Donald Maier - SUNY Plattsburgh, Plattsburgh, NY

Professor: Donald Maier

Department: Philosophy

College: SUNY Plattsburgh, Plattsburgh, NY

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: PHI210
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I am a philosophy major and am familiar with his teaching. He is a great professor, but I do not recommend taking one of his classes f you are just looking for a Gen Ed. The way he teaches is only interesting if you actually want to learn about philosophy. I disagree with the poor reviews and if you reach out when struggling he will help!

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: PHI102
• Grade Received: C+
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

I somehow managed to get worse grades than my peers when my major is heavily based in writing. Grading is based on whether you argue his belief or not, instead of arguing about what the writing says itself. He is also a pretty boring lecturer, and spends a lot of time talking in circles.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: PHI210
• Grade Received: C+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I think Dr. Maier is a great professor who really cares about his students. As long as you are interested and engaged in the material you should do fine in his class. I don't understand why people seem to not like him, it is probably those who did nothing in class. *something to keep in mind*

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: PHI101
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Absolutely terrible. Never again. He says he grades on improvement, I got a paper back and he wrote "intro needs work but you improved so much from last paper"... I still got an 83.. same as the 1st paper. Not funny but tries to make jokes. Papers are hard and boring material. HANDS BACK PAPERS SO LATE. Do not take

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: PHI102
• Grade Received: B-
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

If I had the chance to pick classes over again I would not take a philosophy course and I would definitely not take a course with Donald Maier. He is an incredibly narrow minded person and if you don't agree with his opinion you won't do well. The material he gives you to read is ancient and you're expected to translate it perfectly.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: PHI211
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

He is very single minded and does not care to hear his students out. It has to be his way and if it is not he will penalize you for speaking out against him. He thinks his students were born the 1300's and expects you to translate things 100% correctly. He is willing to help you during his office hours and I highly recommend that you do that.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: PHI102
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

I really enjoyed this class with Dr. Maier. He presented good arguments and allowed everyone to state their opinion. He has so much knowledge on philosophy and is great at presenting his knowledge unto his students. If you just show up and write the papers then you'll for sure get an A. He likes to get to know his students and is very witty.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: PHI210
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

The class involved a lot of listening, so get in the habit of taking notes. A lot of reading and analyzing which was kind of difficult given the older language that the philosophers wrote in. However, it's an interesting class and he's funny. He has cool things to say about topics other than philosophy, too. Kind of tough grader for papers, though.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: PHI101
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Maier class was not hard, and he is a fair grader. If you can write a college level essay, and you can read and remember information, he is not hard. Do your homework, take notes, and do your reading. He is one of the best professors at P state.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: PHI102
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

One of the most rude professors I have ever had. If you don't agree with his opinion, you won't do well in the class. He tells you that your opinion is wrong, and makes you feel uneasy about raising your hand and talking. A very hard grader, and gives you the same grade for every paper, regardless of improvement. I would not recommend this class.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: PHI101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Maier's class seemed to drag on and on. He is a very tough grader. Some topics peaked my interest but didn't hold it for long. He is very strict on cell phone usage. I wouldn't recommend taking his class.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: PHI101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

List: Has attitude problems that he can't keep under control, doesn't talk about the readings till the last 5-10 minutes of class, if your interpretation of the reading is "wrong" you fail, does not help most students when asked, chose readings where, as stated by Maier himself, the author uses common words but changes definition of said words.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: PHI101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Class drags on forever. Decent teacher but rude at times.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: PHI102B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

The material in class was interesting but he did not explain well during class. If you don't agree with him, then overall, you are wrong. He is a very narcissistic professor.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: PHI102
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Professor Maier is the worst teach I've ever had, he's horribly dull and if you disagree with him at all he tells you you're wrong in a very rude way. This 50 minute class went on forever. If you don't have to take him, don't, I regret taking this class completely

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: PHI210
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Professor shows extensive knowledge of course material. Don't take this professor if you are used to structure. He sometimes can go on tangents that are related to topic, but can often make things confusing. He has a good sense of humor and appreciates students with a high interest level. Make sure you take good notes and keep up on the readings.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: PHI101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

He can be confusing but that's what philosophy is. He's a nice guy but can be very strict. I don't recommend the class unless you are extremely interested in it.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: PHI102
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

I was very excited to take this class. I was very surprised at how strict and uncreative this teacher made his class. If you want to do well in this class I suggest bringing a recorder to class and then just writing what he says in class for your essays and you are bound to get a higher grade than I did. Think twice before taking the class.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: PHI211
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

I'm upset to read how others think of him. Yes, his class is very difficult. You MUST take intense notes on his lectures if you want to do well, on the tests you'll have to state things in his words. HOWEVER, amazing guy, funny, and keeps class interesting. JUST ASK QUESTIONS!! He got me so interested in Philosophy that I declared it as my minor!!

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: PHI314
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

He gets off topic a lot and could be kind of boring, but it's fairly easy to pass the class if you can write essays. The assigned readings can be hard and time consuming to finish. I stopped reading them about halfway through and was able to finish the class with a decent enough grade, just had to review a bit for quizzes.