This is my second class with professor Burge, and I loved it. Granted, I took Kant with Burge the quarter before and it did take me a little time to get used to his teaching style. Taking him before definitely gave me some generally useful philosophical knowledge that gave me a bit of an advantage in understanding the material, mostly knowing the concept of representation beforehand helped.

I also knew that in order to do well in his class, you should attend lectures which are super interesting for this class, listen and maybe even record the lectures, write down everything on the board but also write down some key points he discusses when lecturing that he might not put on the black board. The material may seem intimidating, but if you just pay attention and keep track of it, it all pieces together. I did the papers in only 1-3 days and got a B+/A- . I personally just found it interesting so it was easy for me to pay attention and when it came time to write papers, I remember going over everything in lecture. There were two (roughly short, 4-5 page) papers and a final in-person exam.

The material is interesting/exciting stuff, the terminology is a bit meticulous but not hard to grasp after a while.
He also assigns/uploads a lot of his own work online which helps immensely. I really like that there is never any ambiguity about where to find more clarification on a topic if I need it, he always gives the resources and is willing to answer all questions with patience. Yes, the material is not fed to you on a spoon and there aren't middle school power points but you're learning pertinent, advanced theories in philosophy of science so it does take some effort. Just read some of his material/relevant chapters in his book, it is worth it because all of your answers are in there.

Professor Burge is very knowledgeable and interested in this material. He's an intelligent, accomplished professor with a wikipedia page that still manages to be so relatable, funny and insightful! If you ever need clarification, he is very helpful after class and during office hours. I did not find the class to be as difficult as the reviews are saying and I definitely procrastinated on some of the assignments - but I eventually found time to just read over lecture notes, read some of his work and ask him a couple questions after class, and I got an A.

I truly enjoyed being taught by professor Burge and will definitely try and take one more class with him before I graduate. You should too, he's insightful as hell. I definitely recommend taking this course!

Take Burge if you are a Phil major and you are serious about learning valuable analytic philosophy before graduating from UCLA.
Burge is a funny, witty, and charismatic professor who really knows his stuff he is talking about. The entire second half of Phi mind is based on his works. He truly cares about his students, and he is very helpful in office hour.
However, do realize that the material is very dense and abstract. His work is at the forefront of 20th century analytic philosophy. If you are interested in language and mind and all the rest of the jargons, please enjoy your privilege of the education of a world class philosopher. And when I say world leading I really mean it. One time a Chinese scholar sat in our lecture to discuss Chinese translation about his work.

Take Burge if you are a Phil major and you are serious about learning valuable analytic philosophy before graduating from UCLA.
Burge is a funny, witty, and charismatic professor who really knows his stuff he is talking about. The entire second half of Phi mind is based on his works. He truly cares about his students, and he is very helpful in office hour.
However, do realize that the material is very dense and abstract. His work is at the forefront of 20th century analytic philosophy. If you are interested in language and mind and all the rest of the jargons, please enjoy your privilege of the education of a world class philosopher. And when I say world leading I really mean it. One time a Chinese scholar sat in our lecture to discuss Chinese translation about his work.

Not the class to take if you're looking for an easy A. Two papers and final. Dr. Burge knows his stuff and does a fantastic job making the dense material clear. I got an A but you have to be willing to put in the effort and time. Take him if you're up for a challenge and dislike easy classes!

Selling required texts for this course, origins of objectivity by Burge and origins of concept by Carey. Both for $50. email *************

Burge is really smart and a pretty nice guy, but phil 129 is crazy hard. His textbook is the hardest thing I have ever read. I am a 3rd year philosophy major, and the content of this class is seriously insane. Its very technical, very complex, and, to me, it was very abstract. For the sake of your grade and your sanity, I would not suggest taking phil 129. Seriously don't do it.