Joseph Cummins - Grinnell College

Professor: Joseph Cummins

Department: Philosophy

College: Grinnell College

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: TUT101
• 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 had Prof. Cummins for tutorial. The class was pretty good. The readings he chose were engaging and relevant to the course. When it comes to assignments though, he can be pretty bad. Not only is he a really harsh grader, the comments he gives on essays are few and sometimes not really helpful. I would still recommend the class though.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: TUT10007
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I had Professor Cummins for tutorial (The Ancient Greek World). I admired his professionalism, boundaries, and old-school style. Discussions were well facilitated and substantive. He's tough but fair. There is lots of reading and it's hard to get by without doing it. I learned a great deal about the subject and how to write concisely.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: PHI101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Professor Cummins graded writings rigorously, especially with grammar and structure. In order to get an A, you have to minimize your grammar mistakes and include every important point that the passage covers. Though I had many Bs, I still got an A for the final grade. Very organized class that managed to cover everything in the syllabus.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: PHI101
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

He's clearly an old-school kind of guy that has his way of doing things. It mostly worked for Logic. There's daily homework--exercises from the textbook--and then pretty much every class is just going over those exercises. So, you don't /have/ to do the work, but be careful not to fall behind too far--it'll come back to bite you come test time.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: TUT10007
• Grade Received: INC
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

He is a very tough professor but he cares a lot about what he teaches and if you put in effort he notices.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: PHI231
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

This was by far the best course I have ever taken, in any subject. I cannot stress how fantastic this man's lectures are. He is engaging, interesting, amusing, and really makes sure you understand the material well. He is also excellent at leading class discussion. If you take one class at Grinnell, take it from him.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: PHI231
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Absolutely fantastic professor. His lectures are extremely clear. When he laughs he is super adorable. Hardest professor I have ever taken a class with but his class is still my favorite so far and he is definitely one of the best professors out there. You'll learn A LOT and LOVE IT.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: HUM101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Cummins is excellent. His class is hard, but he cares so much about it, and you, that you are driven to work hard for it. Don't know anyone who ever regretted taking his class.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: LAT334
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Kicked all of our asses all of the time. Massive amounts of work, and a tough grader on tests. Graded down for choices of English words that didn't have the right connotations, and it was tricky to get the right balance between true to the Latin and colloquial. Also improved my Latin more than any other class I've taken.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: HUM101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Professor Cummins is a great professor. Definitely one of the harder profs I've had, but also his class was my favorite last semester. He really pushes you think and loves his material which makes class so much more fun. I really did grow as a writer and reader in his class and would definitely recommend his classes to others.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: PHI233
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Joe Cummins is a bit of a hard ass, but I learned a lot in his class. Take the oral exams, not the written! He tends to prod students for what they learned in class, so be sure to get something out of your reading. All in all, he is very engaged in the material, but not as compassionate and caring as Grinnellians would like.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: PHI231
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Amazing. He expects you to know the assigned readings, and will call on random people to gauge how well you've prepared. He demands a lot, but this class was easily the best class I've had yet at Grinnell. Highly knowledgeable and very willing to offer constructive criticism.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: PHIL234
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

He is a good prof but is sometimes confusing about what exactly he expects from you. He gets grouchy if you don't know the material, and happy if you do. Beware, he will call on you randomly, and if you don't know the answer, you'll look like a fool. I learned a ton from his class, worked hard and was generally rewarded.

Rating # 14

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

one of the best professors I ever had

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: GRE302LAT34
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

merciful with the less experienced members of the class. you WILL lean philosophy too if you are there for the language. For Plato, come prepared and you'll do fine even if you struggled in GRE 222. Intimidating, not warm and fuzzy, but he does care how you're doing. Will tell you if you are wrong.

Rating # 16

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

I have never been more impressed with a professor. His dedication to the material and the class is astounding, and he really does care about his students. He makes you work harder than anyone else I've encountered, but he is quick to praise you for the trouble. Take his class; work your ass off.

Rating # 17

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

one of the best professors I've had

Rating # 18

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

A good teacher, but be prepared for a thorough ass kicking, but if you want to bump up your writing and scholastic skills, though, the only way to go. Kind of quiet but a good guy; helpful, dedicated prof who obviously knows, and loves his field.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: ANCIENT
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

the below entry = truth.

Rating # 20

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

The man is terrifying, but by the time you've gotten past the abject terror of letting him peer deep into your soul and judge you unworthy, you'll think back on him as one of the best profs you've had.