Student Comments

A Tufts Student: The course just changed so many conceptions around technology and reality. many times I walked away from class with my mind blown.

A Tufts Student:  This course radically changed the way I think about technology, virtual reality, and ethics in general. Before taking this course, I had never had the chance to dive into the technology used in virtual reality and the idea of it being ethical or unethical.

A Tufts Student:  Jordan did an amazing job teaching the course. He is very good at leading discussion and getting students to participate, even on very difficult topics. He also clearly knows what he is talking about and is good at conveying information to students.

A Tufts Student:  I think the readings were extremely helpful and the class discussions when we discussed the readings were the most helpful aspects of the course. I learned so much from my peers and Jordan, and I really enjoyed participating in class and discussing the concepts from the readings.

A Harvard Student:  Best section I’ve had at Harvard.

A Harvard Student:  Jordan was a great section TF who always provided me with incredibly useful feedback on my assignments to the point where he was giving me pointers for my next paper because he wanted me to do well and knew that I struggled with this type of writing as I hadn't done anything as theoretical as this in my lifetime. Jordan always ran a very active section and encouraged participation from everyone. He was very accepting of all viewpoints in an argument and always did his best to make everyone's comments useful to the discussion and always tried his best to push back on arguments in order to get the most out of section as possible. Jordan was also always incredibly responsive to emails and worked with my schedule to meet with me because I had a class which interfered with his office hours.

A Harvard Student:  Jordan is one of the most insightful and competent TFs I have been in section with. He lead the discussion incredibly effectively without dominating it, which is rare in a TF. His ability to understand the point that someone is trying to make and repeat it back to them ten times more eloquently was inspiring to see, and he never failed to extract value from a student's contribution, no matter how tangential or ill formed. I also appreciate how he made extra time for students outside of section despite the logistical difficulty of doing so.

A Boston University Student:  I really loved this course…I’ve always been interested in philosophy AND science, and this course really does well in combining those two disciplines.  The instructor has been considerate and cared about his students a lot.  His explanations of philosophical concepts are neat and helpful.  I also liked that he always encourages students to express and discuss their own thoughts.

A Boston University Student:  I really enjoyed taking this class because our professor was very engaging and super optimistic starting from the transition to remote learning up until the last day of class.   With regards to the in-person classes, the discussions were always good and he helped me to feel more comfortable voicing out my ideas.  I felt that I learnt a lot from him and I think I also improved as a writer and multimedia creator…

A Harvard Student:  This was the second course I had taken with sections led by Jordan, and it was a pleasure. Jordan is masterful at preparing and executing thoughtful and intriguing discussions that further not only discussions of course topics but connection between classmates. Jordan adeptly rose to the challenge of mediating speaking time and fostering discussion between all 25 students. Jordan made himself amply available, staying after class to provide extra discussion and thoughtful insights regarding the coursework and concepts covered. When unable to conduct a section meeting due to unexpected personal commitments, Jordan offered multiple different options to allow students to receive instruction and have their needs met, even going so far as to offer one–on–one meetings with each student to review course topics if necessary. Though the lectures in this class were undeniably intellectually rich and well–made, it was Jordan's continued excellence that made this class well worth taking.

A Harvard Student:  Jordan hands down made this course. Much like professor Sandel, Jordan is an academic rockstar! I greatly looked forward to section meetings not only for the material and to interact with my classmates, but also because of Jordan’s effective teaching style. He allowed the section discussion to flow openly, let people voice their opinions, and guided the discussions flawlessly. Jordan is a treasure trove of knowledge and HES is beyond lucky to have him. Don’t change a thing Jordan!

A Harvard Student:  Jordan was awesome! His feedback was always direct and helpful, and the section was very fun. He controlled the flow of discussion just enough to keep us on track, but often let us run wild and debate and discuss the material, which made it very fun. Doing debates and other activities in section was also always very fun.

A Harvard Student:  When it comes to morals and ethics, it's always scary to enter into a space not knowing whether or not it will be intellectually and psychologically safe. Jordan fostered an environment where all felt heard and able to contribute.

A Harvard Student:  Jordan Kokot was an excellent teacher and moderator of the weekly discussions. He had an incredible insight into Dr. Sandel's theories and did well to steer the conversations in the direction most productive to learning. After a while, I was so looking forward to the weekly debates, because they were so fun, that I would sometimes forget this was also educational. Jordan Kokot had a lot to do with that success.

A Harvard Student:  Jordan is incredible. I'm constantly impressed at how much he accomplishes, how well he articulates and leads our discussions, and how thoughtful he is with providing feedback. He took time to give thorough and helpful comments on all of our final paper outlines, was always there to help or answer our questions, and was just a really kind and effective leader in our group. Thank you for everything, Jordan!!

A Boston University Student:  You gave incredible feedback and were very helpful the entire semester; I really appreciated you pushing us to keep learning and excelling.

A Boston University Student:  Jordan is a great instructor and assigned readings that were straight up gold.  He was dedicated, available, and gave great feedback.  He had the ability to balance out the class with a great bit of discussion…”

A Boston University Student:  Great at making you interested in class.  He encourages group discussions rather than solely addressing concepts covered in class.  He is not biased when teaching certain concepts so that you get to form your own ideas of what is right and wrong.  He will challenge your beliefs whether you think a certain way or another so that you are able to strengthen your arguments.  He will make you question why you believe in a certain way.  He is extremely helpful during office hours and will schedule time with you if you are not able to go to his weekly office hours. 

A Boston University Student: “Jordan was honestly one of the best teachers I have had, not just in college, but in schooling in general.  He generates interest in topics that most would not be able to due to the difficult nature of the writings.  He is thoughtful and careful about his material and his students.  I found myself always excited about coming to class and was always interested in our discussion topics.

A Boston University Student:  Excellent lecture, genuinely made me interested in class about the topic, even at the end of the day when I’m exhausted and falling asleep.  Jordan’s conversations and lectures were always interesting and compelling, friendly professor, EXTREMELY understanding…

A Boston University Student:  Interesting, knowledgeable, effective at explaining and illuminating highly complex philosophical subjects.  Pushed us as students and writers to explore topics more deeply than we have been expected to in the past. 

A Boston University Student:  I’ve always tried to take courses that were interesting and avoided taking courses that were easy A’s if I wasn’t going to learn anything.  Although I might not get an A (sob) I feel I genuinely learned from this course and walked out a better writer.  Thank you for creating a genuinely interesting course that has definitely changed my life!

A Boston University Student:  Jordan was able to make difficult subjects more accessible to students.  He facilitated very good discussions.  He gave positive feedback to students when they spoke up and responded will by connecting them to other students’ ideas and asking questions.  He picked difficult readings and helped us work through them, and gave us good exercises that helped us improve our writing.  His syllabus was also very clear and he updated it through the semester.  Jordan adapted the course to what he thought we were most interested in as the semester progressed.

A Boston University Student:  Engaging, kind, dedicated.

A Boston University Student:  Very comfortable class environment, and it was one of the only classes that I genuinely looked forward to attending.  Jordan was a great teacher, the content was fascinating, and I loved this class.

A Boston University Student:  This course offered difficult content, but Jordan does a great job at explaining topics and making them relevant to our lives.  In addition, the feedback on assignments/presentations has been insanely helpful all semester.

A Boston University Student:  Nice humorous guy, very willing to offer help to students outside of class.  Pushes students to elaborate when necessary. 

A Boston University Student:  He really encourages learning and creates a really comfortable and fun environment for learning.  I really enjoyed this class and I would recommend it to anyone.