Joshua Mitchell - Georgetown University, Washington, DC

Professor: Joshua Mitchell

Department: Philosophy

College: Georgetown University, Washington, DC

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: GOV080
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

The best professor at Georgetown. Really teaches you how to think and brings to surface the disillusionment of leftists.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: GOV483
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Best teacher at Georgetown easily! If you aren't an absolute leftist, you'll like him. There's no other teacher like him at Georgetown. A real education from Josh Mitchell

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: GOVT080
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

90% of the big ideas I took from Georgetown are from this class. Articulates life-changing thinkers and ideas in accessible, original ways, shows why they matter now. Take notes, not just for class but for life. Paper topics worthwhile but vague, go to office hours often with questions. Best, most relevant class I had at Georgetown.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: GOVT080
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Pretty awful class because of pretty awful TAs. The material could be so interesting but lectures are so unorganized you never know what author you're supposed to be on. Paper expectations are SO unclear and there is nowhere to go for useful help on them. Also applies his own kind of curve that he never explains so you never know how you're doing.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: GOVT080
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Theres only three papers and the TAs took forever to give grades back (Im talking months). Mitchells fine. His lectures are interesting and class discussion definitely makes it bearable, but he goes on rants and basically pretends to be Plato the whole time. Just take notes in class + discussion and you should be fine

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: GOVT080
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

This dude WILL change your life. Seriously, I have never had a professor that has changed my view on the world as much as he did. He is the smartest person I have had the chance to listen to and the way he relates the authors to the modern day is incredible. He says things that our generation desperately needs to hear.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: GOV080
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Mitchell is an acquired taste and whether you like the class or not depends on how you think as a person. He's incredibly original but I found him to be truly fascinating. His lectures were like therapy, I guess.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: GOVT080
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

How can someone so narrow-minded and ignorant get hired to teach a college class? Believes wholeheartedly that he, Plato, and Socrates are gods and every other human is a mindless dog

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: GOVT080
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

In four years at this school, I have found no bigger waste of time. He takes advantage of the fact that this course is a core requirement and that he is the only professor teaching it to use the class as his preaching session. Students dont take notes because there is no substance, and his explanation of literature is unrelated to the content.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: GOV080
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Professor Mitchell is a solid choice to fulfill the Elements of Political Theory requirement. He is somewhat full of himself, and I did not really learn anything from actually being in class. However, the books we read were very foundational and useful. We only had three papers, and they were quite easy, so the class was easy overall.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: GOVT080
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Prof. Mitchell is an acquired taste. No powerpoints. No lecture notes. He simply sits there and talks about philosophy/poli theory. It may seem dry at first , but take a look at the readings and write down all you can and, your mind will be blown. It's art how things come together in this class. Take his class with a friend and make it fun!

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: GOV080
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

I don't think I'd mind his class so much if he had a more structured class setup. It ended up feeling like we were sitting in front of a stump that he was being paid to preach from without offering any sort of critical eye to the material were reading. Could've gone a lot deeper.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: GOVT080
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Spends lecture pontificating and trying to seem smart. He's arrogant, self-absorbed, and obsessed with seeming brilliant. Such little substance in his lectures and practically no organization. Papers are easy and the TAs are a godsend. They should be teaching the class.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: GOVT080
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Mitchell is absolutely brilliant. His class can be a bit dry and it is definitely lecture-heavy, but if you go and engage with the material, you will get a lot out of the class. If you do all the readings and put effort into talking to your TA, it isn't hard to do well.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: GOVT080
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Professor Mitchell is brilliant, insightful, and original. I took him for elements of political theory. 2 (1200 word) + 1 (1600 word) papers. Grades depend on TA. If you are not willing to go to class and pay attention you probably will not do the class justice. It's hard to take notes but not impossible because he lectures everywhere.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: GOVT080
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Lectures too disorganized. Professor is too arrogant, always telling us that we won't understand what he's saying. 3 paper grades, TA is pretty chill (but obviously this depends).

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: GOVT080
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Discussion section can be tedious, but, if you like the material, lectures are really engaging. Ask questions, read the texts, and write well--you'll be fine.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: GOV060
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Arrogant. Condescending. Disorganized. Self-Absorbed.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: GOV060
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Terrible class. He doesnt even have a syllabus. In lecture he just rambles on without any structure, so good luck learning anything during lecture. No grading criteria, so also good luck writing a paper that he enjoys. Overall: disorganized, unclear, and to top it all off, he's extremely condescending to students in his lecture.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: GOV060
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Pseudo-Problem of God. I already finished my theology requirement, but I now have to suffer through Mitchell telling me that the real important question in political philosophy is "how does man relate to the divine." To be fair, my Problem of God class was open-minded,I didnt have certain arguments shoved down my throat as inherently correct