He's not the best teacher I've ever taken, but he kind of grows on you. His two teaching assistants graded all the papers. There's a blue book every week but no midterm paper or final. Overall I would say his class was pretty easy. Your total grade is based on how much you improve throughout the quarter

Wilkins is, and I say this without bias, the worst philosophy teacher at ucsb. He does not lecture, the reading material for this class is mostly his own writings,(they aren't very good) and with his hearing problems he is nearly impossible to carry on a discussion with. He seems like a nice guy and is, but void him at all costs.

While is older and has trouble hearing, he is vibrant and fun. No Final no midterm, awesome around finals

Weekly in-class essay. no final, no paper, no midterm. You have to go to class and should participate as much as you can (but he will tell you to shut up if you talk too much). Better for those more interested in an independent study. He facilitates discussion more than lecture.

Interesting class, and great reading selections, plus Prof. Wilkins is entertaining and certainly memorable, but there just didn't seem to be any way to improve in this course. If you're already good at Phil and writing about it off-the-cuff, this class will be a pinch for you.

This is the best teacher in philosophy one could ever meet. He brings out the best in any student who has an interest in learning. :If a person is willing to grow he can move everyone to a greater understanding. He is a legendary teacher and scholar. Princeton and Harvard should be very proud of this persons.

Very odd class. The reading had little to do with what we talked about in class or what we were tested on for that matter. Comprehension of material is basically up to yourself. Seemed to learn/talk very little about philosophy or law. If you have prior legal knowledge you'll probably get more out of the class. Shouldn't have been a phil class...

Many folks seem to think the man doesn't teach. Seems to me they are unable to learn. Wilkins helped me improve my philosophical thinking and writing. The weekly essay & discussion format allows you to really practice and hone your argumentation skills while grappling with compelling issues.

No final, midterms, or papers. Once a week you write two page response to your weekly reading. Response questions are usually ambiguous, thus a lot of room for you to voice your opinion. Good fit for political science, law & society, and philosophy majors. This is a discussion based class, do the reading to enjoy it. His classes are fun, and in my

every phil major should have to take a class from him. not because he's that great himself but just because it's something different. on the in class papers you get graded for how well you actually argue, not just simply how well you know the material. It really does improve your writing skills.

That comment below me is so true. He doesn't teach anything, and yet gets paid to cross his legs and facilitate discussions between students "Joseph argues over you, what do you have to say now?" LoL. What a joke. And this is not some "cool new way of learning" if you care about your GPA and like the traditional lecture, stay away.

He doesn't actually teach anything, it's more like he facilitates a discussion. He himself isn't too great, but I liked the class because it is something different. No Midterm or final, just a 2 pg in class essay every week. Not an easy class but a good class if you want a change from what your used to.

Wilkins' old, boring look might be deceiving as what he has to say is always interesting (even his awkwardly-funny dirty jokes). No midterms, no finals, no papers. Very smart. I would recommend only to those interested in philosophy.

This is a hard class especially in the summer. Sometimes discussion is not really focused on the text. I think it is true that you get what you put into the class. If you talk to much be careful because you will annoy him.

You get as much as you put in with his classes. If you come expecting to be spoonfed a bunch of facts don't bother registering. If you are serious about philosophy and discussing important issues in ethics, politics and society you will have a great time. His classes are awesome, and he doesn't curse that much at all, he's just plain spoken.

This man was beyond bad. The reader is what teaches you, NOT HIM. When you go to class, he just sits in front of the audience and crosses his legs like he could care less. He himself is an OK man, pretty nice I guess, but he CUSSES! RUDE MAN! Ugh..whatever. This guy said he's been teaching for 47 years so go figure why he's so out of it, lol.

Wilkins you ask? pfff..you've got to be kidding. i didnt learn a SINGLE THING from this man. NOTHING. ALL of my learning in this class was derived from the reader. going to class was just to write the essay that covered the assigned readings. why was he even there? for decoration? he was a whatever guy. not too nice, not too mean. bleh.

Hes a harmless old man. His TAs are reasonable. His expectations should be clearer, and he needs to shutup durring the tests! I never saw him curse excessivly nor be rude to anyone. Sit up front, he cant see/hear past the 4th row. Dont hate since you didnt get an A, thats what you get for studying philosopy besides, what is an A but 3 strait lines?

this guy needs to stop saying the word 'presumably', he's said it 25 times on the same day and it was irritating me. besides that, of course you're right: he doesn't grade the papers, nor does he contribute anything toward your grade. he's simply void; why is he even in the class? the asian TA chick who does ALL our grading should be teaching us.

who are we to criticize? the cussing he does makes him more approachable? um, okay no. and he went to princeton? your point being? that has nothing to do with it, so what. the fact of the matter is mr. wilkins is extremely rude and doesn't put himself in the students shoes. it sucks ucsb only has this guy for the major phil. courses. he's horrible!

Wilkins is a sweet man but he is also very disorganized. class discussions do not reflect the reading. the weekly essay questions would be more helpful if we discussed the themes in class prior to being tested. yes, he curses a lot but I like it. it makes him more approachable. but who are we to criticize? he went to Princeton

he swears a lot, besides that he is TOTALLY AMBIGUOUS! we talk about 'random philosophical tangents' during lecture which only leads you to circular reasoning, wilkins! gosh! get someone who is going to TEACH us the criteria and not "kick back, relax" (like wilkins does) and laugh along w/the class! the essays are totally vague and the guy is rude!

BEST Teacher EVER.

this man cusses FREQUENTLY. having a degree from PRINCETON, i'd expect him to be civilized and mature when speaking. does UCSB know about this? i hope the person wo approves this post does something about this immediately. he is intimidating and often outlandish. extremely rude man.