PHILOS 7
Introduction to Philosophy of Mind
Description: Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Introductory study of philosophical issues about nature of the mind and its relation to the body, including materialism, functionalism, behaviorism, determinism and free will, nature of psychological knowledge. P/NP or letter grading.
Units: 5.0
Units: 5.0
2 of 4
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Most Helpful Review
Fall 2019 - Professor Greenberg is a fantastic lecturer; he is engaging and funny enough. I stay attentive for most of the lectures. He loves discussing concepts with students and is very approachable. The class content is also very interesting. Your TA makes or breaks your grade. There is no midterm or final, just 4 papers; very short but graded relatively harshly. This class is a very doable A but I would not call it easy, especially if you are unfamiliar with philosophical writing. However, I highly recommend it; it really challenges your world perspectives (I know a HUGE shock from a philosophy class). ~THE IMPORTANT STUFF~ Grade Breakdown: -Twice Weekly Quizzes: 10% -Participation: 10% -1st Essay (250 words): 5% -2nd Essay (500 words): 15% -3rd Essay (1000 words): 30% -4th Essay (1000 words) 30% Extra Credit: -Course Evals: 1% -4 bonus quiz points (If no one plagarizes) Lectures are fun-not mandatory, and the information isn't that hard to understand on your own. However, Gabe does a phenomenal job of explaining everything and he often goes over paper requirements. There are also quizzes (2 questions) due before lecture each week that are based on the readings/ lecture, don't forget those like I did all the time :)) He has handouts every lecture that corresponds to the slides, which he does NOT post online- those little papers will make or break you. Therefore, either get a buddy who will grab you one when you can't make it, sneak in and snatch one, or just go to lecture because its interesting. Oh, also no books, which is terrific because we're all poor. 10/10 would recommend.
Fall 2019 - Professor Greenberg is a fantastic lecturer; he is engaging and funny enough. I stay attentive for most of the lectures. He loves discussing concepts with students and is very approachable. The class content is also very interesting. Your TA makes or breaks your grade. There is no midterm or final, just 4 papers; very short but graded relatively harshly. This class is a very doable A but I would not call it easy, especially if you are unfamiliar with philosophical writing. However, I highly recommend it; it really challenges your world perspectives (I know a HUGE shock from a philosophy class). ~THE IMPORTANT STUFF~ Grade Breakdown: -Twice Weekly Quizzes: 10% -Participation: 10% -1st Essay (250 words): 5% -2nd Essay (500 words): 15% -3rd Essay (1000 words): 30% -4th Essay (1000 words) 30% Extra Credit: -Course Evals: 1% -4 bonus quiz points (If no one plagarizes) Lectures are fun-not mandatory, and the information isn't that hard to understand on your own. However, Gabe does a phenomenal job of explaining everything and he often goes over paper requirements. There are also quizzes (2 questions) due before lecture each week that are based on the readings/ lecture, don't forget those like I did all the time :)) He has handouts every lecture that corresponds to the slides, which he does NOT post online- those little papers will make or break you. Therefore, either get a buddy who will grab you one when you can't make it, sneak in and snatch one, or just go to lecture because its interesting. Oh, also no books, which is terrific because we're all poor. 10/10 would recommend.
Most Helpful Review
Why I like this professor and why you should take Phil. 7 from him: Mark Greenberg was an amazing professor and I highly recommend taking philosophy 7 with him. The first day of class was confusing, but don't let that scare you! Mark was more than willing to meet with students out of class, set up review sessions, and he even went through the trouble of posting ALL of his lectures online. Let's be honest. Philosophy is confusing, and philosophy of the mind forces you to think about thinking -- a difficult supposition. Mark made sure to review every lecture and take questions before moving on. Professor Greenberg also used silly examples to keep students interested. Example while talking about whether or not animals feel pain, he used the example of stabbing a puppy through the stomach! AAAAAA! Also, there is very little reading for this class. We usually read less than 20 pages a week. The reading is very straightfoward in that it's written in plain, uncomplicated english (as philosophy should be), but the issues it talks about are deep and complex, so you have to read SLOWLY. How to succeed: The best way to succeed in this class is this: 1. Mark assigns homework weekly (it's very very short) and they only check for completion, but if you actually try to do a good job on it, you'll pick things up much morequickly. 2. Start working on your paper early, as it counts for about 30% of your grade, and go over it with your T.A. as many times as possible. 3. Go to section. Somethings are confusing, but the sections are designed to clarify the lecture, and they usually do a good job summarizing everything. WHY YOU SHOULD BE WARY! : This is not an easy GE. I took this class as a GE and because I'm interested in philosophy. Previous teachers created the reputation that this was an easy class, and while it's not very hard, it's not a breeze either. It requires some very deep thinking, not just memorization. Take this class if you want a challenge and you want to expand your understanding of the world, not because you need to get a class out of the way. FINAL GRADE RECEIVED: A T.A. : Jorah
Why I like this professor and why you should take Phil. 7 from him: Mark Greenberg was an amazing professor and I highly recommend taking philosophy 7 with him. The first day of class was confusing, but don't let that scare you! Mark was more than willing to meet with students out of class, set up review sessions, and he even went through the trouble of posting ALL of his lectures online. Let's be honest. Philosophy is confusing, and philosophy of the mind forces you to think about thinking -- a difficult supposition. Mark made sure to review every lecture and take questions before moving on. Professor Greenberg also used silly examples to keep students interested. Example while talking about whether or not animals feel pain, he used the example of stabbing a puppy through the stomach! AAAAAA! Also, there is very little reading for this class. We usually read less than 20 pages a week. The reading is very straightfoward in that it's written in plain, uncomplicated english (as philosophy should be), but the issues it talks about are deep and complex, so you have to read SLOWLY. How to succeed: The best way to succeed in this class is this: 1. Mark assigns homework weekly (it's very very short) and they only check for completion, but if you actually try to do a good job on it, you'll pick things up much morequickly. 2. Start working on your paper early, as it counts for about 30% of your grade, and go over it with your T.A. as many times as possible. 3. Go to section. Somethings are confusing, but the sections are designed to clarify the lecture, and they usually do a good job summarizing everything. WHY YOU SHOULD BE WARY! : This is not an easy GE. I took this class as a GE and because I'm interested in philosophy. Previous teachers created the reputation that this was an easy class, and while it's not very hard, it's not a breeze either. It requires some very deep thinking, not just memorization. Take this class if you want a challenge and you want to expand your understanding of the world, not because you need to get a class out of the way. FINAL GRADE RECEIVED: A T.A. : Jorah
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Most Helpful Review
Winter 2020 - I actually took philosophy 7 with professor Andrew Hsu but he is not a listed instructor on bruinwalk. I really enjoyed this class and thought it was an interesting intro to the world of philosophy. The professor tended to explore a ton of avenues during his lectures but given the topics that seemed necessary. It can sometimes be tough to follow but if you try to pay attention, take some notes, and do the readings then the class should be an easy A. The workload was really really light. Only 3, short, required homework assignments for the entire quarter and you grade was your score on the midterm/final. Really try to look into your TA because that's the person that grades everything and actually determines what you get in the class. I had a super awesome TA, Catherine Hochman, she was really fair and encouraged discussion and she was really good at articulating unclear concepts. Overall I would definitely recommend the class.
Winter 2020 - I actually took philosophy 7 with professor Andrew Hsu but he is not a listed instructor on bruinwalk. I really enjoyed this class and thought it was an interesting intro to the world of philosophy. The professor tended to explore a ton of avenues during his lectures but given the topics that seemed necessary. It can sometimes be tough to follow but if you try to pay attention, take some notes, and do the readings then the class should be an easy A. The workload was really really light. Only 3, short, required homework assignments for the entire quarter and you grade was your score on the midterm/final. Really try to look into your TA because that's the person that grades everything and actually determines what you get in the class. I had a super awesome TA, Catherine Hochman, she was really fair and encouraged discussion and she was really good at articulating unclear concepts. Overall I would definitely recommend the class.
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