PHILOS 7
Introduction to Philosophy of Mind
Description: Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Introductory study of philosophical issues about nature of the mind and its relation to the body, including materialism, functionalism, behaviorism, determinism and free will, nature of psychological knowledge. P/NP or letter grading.
Units: 5.0
Units: 5.0
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Most Helpful Review
Almog is a so-so teacher. The truth is, however, that with Philosophy 7, the most vital part of the course are the discussions. Go to discussions and especially, above all else, go to the TA's review sessions. They are needed to get a decent grade in the class. The lectures alternate between being dull (first hour- review of yesterday's second hour) and interesting (second hour- new material that is being reviewed). Almog has a brilliant mind, however, I wouldn't say that going to lectures really improve your grade.
Almog is a so-so teacher. The truth is, however, that with Philosophy 7, the most vital part of the course are the discussions. Go to discussions and especially, above all else, go to the TA's review sessions. They are needed to get a decent grade in the class. The lectures alternate between being dull (first hour- review of yesterday's second hour) and interesting (second hour- new material that is being reviewed). Almog has a brilliant mind, however, I wouldn't say that going to lectures really improve your grade.
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Spring 2017 - This was my first philosophy class and honestly I feel like I lucked out. Armstrong is a fantastic professor: really engaging and helpful (definitely go to office hours if you're still confused!). I also had a great TA, so the discussion sections were perfect for clearing up any lingering questions. The grade consisted of: 1. Weekly quizzes (about two questions long. One question about topics covered in the previous week and one question about topics covered in the readings) [20% of grade] 2. One short paper (like a page long; served as a sort of tester paper so you get used to the formatting of writing a philosophy paper) [5% of grade] 3. Two longer papers (4-5 pages; one due around midterms and one due around finals) [30% of grade each] 4. Discussion Attendance/Participation [15% of grade] I rated the workload as "neutral" because there is quite a bit of reading, but the grade is essentially the papers. I'd definitely recommend attending lectures, Armstrong really clarified a lot of the readings. Philosophy readings can be pretty confusing to follow (and contain a lot of ideas) Armstrong definitely narrowed down the scope of the papers and talked about the important points. I wouldn't consider the class difficult, because it's really just a matter of giving some genuine thought to the topics and then articulating them via the papers/quizzes/discussions. It's all about how you've taken in the information and formulated your own thoughts/opinions about the material. Armstrong and my TA really stressed that they enjoy seeing students engage with the material and contribute their own ideas.
Spring 2017 - This was my first philosophy class and honestly I feel like I lucked out. Armstrong is a fantastic professor: really engaging and helpful (definitely go to office hours if you're still confused!). I also had a great TA, so the discussion sections were perfect for clearing up any lingering questions. The grade consisted of: 1. Weekly quizzes (about two questions long. One question about topics covered in the previous week and one question about topics covered in the readings) [20% of grade] 2. One short paper (like a page long; served as a sort of tester paper so you get used to the formatting of writing a philosophy paper) [5% of grade] 3. Two longer papers (4-5 pages; one due around midterms and one due around finals) [30% of grade each] 4. Discussion Attendance/Participation [15% of grade] I rated the workload as "neutral" because there is quite a bit of reading, but the grade is essentially the papers. I'd definitely recommend attending lectures, Armstrong really clarified a lot of the readings. Philosophy readings can be pretty confusing to follow (and contain a lot of ideas) Armstrong definitely narrowed down the scope of the papers and talked about the important points. I wouldn't consider the class difficult, because it's really just a matter of giving some genuine thought to the topics and then articulating them via the papers/quizzes/discussions. It's all about how you've taken in the information and formulated your own thoughts/opinions about the material. Armstrong and my TA really stressed that they enjoy seeing students engage with the material and contribute their own ideas.
Most Helpful Review
The evaluation for Phil 7 below is true. This should have been a fun introductory class and instead, he ruined more than 1/2 of the class' GPAs. I worked so hard for this class, attended lectures, never missed a discussion section, saw the TA, etc., and I still didn't get an A. I'm now going to have to work my butt off like crazy to get my GPA back to where it was before this class (let me just say how STUPID it looks when all I have is A, A- and then this grade!) Cumming saw that we were all struggling immensely and that people practically failed the midterm. Although the final was "sort of" ok, the guy would NOT budge and would not allow for a curve. In reality, I probably have one of the higher grades in class but because he wouldn't allow the TAs to lower the grade scale, it was impossible to get an A. Bottom line, if you need this class see if you can find another teacher. It's a great subject but by the end of the course, I can't tell you how many people were turned off from philosophy and hated anything having to do with it.
The evaluation for Phil 7 below is true. This should have been a fun introductory class and instead, he ruined more than 1/2 of the class' GPAs. I worked so hard for this class, attended lectures, never missed a discussion section, saw the TA, etc., and I still didn't get an A. I'm now going to have to work my butt off like crazy to get my GPA back to where it was before this class (let me just say how STUPID it looks when all I have is A, A- and then this grade!) Cumming saw that we were all struggling immensely and that people practically failed the midterm. Although the final was "sort of" ok, the guy would NOT budge and would not allow for a curve. In reality, I probably have one of the higher grades in class but because he wouldn't allow the TAs to lower the grade scale, it was impossible to get an A. Bottom line, if you need this class see if you can find another teacher. It's a great subject but by the end of the course, I can't tell you how many people were turned off from philosophy and hated anything having to do with it.
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Most Helpful Review
Probably the most boring class I've taken so far in my 3 years at UCLA. He's very unorganized. He just stands there in front of class with his coffee and turns lecture into a giant discussion. So any idiot who wants to give their opinion can just talk for half the class. I stopped going to class week 4 and I think I went 2 more times after that. Even though I didn't go, I still got a B+. TA's grade somewhat hard on the papers (progressively get harder). The only great thing about the class was the review session given by the TA's for the final. They gave us every answer.
Probably the most boring class I've taken so far in my 3 years at UCLA. He's very unorganized. He just stands there in front of class with his coffee and turns lecture into a giant discussion. So any idiot who wants to give their opinion can just talk for half the class. I stopped going to class week 4 and I think I went 2 more times after that. Even though I didn't go, I still got a B+. TA's grade somewhat hard on the papers (progressively get harder). The only great thing about the class was the review session given by the TA's for the final. They gave us every answer.
Most Helpful Review
Fall 2019 - Professor Greenberg is a fantastic lecturer; he is engaging and funny enough. I stay attentive for most of the lectures. He loves discussing concepts with students and is very approachable. The class content is also very interesting. Your TA makes or breaks your grade. There is no midterm or final, just 4 papers; very short but graded relatively harshly. This class is a very doable A but I would not call it easy, especially if you are unfamiliar with philosophical writing. However, I highly recommend it; it really challenges your world perspectives (I know a HUGE shock from a philosophy class). ~THE IMPORTANT STUFF~ Grade Breakdown: -Twice Weekly Quizzes: 10% -Participation: 10% -1st Essay (250 words): 5% -2nd Essay (500 words): 15% -3rd Essay (1000 words): 30% -4th Essay (1000 words) 30% Extra Credit: -Course Evals: 1% -4 bonus quiz points (If no one plagarizes) Lectures are fun-not mandatory, and the information isn't that hard to understand on your own. However, Gabe does a phenomenal job of explaining everything and he often goes over paper requirements. There are also quizzes (2 questions) due before lecture each week that are based on the readings/ lecture, don't forget those like I did all the time :)) He has handouts every lecture that corresponds to the slides, which he does NOT post online- those little papers will make or break you. Therefore, either get a buddy who will grab you one when you can't make it, sneak in and snatch one, or just go to lecture because its interesting. Oh, also no books, which is terrific because we're all poor. 10/10 would recommend.
Fall 2019 - Professor Greenberg is a fantastic lecturer; he is engaging and funny enough. I stay attentive for most of the lectures. He loves discussing concepts with students and is very approachable. The class content is also very interesting. Your TA makes or breaks your grade. There is no midterm or final, just 4 papers; very short but graded relatively harshly. This class is a very doable A but I would not call it easy, especially if you are unfamiliar with philosophical writing. However, I highly recommend it; it really challenges your world perspectives (I know a HUGE shock from a philosophy class). ~THE IMPORTANT STUFF~ Grade Breakdown: -Twice Weekly Quizzes: 10% -Participation: 10% -1st Essay (250 words): 5% -2nd Essay (500 words): 15% -3rd Essay (1000 words): 30% -4th Essay (1000 words) 30% Extra Credit: -Course Evals: 1% -4 bonus quiz points (If no one plagarizes) Lectures are fun-not mandatory, and the information isn't that hard to understand on your own. However, Gabe does a phenomenal job of explaining everything and he often goes over paper requirements. There are also quizzes (2 questions) due before lecture each week that are based on the readings/ lecture, don't forget those like I did all the time :)) He has handouts every lecture that corresponds to the slides, which he does NOT post online- those little papers will make or break you. Therefore, either get a buddy who will grab you one when you can't make it, sneak in and snatch one, or just go to lecture because its interesting. Oh, also no books, which is terrific because we're all poor. 10/10 would recommend.
Most Helpful Review
Why I like this professor and why you should take Phil. 7 from him: Mark Greenberg was an amazing professor and I highly recommend taking philosophy 7 with him. The first day of class was confusing, but don't let that scare you! Mark was more than willing to meet with students out of class, set up review sessions, and he even went through the trouble of posting ALL of his lectures online. Let's be honest. Philosophy is confusing, and philosophy of the mind forces you to think about thinking -- a difficult supposition. Mark made sure to review every lecture and take questions before moving on. Professor Greenberg also used silly examples to keep students interested. Example while talking about whether or not animals feel pain, he used the example of stabbing a puppy through the stomach! AAAAAA! Also, there is very little reading for this class. We usually read less than 20 pages a week. The reading is very straightfoward in that it's written in plain, uncomplicated english (as philosophy should be), but the issues it talks about are deep and complex, so you have to read SLOWLY. How to succeed: The best way to succeed in this class is this: 1. Mark assigns homework weekly (it's very very short) and they only check for completion, but if you actually try to do a good job on it, you'll pick things up much morequickly. 2. Start working on your paper early, as it counts for about 30% of your grade, and go over it with your T.A. as many times as possible. 3. Go to section. Somethings are confusing, but the sections are designed to clarify the lecture, and they usually do a good job summarizing everything. WHY YOU SHOULD BE WARY! : This is not an easy GE. I took this class as a GE and because I'm interested in philosophy. Previous teachers created the reputation that this was an easy class, and while it's not very hard, it's not a breeze either. It requires some very deep thinking, not just memorization. Take this class if you want a challenge and you want to expand your understanding of the world, not because you need to get a class out of the way. FINAL GRADE RECEIVED: A T.A. : Jorah
Why I like this professor and why you should take Phil. 7 from him: Mark Greenberg was an amazing professor and I highly recommend taking philosophy 7 with him. The first day of class was confusing, but don't let that scare you! Mark was more than willing to meet with students out of class, set up review sessions, and he even went through the trouble of posting ALL of his lectures online. Let's be honest. Philosophy is confusing, and philosophy of the mind forces you to think about thinking -- a difficult supposition. Mark made sure to review every lecture and take questions before moving on. Professor Greenberg also used silly examples to keep students interested. Example while talking about whether or not animals feel pain, he used the example of stabbing a puppy through the stomach! AAAAAA! Also, there is very little reading for this class. We usually read less than 20 pages a week. The reading is very straightfoward in that it's written in plain, uncomplicated english (as philosophy should be), but the issues it talks about are deep and complex, so you have to read SLOWLY. How to succeed: The best way to succeed in this class is this: 1. Mark assigns homework weekly (it's very very short) and they only check for completion, but if you actually try to do a good job on it, you'll pick things up much morequickly. 2. Start working on your paper early, as it counts for about 30% of your grade, and go over it with your T.A. as many times as possible. 3. Go to section. Somethings are confusing, but the sections are designed to clarify the lecture, and they usually do a good job summarizing everything. WHY YOU SHOULD BE WARY! : This is not an easy GE. I took this class as a GE and because I'm interested in philosophy. Previous teachers created the reputation that this was an easy class, and while it's not very hard, it's not a breeze either. It requires some very deep thinking, not just memorization. Take this class if you want a challenge and you want to expand your understanding of the world, not because you need to get a class out of the way. FINAL GRADE RECEIVED: A T.A. : Jorah
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