[PHIL 0150]
Introduction to Philosophical Tradition

Rate This Class

Professor: Woodruff M

Value of Course / Overall Score

Not Much (16.7%
Average (0%)
Valuable (83.3%)

Material

Friendly (22.2%)
Average (11.1%)
Competitive (66.7%)

Class Atmosphere

Boring (33.3%)
Average (55.6%)
Fascinating (11.1%)

Prep Time Needed

1-2hr (5.6%)
3-5hr (38.9%)
6-8hr (27.8%)
9-11hr (27.8%)
12+ hr (0%)

Grade Weighting

Harder (16.7%)
Average (0%)
Easier (83.3%)

Adequate Assistance

Yes (72.2%)
No (27.8%)

Would Recommend Class

Yes (83.3%)
No (16.7%)

Evaluation Comments for Woodruff M

  1. Great class! Professor Woodruff is friendly, helpful, and not out to make your life miserable. Readings are short but dense so start early and actually DO them. That helps a lot. Sparknotes can give you a basic summary if you're really confused about something or need a basic outline, but it's not enough to really do well on exams. Pay attention in class, ask questions and you'll do fine.
  2. Prof. Woodruff is super intelligent, flexible and kind. She basically has all the texts and ideas memorized, and makes lectures very easy to understand and engaging. There were a couple quizzes on the readings, a group presentation and the exams were essays. The readings are long, dry, and boring - but the ideas presented are interesting and applicable to everyday life. This class made me want to take more philosophy courses.
  3. It hard to make a class with some of the best minds of western tradition boring but this was not my favorite class. I think it gets very repetitive and boring at some points and the assessment structure is ineffective with IDs and such that don't measure your understanding at all. I am a phil major and still found this class tedious.
  4. No Comment
  5. No Comment
  6. Philosophy is interesting, and definitly makes you think about the world a lot more, which is awesome. However, I wish that I remembered more things from this class, rather than just snippets. If you want to have any idea of what is going on in class, there is a lot of reading to do before each class - it is doable, but a lot. Professor Woodruff was inoffensive, but I did not find her particularly engaging, except in a random assortment of occasions. I would recommend taking this class, or another introductory philosophy class, just so one can learn how to think, but this wasn't my most favorite class ever.
  7. Superb!
  8. Awesome class. Woodruff is the philosophy professor you see in movies: she's well read, extremely intelligent, a little bizarre, and her lectures seem scripted. I never expected to take so much away from an intro class, having taken philosophy in high school, but every day I find myself applying concepts from this class to life. I guess that's philosophy for you. Make no mistake though, this is a very difficult class, and Woodruff is a very hard grader. She flat out tells you at the beginning of the semester that she doesn't give out A's. This is obviously pretty discouraging, but if you spend time on the readings, take good notes in class (this is a class to bring your laptop to because there's so much to get down), and study for the quizzes/midterm/final, getting an A- isn't out of the question by any means. And this isn't to say that getting a flat out A is impossible, Woodruff just makes it very clear that those only go to "truly outstanding work." Otherwise the class is pretty reasonable, it's based heavily in readings (Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Kant, and Nietzsche). Again, you just have to put in the time/effort. If you go into this class with an open mind you'll take so much from it. I can see math/science people potentially hating it though. If you think you might be into philosophy (or know that you are)this is an awesome class to take.
  9. Great class. Very difficult readings, but Prof Woodruff illuminates them and simplifies them with real-world examples and fluid, well-organized lectures. The readings force you to think hard and you will have to read them multiple times to "get it." Note that this is a historical, analytical overview of major philosophical figures, and there is very little discussion of your personal beliefs or debate about current issues. Look elsewhere for that. But it is a great intro class.
  10. This class is wonderful. Professor Woodruff is extremely intelligent, passionate, and sweet! This class goes quite in depth into 5 major philosophers and the readings are dense, but if you are interested in philosophy this is the class to take.
  11. Professor Woodruff is amaaaazing! She is nicest, most understanding and flexible professor I've ever had here. She teaches as though she has these texts memorized! The workload is manageable but the readings can be very dry and dense. (But what do you expect, it's ancient and modern philosophy.) This is a great introductory course if you are thinking about majoring in philosophy or just want to fulfill that PHIL requirement. I am definitely taking another course with Prof. Woodruff and she made me want to major in philosophy!!! TAKE THIS CLASS!
  12. I came in as a philosophy major but this class turned me off. With the list of philosophers you read it is really hard to make this class tedious and unengaging but Woodruff does it perfectly. Also I thought my grades were lower than I deserved given the time I put in and the grades I earned on all my assignments minus the fiinals ( which you don't get back). Also, she wont return any of the work you submitted for weeks so it's impossible to improve with her feedback. Also, given th department is so small you will end up taking many courses with Woodruff or Grasswick and this in itself ruled out the major for me.
  13. Woodruff is a great teacher, exactly the type of professor you would hope to teach you philosophy. I strongly recommend this class. I makes me really want to continue taking philosophy classes. She is so kind and thoughtful. She really leads the contemplative life.
  14. hard to get an A, but you can pretty much do nothing and get a B
  15. Woodruff is passionate about philosophy, and she will not shortchange you in this intro. class. This class actually convinced me to take further philosophy classes and consider a major in it.
  16. This is a very good introductory class to philosophy. Prof. Woodruff does expect her students to be sharp, but is an excellent lecturer and a thorough instructor.
  17. Take it!
  18. Prof Woodruff is super. Very enthusiastic, passionate about her work. Material can be difficult, but managable with work.

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