I feel like this class isn't as easy as most of the reviews make it out to be. The workload is very light but the exams, while they aren't worth a huge chunk of your grade (midterm 10% and final 20%), and while they are short multiple choice exams, definitely aren't the easiest. You HAVE to study. The 4 essays for the class are only 2 pages in length double-spaced which is nice, but you CANNOT go over 2 pages. Therefore, it can be challenging trying to fit as much information possible with only 2 pages to work with. And the essays are graded harshly. Every single detail of your essay matters. Attendance in discussion is 10 percent. In my discussion section, all we did was ask questions about the material. Overall, in my opinion, this class is not bad, but just don't underestimate it. You have to put in effort in order to do well.

I also agree that most of the reviews on here say "this class is an easy GE," WHICH IS THE COMPLETE OPPOSITE. This class is actually really tough not because the material is tough to grasp, but because the multiple choice tests are so tricky and the TAs are really tough graders. I had a friend who wrote a really well-thought out essay that was better than mine, and she got a C because her TA was a narcissist. And for the MC tests, you often have to choose more than one option like AC or BD or ABD, which is annoying. I got a question about a squirrel wrong because I only put one option, and it haunts me to this day. And I only missed maybe 3 questions on the midterm but because the test is out of 27, your grade gets lowered even if you hash out perfect essays. The hierarchy of this course does not serve it, but the Professor is an amazing teacher and very funny. I paid attention during almost all the lectures and took extensive notes in the daily journals she provided because it was engaging and used scenarios I found creative and practical. I learned a lot about theoretical science because of this course, and I found the content fulfilling. If you are willing to learn a lot and expect an imbalance in the grades you receive, then I recommend you take this course. You will learn but it will be tough.

Honestly, this class should've been an easy A. There were four essays on topics we've covered, with outlines online to help you out. The midterm and final were 30 multiple choice questions each., and Elliot was a nice enough teacher although her humor was a bit lacking at times.

But it was just so boring. I'm honestly not sure if the material was too dense or too shallow, because I just keep zoning out. Nothing against the teacher, but it just wasn't my jam.

I guess I just don't like philosophy; too many old white guys arguing over hypotheticals.

Philosophy 8 is the class to take to fulfill a science GE in the most humanities major way possible. I loved this class! Professor Elliot was very engaging, and though the essays were graded pretty strictly, it is still more than possible to get an A in this class. Tip for exams: study the outlines. All the answers are there. Pay attention in lecture, don't be afraid to have a conversation with your TA in discussion, and you'll be fine.

Okay so I don't know why professor Elliot has mixed reviews because she is by far one of the best professors I've had since I've been at UCLA. She is hilarious, and brings so much snarky (yet super funny) comments to the class which are both relevant for the material and engaging to the students. The class is made up of four 2 page papers (worth 60%) which are mostly regurgitating on the topics we learned about. These papers have enough time to make a good graded paper, just follow the rubric. There is one midterm (worth 10%), section is once a week and mandatory (worth 10%), and the final (worth 20%).

After talking with other friends who took philosophy classes, they all hated their professors. Although the material can get a bit boring sometimes because at the end of the day we are talking about how old white professors debate about science, professor Elliot makes it much more interesting. Also, there are some really interesting topics involving creation science, feminist values when conducting science, and other. Highly recommend, loved it! :)

As someone who doesn't like philosophy, this class was interesting but definitely quite confusing at times. Prof. Elliott has great energy but the topics covered in class are quite complex and it took time to get to the most important points of her lectures. She records audio only as well and using chalkboards in class so if you want to see visual demonstrations of material, you do have to go to lecture in person. There are four papers that make up 60% of your grade, midterm is 10%, final is 20%, and participation in section is 10%.
The papers are a bit difficult because they aren't normal literary analysis or scientific papers that most people would write in high school or in other college classes. I really only focused on the assigned readings for topics that we had to write about so that my writing was more nuanced and correct. For the last paper, I was at home with covid and barely went over a friend's notes from lecture about the material but still managed an A because we are supposed to so closely regurgitate knowledge that the professor gives us in lecture outlines.
The midterm and final are both multiple choice and can all be answered based on the information for the lecture outlines. I studied for both and did poorly, but to be fair, I was not studying as efficiently or as much as I probably could have. Thankfully I will end with an A in the class because of how much more weight the papers have.
Overall, the class is interesting but will require effort for the graded assignments. would not call this class an easy A by any means.

This class was unorganized, but it was a pretty manageable class overall. The discussions were chill (I recommend James Gu) and reviewed the material from lecture. Not much reading required and all the exams were based on outlines provided in lecture. There are four 2-page papers which were straight forward and easy to write. I would recommend the class!

If you have done philosophy, this will be very easy. If not, the difficulty will come mostly from learning to think like a philosopher.
You will write four two-paged papers, do some reading, and have a midterm and a final. You also have to participate in section.
This professor is very engaging, a terrific speaker, and very nice. Organized, too. You can't go wrong taking this class with her.

If you are not a philosophy major, philosophy is super weird. There were 4 essays that are unlike any other normal essays you write in college - no intro, no conclusion, just a thesis followed by facts. Two pages MAX, no more no less. The midterm and final were tricky just because the info itself is just hard to wrap your mind around. I got an A because I went to office hours for every paper and asked my TA what I needed to do with my paper to get an A. Papers are majority of your grade so even though my final/midterm average was like an 85, having a 95% paper average let me get an A

Professor Elliott is very engaging when she teaches, despite not using any powerpoint/visuals during class. She writes everything on the board as she lectures.
I attended her office hours a few times and she was incredibly helpful. She is funny and super approachable.