PHIL 2060

I've only laughed this hard in lecture with one other professor so far (Willingham, Intro to Cognition - take it)! Simmons is eloquent and hilarious, he is also very clear and covers the few units in great depth. The reading he assigns is extremely reasonable - one reading a week posted online, rarely more than 10 pages. This class really makes you think, even if you don't have a particular interest in law, it applies to everyone under the legal system.

Simmons is an amazing professor who really knows what he is talking about. He is very engaging and kept the class interested in the topic. Grading however is completely subjective to the TA. There are 2 papers worth 30% each and 2 exams worth 20% each.

Attendance is a MUST (if you go to class and discussion, you should get an A, no problem)! Ideally you'd do the readings beforehand (ps, he had it all on Collab, so no buying pricey textbooks!!), but even without the readings, Simmons goes over all the concepts you need to know! He had an example to back up each theory, and he's the only professor I know that could make jokes out of statutory rape or drug use (it may seem a little politically incorrect, but trust me, you will REMEMBER it come exam time). He is also very accessible, and takes time to answer questions, even in the middle of lecture! I'm taking another class with him this semester, and I CANNOT WAIT.

Simmons= awesome. I never went to class and overslept for the final and had 30 minutes to take it and still made a B-

Simmons is an excellent lecturer who really knows how to hold a classes attention. You really need to go to lectures because everything you need to know for the exams is said during lecture and it'll really help you out with papers. Great class, favorite one this semester!

Very good class, with limited dense reading. Professor Simmons is very knowledgeable. Has a lot of real world application, and a great starter course for anyone interested in law

Simmons is the man. Interesting class, not too hard even if you're not a philosophy major.

DO NOT GET JASON CRAIG AS YOUR TA. He will look at your essay drafts for you, comment on them, and then when it comes time to grade them, he will completely disregard everything he advised you to change in your paper and give you a grade lower than what you deserve, given his comments in the first place. There is absolutely no consistency between TAs, so with Jason you will get a much lower grade than your friend with the "good" TA. This sucks, because it looks exactly the same on your transcript.

Simmons is a good lecturer, but shows no respect for his students whatsoever and does not accept any challenge to the absolute Truth of his own views. If you take his class, tell him what he wants to hear and try not to interact with him on an individual level.

I know people find this class difficult, but I found it fairly okay. Readings - he's very generous, there aren't that many. DO THEM. I made that mistake, slacking off at the end of the semester. Papers - definitely write outlines and have your TA look at them. They grade hard, but if you are a clear writer and justify all your points, you will be fine. Pay attention during lectures, that's what the midterm and final are based on.