Theories of the Good
Theories of the Good What makes for a good person? What makes for a good society? What makes for a good piece of art? What makes for a good life? This introductory course will explore theories of the good within ethics, political philosophy, and aesthetics. Drawing on both historical and contemporary works, we will consider a diverse range of perspectives on what makes someone or something good.
I did not enjoy this course. I had never taken a philosophy course before, but I think a lot of folks in the class would agree it was not great. Each class we basically looked at a different philosopher/reading, and never stayed on the same topic for more than a day or two. Thus, I feel like I didn't really learn a whole lot. The professor wasn't the most effective lecturer, but she did summarize most readings. Readings were dense but manageable, I definitely didn't do all of them. She spent a lot of time saying the same thing over and over but with slightly different wording each time, which made things confusing. She'd sometimes say that certain views or interpretations were outright wrong, but never really explained why. Kind of an unexpectedly harsh grader, but she is a very nice person who's willing to help and be flexible. I really didn't like the format of evaluations - although assessments were take home essays, they were far too short to convey and prove what we had learned in class. A midterm should be more than 500 works I feel like.
I did not enjoy this course. I had never taken a philosophy course before, but I think a lot of folks in the class would agree it was not great. Each class we basically looked at a different philosopher/reading, and never stayed on the same topic for more than a day or two. Thus, I feel like I didn't really learn a whole lot. The …Read more
This course is not bad. It is an intro level philosophy course for sure. As a senior Phil minor I find it pretty laid back and chill but for under classmen (especially freshmen), I can see where this course would be hard. She is a tough grader especially if you don't understand the concepts she is presenting. However, if you take good notes (I do so on the computer so I can get down EVERYTHING) she says, you'll be fine regardless of your class.
This course is not bad. It is an intro level philosophy course for sure. As a senior Phil minor I find it pretty laid back and chill but for under classmen (especially freshmen), I can see where this course would be hard. She is a tough grader especially if you don't understand the concepts she is presenting. However, if you take goo …Read more
I don't know if it is the instructor's fault or the class material but most of the theories taught in class is utterly inapplicable to our daily lives and quite difficult to master. The Professor teaches philosophy like Math in the way that philosophy is made binary (she would gladly tell you if your answer is wrong), which shouldn't be the case for philosophy. Not a terribly difficult class but she does grade ambiguously and in a rather tough manner.
I don't know if it is the instructor's fault or the class material but most of the theories taught in class is utterly inapplicable to our daily lives and quite difficult to master. The Professor teaches philosophy like Math in the way that philosophy is made binary (she would gladly tell you if your answer is wrong), which shouldn't …Read more