Michael Boyle - Missouri State University, Springfield, MO

Professor: Michael Boyle

Department: Philosophy

College: Missouri State University, Springfield, MO

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: PHI115
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

He's really passionate about the subject, which makes it really interesting to learn about. He explains things thoroughly and clearly. The tests (3) are the only things that make up your grade, but they are super easy if you go to class and take notes.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: PHI115
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

MY FAVORITE TEACHER AND CLASS AT MSU! The lectures are very interesting, funny & easy to understand. You do have to show up or you might get lost, but he does give a recap about what was said the day before. His tests are VERY easy and there is always an extra credit question on there. He gives out readings (you don't need to do) and no homework!

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: UHC110
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Boyle is SO thoughtful of his students. He will let us out of class early if its bad weather to give us more time to get to our next classes. He is quirky but cares a lot about what he teaches and his students. Also it is NOT difficult to get an A in his class if you attend regularly and pay attention, and put some effort into what you turn in.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: PHI110
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

I got no lower than a 99 on every test with minimal effort. I just went into the notes he gave us on blackboard and practically wrote word for word what he wrote. It was time consuming because they are long answers. Just split it up into two days. All tests are done at home and given a full week before they are due.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: PHI105
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Michael Boyle is a very good professor of philosophy. You can tell he is a very intelligent individual and knows the material that he teaches very well from teaching it over likely a long period of time. I learned more about philosophy and how to think well in this class than I have in any other. Bravo, Michael.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: PHI105
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

He actually cares about his students. He definitely knows what he's talking about, & explains things well. He kind of yells during lectures and grunts a lot which can be distracting used to, but easily ignored. He doesn't believe in textbooks, all readings are online. The material is super fascinating & if you put effort in, you'll do fine. Easy A

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: PHI105
• Grade Received: C
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

I honestly took Philosophy as a gen ed. If you're not really into that type of material I advise taking another gen ed to complete the requirement. The only points you get are for 3 tests plus an optional paper. (You don't get any points for attendance and you don't get points for the final class meeting either) If you miss lecture, you're screwed.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: PHI105
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I actually learned a good amount from this class, surprisingly. All of his tests are take-home and you have a week to complete them. As long as you give clear answers that prove you know the information, you will get an A. He is a tough grader though. There is no homework, just test. You have to attend class, all information is given there.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: PHI105
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

You'll get a workout in this class because Dr. Boyle will write stuff on the board behind the projector cart, and he won't move it, so you'll have to constantly get up to actually see what he wrote. Also, for a class called "critical thinking," we do zero critical thinking. We are just asked to regurgitate his lectures onto the test.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: PHI105
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

The course grade is made up of 3 tests (2 plus the final) all tests are take home though including the final. You get over a week to do them. Take good notes because some test questions as for specific examples of things he talked about in class. You can probably pass the class without ever attending lecture but it would be pushing it.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: PHI105
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Terrible grader. Seems very nice when you go to office hours, and then he'll tear apart your self esteem all over essay tests and make you feel like you need to drop out. His lecture format is difficult to stay engaged and not easy to follow.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: PHI105
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Mr. Boyle is definitely one of the smartest people I have ever met. Some of the things he talks about will probably go over your head, but he doesn't expect you to learn everything. He's a pretty easy grader as long as he can tell you put in effort

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: PHI105
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Most interesting class and teacher I had this semester. Lectures could get stuffy sometimes, but they were super in depth and interesting. Take home tests that he gave you a week on, answered any questions about, and had graded a week later. Don't sit in the front row unless you want intense eye contact and a loud, booming voice every class.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: PHI105
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Critical Thinking was probably the hardest class I had in terms of material but it was easy to understand because of the professor. TAKE GOOD NOTES. The only textbook you need is Phantom Tollbooth & you don't even really need it because he explains every reading in his class. Tests are take home. Write a good paragraph or more on each question.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: UHC110
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Took this class freshman year for my honors course. While most of his classes were him lecturing, he did so in a way that made it interesting. I don't know if its just because of the course I was taking, but he also made the information relevant to our lives. Basically no homework, except like 3 papers that are pretty easy if you go to class.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: PHI105
• Grade Received: B-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Super awesome guy and the content of the class is actually pretty interesting! Definitely go to class and pay attention! I recommend printing off the notes in advanced and then writing in stuff he says! The tests are take home but are far from easy if you never go to class.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: UHC110
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Loved him! His lectures are so interesting and he builds in some repetition for some of the more complex ideas. I took him for a freshman seminar class and we very rarely had homework, just three papers that weren't graded too harshly. This is a good class to take if you're somewhat interested in philosophy but it won't be your major or minor.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: PHI105
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Attendance is not required but it would be hard to do well if you don't go to class. He goes over a lot of notes and explains it further in class. There are only 3 tests and they were all take home and an optional paper at the end. If you go to class and pay attention is should be a fairly easy class.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: PHI115
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Three tests in the class, that's it. No homework or anything. Boyle gives very concise lectures that are actually interesting and fairly straightforward/easy to digest. Tests are all 10 questions long, essay/short answer format. You have a week to do it. Not a hard class really, but you will fail this class if you aren't a self-motivating student.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: PHI105
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

He is the best professor/teacher I have every had. He is very clear with his lectures and makes them extremely interesting. never have I wanted to learn so much in a class. He gives all his readings online on Blackboard and goes over them in class. He really cares mostly that you learn, rather than just getting a good grade.