So I don't know how I ended up with an A- considering I did terribly on both the midterm and paper.
Got a low C on the midterm and a low B on the paper and ended up with an A-.
The grading scheme was 33% for each.
You do the math...

Not gonna complain though.

If you learned anything from this post, it's an easy grade.

This professor is good. You can tell that he cares about his students learning and wants them to achieve greatness. On the other hand, your grades are all up to your TA. Be careful because this will screw you in the end. iF YOU HAVE CEDAR GREEN, I WOULD ENCOURAGE THAT YOU DROP THE CLASS OR SWITCH TAs. It seems like he wants to fail people. Almost screwed up my whole career. I had a 3.78 gpa and this class dropped it. I just wish the TAs were there to help :'(

Awesome class, SO easy. Lectures are incredibly boring, but Professor Smith does try to make them more lively by throwing in a couple of jokes here and there as people have mentioned. He distributes handouts every lecture (and posts them online), so as long as you have those, you're set. He literally types out everything you need to know and then reads you the handout in lecture.

The only reason lectures were so long was because people asked so many questions and got into arguments over details of the philosophical concepts he was discussing. As a South Campus major, I really didn't care all that much about philosophy and I just wanted an easy GE. He gives you a study guide with everything you need to know and if you get past exams from the test bank, I'm pretty sure he reuses test questions. The essay is worth a large percentage of your grade, so make sure you talk to your TA beforehand. Justin was a really chill TA and thank goodness I got him, because I heard some of the other TA's were picky about grading.

This class was just stupid. I stopped reading the book because everything was on his handouts. You'll learn crap that you'll probably never ever need to use in real life. Class was easy is true. Not that much work. But, even if you work, you'd end up with just an okay grade. Rarely anyone get A's. I got a B+ and everyone I talked to either got a B+ or lower. The TA's grade so subjectively and they pretty much expect every single detail to be in the essays. Boring class. I stopped attending lectures. Handouts are a necessity. Book is not. If you want a chill and boring class, take it. But it's not an easy A.

I agree with the below reviewer. The class materials were easy (yet boring--one of the midterm problems was that if we can trust a microscope or not, for it can distort our view, or something like that), but the grading was too rigorous. And trust me, that makes this class 'extremely annoying.'

I really don't want to say these kinds of things, but I recommend you to think SERIOUSLY about dropping the class if your TA's name is Sarah... before it is too late. First-handedly it's my fault that I got Bs on my midterm and essay, but she is too meticulous and expects too much for students taking the introductory course, in my opinion.

This class will put you to sleep. Professor Sheldon tries to make the class easy for newcomers, but in the end, you're still confused. Overall, the class wasn't too difficult. It's an easy GE, but NOT an EASY A. TA's are super subjective, as past entries say. For some reason, my TA loved giving B+s but not As. Me and two other friends took this class and all ended up with B+s. The way this class grading works is most people will get either Bs or fail. Very few will get As. Just get the handouts, stay 30 minutes to get examples (even though you can use your own examples on the test). Otherwise, this class was a waste of time. For those of you looking for an easy A ge to boost up your GPA, this is not one of them unless you really get to know your ta, seeing as they grade your final, midterm and your paper.

Philosophy is so GODDAMN stupid! Dr. Smith discusses topics I would never imagine being discussed in a college course, like the term "grue" or possibility that a flame is actually dancing elves?! WTF?! The topic of the class is so stupid to me, BUT I will say Dr. Smith made it fun and entertaining. He does ramble on and on, but you can leave whenever, as long as you have the handout to study. In the end, your grade depends on your TA, since they grade your midterm (30%), final (30%), and paper (40%). Go to your TA and let them proofread over your paper at least once if you want a good grade. I wrote it the night before it was due, bad idea! I got a B/B+ only because I went to my TA and talked to him about it before writing it.

Very very easy class. Just pure memorization. Person X believes Y because Z. The final is NOT CUMULATIVE!! Go to class and memorize the handouts he gives out and you will be fine. You must go to class to get examples to use on the essay questions, but discussion is unnecessary.

Professor Smith really loves what he teaches. Even if you don't like philosophy (I don't!!) he makes it okay.

So Phil 8 is an extremely EASY g.e, but it is also the most RIDICULOUS class i've taken.
Don't take this class, unless you want to deal with stupidity the whole quarter.
Unless of course you're a Phil major.
Sheldon Smith, the most boring guy ever! He's nice, and super approachable but he is extremely boring in class.
Midterm and Final, super easy but some of the T.A's are extremely picky which sucks.
Just my advice, don't take this philosophy, if your a science major, unless there's no other option.

Professor Smith is a pretty good professor, and Phil 8 is unbelievably easy. Make sure you go to lecture and get his handouts - they are absolutely invaluable. The only thing you have to do for the midterm, final, and paper is regurgitate what is said in class. It doesn't involve nearly as much work as other philosophy classes, and is a really easy A, especially if you're a phil major.