I just finished taking Philosophy 22W with Hieronymi, and I must say that I was pleasantly surprised. After reading the reviews I expected to be committing GPA suicide, but I ended up getting an A in the class. Look, the class was hard, but if you studied, went to lectures, and office hours to talk to your TA before turning in papers, it was quite reasonable. Although I ended up with an A, there were only three people in the class, other than myself, who did so, and there were 80 people in the class. If you are interested in the subject, then by all means take the class, you will get alot out of it. She does a good job of preparing you for her tests, some of the questions were almost word for word from lectures. I would recommend her, but only if you are ready to work for an A, and are not expecting one to be given to you.

TL;DR - Not the worst, not the best. Lots of reading and weird required writing style. Get your writing II credit somewhere else unless you're very big on philosophy and mildly boring lectures.

I don't recommend this class if you're not a philosophy major or really interested in it. I didn't realize it was a writing II class until I got there and the way that this class expects you to write is very different from any way I've ever written before, even in other philosophy classes. It's difficult to get used to and I felt like it was harder to bring back my original writing voice for other papers in other classes after writing in this way.

TAs do give you a lot of guidance on the writing though, full feedback on rough drafts and as much help as you need otherwise. Important to get a TA you like, I had a hard time with mine so I recommend trying to swap if you don't vibe with yours.

Grades on papers took forever to come out which was annoying because you couldn't get your grade on one paper before having to turn in the final draft of the next one.

Lectures feel long and the Prof never uses slides so you have to be locked in on listening the whole time, which was difficult for an hour and 15 mins as a visual learner - but it's doable. I'm a philosophy major but like others said, no matter how interested you are it's hard to not lose interest after about 45 mins.

I thought the reading was a little excessive, avg. 15 pages twice a week and often really dense philosophical theory that you won't really understand until she explains it the next day. It's pretty doable even if you miss a few readings, the answers to the questions for reading are posted the next day and she's a very thorough lecturer.

Final was MCQ ~50 questions, wasn't bad and 100% of it was stuff you'd know if you paid attention in lecture and studied the answers to the questions for reading.

please do not be scared of philosophy!! this class was so fun and interesting. Professor H chooses a lot of fun readings about ethics so the assignments never felt like a drag. She spends class basically breaking down the readings and explaining it so you really are never left confused. All reading PDFs are provided to you so there is no need to go looking or buy anything. The weekly work is based on participation rather than correctness. There are 3 paper that seem long but once you realize that philosophy papers are a lot of summarizing, you'll find that they are not that bad. This is the best writing 2 class you can take IMO.

Three main writing essays that are worth 65% of grade, theres also a final that is mcq. MCQ philosophy final is strange and meant to "reward people who read and punish people who didn't" the readings were long and nobody actually read them. overall never went to lecture and did fine.

I really enjoyed this class. If you're willing to spend some time to read over a chunk of text a couple of times to really understand it, the essays won't be an issue in either difficulty or time commitment. Hieronymi was extremely approachable for Zoom office hours and was willing to answer as many questions as needed to clear understanding. I agree that the writing style for the essays is something to get used to, but I found it freeing in being able to use footnotes and write in first-person.

PSA: The easiness/enjoyability of this class is almost completely dependent on your TA. I was fortunate enough to have Ally Peabody-Smith, who was great. The lectures are really easy to follow and the ethical examples are pretty fun. Also, professor Hieronymi is super understanding of her students.

Most of the class is based on 3 papers, which are graded by your TA. You discuss the papers a lot in discussion, too. The papers are not easy, since we have to write in a completely different style than most essays, but it is completely possible to succeed as long as you space out your writing , do peer reviews, and visit office hours.

The other reviews made me scared to take this class, but I actually liked this class. I thought this class was interesting. As a life science major, I didn’t know what to expect to learn, but we ended up learning about different approaches to philosophy and we did some modern philosophy at the end of the quarter.

I cannot express how grateful I am that there were no quizzes or tests or reading comprehension checks. I am not sure if there are quizzes when the class is in-person, so I am glad I took the class online.

The readings can be confusing, which is why we go over them during lecture and discussion. It is easy to get distracted during lecture, but try not to because if you actually pay attention, what we learn is very interesting. Professor Hieronymi is very nice. She explains things well and likes to hear student opinions. You spend most of your time with your TA though. I really liked my TA, Ally.

There are reading questions that you turn in for completion and timely extras that are paragraphs you write connecting what we learn about philosophy with current life. Reading questions are 10% of your grade, timely extras are 5%, participation is 5%.

The essays make up most of your grade. First essay is 20%, second essay is 30%, and third essay is 30%. Philosophy papers are different from English papers. I actually enjoyed writing these papers. You are expected to be very direct and clear when explaining stuff and creative when objecting to philosophers. Make sure to ask your TA for help and ask them to review your essay ideas. Go to TA office hours or make a one-on-one appointment and take their advice. Overall, interesting class, good work load, but a bit of pressure to do well on the essays.

Selling Ethics textbook (11th Edition) by Oliver Johnson and Andrews Reath for $70
(on amazon all copies are over $100)
You will definitely need to read this book and understand it in order to write your essays AND to pass the final (there's no midterm!)
Contact me at ********** if interested!

I am selling the textbook. 11th Edition. $50 (the used price on chegg and amazon is $100+)
EMAIL ME: *************

The class requires 3 essays, peer review, reading response assignments, and a final. it sounds like a lot of work but the essays will take up most of your time. The class is not difficult but philosopher papers are different from english papers which makes it harder to write. Papers are graded concisely meaning they take their time, therefore they grade harshly. reading and understanding the different philosophers arguments will get you through the class.

Might take this class just because I have to do a writing II and I also have to do a philosphy GE. To be clear, lecture isn't necessary right? Can I get perhaps a B just by doing the readings?