kind of a weird person. i was expecting a full 10 week metaphysics class but got 8 weeks of metaphysics at which point the class devolved into a gender theory class that was completely unrelated to metaphysics. the saving grace of the class was the GOAT TA Wade Fu

His lectures are all over the place, he spends very little time on important topics and then spends too much time on other things. He's really vague on assignments, so you'll rely on your TA for most of that. He doesn't take kindly to questions and refuses to accept viewpoints other than his own. He clearly knows philosophy but sucks as a teacher.

honestly worst lecturer ever. He goes in circles even if you like the topic you can't understand anything he is saying. His voice in lecture isn't clear, and his lectures are extremely hard to follow and very frustrating. If you take this class you have to self study to pass. Extremely difficult because lectures don't help at all.

Worst lecturer Ive ever had, goes in circles all class.

The first paper I wrote for him was well thought out and really discussed the different angles of the theories studied. I got a C-, so for the second paper, I dumbed it all down and regurgitated what he said how he said it. Got an A on that one. His lectures are streams of consciousness and he just wants to hear his own opinions in your papers.

Falvey is an interesting guy. Really great in office hours, but is lectures are god awful. I'm currently a philosophy major and I absolutely despised this class. That being said the material is clear if you pay attention and focus on the handouts.

I admit, Kevin Falvey himself is not an awful professor, but the structure of his essays are what make this class so bad. In the essays, you are given five questions regarding the class material, and you basically have to regurgitate everything you were taught. No creativity, no side choosing, just passively saying exactly what Falvey said.

You never knew what you were going to get with Professor's Falvey's lectures, they ranged anywhere from invigorating and fascinating; to out right boring, tangential, overly technical and convoluted, and unclear. The readings sometimes gave insight, other times they just got in the way of the lectures. If you miss class, your grade will pay

You basically have to go to the lectures to know anything taught in this class. Lectures are very stream of consciousness but he gives out outlines of the lectures so it's easy to follow (if you don't get bored). Go to office hours, both Falvey's and your TA's, to know what they're looking for on the midterm papers (2 worth 30% each) and final.

The worst professor I've had in four years across almost all of the departments at UCSB. He lectures in a string of consciousness, unprepared, rushed style. Condescending towards students. Interrupts them before they even finish asking questions. Unwillingly to adjust his teaching for differences in level of knowledge or experience between students

I had him for Philosophy of Mind and the Philosophy of Descartes. I must say that while the former class was his specialty which made it interesting, the latter proved to me that he was a lackluster professor when lecturing on material outside his specialty. Quiet, unintelligible, and extremely disorganized, office looks like a hurricane came thru

Need to adapt to his lecture style but once you do it's a breeze. He gives out notes each class on the material, VERY helpful. He's great in office hours, clarifies the material to the T. He's old so he talks low and drones but if you just pay attention you'll be fine. Don't even bring phone/laptop to class, too tempting to get distracted.

Worst philosophy professor I've had, he mumbles unintelligibly and does not provide clear understanding on concepts. Lecture was useless and the midterm, paper and final were all difficult and required a lot of studying. Almost made me quit the major. Avoid this professor, the class material is also painfully boring and Falvey's voice doesn't help.

His only flaw is that he is way too forgiving in terms of grading. Just give her the D!

Yes, Falvey does lecture in a stream of consciousness but it is structured and intelligible. If you go to class and do the readings, like for most classes, you'll be fine. He doesn't like to post the powerpoints on his website because he wants students to come to lecture. And his lectures are informative and easy to understand. I loved this class!

Sure he knows what he's talking about but has no idea how to convey it to students. He rambles on and on and goes in circles and gets us nowhere. I couldn't write a paragraph on what I learned from this class.

Lectures very aggressively. Philosophers like him spend their careers coming up with theories and get very worked up when students say anything that gets in the way of that. He yelled in class like 3 times. Very unpleasant, avoid. Material is straightforward if you simply follow him exactly. But if you want something enriching, stay far away.

Lectures are really hard to follow, even if you're really interested in the material. A genuinely nice guy who knows his stuff, but your understanding of the material is going to depend heavily on your comprehension of the reading and how good your TA is.

Incredibly knowledgeable and eloquent man. If you are serious about philosophy, take this class. Otherwise be forewarned that his style of lecturing is more like one long stream-of-consciousness, so if you're not paying attention you might get lost. But he also passed out paper outlines before each class so it was easy to follow. It really helps to

By far the worst philosophy professor I have had the displeasure of taking a class with. He certainly seems like he knows his stuff, but he can't teach to save his life. He rambles on and on and draws incomprehensible diagrams on the blackboard. If it weren't for the handouts from class, I would have failed. Never again.

Pretty awful professor, lectures, and TAs. Absolutely no structure at all. Total joke.

Falvey is a very passionate and articulate professor. He is very clear and concise in what he says; he gives very specific examples and analogies. He is very graceful on stage, and you can tell he loves teaching. TA Sarah Silverman is amazing! She is super helpful/understanding and quickly replies to e-mails. Hard to get an A, but a B is doable.

he needs to retire

excellent class and excellent professor. gave me A+ on one of my papers. this prof is for those who are serious about philosophy. those wanting a laid back fun phil class will not like him. you will learn a lot if you pay attention to everything he says. doesnt really slow down much for questions so be alert the whole time.