# PHIL 201 — Introduction to Philosophy (AUB) > PHIL 201 Introduction to Philosophy at American University of Beirut. 3.9/5 from 16 ratings · 25 student reviews · 2 shared files. Source: https://studiety.com/aub/course/661 Retrieved: 2026-09-18 ## Facts - Course code: PHIL 201 - Title: Introduction to Philosophy - University: American University of Beirut (AUB) - Subject: Philosophy - Department: Philosophy - Faculty: Faculty of Arts and Sciences - Credits: 3 - Counts toward General Education: Cultures and Histories - Professors on record (11): Ali Hocine Dimerdji, Emma Gannage, Fares Chalabi, Jana Kasab, Karim Barakat, Mahmoud Baassiri, Mahmoud El Hassanieh, Nadine Abou Zaki, Rabih Salloum, Raid Samaha, Zainab Sabra ## Catalogue description An introduction to philosophy and its methods through an analysis of traditional issues in ethics, epistemology, metaphysics, and the philosophy of religion. ## Quick answers ### What is PHIL 201 at AUB? PHIL 201 Introduction to Philosophy is a 3-credit course at American University of Beirut (AUB), in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. An introduction to philosophy and its methods through an analysis of traditional issues in ethics, epistemology, metaphysics, and the philosophy of religion. ### How many credits is PHIL 201? PHIL 201 Introduction to Philosophy is worth 3 credits at AUB. ### Is PHIL 201 hard? Students rate PHIL 201 3.9 out of 5 overall, from 16 ratings. ### Who teaches PHIL 201 at AUB? Studiety has 11 professors on record for PHIL 201: Ali Hocine Dimerdji, Emma Gannage, Fares Chalabi, Jana Kasab, Karim Barakat, Mahmoud Baassiri, Mahmoud El Hassanieh, Nadine Abou Zaki and 3 more. Sections change every term, so check the registrar for who is teaching now. ### Are there past papers for PHIL 201? Yes — 2 files for PHIL 201 have been shared by AUB students on Studiety, including exams, quizzes, syllabi and notes. They are free to download with a student account. ## Student ratings - Overall: 3.9/5 from 16 ratings ## What to expect - Has Quiz 1 - Has Quiz 2 - Has Final - Has Attendance - Has Participation - Original Book Necessary ## Shared course material 2 files shared by students. Free to download after signing up. - Syllabi: 2 ## Student reviews 25 of 30 reviews by students who took the course. Any review carried over from elsewhere is marked with its source on its own line. - **4/5 · 2023-11** — PHIL 201 is the go-to easy Humanities elective at AUB, to the point that students looking for an easy humanities credit ask specifically for alternatives to it. - **4/5 · 2023-08** — PHIL 201 is listed among the easy elective options. - **4/5 · 2023-04** — PHIL 201 is easy: the assessment is a midterm paper and a final paper of 1500-2000 words each, covering arguments and your own opinion on any topic discussed in class. - **4/5 · 2022-07** — PHIL 201 is recommended as an easy humanities elective. - **4/5 · 2022-04** — PHIL 201 is an easy course, though how good the experience is depends a lot on which professor you get. - **5/5 · 2022-04** — Zainab Sabra is the clear recommendation for PHIL 201, chosen over PHIL 210 with Muhannad Hariri. - **4/5 · 2023-11** — Raid is strongly recommended for PHIL 201, with a grading format of papers and only the final counted as an exam. - **4/5 · 2023-11** — PHIL 201 with Raid is cited as an easy humanity with low workload. - **4/5 · 2022-08** — Philosophy 201 with Raid Samaha is recommended as an easy elective. - **4/5 · 2022-08** — PHIL 201 with Raid is recommended as an easy humanities elective. - **4/5 · 2022-08** — Philosophy 201 with Rabih Salloum is recommended as an easy elective for sophomores. - **3/5 · 2023-04** — Mahmoud Hassanieh taught PHIL 201 with easy exams — a midterm paper and a 1500-2000 word final paper on an argument of your choice from class topics — though the reviewer felt there are better philosophy courses to take. - **4/5 · 2022-08** — Philosophy 201 with Mahmoud El Hassanieh is recommended as an easy elective. - **3/5 · 2022-07** — Some students joke that befriending Mahmoud El Hassanieh or inviting him for a coffee can help boost your grade in PHIL 201. - **3/5 · 2022-07** — Mahmoud El Hassanieh is sweet and considerate about missed classes in PHIL 201, but takes participation and attendance seriously (15% of the grade); his classes can get boring, and his grading is fair but not generous. - **4/5 · 2023-11** — Mahmoud Baassiri is also recommended for PHIL 201; unlike Raid, he gives exams rather than only papers. - **2022-06** — The topics covered and the workload in PHIL 201 (papers versus exams) vary completely depending on which professor teaches the section. - **2020-11** — don't ever take this course online. the professor only has recordings and has office hours for questions and its hard to keep up . HUGE workload (3 quizzes and 3 papers) and the grades online were horrible. wouldn't recommend at all - **2020-08** — Very cool professor and fair grader. Only 2 exams and no papers. - **2019-08** — Lots of readings, a bit boring if you prefer more in-depth topics but in general very easy - **2019-08** — Emma gannage is a great dr. I'm taking with her now, one of the best - **2019-08** — I'm taking with her now philo201! participate in class, take good notes, memorize them and get a 90? w she doesn't give any homework wala reading.. - **2019-08** — Omar Talhouk ! He's really friendly and explains very well. The material isn't hard if you follow in class : - **2019-08** — Taking it now with Ali Hocine Dimerdji. Very cool professor and very fair grader. - **2019-08** — Quizzes, she gives you 2 choices : 1) she gives you a quote or a text from a philosopher and you have to explain it 2) she tells you to write a short essay about a particular subject. But either way it's very easy and the material is really simple ## See also - [All Philosophy courses at AUB](https://studiety.com/aub/subject/philosophy.md) - [Every AUB subject](https://studiety.com/aub/subjects.md) --- From Studiety (https://studiety.com/), an independent, student-run course guide. Not affiliated with or endorsed by any university. Reviews are the opinions of individual students.