Great teacher and great guy. I really enjoyed his class, and he challenged my thinking and my opinions. Highly recommend taking this class if you have an interest in learning new arguments and opinions on whether or not God exists. Very cool class, and the final was a sherlock holmes investigation mystery. A lot of fun my dudes.
Dr. Stoody was a fine professor. The expectations were clear and easy to obtain. The most difficult part of this course the paper where he graded quite tough. The final was strange and the grading was unclear.
He is so nice, and doing well on lecture. Section is optional, TA is great and do not need to buy books.
Rick is a good professor, esp. at the beginning, but he needs to figure out a better pace. Deductive reasoning got really hard really fast and it was VERY confusing, had to learn it on my own. Had class during his OH which was lame. DON'T buy the textbook - use library copy for HW. This class is challenging if you're not a math person, but doable.
He's really good and entertaining. He can explain the subject material well and give students a good understanding. Overall the class is enjoyable and the tests aren't too bad. Ask questions during lecture if you have any, he's happy to discuss.
I could repeat the other reviews, but it'd be redundant. This guy deeply cares about our learning and he's in his own league as a teacher
Stoody is an amazing and very engaging lecturer. He really cares about his students and is very helpful and willing to answer questions. I didn't like the subject of this class and found it really difficult, but I would have been much more confused had anyone else been teaching. I would recommend this class if you're interested in Philosophy though
Never seen a prof care so much about his students. This guy is 100% devoted to teaching his students what they need to know and making sure people succeed in his class. Interesting material, although not what I was expecting. Was a lot like a really easy math class.
Rick is one of the best professors at UCSB! He is energetic, accommodating, and has a really well-deigned course. Print out the course notes, go to lecture and follow along as he fills in the blanks, do the weekly homework, and that's it. Wish every prof I had could be like Rick, and wish every course was designed so simply and clearly.
Class was relatively simply. I got lazy partway through and ended with a lower grade than what I could have gotten. Subject matter was dull at first, but became more interesting as we learned about formal proofs. Definitely different from your "standard" philosophy course, but also a lot more interesting in my opinion.
Stoody himself is hilarious and interesting. Phil 3 however, is challenging and not what people think of as a philosophy course. If you're not truly interested in critical thinking, logic proofs, and debate take a different class. It's definitely a difficult class for most people. But Rick rocks.
Really great class! Stoody was very helpful. Don't be afraid to ask questions and participate in class.
Was definitely not thinking I'd like this class very much, but came out with a deeper perspective of the course and subject. Wouldn't take anything in Philosophy again unless I have to, but Stoody is a great professor and definitely clear and easy. Perfect class and professor to have if you're just trying to knock out a GE.
I actually had Rick as my TA when I took phil 3 with Professor Hess in Fall 2013. It's very difficult for other TAs to live up to Rick's capabilities- he is amazing! Better than the prof, in my opinion. He made learning fun, engaging, & made sure you understood everything. homework/reading/class was not bad at all. he is also cute in a dorky way :)
Good professor. Explains very well and makes the lectures interesting.
Cool guy, good class, easy online readings. The topics we discussed were very interesting and he tries to cover both sides of the issue. If you dont understand something. he'll take the time to explain it thoroughly. If you have any problems he's really easy to talk to. I got this class as a filler and ended up staying in it because it was so good
easy and funny. he will ask you to suggest walk-in music and give you extra credit for that!
had stoody as both a prof &TA-love him as both! took metaphysics this quarter which is super hard, but he does a great job clarifying lectures. knowing he was going to be my TA was the reason i took metaphysics-bummed im not gonna have him next quarter (ive had him the past 3)-has trouble with names though (: hes teaching phil4 nxt quarter-take it!
Rick was amazing!He's super funny and intelligent and he tries his best to explain things in multiple ways so that you understand the material. I definitely recommend taking his classes. Plus, he's kinda cute in a dorky kinda way!
His class is really good: clear and interesting. If you go his lecture, you will be great on exams. I love him so much:)
Stoody is awesome! i think in any phil class you have to be interested in the subject or else you won't thoroughly enjoy, and engage in the class. but if youre like me and love phil, you'll love stoody! im so excited that i have him again as a professor for phil3, i know i'll have an awesome time in lecture!
Stoody is great! I had him as a TA for classes as well. He's very informative, clear in his explanations, funny, and is great in keeping you engaged with the material and wants to help you learn. He's really good with helping students with any questions. I always looked forward to his class and hope to have him as either a TA or a professor again.