Contemporary Moral Issues

Viner is great! I highly recommend this class to anyone looking for an easy introduction to philosophical arguments. The class discussions are always extremely entertaining, and there's plenty of room to voice your opinion and debate contemporary moral issues. His grading is very lenient. I've seen many other comments mention that he doesn't teach you how to write, and to his credit, nowhere in the course description does it say that this class is focused on writing skills. Instead, he teaches you how to formulate arguments, identify counterclaims, understand different opinions, and explore various moral perspectives. This course was extremely fun, and Viner also allows you to miss around four classes without penalty.

Viner is great! I highly recommend this class to anyone looking for an easy introduction to philosophical arguments. The class discussions are always extremely entertaining, and there's plenty of room to voice your opinion and debate contemporary moral issues. His grading is very lenient. I've seen many other comments mention that he …Read more

I found that this course was really easy to understand. If you are like me and you were worried philosophy would be too arduous, then this class is what you need. The readings are from modern philosophers so they write in english that actually makes sense. The take home essays are specific and easy to write.

Your grade for this class is almost entirely based on 9 600 word essays that you write throughout the semester. If you are not a good writer do not take this course because Viner won't teach you how to become a better writer. That said, he tends to ramble in class and the lecture are pretty boring. This is a good course for checking off the distribution requirement. I wouldn't otherwise take it. (Spring 2025).

Your grade for this class is almost entirely based on 9 600 word essays that you write throughout the semester. If you are not a good writer do not take this course because Viner won't teach you how to become a better writer. That said, he tends to ramble in class and the lecture are pretty boring. This is a good course for checking …Read more

Steve is a nice professor, I got a bit annoyed because sometimes he entertained some ideas from people who were actually just trying to provoke shock value but he also handled it quite well. The class is interesting and makes you think a lot about your own opinions. Prof Viner is also great at explaining the theories which sometimes were a bit convoluted. The discussions were really interesting and got most people talking. There's 4 assignments in total: 3 take home exams and 1 presentation of a reading during a discussion. I thought the presentation to be quite easy and I think it just depends on what theory you get. The exams were a bit annoying because I never found them to be quite hard but kept losing points because he wanted less explanation but also wanted everything defined, so it was a challenge, but figured it out by the last one. You will definitely have a few laughs in this class because people really start saying anything. I do 100% recommend it, especially cause you get the philosophy credit without taking a very brutal class.

Steve is a nice professor, I got a bit annoyed because sometimes he entertained some ideas from people who were actually just trying to provoke shock value but he also handled it quite well. The class is interesting and makes you think a lot about your own opinions. Prof Viner is also great at explaining the theories which sometimes …Read more

Professor Viner is a really nice person and clearly very smart person. I was not a fan of his teaching style. There is not much structure to his lectures which end up mostly being discussion based. However, the essay prompts are straightforward and, as long as you do the reading, are easy to write about.

Professor Viner was a great professor with immense passion for the class. He encouraged all students to participate and ensured that students properly understood the material. He made sure that students suceeded in his class.

We have 3 take home exams in this semester (3 essays for each) and one reading before each class so the workload is okay. Each student also has to lead one discussion with another student on the reading for that day. Professor Viner is very good at explaining big concepts using examples. The course is worth taking for both philosophy major students and those who are interested in philosophy.

We have 3 take home exams in this semester (3 essays for each) and one reading before each class so the workload is okay. Each student also has to lead one discussion with another student on the reading for that day. Professor Viner is very good at explaining big concepts using examples. The course is worth taking for both philosophy …Read more

Viner is the absolute best. He is so engaging with the material, and truly wants to promote discussion. Contemporary Moral Issues is a class that navigates great topics that need to be discussed. The discussions were fun, and readings were minimal. 10/10 would recommend this class.

I CANNOT EMPHASIZE ENOUGH HOW MUCH I LOVED THIS CLASS!!!! Prof. Viner is one of the coolest and most purely genuine professors I have had here at Midd. The class is sooooo interesting and not very hard. The longest reading is like 12 pages (which is very unusual for a philosophy class), and we have 3 take-home essay exams which we have 8 days to complete. attendance is like lowkey mandatory but Prof Viner teaches in a way that makes you want to go to class; he makes it super interesting and finds fun ways to teach very dense material. overall 9.7/10 would 100000% take another class with him

I CANNOT EMPHASIZE ENOUGH HOW MUCH I LOVED THIS CLASS!!!! Prof. Viner is one of the coolest and most purely genuine professors I have had here at Midd. The class is sooooo interesting and not very hard. The longest reading is like 12 pages (which is very unusual for a philosophy class), and we have 3 take-home essay exams which we ha …Read more

Viner is a super enthusiastic, super engaging professor who cares a lot about the material and is committed to your understanding of it. He understands how much work other teachers assign students, and only asks that you read a few 8-10 page readings each week. The course itself is super interesting, and I couldn't recommend it enough

Viner's lectures are sometimes a bit hard to follow. However, if you listen closely and make the readings a habit, the lectures are not too bad. He is an easy grader and class discussions and lectures are always lively and energetic. I could not recommend this class more, and anyone who can take this class absolutely should.

This course was one of my favorites at Midd. Viner is a super interesting and understanding guy, and the material is super relevant. This class makes you think about your values, the expectations of society and what communities uphold, and gives you an overview of more-modern philosophers and their schools of thought.

This class was one of my favorite at Midd and convinced me to take more philosophy classes in the future. Reading was occasionally dense, but short; it never took more than an hour. Lectures are super interesting and the essays were chill; Viner is an easy grader. I would definitely take this class again, and I think about the concepts discussed frequently.

Professor was always respectful and engaged with the students, which made the class discussions even more interesting. The course workload was reasonable as the only homework required was reading the assigned texts. He would then lead a discussion during the class, which helped me understand the material better. The class discussions were always thought-provoking, and I enjoyed hearing different perspectives from my classmates. However, it is important to note that attendance was fairly mandatory, as missing more than five classes would result in a failing grade. This policy may seem strict, but it helped me stay on track with the course material and allowed me to engage with my peers. The exams were easy, which is always a plus. I felt prepared for them thanks to the discussions and readings we had throughout the course.

Professor was always respectful and engaged with the students, which made the class discussions even more interesting. The course workload was reasonable as the only homework required was reading the assigned texts. He would then lead a discussion during the class, which helped me understand the material better. The class discussions …Read more

He is a greater lecture, so passionate for the material, and opens the stage for respectful discussion. the only concern is its hard to communicate him when you are going through an urgent issue outside of your academic life. as long as you are asking about the lecture itself, he is a professional teacher.

I loved taking professor viner's class. He is so enthusiastic about what he teaches and so down to earth. He definitely made the class so much fun and he's always eager to hear about what his students think. Definitely recommended

Professor Viner is a great instructor and allowed you to miss a decent amount of classes with no penalty to your participation grade. The exams require that you do the reading and were tough, but he is a fairly easy grader.

This class was incredible! All of the content was very relevant and useful in thinking about life and the issues we face on a day-to-day basis. Additionally, Prof. Viner could not have been more nice, clear and inclusive.

Steve Viner's lecture style can be a bit disorganized and rambly, as if he is choosing what to talk about on the spot every class. That being said, he did a good job fostering effective discussion sections, and was excellent to discuss content with individually. Combined with his kindness and empathy in relation to deadlines and grading, it was a positive class experience.

Professor Viner is a former lawyer who is passionate about philosophy. He is always respectful around controversial subjects and tries to stay impartial for the most part on political topics. He definitely leans towards liberal views in the classroom though. The homework is always just reading which is very manageable. Usually not too much reading. The grading is somewhat tough as it is based almost entirely on 3 take home essays, which he is reluctant to give A's on but is easy with handing out B's, and leading one discussion section during the semester. Overall, good class with interesting ideas. Would definitely recommend.

Professor Viner is a former lawyer who is passionate about philosophy. He is always respectful around controversial subjects and tries to stay impartial for the most part on political topics. He definitely leans towards liberal views in the classroom though. The homework is always just reading which is very manageable. Usually not to …Read more