“Professor Coates is THE BEST professor I have ever had at Sewanee (I am a rising senior now, so I have been here for a while and had a lot of professors). He is knowledgeable, funny, and engaging. I had always been hesitant of philosophy classes in the past but Professor Coates makes the class feel like a natural conversation about the reading and I always leave class feeling like I have a better understanding of class materials and concepts. I find every discussion so incredibly interesting, and I am so grateful that I got to take a class with him.”

Student from PHIL 232B—Business Ethics (Spring ‘23)

“Professor Coates is an exceptional professor. His organization and interest in the content and everything students share was incredibly welcoming. I wish I had found his classes sooner before I graduated. I would have taken every class I could with him.”

Student from PHIL 216—Indian Philosophy (Spring ‘23)

“He was always prepared for class and wanted students to participate and learn. He was very eager to help students and willing to re explain subjects or things that might be confusing. I also really liked the way the class was set up because there was discussions, but also some written responses where one could really think about their opinions and explain them in detail.”

Student from PHIL 232A—Business Ethics (Spring ‘23)

“Professor Coates is always prepared for class. He is also very passionate about the course. When I would ask questions are contribute to class discussion I always felt that my opinions were heard and my questions were answered. Coates makes sure that discussion flows seamlessly with lecture. I always felt that the information that was given easily lead to questions and discussion. This class helped me realize the value in Indian Philosophy and even contributed to my understanding of many modern philosophers.”

Student from PHIL 216—Indian Philosophy (Spring ‘23)

“I found Professor Coates's insruction to be excellent in this course. He came to class everyday excited to be there and prepared to teach. He taught the class at a speed that ensured everyone knew what was going on and made sure to spend time on topics that people where not understanding. He made himelf available for outside help in office hours if you didn't understand what was going on in class. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this class and enjoyed the way it was taught.”

Student from PHIL 232B—Business Ethics (Spring ‘23)

“I thought the way that class went was very engaging and interesting, and I like how he was open to anything that anyone said. I also thought the discussions in class were really interesting and helpful and fun.”

Student from PHIL 232A—Business Ethics (Spring ‘23)

“Professor Coates deeply cares about the learning of each and every student in class. Even on days when the class was extra quiet or lacking energy, Professor Coates effectively got us thinking and discussing the course content. We went very in depth in discussing every aspect of the course content.”

Student from PHIL 232B—Business Ethics (Spring ‘23)

“Dr. Coates showed his patience in the course. The course was discussion based and when students did not have anything to say or were still thinking, Dr. Coates had the right questions to build a dialogue for any students.”

Student from PHIL 232A—Business Ethics (Spring ‘23)

“Professor Coates is always prepared for class and always leads very interesting discussions. At no point during the class was I ever bored and I feel like I really learned a lot. Even though "Business Ethics" is not his area of expertise, he created a really interesting course that the whole class seemed really engaged in.”

Student from PHIL 232B—Business Ethics (Spring ‘23)

“Professor Coates was always prepared and clearly wanted the best for his students. He would always go over questions and make sure that the whole class knew the content before moving on. He was very professional.”

Student from PHIL 232A—Business Ethics (Spring ‘23)

“He is accessible to students and helps them understand the coursework beautifully. The tradition and history of the subcontinent are analyzed efficiently to understand the cultural differences between the west and the east. He is very passionate about the topic.”

Student from PHIL 216—Indian Philosophy (Spring ‘23)

“Professor Coates was always very prepared for class and structured class discussions in a way that always stayed on topic but was also very natural and interesting. I enjoyed his class because I always felt comfortable to share my thoughts and the conversation topics were very compelling. Professor Coates has been very respectful and available to students and I really enjoy his teaching style.”

Student from PHIL 232B—Business Ethics (Spring ‘23)

“Dr. Coates is one of the best teachers I have ever had! I loved how open he was to criticism and change. I also loved his teaching style and how he listened to his students. The discussions in his class are ones I will never forget!”

Student from PHIL 216—Indian Philosophy (Spring ‘21)

“Professor Coates is an inspiring professor. He is clearly very passionate about the subject and shares that passion with the students which becomes contagious. He very friendly and inviting to all discussion during class and makes all students feel appreciated for what they contribute. Professor Coates is very understanding of students' lives and knows when adjusting the work load is appropriate which I am very appreciative of. He gave ample feedback on all assignments which helped everyone actually improve their writing and gain a lot from the course.”

Student from PHIL 101—Topics in Philosophy (Fall ‘20)

“Dr. Coates was always extremely prepared for class. He is very knowledgable on the subject matter too and encouraged us to have productive conversations about the text in order to get the most out of each class period. I thought that his written assignments were helpful for us to grow as students too, especially the lightning round writing assignments. His feedback on assignments was always helpful and constructive and I appreciate how helpful he was whenever I stopped by during office hours for advice on my papers.”

Student from PHIL 101—Topics in Philosophy (Spring ‘20)

“I have never given an excellent rating to a professor more gladly...He is the most approachable, fair, understanding, and accepting person, which qualities are very much needed in a philosophical discussion. He assists anyone who seeks his help and ensures that they can participate in class and feel welcome and safe. He is also attentive enough to reach out to students whose performance is fluctuating separately. He leads the class discussions in a way that everyone has a chance to speak. He was flexible to adjust the class assignment types and completely recalculated them for the students' abilities when he noticed people were struggling. He is extremely knowledgable in his field and chose a versatile arsenal of readings, covering Eastern philosophy, the feminist movement, and minorities too. I really really appreciated that he could do that in the schedule of a 100 level class while still going in–depth with all the texts. WOW!”

Student from PHIL 101—Topics in Philosophy (Fall ‘20)

“Professor Coates is one of the kindest, most understanding professors I've had. This was clear through his instruction. He always stopped to ensure everyone was on the same page and made sure to answer any questions people may have had. He also wasn't afraid to admit when he didn't know, which I think is an admirable quality in academia (and he always followed up next class with an answer). He also was incredibly accessible outside the classroom. You could tell he really wanted to connect with students.”

Student from PHIL 216—Indian Philosophy (Spring ‘21)

“I loved the Lighting–Round Writings. I was pleasantly surprised with how much these helped me with my papers in the long run. The free–write aspect of these writings allowed for me to express my thoughts and understanding of the text in a relaxing–stress free environment. A lot of time when sit down to write a paper, I get so overwhelmed with the amount of information I need to cover that I have a really hard time getting started. The Lightning–Round Writings were so helpful because when it was time to write the paper, I already had these pieces to look back on to help remind me of my thoughts and write my paper. This is a technique I wish I was taught earlier in my academic career and something I will definitely implement into my writing classes going forward. Philosophy 101 has also taught me the importance of annotating texts. It is extremely beneficial being able to pinpoint the important parts of the text later on when writing a paper. I have noticed that I have started the habit of annotating more often in other classes as well, which has really helped me as a student. Being a junior, it isn’t often anymore that I get a review on the basic structure of a paper and is something that I am so thankful about this class. I definitely feel like my writing has gotten significantly better after take this class.”

Student from PHIL 101—Topics in Philosophy (Fall ‘20)

“He is passionate about and well skilled in the topics we covered in our readings and writings this semester, and his excitement for the material is motivating for us students to find something in the readings to get excited and passionate about too. The importance of communication and common humanity were established in this classroom setting, and I appreciate the relationship professor Coates built with all of us through the school year. He gives specific suggestions for grading, and you can tell he wants all of the students to grow and improve through his course.”

Student from PHIL 101—Topics in Philosophy (Spring ‘22)

“He would give tremendous instruction/ lecturing but would also let students have discussions and not interrupt which was very helpful for me in learning the material.”

Student from PHIL 101—Topics in Philosophy (Spring ‘22)

“He is the smartest philosopher I have ever met. He was so invested in the kids and knew everything in and out of philosophy. He is such a great professor in every aspect of what a professor would want.”

Student from PHIL 101—Topics in Philosophy (Spring ‘22)

“Professor Coates was always so prepared for our class sessions. He was always extremely well organized and had excellent lesson plans. He enabled our class to have amazing philosophical discussions about the texts and taught me so much about philosophy and writing in general.”

Student from PHIL 101—Topics in Philosophy (Spring ‘20)

“Professor Coates’ instruction in this course was amazing, full stop. He was incredibly passionate about the subject material, and his enthusiasm served as a motivator even on days when attending class via Zoom due to illness. Simply put, Professor Coates and this class were highlights of this semester for me.”

Student from PHIL 216—Indian Philosophy (Spring ‘21)

“Professor Coates was an amazing professor. He was always prepared for class. He would send emails reminding us to do things, so I always knew what I had to get done for the next class and when things were due. He was flexible with us and reworked the original syllabus so that we had the opportunity to get feedback on papers and had ample time to work on them. He was always helpful when I needed it and it was always easy to get in contact with him or meet during his office hours.”

Student from PHIL 101—Topics in Philosophy (Fall ‘20)

“Dr. Coates was always prepared, enthusiastic about class, and really pushed for his students to talk about the readings and get the most they could out of class discussion. This was my favorite course this semester, and I enjoyed coming to class and listening to the lectures and then hearing the differences in my classmates' interpretations of the works.”

Student from PHIL 101—Topics in Philosophy (Fall ‘20)

“For someone who has never been interested in philosophy or understood it very well, I excelled in this course because of how good Professor Coates is at explaining things. He was so good about making sure this class was set up to be the most beneficial for our learning and I really appreciated it.”

Student from PHIL 101—Topics in Philosophy (Fall ‘20)

“I loved all of the discussions we had in class! I also really enjoyed the readings and continued doing extra research outside of class pertaining to the readings, which does not happen often.”

Student from PHIL 216—Indian Philosophy (Spring ‘21)

“I think Professor Coates was invested in each of his student's learning which promoted a strong learning environment for students where everyone was unafraid to speak and make mistakes for the sake of learning.”

Student from PHIL 101—Topics in Philosophy (Spring ‘22)

“I found that Professor Coates exuded a profound passion for his discipline and did all that was possible to instill/communicate that to his students. This trait coupled with his preparation for class and willingness to assist, effectively enhanced my introduction to the study of Philosophy and ultimately prompted me to pursue a minor in the field.”

Student from PHIL 101—Topics in Philosophy (Spring ‘22)

“Professor Coates very clearly wants to ensure student engagement in order to help them apply philosophy they learned in his class in their daily lives. He worked hard to make sure the material was understood by all students and was genuinely interested in hearing what students had to say about the readings. He was very open to exploring whatever ideas students brought up in discussion without deviating too far from the main topic.”

Student from PHIL 101—Topics in Philosophy (Spring ‘22)

“The guy just knew everything about philosophy, I know as a fact he could just pull any fact from his brain about what we were learning. I felt like I was in a Socratic seminar with Socrates actually guiding the discussion. He gave extremely good feedback and was very helpful as well.”

Student from PHIL 101—Topics in Philosophy (Spring ‘20)

“This class was a great experience, the subject material and the way that Professor Coates presented it was amazing. This class has definitely helped shape the way that I think about a lot of philosophical issues, and the material taught in this class continues to make me think even after its completion.”

Student from PHIL 216—Indian Philosophy (Spring ‘21)

“He was very passionate and invested in the topics which made discussion and learning much easier and more interesting for the class.”

Student from PHIL 101—Topics in Philosophy (Spring ‘20)

“Professor Coates was invested in my learning as well as me as a person. The content of this course might have been unfamiliar to many students but Professor Coates molded it to ask greater questions about reality that sparked lengthy discussion.”

Student from PHIL 216—Indian Philosophy (Spring ‘23)

“Dr. Coates balanced lectures and group discussions very well and made the class very engaging. I believe that Dr. Coates is very knowledgable in his field and does a good job of showing the students how to approach the complex readings.”

Student from PHIL 101—Topics in Philosophy (Spring ‘22)