Simon's a great teacher, most of his classes are all 33%/33%/33% midterm, final, and a final paper. He didn't record lectures so participation in every lecture is a must. The exam questions are open response—just memorize and study the review bullet points like it's an exam and you can BS the rest. The final 10-page paper requires you to visit 2 religious sites and compare them.

Simon's very accommodating and I recommend you to take advantage of his OH if you have the time.

Overall, his lectures were pretty engaging as someone who took it as a blow-off GE class.

Prof Joseph is very knowledgeable about his field and an awesome guy. He helped me so much with my research paper and providing powerpoints for the lectures after I got sick.

I took this class to satisfy the diversity course requirement. I highly recommend taking this class because the professor is very passionate about what he teaches. I always looked forward to his lectures because they felt like a time to relax. The way he teaches the material helps you really learn the material without feeling stressed. His exams do require you to memorize almost all of his lecture slides.

Easy A class. Professor Simon will provide study guide for the midterm and final. The exams are heavily based on the lectures and the study guide. This class also has a final project which is at least 10 pages long but Professor Simon was super helpful. You can ask him anything about the project.

Professor Simon is an amazing lecturer! He was passionate about the history of religion and made the lectures engaging. In order to succeed in this class, you need to go to the lectures because he will not post the lecture slides for you to view at your own leisure, so make sure to take good notes and pay attention. He provides readings for the course (I didn't read any of them since I had other classes and work) and he may ask questions about the readings on the exams. However, I did fine in the class even though I missed a couple questions. He has you write a paper at the end of the course, give yourself plenty of time to do it! It is easy to procrastinate, start early on this and it shouldn't be too much of a hustle. Finally, if you have any questions, Professor Simon is very accommodating. During office hours he supported many students who were having trouble with the final paper. This class really makes you think about the impact of religion in our political system. Is America a Christian Nation?

Professor Joseph is a gem and can be categorized as a traditional lecturer. The content discussed is very interesting and he loves when students participate. The class is broken down as there is one midterm which is an exam 33% a final paper 33% and a final exam 33%. Class notes are integral for doing well on the exams and the assigned readings are secondary to help curb your knowledge of the material. I would definitely recommend him, and I am looking forward to taking another class with him in the near future.

This class was interesting, but the hour plus lectures did get a bit boring sometimes. It was in person, without the recordings or slides posted, so you had to get the notes from someone if you did not go to class. The issue with this is he adds on a lot of important stuff that are not included in the slides, and if someone did not take notes on what he talked about you kind of missed the material. He gives a study guide for the midterm and final, and if you know the study guide by heart you will do extremely well. The midterm and final were 20+ short answer questions matching the study guide exactly. I did not study enough for the midterm and did not do well, but ended up getting an A anyway (I think he curved the class a lot). Professor Joseph was really nice and provided all course readings, so there was not a need to purchase anything except blue books for the midterm and final. The final paper was kind of tough but as long as you wrote more than 10 pages and put in effort you got a good grade.

Honestly, coming as a freshman, I was just looking for a 4th class to take. I saw that this fulfilled a requirement and I was interested in religion. However, I joined like 2 weeks late, and I was really behind on the material. Because of this, I did kind of poor on the midterm. However, the way he teaches really prepares you for the exam and I'm pretty sure they grade really leniently on the final. Although others say to start early on the 10-page paper, I did start kind of late (like writing 5 pages til 5am the night before it's due) and I'm pretty sure he graded nicely on that as well. Just show that you're engaged with the communities you're visiting and try to implement what he teaches in class. The tests were somewhat straightforward (sometimes a question or two wasn't covered on the study guide) but he's a great professor and wants you to do well.

This is the 2nd course I have taken with professor Joseph, and he is an absolute gem. He is for sure an old-school professor who values attendance and respect in the classroom. He has a dry and witty sense of humor and he is so knowledgeable and passionate about the subject he teaches. Even if religious studies aren't your thing personally, I guarantee you that his class will be thought-provoking. The class breakdown is as follows--one midterm which is short terms/concepts based on class lectures, a 10-page research paper, and a final exam. I'm not going to downplay the exams, they're not difficult they're just dense concepts to memorize. The 10 page paper was a drag for sure, but I suggest just to start early (he does not grade these harshly just put in effort, offer a meaningful analysis and you're fine). The final exam tested students on about 40 concepts, again not hard just dense information and memorization overload. Be sure to write class notes thoroughly, he does not post class lectures to canvas, and he is super against phone usage in class (he perceives it as a sign of disrespect and I've seen him snap at students for it). He is such a cool professor and I've taken 3 classes with him and have gotten an A in each one. Put the work in, don't crame for the tests, and you'll be golden,

I have absolutely no religious background, but really enjoyed Professor Joseph's lectures. Huge paper due at the end of the course. Discussions online. A lot of IDs to memorize. Midterm and final are tough, but I think he's a fair grader.