Great teacher... learn a lot.

He is extremely helpful. It was boring because it is philosophy, but I got an A and it was because he was helpful to me outside of class.

if youre looking for an easy class this is not it. you have to read a lot, he graded essay exams rather picky, but hes a nice guy and was willing to work with you.

He was very very nice, but his class could be a little boring. He lectured the whole time, but if you had any questions he was more than willing to help. He helped you out with grades as much as possible if you put in the effort. Just keep up w/ reading.

His class is boring, but the grades are all from papers and essay tests. So, if you can write, you can get an A. I didn't read ANYTHING for this class-- he tell you everything you need to know during lecture.

He knows his material well. There is a TON of reading, but take really good notes and the reading is less important. Tests weren't hard; he gives you the questions before hand. Advice: Pay Attention In the class and you'll do fine.

The class is kind of difficult, but if you pay attention in class and take good notes, you will do fine. He really knows what he is talking about and his lectures will tell you everything you need to know. I never thought of myself enjoying phil., but he has made me somewhat interested in it.

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Lectures A LOT. Gives you test answers and essays in advance so you can study/ask questions. Take lots of notes and you can get a B easily. Good sense of humor too.

Either Intro. to or 2nd philosophy class I took. He was pretty good. Seemed a little weird, but he was a great professor.

Frankly, Szymkowiak is a guy who knows his stuff, but doesn't dumb it down for the average student who doesn't give a damn about philsophy anyway. If you make an effort, a B is relatively easy, though you have to work for an A, but most people don't bother. One of the better profs. in the philosophy dept., in my opinion.

Good teacher, but u have to be willing to pay attention all class. He lectures all class and gives good notes and outlines for the test. He practically gives you every answer for the essay tests, which is really helpful. Hes a nice guy but if u don't feel like paying attention in class, u might not want to take him. You don't need to read anything!

Great prof. People complaint that he speaks "above" them, but he's just a really smart guy. He has trouble dumbing the material down for people who've never read a book in their lives. He makes PHIL easy and outlines for all the books so studying is almost a non-effort. He will also explain his big words if you ask him to.

I love Professor Szymkowiak! He inspired me to be a philosophy major; however, if you aren't interested in the subject, I can see how you would have a hard time in his class. He grades fairly and is easy, especially if you have him check your answers prior to the test/when the paper is due.

The only thing that astonishes me more than Szymkowiak's brilliance is the failure of so many students to fathom it. It is not just his legibility; I remember being blown away by his punctuality. Lookit, if people can't grasp his critique of Kant's "Perpetual Peace" then maybe they should be taking Health Ed 46. I can't wait for the next class!

If you realize to write a practice essay for each possible exam question, which is what the exam is, questions you have to respond in essay form to, then you will get an A. I liked this class and it inspired me to take more philosophy classes. Good teacher.

Great teacher for philosphy. Some students in the class struggle, but if you pay attention and take good notes you will be fine. Also, he is very willing to help as long as you actually utilize his offers of office hours and draft review for papers.

i loved szymkowiak! he was a great professor and such a nice guy! he was so helpful and explained everything, not to mention he would give you the test questions ahead of time and would always be free for help!

Hard grader and a lot of reading but a really nice guy. He's also really helpful and he will read the drafts for your essays before you turn them in and get you on target.

I took his honors class and yes it wasn't easy but very interesting. He's very informative and extremely nice. People always complain that they hate his class but I honestly don't know why. He's awesome! Don't take his class if you don't feel like working hard. My first paper was a D. ha but my last was an A. I loved it. Really learned a lot! :)

His class is dull, but he is very helpful. He'll read over rough drafts of the two papers you have to write if you give them to him early, and he tells you almost exactly what he wants as answers for questions on the exam. Recommended if you want an easy A: just study your exam questions carefully beforehand. Doing a practice one wouldn't hurt.

I got an A in this course by taking a lot of notes, reading the assignments & going to him for help with papers. I found him VERY helpful. He gives advance copies of essay&exam questions AND reviews them up front; how much more help can he give? More class participation could've broken up so much lecture:that's on the students as much as the prof.

i did not read any of the books and just took notes in class and got a B still. just go to him and ask questions.

Great teacher! 2 tests, 2 papers, a final, and participation make up your grade. He gives you advance copies of the possible test questions, and is always willing to help out. Also, he will read over your paper before you turn it in. I was so nervous for philosophy, but he made it interesting! You have to work and take good notes...great class!

I am an older student and this was a shocker. He tells you what he wants and meters the reading at sensible levels and if you show up, listen, and participate, you will be fine. He makes the course as sensible as you can get with Philosophy. I find it has changed the way I look at things afterward.

Before taking this class,I had absolutely no interest in Philosophy as I had never taken a class before.He changed my view on life though honestly with his very insightful lectures and class discussions.I got an A on all papers and assignments by simply going to him and asking for help.People who find him difficult just aren't willing to work hard.

This class was incredibly hard and required a lot of work, but if you are willing to work for it (even get a tutor like I did) an A is possible, but not likely.

I took this class during the 2-week summer session. I was afraid of PHIL. This class was not as bad as feared. It was intense reading, all essay tests, and essay hmwk. I recommend writing down everything he says in class and use that along with reading to study and for essay assignments. I didn't get an A, but enjoyed it and learned a ton.

Kind of a picky grader. 2 papers,1 summary presentation, 1 midterm, 1 final, questions given before hand. Assigns a lot of readings. Grants 10 absences. Cool dude, talks forever, pretty boring.

Prof S. is a great choice for Phil 100. He provides simple outlines and his lectures are very clear. He is quite helpful when providing feedback for papers and in preparing students for exams.

Prof S is an awesome. He really makes philosophy 101 something to enjoy. He tries to make it as easy as possible to learn by giving outlines and study guides for his midterms and final. He gives a decent amount of reading throughout the semester but that's because its obviously a Philosophy class based on Philosopher's works. Highly recommend.

4 grades in class: 2 papers, midterm, and final. Not hard to do well, as he gives very clear instructions. Class is by far the most boring I have ever taken (really discovered my inner artist). Purely lecture based, however, I would willingly sit through a boring class if it means an A. Would take again

Dr. S's class gets dull at some points and is only graded by four things: two papers, one tests, and the final. If you talk to him with your papers you will do fine on them and if you pay attention in the lectures you will be fine for the tests as long as you do a little bit of preparation. He does send out test questions early for studying.

Lectures werent necessarily exciting but I think thats just philosophy. He is way more straightforward than any other phil prof Ive had. Go into his office and he will tell you exactly what to do, the papers and finals are extremely straightforward from what was discussed in class.

He assigns readings for each class but talks through all of it, so you don't really need to read to know what's going on. For tests, he gives you the questions ahead of time and goes through exactly what you need to know. For the papers, you have plenty of time and get to pick what question to answer, and he'll give feedback if you send a draft.

I think hes a great professor. He gives great lectures. If you dont read the book, just show up for class and take notes on what he says. By time you leave class youll feel like youve read the whole book and have a great understanding. There isnt much homework other than reading and essays. Just be ready to write a lot

Dr. S was a great prof. and good person. People on here are dinging him for being boring, but it's a Phil. in Ethics class, what do you expect. During his lectures he goes over the readings, so if you pay attention you don't have to read. If you pay attention in class and study for the tests there is no reason why you shouldn't get at least a B/B+.

Your grade in the class is based off of 2 essays and 2 tests. Szymkowiak is a really dynamic lecturer and he made the material interesting. He is willing to go the extra mile and your proof papers, or zoom with you to answer questions. Tough grader, but if he knows you put in the effort, he will help you get a good grade! Highly recommend.

Professor Szymkowiak is a great one, he really cares about your learning and if you are able to understand the material. Your grade is only 4 assignments: 2 papers, a midterm and final which are in a timed essay format. For the long term papers, you can send in drafts many times and he will provide really helpful advice to improve your paper.

Szymkowiak is an incredibly smart and caring professor who offers dynamic lectures over the nightly reading. Graded by a midterm, final, and two papers which you can send to him for feedback. If you take decent notes, there's no reason you can't get an A. One of the smartest professors I have come across at Xavier and also one of my favorite.

He is very knowledgable, but is VERY lecture heavy. He did not do anything else the whole semester. He does make lectures entertaining, though, and is always available for help on any assignment. Gives great feedback on papers and will even go through all exam questions as a class before the exam.

Lets me honest, Philosophy is so boring. He does his best job to make it interesting. To be honest, I didnt pay attention in his class one time. He only has like 4 grades for the whole year. This class is an easy B if you do the bare minimum. I would take him again if I needed to take PHI 200 again.

Where do I begin, Dr Szymkowiak is one of the best professors that this university has to offer. His lectures were very thourough but easy to understand. He explained complex topics in a fun and easy way. I would HIGHLY reccomend him for any philosophy class because he is simply the best, top of the line. Excellent guy, and professor.