PHILOS 22W
Introduction to Ethical Theory
Description: Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Enforced requisite: English Composition 3 or 3H or English as a Second Language 36. Limited to freshmen/sophomores. Not open for credit to students with credit for course 22. Introduction to major ethical theories in Western thought. Examination of works of Plato, Aristotle, Hume, Kant, and Mill. Topics include ideas of virtue, obligation, egoism, relativism, and foundations of morals. Four papers required. Satisfies Writing II requirement. Letter grading.
Units: 5.0
Units: 5.0
1 of 2
AD
Most Helpful Review
Professor Herman was amazing. Her lectures were interesting and always elaborated on the readings--incredibly helpful since the reading can be quite dense. She really cares about the students and wants everyone to learn moral and ethical theory--not just memorizing principles, but application to scenarios and whatnot. She says attendance is "mandatory", but she doesn't actually take attendance. Even though she does not take attendance, I highly recommend going to lecture since they were very beneficial. She tends to test on material she discussed during lecture. She is very willing to answer questions and slow down lecture if you don't understand anything. Discussions were also very helpful- my TA was Greg. He was really nice and definitely knew his stuff. The class was composed of four examlets (the final broken up into four 25 point "exams") and three papers (roughly six pages each to fulfill the writing aspect of this class). The examlets weren't too difficult. She held a review session for the last three-- the first one on Plato and Aristotle was pretty easy. She also gave out handouts highlighting key points and some with example questions/quotations you would be expected to understand and explain. The first examlet was on Plato/Aristotle, the second one on Hume, the third on Kant, and the fourth on Mill/Utilitarianism. The papers have a mandatory first draft-- you will get docked points if your first draft is poorly put together, i.e., written last minute. The TA's, not just my own, were really nice and very receptive towards your ideas and wanted you to keep your style, but tweak it for philosophical writing. You must meet with your TA before you submit your final draft. This meeting is super helpful and as long as you follow your TA's suggestions, you should get do fine on your paper. I highly suggest taking this class with Professor Herman. Three of my other friends took 22, and ALL of them hated it. I think it was the professor in all honesty. I am not a philosophy major and I got an A in this class. I only took this class because I wanted to fulfill both requisites, but I am so happy I took it. It is incredibly applicable to everyday life. I was mindf*cked so many times by the parallels I saw from class and everyday life. This class is a good amount of work, but if you make effort to keep up with the reading--at least skim over it, pay attention in class, and attend sections, then you will do fine.
Professor Herman was amazing. Her lectures were interesting and always elaborated on the readings--incredibly helpful since the reading can be quite dense. She really cares about the students and wants everyone to learn moral and ethical theory--not just memorizing principles, but application to scenarios and whatnot. She says attendance is "mandatory", but she doesn't actually take attendance. Even though she does not take attendance, I highly recommend going to lecture since they were very beneficial. She tends to test on material she discussed during lecture. She is very willing to answer questions and slow down lecture if you don't understand anything. Discussions were also very helpful- my TA was Greg. He was really nice and definitely knew his stuff. The class was composed of four examlets (the final broken up into four 25 point "exams") and three papers (roughly six pages each to fulfill the writing aspect of this class). The examlets weren't too difficult. She held a review session for the last three-- the first one on Plato and Aristotle was pretty easy. She also gave out handouts highlighting key points and some with example questions/quotations you would be expected to understand and explain. The first examlet was on Plato/Aristotle, the second one on Hume, the third on Kant, and the fourth on Mill/Utilitarianism. The papers have a mandatory first draft-- you will get docked points if your first draft is poorly put together, i.e., written last minute. The TA's, not just my own, were really nice and very receptive towards your ideas and wanted you to keep your style, but tweak it for philosophical writing. You must meet with your TA before you submit your final draft. This meeting is super helpful and as long as you follow your TA's suggestions, you should get do fine on your paper. I highly suggest taking this class with Professor Herman. Three of my other friends took 22, and ALL of them hated it. I think it was the professor in all honesty. I am not a philosophy major and I got an A in this class. I only took this class because I wanted to fulfill both requisites, but I am so happy I took it. It is incredibly applicable to everyday life. I was mindf*cked so many times by the parallels I saw from class and everyday life. This class is a good amount of work, but if you make effort to keep up with the reading--at least skim over it, pay attention in class, and attend sections, then you will do fine.
Most Helpful Review
I just finished taking Philosophy 22W with Hieronymi, and I must say that I was pleasantly surprised. After reading the reviews I expected to be committing GPA suicide, but I ended up getting an A in the class. Look, the class was hard, but if you studied, went to lectures, and office hours to talk to your TA before turning in papers, it was quite reasonable. Although I ended up with an A, there were only three people in the class, other than myself, who did so, and there were 80 people in the class. If you are interested in the subject, then by all means take the class, you will get alot out of it. She does a good job of preparing you for her tests, some of the questions were almost word for word from lectures. I would recommend her, but only if you are ready to work for an A, and are not expecting one to be given to you.
I just finished taking Philosophy 22W with Hieronymi, and I must say that I was pleasantly surprised. After reading the reviews I expected to be committing GPA suicide, but I ended up getting an A in the class. Look, the class was hard, but if you studied, went to lectures, and office hours to talk to your TA before turning in papers, it was quite reasonable. Although I ended up with an A, there were only three people in the class, other than myself, who did so, and there were 80 people in the class. If you are interested in the subject, then by all means take the class, you will get alot out of it. She does a good job of preparing you for her tests, some of the questions were almost word for word from lectures. I would recommend her, but only if you are ready to work for an A, and are not expecting one to be given to you.
AD
Most Helpful Review
This was the one of most boring classes I have ever taken. Few attended lecture and those who did easily fell asleep. Lectures were disorganized. Many of the reviews tend to praise Lawrence, so perhaps in other classes he is more interesting? I know he mentioned this was his first time teaching the Writing II variant of Philosophy 22. Also, TAs graded the essays rather strictly, but without going through HOW to write a philosophical analysis. Not the class to take for a GE.
This was the one of most boring classes I have ever taken. Few attended lecture and those who did easily fell asleep. Lectures were disorganized. Many of the reviews tend to praise Lawrence, so perhaps in other classes he is more interesting? I know he mentioned this was his first time teaching the Writing II variant of Philosophy 22. Also, TAs graded the essays rather strictly, but without going through HOW to write a philosophical analysis. Not the class to take for a GE.
Most Helpful Review
Winter 2019 - As a first-year taking this Writing II course, I was expecting this class to be more writing-intensive than it actually was. Professor Normore is a great guy, but doesn't do much to engage students during lectures, which can become quite boring and dry. The general content of the class is pretty interesting, but the way Normore explains it can be confusing at times as he tends to digress and continue rambling on. The readings can be confusing as well, sometimes even a bit lengthy, but as long as you have a basic understanding of each philosopher you should be fine. There are two mini-examlets that are straightforward, and Normore provides study guides for both. Definitely take advantage of the TAs for the three papers required for the class, and utilize the PLF for this class if you're in AAP; that's what helped me get through the course. Overall, I would recommend as a relatively easy Writing II course.
Winter 2019 - As a first-year taking this Writing II course, I was expecting this class to be more writing-intensive than it actually was. Professor Normore is a great guy, but doesn't do much to engage students during lectures, which can become quite boring and dry. The general content of the class is pretty interesting, but the way Normore explains it can be confusing at times as he tends to digress and continue rambling on. The readings can be confusing as well, sometimes even a bit lengthy, but as long as you have a basic understanding of each philosopher you should be fine. There are two mini-examlets that are straightforward, and Normore provides study guides for both. Definitely take advantage of the TAs for the three papers required for the class, and utilize the PLF for this class if you're in AAP; that's what helped me get through the course. Overall, I would recommend as a relatively easy Writing II course.
AD
1 of 2
