Joseph Murphy - Georgetown University

Professor: Joseph Murphy

Department: TBD

College: Georgetown University

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: THEO001
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Class discussions were fun. Not too much reading. Easily the worst thing about him is how strict he is with participation, so try to say something every class. Go to his office hours before papers, he'll give hints on what he wants. Fine choice for POG (if you don't mind a lower grade), but he may already be retired by the time I'm writing this.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: THEO001
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

To this day, one of the worst professors I've had at Georgetown (I took him freshman fall and am now a junior). Murphy is borderline senile and said some extremely questionable things during lecture. Participate every class and you might get an 8/10 for participation. Average GPA for my semester: 3.24. Do not take for Problem of God.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: THEO001
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Professor Murphy is a charismatic and funny guy, who has a lot of energy for his 9am class. His Problem of God course is decent with 3 essays (20% each), a final (30%), and participation (10%). He is a harsh grader on the essays, so you got to write them the way he wants you to to get anything above a B+. Follow the structure he recommends!

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: THEO001
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Avoid this class if you want an A; it's almost impossible to get anything better than a B+. Besides this, great guy, many funny anecdotes, prompts deep discussions, and presents important texts. Good choice for atheists. Heavily based on participation and daily blog posts. Participation + three 5-paged essays + Final exam (2 prepared-essays).

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: THEO001
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

please just dont take him if youre looking for an easy A in problem of god. this class is such a waste of my time and energy. he grades papers so hard, makes you structure them weirdly, and he judges opinions.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: THEO031
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Not much work throughout the semester, just do not procrasinate working on the paper. His lectures are really enganging and fun.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: THEO031
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Professor Murphy is a happy guy who is understanding of the circumstances of a college student. He is clear about deadlines and walks you through the 20 page paper. Even though the paper is rough, it is doable in the context of the rest of the class. A really nice, caring guy!

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: THEO001
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Your grade is based on a few papers, which he grades pretty harshly so you might want to go to his office hours if you aren't a great writer. Papers + final + participation 100 points, so every point you lose is full percentage point off your entire grade. Biggest piece of advice: try to say something each class. He REALLY rewards participation.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: THEO001
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

He is very happy professor who is knowledgable and passionate about theology. He is not biased which is nice for a theology class. There is reasonable level of reading, and class discussion is interesting. There is light homework and a couple essay but criteria is clear and overall is a great choice for a theology professor

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: THEO001
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

You definitely need to go to class, and participation is essential if you want an A, but he is a fantastic professor and clearly enjoys teaching the class. Readings are short and the assignments are reasonable. His class is a great Problem of God option for non-religious/non-Catholic Georgetown students.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: THEO031
• 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:

He is so silly in class and obviously very passionate. He really cares about his students and his lectures are engaging and fun. Easy class--almost no work, don't have to do the readings. But the 20 page paper is rough.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: THEO001
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Joseph Murphy is a wonderful professor. He has clear expectations and shows great passion for his subject. You have to be willing to do the readings (which are short) and discuss them, but he is a fair grader and the emphasis on class participation makes his class more fun than most Problem of God classes, which tend to be lecture heavy.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: THEO054
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

I took Professor Murphy for Comparative Mythology and found he is really knowledgable and keeps lectures interesting. There is a midterm, final and 20 page research paper.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: THEO035
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I love Murphy! He is my favorite professor. I've taken four of his classes. Each one was amazing. He has been the highlight of my time at Georgetown! A's are very possible.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: THEO035
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Murphy is such a character. You'll leave each class unsure as to what just happened, but you'll somehow finish the semester feeling like you've grown as a person and can speak intelligently on Latin American Folk Religions, and religion in general. Hard for a gen ed, but that's why we go to Georgetown, right? Definitely worth the challenge.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: THEO169
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

Went into this class thinking it'd be a boring second theology requirement. It came out as my favorite class so far. He's an expert at African religions and has a deep passion that extends beyond scholarly interest. Has a lot of personal stories about his travels and experiences. Truly makes the class feel fun and easy while actually teaching you.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: THEO001
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Murphy is really passionate about the subject which rubs off on the kids. He also criticizes religion which is really nice. Office hours are a pretty good chance to talk more in depth about specific topics. He spends way too much time in class talking instead of letting students talk. Hard to get an A, but he curves the final grade 1-2%.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: THEO001
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

I looked forward to this class every week. Although it is hard to get a good grade with his grading scale (each point off a paper is 1% of your grade & to get an A you can only miss 5 points), his class is always interesting. The readings were very short, but made you think. His class is probably impossible to get above a B+. MAKE SURE YOU TALK

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: THEO001
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Murphy is a very interesting lecturer. He approaches the Problem of God class in a way that looks at most major religions of the world. He is a tough grader on his papers, and I found it difficult to write theology papers without prior guidance.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: THEO001
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Murphy's class seems easy, but it is slightly deceptive. The whole class is out of 100 points, so every point off an assignment is 1% off the final grade. Essay topics can be a bit confusing, and grading is on the slightly harder side. Class itself is interesting, and Murphy brings a lot of personality. Workload is relatively light, but consistent.