PHIL 1740

Professor Bagley is really great! Lectures are very much what you would expect from a philosophy class -- you sit in the lecture hall and Professor Bagley will discuss the assigned reading, breaking down its main points, and discussing its merits. This is really helpful especially because a lot of this reading is super dense and hard to understand. You do not have to come to lectures, but if you come to lectures the exams will be significantly easier (and you don't *really* have to do the reading because he'll break it all down for you). Grades are participation (in discussion), three papers, and the two exams. I think this class was a really great introduction to philosophy in a less abstract sense than many other courses, and they really help you succeed when writing a paper and give you the opportunity to discuss real world issues in a philosophical setting. I would recommend taking philosophy if you're interested in the topics we cover, but be warned, this is not a class where you're going to really discuss your opposing opinions or fight over abortion rights, like I thought it would be. You spend a lot of time discussing abstract concepts and the merits of the readings, which I can imagine might not be everybody's cup of tea.