Professor MacKenzie is the only philosophy professor I've ever had that has made me enjoy the subject. She's super friendly and approachable and makes dense subjects much easier to understand. I really struggle with philosophy readings and her class made me genuinely think about what it means to be a good person. I was excited to come to lectures even though they were at 8:30am.
My only criticism is more about the TA, Dakota- he was a bit contrarian and not super open to people disagreeing with philosophers that he liked. In discussions, this got kind of annoying. He also could be a bit harsh in his feedback on exams, but that's not too big of a deal to me.
However, it was a really good course, and I'd say that discussions were also overall helpful. There is a good bit of reading, but you can take some days off from it since she goes over the readings in class.
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2 Reviews
This is a great introductory course. It is very simple and has a clear structure. Professor Mackenzie is very accommodating and organized. I found the class to be quite easy - she introduces you to 3 foundational moral theories (utilitarianism, deontology, and virtue ethics). There are 3 midterms and a final, 8 in class short writing assignments (completion grade), and one essay 3/4 of the way through the sem. I really liked Mackenzie's teaching style and would like to see her in a more difficult class. I would recommend this class for anyone who has never taken a philosophy course before or is just doing this for a requirement. If you want to get really in depth and have a thought-provoking class, look elsewhere.