Janelle DeWitt
Department of Philosophy
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3.7
Overall Rating
Based on 9 Users
Easiness 3.6 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Clarity 3.8 / 5 How clear the class is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Workload 3.1 / 5 How much workload the class is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Helpfulness 4.1 / 5 How helpful the class is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

TOP TAGS

  • Engaging Lectures
  • Often Funny
  • Participation Matters
  • Would Take Again
GRADE DISTRIBUTIONS
28.0%
23.3%
18.6%
14.0%
9.3%
4.7%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

29.9%
24.9%
19.9%
14.9%
10.0%
5.0%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

ENROLLMENT DISTRIBUTIONS
Clear marks

Sorry, no enrollment data is available.

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Reviews (6)

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Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: A-
Jan. 7, 2020

I took this class because I was interested in philosophy, and this class did not meet my expectations. I felt that Professor DeWitt didn't actually teach us much (other than that a good will is good because its a good will...) and the class was very repetitive. Essays required you to cite the texts, making her lectures practically useless. The final was pretty easy, though the essays were graded harshly (may depend on the TA, as they literally do all the grading). Probably would not take again.

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Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: B
Dec. 24, 2019

The class is extremely straightforward. There are only two papers, a final exam that is about 40 questions MC, two short essays, and then your points from discussion section. Topics revolve around the different readings that Professor Dewitt puts on CCLE in PDFs (Aristotle, Kant, Aquinas, etc). You're suppose to do these readings and then Professor Dewitt goes over all of the important topics in lecture. Lectures are pretty interesting because she makes all of the ideas understandable given that they were made over a century ago. She also goes off topic fairly often to talk about her sister, mother, or some other experience she had. I remember one time she couldn't talk for the first 5 minutes of lecture because of a joke she wanted to tell us. She is a very sweet midwestern professor and I would definitely take the class again for the fair workload and interesting lectures. Professor Dewitt is definitely the type of person you would want to grab a cup of coffee and exchange stories with.

Helpful?

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Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: A
April 11, 2020

If you are interested in pure math/theoretical physics any philosophy class will be a great choice. Philosophy is much easier than other arts and humanities stuff where reason and logic are totally screwed up.

As a math major for me personally this class is great and provided me with sights into a closely related field of study to math. I decide to take more philosophy classes from here.

For Dr. DeWitt, she is definitely a field expert. Her STEM background is noticeable as she got her bio bachelor from UChicago. If you are a STEM major but have to take an arts&humanities GE, DON'T MESS HER.

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1 1 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: A-
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Jan. 6, 2020

Going to lecture is very important. I enjoyed Professor DeWitt's lectures as she often engages with the students and tells stories during lecture (which are sometimes funny). I have no background in philosophy, but Professor DeWitt did a great job of explaining the topics during lecture. The class is only graded on 2 papers (which are a little tough but going the TA is very helpful) and an relatively easy final. Overall, I would take this class again with Professor DeWitt.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: A
Jan. 4, 2020

Going to the lecture is really important to understand the material and they are not bruincasted which kinda sucks. Professor DeWitt has interesting stories in lecture and she seems really sweet. She loves to interact with students during lecture and her office hours are very clarifying if you are confused about any topics. Grade is 10% participation (can be obtained through office hours, discussion, or lecture participation), 60% is two papers (which were a little harshly graded for an intro class but overall okay if you go to your TA and get their revisions), and 30% final. The final was easy if you went to lecture. You can get an extension on the paper based on circumstances which I really appreciated (I didn't even have to explain my circumstances to get the extension). Overall it was a fun class, the papers kinda gave me some anxiety though

Helpful?

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Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: A-
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Dec. 26, 2019

Speaking from the perspective of someone with very little interest in philosophy taking this class as a GE, I would probably advise against taking this class. The material covered didn't interest me at all and I found myself dozing off a lot. However, DeWitt is definitely a good professor who interacts with the class a lot and is really good at communicating the material. The class is also fairly forgiving as long as you attend lecture or get help from your TA since the grade was mostly dependent on 2 papers and a pretty easy final.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: A-
Jan. 7, 2020

I took this class because I was interested in philosophy, and this class did not meet my expectations. I felt that Professor DeWitt didn't actually teach us much (other than that a good will is good because its a good will...) and the class was very repetitive. Essays required you to cite the texts, making her lectures practically useless. The final was pretty easy, though the essays were graded harshly (may depend on the TA, as they literally do all the grading). Probably would not take again.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: B
Dec. 24, 2019

The class is extremely straightforward. There are only two papers, a final exam that is about 40 questions MC, two short essays, and then your points from discussion section. Topics revolve around the different readings that Professor Dewitt puts on CCLE in PDFs (Aristotle, Kant, Aquinas, etc). You're suppose to do these readings and then Professor Dewitt goes over all of the important topics in lecture. Lectures are pretty interesting because she makes all of the ideas understandable given that they were made over a century ago. She also goes off topic fairly often to talk about her sister, mother, or some other experience she had. I remember one time she couldn't talk for the first 5 minutes of lecture because of a joke she wanted to tell us. She is a very sweet midwestern professor and I would definitely take the class again for the fair workload and interesting lectures. Professor Dewitt is definitely the type of person you would want to grab a cup of coffee and exchange stories with.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: A
April 11, 2020

If you are interested in pure math/theoretical physics any philosophy class will be a great choice. Philosophy is much easier than other arts and humanities stuff where reason and logic are totally screwed up.

As a math major for me personally this class is great and provided me with sights into a closely related field of study to math. I decide to take more philosophy classes from here.

For Dr. DeWitt, she is definitely a field expert. Her STEM background is noticeable as she got her bio bachelor from UChicago. If you are a STEM major but have to take an arts&humanities GE, DON'T MESS HER.

Helpful?

1 1 Please log in to provide feedback.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: A-
Jan. 6, 2020

Going to lecture is very important. I enjoyed Professor DeWitt's lectures as she often engages with the students and tells stories during lecture (which are sometimes funny). I have no background in philosophy, but Professor DeWitt did a great job of explaining the topics during lecture. The class is only graded on 2 papers (which are a little tough but going the TA is very helpful) and an relatively easy final. Overall, I would take this class again with Professor DeWitt.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: A
Jan. 4, 2020

Going to the lecture is really important to understand the material and they are not bruincasted which kinda sucks. Professor DeWitt has interesting stories in lecture and she seems really sweet. She loves to interact with students during lecture and her office hours are very clarifying if you are confused about any topics. Grade is 10% participation (can be obtained through office hours, discussion, or lecture participation), 60% is two papers (which were a little harshly graded for an intro class but overall okay if you go to your TA and get their revisions), and 30% final. The final was easy if you went to lecture. You can get an extension on the paper based on circumstances which I really appreciated (I didn't even have to explain my circumstances to get the extension). Overall it was a fun class, the papers kinda gave me some anxiety though

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: A-
Dec. 26, 2019

Speaking from the perspective of someone with very little interest in philosophy taking this class as a GE, I would probably advise against taking this class. The material covered didn't interest me at all and I found myself dozing off a lot. However, DeWitt is definitely a good professor who interacts with the class a lot and is really good at communicating the material. The class is also fairly forgiving as long as you attend lecture or get help from your TA since the grade was mostly dependent on 2 papers and a pretty easy final.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
1 of 1
3.7
Overall Rating
Based on 9 Users
Easiness 3.6 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Clarity 3.8 / 5 How clear the class is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Workload 3.1 / 5 How much workload the class is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Helpfulness 4.1 / 5 How helpful the class is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

TOP TAGS

  • Engaging Lectures
    (6)
  • Often Funny
    (6)
  • Participation Matters
    (4)
  • Would Take Again
    (5)
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