PHIL 134
Aaron Zimmerman
4.0
119 reviews

119
4.0
PHIL134 . 3 Months Ago

Two 5-page papers, a final, reading quizzes, & class participation. Lectures are conversation style & follow useful handouts from Canvas. Zimmy loves the subject & he emphasizes genuinely engaging w/ the material in essays vs. just checking boxes. Final is long & difficult and he is difficult to reach outside class.

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134 . 1 Year, 1 Month Ago

best phil prof ive taken at ucsb so far, his moral psych class is very interesting and he is very engaging

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PHIL134 . 6 Years Ago

All quarter he was a relatively chill, only 2 papers and he was lenient on grading. Then finals came around and he released the longest study guide I have ever seen. His expectation for the final exam was completely unrealistic even though we had 3 hours for the final. Beware.

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PHIL134 . 12 Years Ago

Easily one of the best professors I've had at UCSB. Every lecture was interesting/fun. He has a great sense of humor and incorporates it into the class. The material can be complicated but he is very helpful in office hours. 2 papers and a final. The final is very long, but you do get the questions beforehand.

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PHIL134 . 13 Years Ago

I've had Zimmerman for multiple classes. Best professor I've had at UCSB easily, the 4.2 rating is way too low. He keeps the class interesting and makes it easy to get involved. Finals are long but you get the questions beforehand.

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PHIL134 . 18 Years Ago

One of the most helpful professors I have encountered. Great sense of humor to

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PHIL134 . 18 Years Ago

Do you wanna learn Philosophy from "Jerry Seinfield"? Then this IS the professor for you! Sarcasm gets thick sometimes, but the class was ALWAYS interesting!

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134 . 19 Years Ago

He is entertaining, funny, great at answering questions, and oh yes, a cutie pie. I really liked going to his lectures but I did not like that he did not write anything on the board and it was very difficult to take notes in his class. But I would surely reccomend this prof. to anyone interested in philosophy.

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PHIL134 . 19 Years Ago

He is my man! Love him!

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PHIL4 . 3 Months Ago

Zimmerman was a good professor who cares about what he's teaching. He goes on tangents at times and I found some of the lectures to be dreadfully boring, but he's funny and does his best to make class engaging. TA Jess was AWESOME and wanted us to succeed, so would highly recommend going to office hours for help. The 2 essays/final aren't too hard.

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PHIL4 . 3 Months Ago

It was all good until the final exam. Be prepared to write until your fingers cramp up bc he'll have you write for the entirety of the 3 hours. Gotta say the final exam is a complete 180 from the rest of the course in work load.

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PHIL004 . 3 Months Ago

Zimmerman was a great professor, truly cared about the students and was a very engaging lecturer. Great class overall, but be wary of TAs because mine graded super harshly for absolutely no reason. So if you are looking for an easy A be careful as a TA can make a big difference.

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PHIL4 . 4 Months Ago

This is my second quarter at UCSB and this professor was nothing short of an AMAZING lecturer. I would take another course by him 100%. He is so knowledgable and if you just give him 100% of your attention during lecture you will learn. Good GE course, only graded by 2 papers and 1 final exam. I would definitely recommend this as a GE!

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PHIL4 . 6 Months Ago

Zimmerman's lectures are engaging and he explains complex ideas well. Attendance is recommended, as he gives helpful extra credit assignments. The course load can be challenging, but using study aids like Unstuckstudy alongside the textbook and TA office hours makes it manageable.

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PHIL4 . 1 Year, 11 Months Ago

Prof Zimmerman was so funny and I really enjoyed his lectures. He explained complex ideas in a way I could understand. BUT your TA really matters! Mine sucked and made me even more confused. Grade is based on 2 papers and one, very long, written final. lAttendance is not mandatory but it you won't do well if you don't go to lecture.

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PHIL100D . 2 Years Ago

I don't think Zimmerman is a bad professor, just not for me. Most of the class is just him talking through the concepts which for me was hard to keep up with. I got a good grade on the papers but basically had to teach myself the material. I'm sure some people loved him but his style was not for me at all.

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PHIL100D . 2 Years Ago

The reading materials were difficult and he sometimes couldn't explain them clearly. Obviously, he was using the previous classes' handouts and didn't prepare well.

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PHIL100B . 3 Years Ago

Only take this class if you're seriously interested in philosophy. The course material was very dense and it was easy to get lost if you weren't paying attention. The handouts helped a lot, but epistemology is a hard topic no matter what. Zimmerman's lectures were fun, but he takes a lot of time to answer questions. 2 papers, and 1 take-home final.

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PHIL4 . 3 Years Ago

Prof Zimmerman is an excellent lecturer. Unlike the textbook of this course, he never fails to catch my attention during the lectures. He is also open to all kinds of questions. If you are confused, just ask, and he will thoroughly answer your question.

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PHIL004 . 4 Years Ago

don't take this class if you don't like debate style conversations. very heavy readings (very old papers). 2 papers and a writing final that was 4 essays, 800 words each. lectures were all over the place, not much structure. section attendance is mandatory, TAs provide paper outlines. as an ex-stem student, this class was awful. take another class

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PHIL4 . 6 Years Ago

Go to lecture! Some of the material is hard to grasp but his lectures are engaging, interesting, and so helpful in passing the class. He's a pretty funny guy and will answer your questions to make sure everyone is understanding what's going on. Having a good TA definitely helped me in the class. One of my favorite classes I've taken so far.

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PHIL176 . 6 Years Ago

Zimmerman is an intellectual powerhouse who holds his students in high regard, expecting they already have a wide range of philosophical knowledge going into the class. He teaches in stream of consciousness, which means the class flows like a long conversation and he forces students to come up with their OWN answers to tough philosophical questions

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PHIL4 . 6 Years Ago

Lectures are all over the place and not engaging at all. He doesn't make philosophical concepts accessible and this doesn't seem to give a great intro to ethics. He takes questions in lecture but interrupts people a lot. Final exam was brutally long but doable if you work on the study guides (those save lives).

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PHIL176 . 6 Years Ago

Despite Zimmerman's delicious booty, he is by far one of the most nit-picky, intense, and difficult professors I've ever had. He's incredibly passionate, inspiring, and eclectic. However, if you do not understand the material inside and out, he will RIP you APART. MAKE SURE YOU GO TO HIS office hours to make sure your papers are WHAT HE WANTS.

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