The philosophy of Spinoza.
4
UnitsOptional
Grading1, 2, 3
PasstimeNone
Level LimitLetters and science
CollegeTook this class as a GE (pass/no pass), be prepared for very uninteresting material. All the homework was pretty easy, and the tests didn't take too long to study for.
Pretty much the entire grade was based on two midterms and a final and the multiple choice was very hard. I normally do incredibly well on multiple choice but not in this class. This was the first class I got below an A- on. The class wasn't that bad but it was quite dissapointing.
It's pretty hard to get above an 89%. Be prepared for in class essay exams. He usually gives the questions before the test so there's ample time to study and write responses.
Zylstra is really passionate about philosophy, he's definitely a chill guy. I would only recommend you take this class if you truly care about phil, otherwise lectures can get boring. Section was boring but participation is a good chunk of your grade so I would recommend you go. The readings are dense but I just skimmed and was fine. Chill ge
Don't take this class for an easy GE. Zylstra is great, but the readings are mandatory and enforced by lecture quizzes. The course is graded heavily on three evenly-spaced non-cumulative exams. The TA's split up portions of the test to grade, which makes the course slightly unfair. If you have a good TA you'll be fine, but you need to work for it.
Professor Zylstra is an amazing person and lecturer. He clearly shows that he cares about what he is teaching and cares for the success of the students. With that said, this course is uninteresting and contains lots of reading. There are three exams (not cumulative), and one major writing assignment. As long as you do the readings you will be fine.