Mendoza, Ruben C. teaches at Ateneo de Manila University. Across 9 comments from students, they hold a rating of 4.1 out of 5. Of those comments, 7 read positive, 1 read mixed and 1 read neutral. They are listed for 4 sections this term.
Mendoza, Ruben C.
Ateneo de Manila University · 9 comments
What students said
positive 7
neutral 1
mixed 1
negative 0
Mendoza, Ruben C.4.1
Background
Education · Career · Courses · PublicationsShowHide
PhD · STD · Professor
Theology (theologies of religions, interreligious dialogue, contextual theologies, Asian theologies)
copy pasting my comment from another post!
took sir Ruben for first sem AY23-24. our class is every wednesday from 3-6 but sir gives 10-15 mins break after an hour or so.
- despite the class being tagged in English, he mentioned that he'll accept submissions and/or recitations in Filipino basta wag Taglish
- make sure to LISTEN during lectures because may several instances na may pinalabas siya sa classroom because they were not paying attention and/or using their phones
- for the majority of the sessions, he didn't use any ppt but the flow would follow the discussion notes uploaded in canvas. sir said no gadgets allowed but i used my ipad to refer to the readings during the synch sessions (ask first if its allowed and make sure to only access the reading if not he wont hesitate to kick you out in class)
- honestly mej mabilis magturo si sir! kaya sometimes di na ako nakakapagnotes and just try to make sense of what he said afterwards by reading the notes he provided and the supplementary resources.
- he's really open during discussion and would really want you to think critically and engage in class. tho i think no points for the participation but still it is a great practice for the oral exams.
- we had two suprise quizzes! make sure to read before going to class. fairly easy if you read since it is kinda objective.
- for the final orals, we had 9 thesis statements. since ive heard that if you signed up for first day, you'll be able to choose your thesis statement, my friend and i decided to take the risk despite having a major final exam during the first day of orals. but thankfully, the humors were indeed true, sir gave us the opportunity to explain our desired thesis statements. very kwentuhan vibes just like what transpires during lecture sessions! 10 mins each was mej bitin (HUHUHU) but he'll ask a question or two regarding your partner's TS and yours (in our case since my partner chose marriage and i chose vocation, the questions he asked for the both of us were connected na--hitting two birds with one stone)
- grading-wise, i think he grades fairly! i just really appreciated that he accepted submissions in Filipino (I passed all essays and video reqs in Fil since I felt that it was more genuine and also influence of sir CB;>)
+ super fun ni sir! ilang beses namin siya nakakasabay maglakad palabas ng school! really giving off tatay vibes!
ccmore
Daring Koala
Listen in class; Filipino ok if not Taglish
positive
hello! took sir Ruben for first sem AY23-24. our class is every wednesday from 3-6 but sir gives 10-15 mins break after an hour or so.
- despite the class being tagged in English, he mentioned that he'll accept submissions and/or recitations in Filipino basta wag Taglish
- make sure to LISTEN during lectures because may several instances na may pinalabas siya sa classroom because they were not paying attention and/or using their phones
- for the majority of the sessions, he didn't use any ppt but the flow would follow the discussion notes uploaded in canvas. sir said no gadgets allowed but i used my ipad to refer to the readings during the synch sessions (ask first if its allowed and make sure to only access the reading if not he wont hesitate to kick you out in class)
- honestly mej mabilis magturo si sir! kaya sometimes di na ako nakakapagnotes and just try to make sense of what he said afterwards by reading the notes he provided and the supplementary resources.
- he's really open during discussion and would really want you to think critically and engage in class. tho i think no points for the participation but still it is a great practice for the oral exams.
- we had two suprise quizzes! make sure to read before going to class. fairly easy if you read since it is kinda objective.
- for the final orals, we had 9 thesis statements. since ive heard that if you signed up for first day, you'll be able to choose your thesis statement, my friend and i decided to take the risk despite having a major final exam during the first day of orals. but thankfully, the humors were indeed true, sir gave us the opportunity to explain our desired thesis statements. very kwentuhan vibes just like what transpires during lecture sessions! 10 mins each was mej bitin (HUHUHU) but he'll ask a question or two regarding your partner's TS and yours (in our case since my partner chose marriage and i chose vocation, the questions he asked for the both of us were connected na--hitting two birds with one stone)
- grading-wise, i think he grades fairly! i just really appreciated that he accepted submissions in Filipino (I passed all essays and video reqs in Fil since I felt that it was more genuine and also influence of sir CB;>)
+ super fun ni sir! ilang beses namin siya nakakasabay maglakad palabas ng school! really giving off tatay vibes!
ccmore
Rapid Heron
Open-minded, spaced reqs, strict on deadlines
positive
Retake?Yes
WorkloadHeavy
I love Sir Ruben! Super open-minded and really listens to any opinion you may have on the church. Sexuality, abortion, divorce, etc. were openly discussed in his class.
For workload, you can expect 2-4 readings per module (5 modules). We had 2 essays, 1 group audio project, 1 individual video project, then your finals will be an individual oral exam. These requirements are spaced fairly well naman but keep in mind that he's strict on deadlines.
About the indiv orals, I've seen in previous reviews that students were able to choose their statements but that wasn't the case for us last sem!! We chose from a deck of cards (the number on the card = thesis statement #, king = you get to choose, queen = he chooses for you) not sure ha! But that's how I remembered it. He puts emphasis on your personal experience and the things he taught! So remember them hehe
For the way he teaches, he doesn't have ppts but he writes on the white/blackboard instead. He doesn't allow gadgets, so notebook and pen talaga OR a tablet that's flat on your desk (you cannot put it up during class). He has surprise quizzes before OR after discussion so don't be absent!
You can definitely get an A with maximum effort bc he grades high. I only got a B+ probably cos I didn't read all readings (I survived on reading some + his notes for every module) tapos I missed a quiz, and I got a bad pick for orals huhumore
All comments
Gentle Puffin
Orals in pairs; first day picks thesis
hello!! took sir last sem. for orals, he let those on the first day choose their thesis statements. also altho indiv graded, it's done in pairs like he also asks your thoughts on the statement of your partnermore
Earnest Hare
Manageable fun reqs, surprise quizzes, A-able
positive
Retake?Yes
LeniencyYes
WorkloadLight
i'll vouch!!! you'll learn a lot from him and his requirements are manageable and fun!!! Surprise quiz is the only cons I guess, but on his end it ensures that the students read the readings before class!!! Iirc we ended up doing an indiv creative project analyzing a song that describes ourself and a group project of wedding vows!!! Then we had 2 reflection papers (afaik 1 page max). And yes, orals. He also grades pretty high ig so definitely A-able with effort!more
Anonymous
High standards, articulate well in orals
positive
agree with what said! although i have to say he has somewhat high standards! u have to really articulate your thoughts well during orals! but aside from that, i think mentioned all important pointers for his class hehemore
Lively Newt
Don't get on his bad side, papers are challenging
positive
WorkloadMedium
Sir is the chair of theo dept (not sure if siya padin) but yes super professional and intimidating siya at first but he eventually warms up to his class. Tulad ng sabi ni omg please don’t get on his bad side! If sinabi niyang bawal makipagdaldalan or gumamit ng gadgets, huwag na huwag mo siyang susuwayin ❌❌ He’s not afraid to send you out of the class and hindi talaga siya magsisimula hangga’t di ka umaalis
He requires us to do 2-3 papers and ngl challenging siya. I would say it’s crammable but please don’t cram it kasi idk I found writing the papers very therapeutic since sir challenges you to really put yourself in these prompts. He can sense BS so don’t even try lmao. He grades papers pretty high but make sure to really dig in deep sa own stand and beliefs mo and relate it to the readings. Speaking of which, readings are really really interesting! Despite the subject being perceived as traditional and very conservative, sir wants to challenge you talaga and reason out why outdated yung pagiisip na ito. Very liberating so to speak!
So don’t play it safe and just talk to him based on what you believe pero never forget to back it up with how you personally understand his lessons. He’s really really kind and he’s up there with the other legendary profs in admu 😎more
Fancy Viper
Filipino class, approachable, late work deducted
feel free to pm if u have questions !!
---
to add to what julia said,
~it's a filipino class so sir discusses in fil and expects you to respond the same way. submissions should be in fil also.
~re: deadlines. he's not super strict naman, you can submit late but there will be deductions
~re: materials. iirc, everything is in english (so goods if u struggle with filipino) but canvas is literally just a compilation of readings/audio recordings
~he barely covers the content in class discussions. he usually only selects parts of the readings or the summary (available in the module also) to discuss
~sir is the chair of the theo dept but he's rlly approachable and idk tito vibes AHAH fun naman siya!! abangan niyo kwento niya sa dulo abt how he met his wife 😭more
Anonymous
Never regretted him; patient in oral exams
mixed
Retake?Yes
never regretted taking him !!
i think others have discussed everything na, but jus wanted to add na he's rly kind & patient.
for those who have terrible anxiety in oral exams, i too am vv terrible at them. i remember stopping mult times bcos i blanked out midway & sir was like "hinahon ka lang, ituloy mo pag ayos na" !! managed to get a high score pa rin 🥺 i love sir !!!!more
