The way you put it, it sounds that you have issues with the language. I can relate to that, but JS is what browsers understand natively. Probably using TypeScript is a good alternative, as static typing helps you keep afloat as the project grows.
As for Phaser itself (can be used with TypeScript), it depends what kind of game you're making. Even older versions of phaser have the typical programming affordances to make 2D games like assets and physics. Having said that, it's fair that other engines have visual editors, and possibly more tutorials and other resources.
But yes, phaser is hardly HTML, so weird choice for the course.