PHIL 2660

Merricks is the absolute best professor I've had at UVA, hands down. He makes an effort to learn student names, build relationships, and genuinely cares about his students as much as he cares about metaphysics. He teaches without slides, so be ready to take notes, and write down specific examples that he mentions in class for the exam. I had three exams - I personally totally flopped on the first but he curves it nicely, and I went from an F on the first exam to an A overall in the class. Get yourself a study group with the people at your table before exams and ask TAs for help when you need it. #bigfootatheist

This class is 3 midterm exams each worth 33% of your grade. Each exam is 3 "essay" questions asking for very specific info from lecture. Prof Merricks gives you a study guide of 20 questions and then picks 3. You can bring your answers to the TA and Merricks and they will tell you if your answer is wrong and tell you the right answer. You can definitely get an A if you pay attention in class, take good notes, and thoroughly do the study guides. You do not have to do the outside readings.

With that being said the class is not an "easy" A in the sense you can just guess on the exams and not really put in effort throughout the semester. You have to go to every lecture and pay attention and study. But if you do try you know exactly what you need to do to get an A and it's straightforward. So it's an easy A if you try. (For reference, I got an A)

Prof Merricks is incredible. So personable, so knowledgable, and so good at boiling stuff down to main points that are easy to understand. Incredibly organized; every lecture is very well structured. He's a professional.

The class content consists of the ontological, cosmological, and evolutionary/naturalist arguments for/against the existence of God, the problem of evil, the problem of free will, and life and death. It doesn't go into specific religions but instead the idea of theism as a whole.

I loved the class and reccomend to anyone who wants to put in effort.

Wow, if you can take a class with a Professor before you leave UVA, take one with Merricks. He makes lecture very entertaining and engaging, I would always look forward to coming to this class. He welcomes students to raise their own objections and think for themselves. This was one of the most rewarding classes I have ever taken--I had to put in a ton of work but it was very intellectually gratifying. Also the hardest I've ever worked in a class, but I managed to get an A, largely because the instructions are well given and the instructors are so helpful and kind. My TA Ms. Oakley was so awesome, also very funny and engaging. This is a great class also if you aren't a philosophy major because it is an overview basically of a bunch of topics in religion. If you are a philosophy major you should definitely take this class for an elective credit!

I took this class my first semester at UVA, and it was an incredible way to start my college career. This class challenged my mind to work in ways that ultimately made me a better thinker. Merricks is fantastic, cool, funny, and pretty much succeeds in learning the names of all 60 of his students. The subject matter is super interesting (coming from someone who's interested in philosophy - but I would think anyone would find it interesting as long as you don't hate philosophy). The "Religion" aspect refers mainly to the study of philosophical/empirical/rational arguments for and against the existence of God.

There are weekly readings that can be helpful to do, but the only grades come from 3 equally weighted exams. It's super important to go to every class and take detailed notes - the exams ask you about the arguments discussed in lecture. The tests were definitely hard, but he gives you a study guide a couple weeks before and if you're able to fill those out and understand them, you'll be fine. Everyone also makes study groups so I'd definitely recommend joining one.

I loved this course. It definitely was a lot of work to do well but I enjoyed studying for it. Merricks is a great lecturer and you can tell he loves the topic. I really recommend finding a good study group and starting the study guide at least half a week before the test. Make sure you pay attention and write EVERYTHING from lecture down exactly as he says it; you will need exact wording for the test. He is super fun to talk to during office hours and very excited to help clarify anything. The curve is super generous so you will not fail if you put in effort. You have nothing to do until the tests but you must study a LOT for them to do well. Definitely do the study guide and make sure you can answer any of the questions in full before going into the test. Other than that you get one reading every two weeks which isn't bad and you honestly don't have to do them because he covers everything in lecture. It was my hardest class but the one I did the best in and by far my favorite. Zach was also an awesome TA. I 100% recommend this class if you are willing to put in the work. Honestly is making me consider a philosophy major.

This class is difficult, I will say that. That being said, if you listen go to lectures, Professor Merricks lays out the arguments very clearly. Additionally, you have a discussion section that can be helpful if hearing the ideas from a different voice is helpful for you (our TA was helpful to some and not as much to others). That being said, although the ideas of this class are sometimes difficult to understand, once you do "get" them, they're pretty easy to lay out for an exam.

On the note of exams, there are three equally weighted tests. You are given practice questions about two weeks before the exam and anything that will be on the exam are written in those questions- you just need to piece together an answer from your responses that you have already written. So if you take this class, LOOK AT AND ANSWER THE PRACTICE PROBLEMS. They are meant to help you, and if you get them right, you should be okay with the tests. That being said, Merricks grades on a "there are good and better answers" so even if everything you write on your test is correct, you may end up with a B+ because there could have been more to say. With the curve, however, the points you miss are mostly gained back.

Overall, I loved this course, the material, and the professor. I definitely recommend it if you want to explore philosophy and want something challenging but manageable.

I took this class because I had an open spot in my schedule and thought that it would be interesting to learn about and apply arguments against and for the belief of religion/God. In hindsight, I really wish I hadn't. I would not recommend this course to a friend. It's definitely a B+ course and it's extremely difficult to pull off anything higher (still possible though if you're very very diligent and prepare well/just good at philosophy). The course is graded on your ability to memorize arguments in specific detail to a T in the specific way that Merricks is looking for students to answer/spit back out. There are three tests, all essay form, and the course was boring in my opinion; you don't get to apply any knowledge you learn or consider your own arguments, etc. I did not enjoy having Merricks as a professor, at all. At first, when he was memorizing all our names, I thought he would be a respectable, just perhaps strict professor, but this was not the case. Despite what Course Forum says, Merricks is not friendly, he's condescending and calls students out and embarrass them if they said or did something like ask the same question/walk in a minute late, and he definitely made me feel very uncomfortable at times during his lecture or by the comments he made towards other students. It's a small classroom and you cannot miss even one lecture or you will get lost/ will have to get notes from someone and you just have to hope those notes are good.

This course was a huge disappointment. The course has an atmosphere where people are afraid to answer questions because no one is ever right. And if your really unlucky, the professor breaks down every level on which you’re wrong. Grading is all 3 tests each with three short answers. Grading is based off spitting out what the professor said verbatim rather than on any sort of comprehension. There are literally specific words and phrases that he looks for. And if you don’t use them, you lose points. Example: I answered a question perfectly and reiterated what he had told us in class, but I lost 25% of the question because I didn’t use the word “contingent.” Teacher also has a tendency to take jabs at students who are absent. The week after I was absent, he made an example in class all about the fact that I was present today but not every day. It was really embarrassing. I was absent because I had strep.

This class is hard and yet still a blast at the same time, which is extremely rare. You must write everything down from lecture and you must know every little detail. But Merricks is a cool guy and the semester's TA was an actual Dominican Monk, which makes sense since its philosophy of religion. Overall, I'd say take the class, but make sure to understand everything.

Trenton Merricks is one of the best professors on grounds. He will memorize everyone's name on the very first day of class (60 people at once! I don't know how he does it) and facilitate discussion throughout the entire course. If you want a good start into Philosophy or are just interested in a very fun class centered around the existence/non-existence of God, this is a great course. Merricks pushes you to really think and will challenge you during discussion in class, but loves when you argue back and will really listen to what you have to say. The readings are dense but thought-provoking. Great class!

Professor Merricks is an amazing professor -- he makes classes interesting with his hilarious personal anecdotes and memorizes every students' name! Even though the material is difficult to grasp, he stops to answer all questions and is easily accessible during office hours. Philosophy of Religion itself is a thought-provoking class as well, and you don't need to do the readings before class (unless you want to tackle the material yourself) because they're just confusing and Merricks explains everything you need to know in class. Your grade for this test depends on your average of 3 tests throughout the semester with HUGE curves on them - the TA went through each question during the discussion after and explained what points were based off, so you would always know why you got points taken off. The discussion section for us was optional but I'd highly recommend going, as the TA reviews material from lecture in a clearer manner. It's easy to succeed in the course if you get yourself a study group and put in effort to study before exams, especially since Merricks releases a full study guide a week or two before the exam with the questions that will appear on the exam.

Professor Merricks is easily one of the best professors in the philosophy department. He is very engaging, and definitely sets up the class in such a way so that it is easy to follow. He learns everyone's names in a 40-60 person class, which is pretty impressive. He's very approachable, and the subject matter and arguments that we cover are very interesting. . There are only 3 tests for this class, so no final during finals week, and Merricks curves each of the tests. You receive back your raw score as well as the letter grade that your score gets. He also gives you a study guide that is extremely helpful. I met up with a friend a few days (2 days t the very least before each test to grind the study guides. Make sure you can answer each question in full (that is, without omitting any relevant details), and on your own, and then you should be fine. I used this strategy and I received an A in the course. For any questions you are unsure of, Merricks is really helpful and likes to talk to students in his office hours, so its easy to clear up any lingering questions there or with a TA. Also, I definitely stopped doing the reading at a point...as is the theme with a lot of philosophy courses, the professors usually clear up what you need to know in lecture anyway. Very satisfying course, would highly recommend to others to take it with a friend!

Merricks is one of the best professors I have had at UVA. He makes classes so interesting, I loved him so much I took his metaphysics class without having any idea what metaphysics was. There is assigned reading, but it's hard to understand without going over it in class and Merricks thoroughly covers it in class, so I learned plenty without doing any reading. There are only three tests and he gives you study guides with exactly what will be on the test. The class was very manageable, fun and interesting I recommend it even to people who have never taken philosophy before.

The only grades come from three tests throughout the semester, and the tests are hard. But if you prepare for them and go to all the review sessions and listen to everything the TA says, it is possible to get a good grade. The material is mostly interesting and is a good introduction to philosophy. It's not entirely necessary to do the readings if you pay attention in lecture.

This class is incredible; definitely one of the best classes I have taken at UVA thus far. Professor Merricks is extremely knowledgable and engaging; its one of those classes that flies by and you don't want it to end. The material is fascinating and makes you think deeply about all sorts of issues. That being said, it's not an easy course and requires a lot of studying and preparing for tests. Go to section, it really helps clarify confusing material (Adam is a fantastic TA). Take this class!!! You have to put in work, but it's extremely rewarding and well worth all the effort.

Merricks is a great professor. Very excited and happy to teach, and generally quite clear. Definitely a philosophy course, with examples and topics regarding religion and some philosophical issues that have lasted for years. Doesn't cover much about religions in detail, but mostly arguments for and against the existence of a Christian God.

Your grade is just made up of three noncumulative tests, and everything on the tests come from the study questions he gives out, which come straight from his lectures. Doing well is pretty doable, if you study enough for the tests. Took it just for fun with no prior philosophy experience, and got an A. You must attend every class and take notes to do well, because the readings are really supplementary (you don't really have to do them). Topics can be a little confusing at times, and so can the TA. Answer the study questions and go to office hours the week before the tests to check your answers or for help.

This is a wonderful course! Professor Merricks lectures on all the material in class, and John does a great job reviewing it once a week in discussion. Professor Merricks is clear about his expectations and it is very possible to succeed in the course if you go to class and put in the effort before the exams. Also it's super fun and interesting! I've been inspired to be a philosophy major.

Such a good class! Merricks is a fantastic lecturer, so funny! Reading isn't necessary at all, especially because they are so long!! But attending lecture is NECESSARY- Merricks really explains everything you need to know for the tests.
No essays, only 3 tests and that's your grade.

best class ever merricks is awesome, knowledgeable and downright hysterical. Super interesting material and actually not too much work if you go to class. You just have 3 tests which arent cumulative and all you have to do is really prepare from teh study guide for like two days before each test and youll get a good grade

Prof Merricks is an awesome professor. His lectures are enjoyable, interesting and easy to follow most of the times. The readings are not too bad. To be honest, I did only 3-4 of the 10 assigned readings. The mid-terms and exams test the material which Merricks teaches in the class.

And Matt is a great TA. He is very helpful and held review sessions before exams which helped me a lot!

Merricks is enthusiastic, and really funny. I recommend this course just because Merricks' lectures are really interesting and enjoyable. The tests are graded toughly but fairly, and if you use his study guide you definitely can get a good grade. The course is really interesting by itself, although some of the readings are a bit dense. If you're interested in religion or philosophy, take the course.

Merricks is an amazing professor and the ideas we cover are fascinating. He generally does a good job of presenting both viewpoints of arguments, though sometimes I sense his own biases kick in.
The three (equally weighted) tests are quite difficult; they're essays which require you to be really prepared because you are pretty short on time. Overall, it's still one of my favorite classes.

This class was awesome. It is really interesting and it is not too hard. Only 3 tests and that's it. You don't have any other assignments. And Paul (the TA) is great at explaining things.

Fun, interesting class that will teach you a lot about philosophy and how it works; no prior philosophical experience is needed.