how much he believes in the students’ capabilities. I have never heard him discourage a student from trying.” [SR, expects a B]
“The readings prior to class made the material easier to understand. However, Dr. Holtzman explained the material with more clarity than the book did. I do think this course was important, as it has helped me to think more critically as an accounting major. I liked the enthusiasm of the professor and the way in which we were taught to understand things as opposed to “parrot fashion learning”. I am glad I took this course and am very happy with the instructor. I would recommend this course to others as I believe it is very important to be able to think logically. I believe that the instructor was very effective: he was enthusiastic in class, helped whenever we had problems, and taught us to think and apply the rules we learned. He is also not very lenient with grading and I quite like this, as a good grade is then illustrative that I do know my work. I thoroughly enjoyed this course, and there’s nothing I would change.” [SO, expects an A]
“Once I registered for the class my Dad made the comment that I was ‘too emotional to be logical.’ This put a damper on my anticipation of the course. However, once I began the class and started comprehending the material, I found that I could grasp logic and prove my father wrong. I definitely learned about arguments and how to properly form them. Though the course was not required for my major I still think I learned just as much valuable information than I do in my required classes. The course was very challenging to me but also very interesting. The combination increased my likeness of the class. The teaching style made the class enjoyable. Of course I am glad I took this course and had this instructor!! Dr. Holtzman’s knowledge, attitude, and teaching capability are qualities I desire in all my instructors but rarely find. I was impressed with how Dr. Holtzman taught the material in a way that made it so easy to comprehend. The material alone seemed very difficult and confusing but the minute he began teaching it or going over homework, I suddenly understood. I don’t know what exactly about his teaching style it was but I could tell he put a lot of time into preparing lesson plans.” [FR, expects a B]
“I was impacted by all the material. This logic class has given me a new look in the way I think. I have used the things I have learned to help me in my math class. The assignments were appropriate and went right along with what we are doing. The grading was very fair. I liked how he made it fun by using entertaining ways of explaining the material. I was very satisfied in the way the material was explained and it was an excellent and fascinating course. I am glad I took this course and this instructor has been fantastic. I have already recommended this class to others. I am signed up for a class next semester with this instructor.” [SO, expects a C]
“The impact of the readings was that of being able to make me think. They got my mind going, and that’s what I like. The assignments were very appropriate. What we did in the assignments led to what was on the test, and the grading was entirely fair. Mostly, I liked being able to use my brain. Some classes are strictly by the book, but this class allowed me to think and work things out with my mind, not just by reading a book. I learned how to approach an argument from all directions and not to be biased in any way. This course greatly affected the way I think about life. I did not expect it to be as hard as it was, but it was challenging and I like that. I am glad that I took this course, and if I had to do it again I would want the same professor. If I were to recommend this class I would recommend this prof as well. My professor was very effective in teaching this class. His explanations were clear, and his examples got the point across perfectly. His is a very good prof, and is able to make you think.” [SO, expects a C]
“The readings were confusing as the class went around. They got harder too, as time went on, as they should have. You made the readings understandable by explaining in class. All assignments were appropriate for this class. The grading was more than fair! Partial credit really helped a lot of the students. I expected to be able to logically break down statements. I am very confident in doing that now. This class will always help me. I really liked the way you taught. I was interested in all the work because of the excitement in the class, and laughter. I really liked this class and the teacher. I will recommend anyone this class and teacher.” [FR, expects an A]
“Readings gave me a better understanding basis for when we learned new material in class. I enjoyed homework. It was necessary in learning the material. It helped drill in the formulas and rules into my brain. The grading was nice on that, you gave credit but still went through and corrected material. I learned that I’m interested in a philosophy minor. I would totally recommend everything. I learned really well, he explained thoroughly and repetitively.” [FR, expects an A or B]
“The readings were kind of plain to me and hard to comprehend but I appreciated the instructor for letting me see it better with his teachings. The assignment was appropriate and the grading was fair. I wanted to learn enough about logic so I can graduate and I believe my expectations were met. I learned how to think more logically. I loved how the professor taught the course, there is no dislikes about the course and I suggest you keep the course like it is. This course was cool and I would recommend it to someone else and the instructor is amazing and I would refer him to all students. If it was not for the instructor I would not know anything but he kept going on until you got it.” [SR, expects a B or C]
“The readings helped me to be prepared for what we would discuss in class and if I had any questions they would be discussed. The assignments helped me to better understand the reading and going over them helped. I liked solving the proofs, I thoroughly found it fun. This was a great gen ed course to take. The instructor did a great job of teaching the course.” [SO, expects an A]
“I only read the chapters if I didn’t understand them in class. The assignments were appropriate with the increasing difficulty. The grading was fair. I wanted to approach problems logically. The class helped me to reason logically. Due to the fact that I’m not a native speaker it helped me to improve my English and to structure thoughts. The effort of the teacher was great, it was hard to fall asleep. Sometimes there was too much repetition for me, but I think it was necessary. I would totally recommend this course and the instructor, this course was a great experience for me. I think the instructor was able to manage time and stuff effectively.” [FR, expects an A]
“The readings gave me a better understanding of what we went over in class. I knew exactly what to expect on exams, and yes, grading was definitely fair. If I did poorly, I am to blame and no one else. I got exactly what I expected out of this course. It was titled Intro to Logic, and that’s what we learned, and I am a better problem solver from taking it. I learned how to better formulate problems with my knowledge of logic. It could only have increased my education level. It gave me the gateway to better understand the way things should be worded when proposing logical sentences. I liked most that the material came easily to me. I disliked people’s stupid comments in class that had no relevance to the course material. I understand there were a lot of freshmen in the class and I’m probably just the old grinch, but maybe a little more discipline could be implemented. I’m very glad I took the class with Dr. Holtzman and would recommend both to anyone. The instructor, at first, seemed to be speaking a different language, but in the end, we’re on the same page because he teaches well.” [SR, expects a B]
“The book was extremely clear in its explanation of the course material. As it was the only reading it was the most awesome. The homework made me learn the material, so yes it was appropriate. I think Dr. Holtzman is a fantastic professor and I would recommend him to anyone who doesn’t mind work. He makes the effort to help the student with anything that could be hindering them in the course.” [SO, expects a B]