Between 2017 and 2025 in Oxford, I taught more than 1,500 hours of tutorials and classes in philosophy and around 150 hours of lectures and graduate seminars.* Here are some "student testimonials":
It has been such a privilege to be taught by you. I think you have a real gift for creating a kind of conversational back-and-forth that I've not experienced elsewhere in my undergraduate, or certainly not to the same extent. I can't tell you how often we talk about it - you've infected us with a love and enthusiasm for the philosophy of mind, and I know personally that I'll always be grateful for that. (Student email, shared with their permission, Oxford, 2019)
Your comments were constructive, encouraging, and point to the complexity of the issues at hand. You explained things so clearly while also pushing me to explain my own positions. I often have a hard time elaborate on my intuitive judgments, but you adopted the humble position to explore my ideas with me, and this has led to some fruitful insights and discoveries! You were very understanding, supportive, and flexible when I struggled the most. Not only were you patient when I couldn’t produce work, you cared about the source of my lack of productivity. I am thankful for all these things. (Student email, shared with their permission, Oxford, 2020)
I have got extremely helpful comments from Dr Baysan, both in writing and during our supervision meeting ... Working with Dr Baysan is an absolute pleasure, and I look forward to having him as a supervisor next term. (BPhil student in Philosophy, Oxford, 2021)
Thank you for your lectures on Animals and the Moral Demands of Affluence for the Practical Ethics paper, both of which were topics I studied and which were very useful for revision and providing useful reading materials and key summaries of ideas. (Feedback for "Practical Ethics" lectures, Oxford, 2021)
Umut's tutorials were easily some of the best I've had over the course of my degree. (Anonymous feedback for "Philosophy of Mind" tutorials, Oxford, 2021)
Umut has been a truly amazing tutor and has been so helpful and understanding with my work, and has really helped me fully understand all the content we’ve covered. (Anonymous feedback for "Philosophy of Cognitive Science" tutorials, Oxford 2022)
I like that Umut prepared very detailed, well-designed handout for each session, so that we were able to follow through an agenda and stay focused on the relevant questions. I also enjoyed the atmosphere of the class, which was very fun, relaxed and engaging - students were invested in exploring the various topics and there's no pressure in expressing thoughts freely and interacting with each other. (Anonymous feedback for "Moral Metaphysics" graduate classes, Oxford 2023)
The material Umut chose was great since all the seminars were about one topic, so there was a lot of variety but enough continuity to feel like we are making progress. (Anonymous feedback for "Moral Metaphysics" graduate classes, Oxford 2023)
Umut is a great seminar leader. He had brilliant handouts and was able to pass on knowledge even to the students who hadn't done the reading. He is always genuinely interested in the students' opinions and it felt very collegial. (Anonymous feedback for "Moral Metaphysics" graduate classes, Oxford 2023)
Many thanks to Umut being a wonderful instructor! (Anonymous feedback for "Moral Metaphysics" graduate classes, Oxford 2023)
Whenever I leave one of our tutorials, my head keeps buzzing with ideas and potential arguments throughout the entire day. ... Tutorials with you were the most rigorous philosophy teaching I’ve had; I find the constant back-and-forth in our discussions very intellectually stimulating. (Student email, shared with their permission, Oxford 2024)
Umut’s seminar offered an exceptional opportunity to explore various topics in non-naturalist metaethics. His thorough understanding of the material and his willingness to engage in serious, argumentative discussions immensely enhanced my learning experience. Umut’s clear, concise explanations helped me grasp complex concepts and never lose track of the seminar. I immensely appreciated the depth of the thoughts he had put into each paper, and the meticulous way in which he unravelled its main claims. Furthermore, he always remained approachable and promptly addressed our questions. He took our queries/comments with notable seriousness and care, developing their implications when necessary, which naturally encouraged our participation. Finally, I believe that the selected readings were relevant, thought-provoking, and valuable. In a word: I thoroughly enjoyed this course and appreciate Umut’s efforts to deliver a top-notch seminar. (Anonymous feedback for "Metaethics" graduate classes, Oxford 2024)
* I know these numbers as Oxford has a very idiosyncractic way of requiring a record of teaching hours every term.