PHILOS 100A
History of Greek Philosophy
Description: Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Preparation: one philosophy course. Survey of origins of Greek metaphysics from pre-Socratics through Plato and Aristotle. P/NP or letter grading.
Units: 4.0
Units: 4.0
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Most Helpful Review
Fall 2020 - this was the first actual philosophy class I've ever taken and was pretty uninterested in the subject, but Adam Crager made me like it. he is very passionate about the subject and philosophy in general so he made lecture extremely doable and interesting and gave concrete, relatable examples. the material was made so easy to understand thanks to his outstanding communication of the material and his love of teaching. our breakdown of the class was: -2 problem sets (was supposed to be 3 but we ran out of time so the second and third were combined to be 65% of our overall grade). your grade is basically in your TA's hands, so be aware of that. I had sahiba as my TA and would 100% recommend staying clear of her, as she gives absolutely no helpful information or guidance in writing the problem sets and contradicted the rubrics and wanted us to write what she wanted, not professor crager. overall, it's a fun and easy class that welcomes and eases you into philosophy here at UCLA.
Fall 2020 - this was the first actual philosophy class I've ever taken and was pretty uninterested in the subject, but Adam Crager made me like it. he is very passionate about the subject and philosophy in general so he made lecture extremely doable and interesting and gave concrete, relatable examples. the material was made so easy to understand thanks to his outstanding communication of the material and his love of teaching. our breakdown of the class was: -2 problem sets (was supposed to be 3 but we ran out of time so the second and third were combined to be 65% of our overall grade). your grade is basically in your TA's hands, so be aware of that. I had sahiba as my TA and would 100% recommend staying clear of her, as she gives absolutely no helpful information or guidance in writing the problem sets and contradicted the rubrics and wanted us to write what she wanted, not professor crager. overall, it's a fun and easy class that welcomes and eases you into philosophy here at UCLA.
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Most Helpful Review
He's a really good lecturer. Try not to say anything when he squeezes his eyes shut and thinks, because it will just delay his response. His TA's are tough graders, but probably on his command. He is pretty funny, but he realizes that he isn't a comedian so he doesn't try to keep us entertained all the time. He's patient but can refuse to answer a question because he'll go over it later. I had him over summer and during summer, he spent the first half of the class going over what we covered in the last half of the previous class. So, clearly, he's thorough. The homework is a free grade bump, don't be an idiot and do all of the homework. Would I take him again? Most definitely. I'm just not a fan of Greek philosophy, so I won't sign up unless I have to. But if Kelsey is teaching the class, I'll be there.
He's a really good lecturer. Try not to say anything when he squeezes his eyes shut and thinks, because it will just delay his response. His TA's are tough graders, but probably on his command. He is pretty funny, but he realizes that he isn't a comedian so he doesn't try to keep us entertained all the time. He's patient but can refuse to answer a question because he'll go over it later. I had him over summer and during summer, he spent the first half of the class going over what we covered in the last half of the previous class. So, clearly, he's thorough. The homework is a free grade bump, don't be an idiot and do all of the homework. Would I take him again? Most definitely. I'm just not a fan of Greek philosophy, so I won't sign up unless I have to. But if Kelsey is teaching the class, I'll be there.
Most Helpful Review
Great teacher. He really cares about the students. Know that he is in his office a lot of the time. I stopped by his office several times, even randomly, and he was always there and always quick to invite me inside to sit down on his couch, all around which are giant stacks of papers and books. My advice is to not ask him questions during class, but instead either wait until after class or go to his office. He's very talkative and will explain anything. The class is graded by 2 papers. I personally don't think it's necessary to read all of the readings in this class in order to get an A. You only need to read the stuff that you're writing the papers on. Also, for greek philosophy, there's no need to buy a book. Just get the readings online. It's all free. An interesting thing about this teacher is he seems very interested in philosophy of language. He has a habit of explaining every philosophical problem as a miscommunication of language. Anyway, a pretty rational guy, I'd say. Very nice. A couple times I walked with him out of the class while he explained a point about Plato or Aristotle. Not every professor is this nice!
Great teacher. He really cares about the students. Know that he is in his office a lot of the time. I stopped by his office several times, even randomly, and he was always there and always quick to invite me inside to sit down on his couch, all around which are giant stacks of papers and books. My advice is to not ask him questions during class, but instead either wait until after class or go to his office. He's very talkative and will explain anything. The class is graded by 2 papers. I personally don't think it's necessary to read all of the readings in this class in order to get an A. You only need to read the stuff that you're writing the papers on. Also, for greek philosophy, there's no need to buy a book. Just get the readings online. It's all free. An interesting thing about this teacher is he seems very interested in philosophy of language. He has a habit of explaining every philosophical problem as a miscommunication of language. Anyway, a pretty rational guy, I'd say. Very nice. A couple times I walked with him out of the class while he explained a point about Plato or Aristotle. Not every professor is this nice!
Most Helpful Review
Fall 2023 - The professor's lectures are incredibly confusing and he often makes vague statements without elaboration. In fact, attending lectures seems to be pointless and most people don't take notes due to the obscure ramblings of the professor. The actual work of explaining the philosophical works are left to the TAs, who are also seemingly left in the dark about when essays are due and a lot of things. The reading is intensive but that is to be expected of an upper division philosophy class.
Fall 2023 - The professor's lectures are incredibly confusing and he often makes vague statements without elaboration. In fact, attending lectures seems to be pointless and most people don't take notes due to the obscure ramblings of the professor. The actual work of explaining the philosophical works are left to the TAs, who are also seemingly left in the dark about when essays are due and a lot of things. The reading is intensive but that is to be expected of an upper division philosophy class.
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