Michael Arts - Brigham Young University

Professor: Michael Arts

Department: TBD

College: Brigham Young University

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: PHIL202
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

There are not many assignments in class. He is very wordy and hard to understand, but pay attention because the answers he is looking for are often not in the reading. He grades hard on the papers, and the instructions are not clear. ASK HIM QUESTIONS-It will help! He expects a lot, but put in the work and reach out with concerns, you will be fine.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: PHIL201
• Grade Received: C
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

There are not many assignments in class. Quizzes, papers, (8 pg paper) midterm, and extra credit final. He is very wordy in class and hard to understand, but you need to pay attention because the answers he is looking for are often not in the reading. He grades hard on the papers, and the instructions are not clear. ASK HIM QUESTIONS-It will help!

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: PHIL202
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

This class was ridiculous. He has very specific and strangely worded quizzes that are worth most of your grade and does not cover the material on them fully in class! He is also very vague about other places to find the information. You will not do well even if you feel you have learned the material well.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: PHIL202
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

The top score in my class is a 92%, and only one student got above 90%. He only has a few papers and quizzes, so the class isn't too work heavy, but it is very difficult to understand. He is vague and does not always cover what is on the tests. The class is a pretty easy C but nearly impossible A. Do NOT take this is you want a high college GPA.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: PHIL202
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Professor Arts is a great professor. He has a slight accent since English is his second language but he's understandable. Best compliment(s): easy grader . He also cares about students. Totally willing to work with you if you're late for an assignment. Best criticism(s): he's REALLY lecture heavy and can be boring if that's not your learning style.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: PHIL2050
• Grade Received: C-
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

YOU GUYS! I got all As and high Bs through the semester and got a hard earned C- in this class. Professor Arts is hard to contact and his quizzes do not reflect anything learned from in class. Everyone I spoke with from my class had low grades! Save your gpa, take it from another professor. I promise youll thank me later!

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: PHIL202
• 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:

Really hard grading, oddly specific quizzes. Although I got full marks or A+'s on every essay, despite how hard the midterm essays were graded (19/20 for me), I got 2/5 for most of the quizzes because they're written to confuse you. I would have an A in the class if not for these quizzes; instead, I have a C. He doesn't respect your time in class.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: PHIL2050
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

I personally loved Arts. We had a great class and we all participated regularly. He's honestly a goofball so don't be surprised when he messes up. His classes aren't structured so just watch him do the proofs. He eventually was teaching slower than what our homework covered so thats annoying but its a very interesting topic.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: PHIL205
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Even the other professors in the department will tell you not to take this or any other class from him. Often made mistakes in correcting homework that took the entire class to resolve. Forgot to teach an entire half-unit before a test. Not sure why he still works at BYU, avoid Prof. Arts at all costs. The only way to get an A is the textbook.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: PHIL202
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Very dry lectures. Overall grade is based on a few papers (no grading criteria is given so you just have to wing it), a midterm essay, and a multiple choice final. He doesnt grade too hard on the papers, but it is difficult to know what he is looking for. Only take this class if you are interested in REALLY understanding the views of philosophers.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: PHIL202
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Worst class structure I have ever seen. The textbook was never mentioned and the paper grading criteria was non-existent. The worst thing was the comprehensive final, (We had no idea on what though) and worth 25% of the grade. No real study help and despite the average grade being an F he didn't curve the test. AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: PHIL202
• 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:

Philosophy is interesting stuff, but his lectures are extremely dry with little to no class involvement. The criteria by which he grades papers is very unclear, so if you don't write what he's looking for you will get a low score, and since there are so few assignments this can really mess up your grade. I would recommend taking from someone else.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: PHIL205
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

The book was way more helpful than the professor. He even told us the day the test opened that there would be a whole extra unit and a half we hadn't even covered in class that we would be tested on that. Completely unclear expectations and difficult to get any help from him. He wouldn't even tell us where the logic lab was. DO NOT TAKE FROM HIM!

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: PHIL205
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

He is a great person but some great people should not be professors. He requires you to know things that he has not gone over in class for the tests. There is a TA lab for this class which all other 205 classes had access to which we did not because he never told us about it. I'm not sure he understands how to help his students learn effectively.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: PHIL202
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

PHIL202 was one of my less stressful classes. It still required some effort for papers and studying, but was very do-able. There were about 6 papers (variable length) but no tests (besides the final). Arts is a bit dry, but he is a fair grader and knowledgeable in many subjects. Go to class, take notes, ask questions, and enjoy the class.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: PHIL2050
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

each week you will have either a quiz, short paper, or 4-5 page paper due. I took his class once a week on Tuesdays so every Tuesday something was due. He lectures the entire class period and tries to get you to think really deep. You will read at least 10 pages of a story or book each week.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: PHIL100
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

Professor Arts explains philosophical concepts in a way that helps you understand and makes you think. Although the grading criteria could be more specific, his class is fairy easy.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: PHIL205
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

I love Dr. Arts as a person, but I would never recommend this class to anyone! He doesn't really teach you anything, you must teach yourself all of the material. His grading criteria is incredibly confusing. He tests you on material that hasn't been covered yet. His lectures are really dry and full of tangents. Easy enough class but you won't learn

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: PHIL201
• 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:

Michael Arts is quiet and subdued but super chill and very reasonable. The class is entirely lecture-based, but with an involved group it can be an interactive discussion at times. Your only grades are the occasional critical papers or summaries of historical texts-- no homework. The material is interesting and Arts is just a really great guy!

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: PHIL420
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Michael Arts class on Wittgenstein changed my life. Literally the most important class I took as an undergrad.