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Bradley McHose
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Based on 48 Users
10/10 would recommend if you are even slightly interested in philosophical thought and morality. Looking back, I am so glad I took this class. During fall quarter, I had an extreme love-hate relationship with it, but ultimately this class inspired me to minor in philosophy and I will be forever grateful!
That being said, I really feel anyone can succeed in this class. My biggest advice is take diligent notes on what Brad says, because he doesn't really use slides. He uses "handouts" which are just like multiple pages of his notes on the topics, but he relies HEAVILY on specific examples and scenarios that you will need to know for quizzes and papers. But honestly, even if you miss something, it's likely the TA will explain in section so don't worry about perfect attendance or perfect understanding during lecture.
The professor is really the highlight of this class. Extremely passionate, funny, and helpful. He even allows for two days of extension for papers (which you can choose when and how to use), and offers more on a case by case basis. He would additionally take out quiz questions that he realized weren't very clear after talking with the class, TAs, etc.
Strong warning though to anyone that is taking this class thinking they will learn about political philosophy...it's really about morality, property, and someeeee political thought towards the very end with Rawls. Nonetheless, extremely interesting and thought provoking. Not too hard at all. The quizzes are relatively straightforward, I got A's on all of them just by paying decent attention during lecture and then making a page of notes about an hour before each quiz on the most important topics/scenarios.
Don't be scared of the subject or the prof's slightly unorganized drawings in lecture! Really doesn't require too much effort to succeed in this class.
My greatest piece of advice would be to utilize the Philosophy Writing Center for papers. Book an appointment as soon as Brad mentions a paper is coming up though, because slots fill up super fast. It was super helpful to get feedback and ultimately supported my success in the class greatly.
This particular subject is not my strong suit so I did find myself struggling with some of the concepts. I did have to put in extra work by reading and making sure I started my essays early so that I could make different drafts and revise. Discussion section really helped to clarify concepts and staying engaged/talking with your TA is necessary if you are struggling with concepts.
The professor is what makes this GE worth it. He was very engaging and funny and I think most of the students would agree. Sometimes it would be a little difficult to understand what he meant and I wish the slides were more organized. However, you should always go through the handouts on your own before lecture and pay attention to the examples he uses. The class consisted of 3 quizzes and 3 essays. The quizzes were pretty fair and he would even get rid of questions most people struggled on. The essays were a bit challenging but doable.
If you are looking for a super easy GE this wouldn't be it, but if this is a subject you are interested in or are willingly to put in more work, then I do recommend this professor and class.
Brad is my favorite instructor in the philosophy department. The lectures are super engaging and clear. The paper prompts are extremely detailed. During the week before papers are due, he makes himself very available by hosting extra office hours and answering all questions in detail.
After the papers are graded, either Brad or a TA (if there's a TA for the class) will meet with you one-on-one to give you feedback. The meetings were very helpful for me because I got individualized feedback and I could ask questions during the meetings about my writing.
And unpopular opinion: I liked the quizzes! I think they're very well-designed in a way that actually helps me check my understanding, which is helpful for writing the papers.
I took this class as a GE requirement. I will say this professor is extremely clear and helpful. However, I would say you need to put time into the class, specifically around paper and quiz time. I didn't attend office hours and didn't apply as much time as I should've (I did the bare minimum). Class is feasible, and I encourage all to attend office hours. I would take another class with this professor.
10/10 would recommend if you are even slightly interested in philosophical thought and morality. Looking back, I am so glad I took this class. During fall quarter, I had an extreme love-hate relationship with it, but ultimately this class inspired me to minor in philosophy and I will be forever grateful!
That being said, I really feel anyone can succeed in this class. My biggest advice is take diligent notes on what Brad says, because he doesn't really use slides. He uses "handouts" which are just like multiple pages of his notes on the topics, but he relies HEAVILY on specific examples and scenarios that you will need to know for quizzes and papers. But honestly, even if you miss something, it's likely the TA will explain in section so don't worry about perfect attendance or perfect understanding during lecture.
The professor is really the highlight of this class. Extremely passionate, funny, and helpful. He even allows for two days of extension for papers (which you can choose when and how to use), and offers more on a case by case basis. He would additionally take out quiz questions that he realized weren't very clear after talking with the class, TAs, etc.
Strong warning though to anyone that is taking this class thinking they will learn about political philosophy...it's really about morality, property, and someeeee political thought towards the very end with Rawls. Nonetheless, extremely interesting and thought provoking. Not too hard at all. The quizzes are relatively straightforward, I got A's on all of them just by paying decent attention during lecture and then making a page of notes about an hour before each quiz on the most important topics/scenarios.
Don't be scared of the subject or the prof's slightly unorganized drawings in lecture! Really doesn't require too much effort to succeed in this class.
My greatest piece of advice would be to utilize the Philosophy Writing Center for papers. Book an appointment as soon as Brad mentions a paper is coming up though, because slots fill up super fast. It was super helpful to get feedback and ultimately supported my success in the class greatly.
This particular subject is not my strong suit so I did find myself struggling with some of the concepts. I did have to put in extra work by reading and making sure I started my essays early so that I could make different drafts and revise. Discussion section really helped to clarify concepts and staying engaged/talking with your TA is necessary if you are struggling with concepts.
The professor is what makes this GE worth it. He was very engaging and funny and I think most of the students would agree. Sometimes it would be a little difficult to understand what he meant and I wish the slides were more organized. However, you should always go through the handouts on your own before lecture and pay attention to the examples he uses. The class consisted of 3 quizzes and 3 essays. The quizzes were pretty fair and he would even get rid of questions most people struggled on. The essays were a bit challenging but doable.
If you are looking for a super easy GE this wouldn't be it, but if this is a subject you are interested in or are willingly to put in more work, then I do recommend this professor and class.
Brad is my favorite instructor in the philosophy department. The lectures are super engaging and clear. The paper prompts are extremely detailed. During the week before papers are due, he makes himself very available by hosting extra office hours and answering all questions in detail.
After the papers are graded, either Brad or a TA (if there's a TA for the class) will meet with you one-on-one to give you feedback. The meetings were very helpful for me because I got individualized feedback and I could ask questions during the meetings about my writing.
And unpopular opinion: I liked the quizzes! I think they're very well-designed in a way that actually helps me check my understanding, which is helpful for writing the papers.
I took this class as a GE requirement. I will say this professor is extremely clear and helpful. However, I would say you need to put time into the class, specifically around paper and quiz time. I didn't attend office hours and didn't apply as much time as I should've (I did the bare minimum). Class is feasible, and I encourage all to attend office hours. I would take another class with this professor.