This is a philosophy course. Some may even call it a course on Hegel. The mid term paper was on Hegel and I chose to write my final on Hegel. So when we were done with Hegel lectures and he moved on to Kierkegaard and Nietshcze I stopped going. For Hegel's lectures, early on I stopped reading the text just because it was way too hard to understand. I payed attention in lecture and took extensive notes on my laptop. So, the class can be conquered by just going to lecture and paying attention. I pulled an A - in the class and I got a B on the midterm. The final was supposed to be 10-12 pages or 8 - 12. I can't remember. But my final paper was way below the minimum threshold. And I still pulled an A - He likes Hegel and I think he cuts some slack when you write on him for the final. Hopefully this puts the class into a better perspective for some. If you are a philosophy major I even hear that the class can be petitioned for substitution to the actual major.

In regards to the professor, well it's a very hard class to understand. But that doesn't mean the professor is hard to understand. He knows what he's talking about. And when I talked to him about my final paper topic he did steer me in the right direction and that was very helpful. He seems intimidating, but he's actually a down to earth guy.

this is a really hard class. I got an A, but it was prob one of the most challenging classes i've taken. i don't know anything about philosophy. this was my first class in the field. not the best idea. since there are tons of references that i didn't understand. in the end the references were of little importance, but they really confused me during lecture. the philosophers that are discussed in class are arguably some of the most influential thinkers of the last 250 yrs. so taking the class has important implications for anyone interested in history, sociology, polisci. it was very hard. but i am glad i took the class. if you need help, talk to the professor at his office hrs. approaching him is intimidating and uncomfortable. he's pretty introverted and can make you feel like you're on your own, but just make sure you go in with some questions because he's not going to guide the conversation! he'll just sit there waiting for you to say something. YOU MUST KEEP UP ON THE READINGS OR YOU WILL HAVE NOT IDEA WHAT IS GOING ON AND YOU WILL NOT FIGURE IT OUT IF YOU WAIT TILL LAST MINUTE!!! start thinking about the essays (there are 2 total) early and go to McCumber w/ your ideas. if you're way off he'll steer you in the right direction. very nice guy in the end.

He's a very intelligent man. He definitely knows the material. He does spend a long time on Hegel, but for his own good reasons. The reading material he assigns could be rendered optional, only because it is extremely difficult and he goes over the readings in lecture in a rather clear way.