Dr. Spencer is a great teacher! His lectures are interesting and he makes sure that everyone really understands the material. The tests are easy as long as you show up to class and study the study guide. Overall, a great teacher that I recommend!

I find this class hard since I have never taken a philosophy class, however I show up to class, do the readings and do the assignments and have done very well. There are two essay exams, an annotated bibliography and ethics paper. I highly recommend Dr Spencer.

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He was my first professor for college. Awesome teacher. Made the class fun to learn about. Overall, awesome.

I wasn't too sure about the class before going to it, but it was so much fun, lots of class discussions which were very helpful. He worked with me through a very hard time in my life so I would still get the benefit of the class. Very understanding!

Fairly easy class. Minimal homework, fair exams, etc. But the 300 level PHL class is taught at a 100 level. If you already have experience in this field of study, get ready to be bored senseless.

Fun class, no attendance policy, interesting conversations. Lots of opportunity to get an A if you can write well and do the reading.

Excellent experience -- it will make a real difference in your life. Amazing!

Incredible professor! Even at eight in the morning his 2 hours lectures kept me involved and interested. very clear, helpful, and understanding. Fantastic discussions.

Dr. Spencer was wonderful! He tells you exactly how to study for his tests and if you take his advice you'll definitely get a good grade on the tests. The final paper was actually interesting to research and write. Highly recommended!

Lots of material covered in this class. Tests are straight forward, he tells you how to study for them. Attendance is not required but I would strongly recommend it. The text is stories about philosphers and he goes more into what they are really saying in the lectures. I learned a lot in this class.

Probably the most thought-provoking and inspiring professors I've had yet; certainly the best I've had at PSU.

Amazing teacher!!!! I looked forward to an 8am class for the first time ever! He is incredibly engaging and knows his subject very well! Completely worthwhile to take any of his classes!

Great teacher. Funny, very interesting, easy to understand. Work is straight forward and doable. Really enjoyed it!

Sincerely does enjoy bringing students "out of the cave". This has been one of my favorite courses in college. Spencer is extremely thoughtful and accessible.

Great professor! Philosophy in literature was thought-provoking,definitely learned a lot.He genuinely cares about students and he enjoyed his job a lot.Very reasonable with grades.Best!

Incredibly smart guy. Really knows a lot about Philosophy. Did an excellent job taking the view point of the Philosopher being discussed at the time and didn't let his own beliefs influence discussion (Philosophy of religion class).

He has very clear expectations and is fantastic about giving all the information that will be on the test. The workload is fairly light, which gives students lots of time for discussion/thought. However, he tends to teach more introductory courses, so more advanced philosophy students might be treading old ground. He makes it interesting anyway.

Inspiring, authentic, thought provoking.

Dr. Spencer is a great Prof. He's brilliant energetic and available to students. This was my first PH class and I loved it. If you have the chance take him!!

As a complete contrast to the previous comment, I found Dr. Spencer's class to be one of the easiest classes I have taken at PSU. All of his lectures are posted on line. Fore mideterm & final, he gives you a study guide which HE ACTUALLY USES ON THE FINAL & MIDTERM. I barely showed up, studied the guides & his powerpoint and still scored 100%

This was a hybrid class & extremely easy to pass. All lectures were online, if you listened & read the book, there is no reason not to get 100% on the tests.I opted not to show up after the midterm & walked away extremely confident that I did well on the final. Just study!

Dr.Spencer is an excellent teacher. He loves to teach what he knows and it shows! He made me want to keep studying philosophy because he made it so interesting. Definitely a class worth taking.

Really awesome professor. His lectures are interesting and clear as a bell. I did notexpect to enjoy the class, to be honest, but I ended up loving it. Definitely take Dr. Spencer if you're going to take a philosophy class. No guessing games, he makes it easy for you to succeed (and still learn something).

Spot on introduction to philosophy. Amazing clear and thoughtful in dicussions. In a class with over 100 students, he nonetheless pays attention to each person's opinion. Very personable as well. In the end, a great class to take to get the basics on philosophy, and thanks to Dr. Spencer be interested in taking more classes.

Great teacher. I learned so much. Brilliant, engaging, funny, (and totally sexy).

This was one of those classes I only missed once- and only because I absolutely had to. Class discussions are a blast, extremely thought-provoking.Think you've got a good defense for a moral opinion? He'll find a hole in your theory and plenty of evidence to back himself up! Material is explained extremely clearly, no surprises on exams. Loved it!

Took a hybrid course with him in the spring. I loved his class. He's smart and presents wordy material in a clear way. He's one of the few phil professors that asks you what you think. Follow his study guide suggestions and you'll do well on exams. Wish I could take him for all my courses at PSU.

Took Environmental Ethics as a hybrid course during the summer. Great use of technology, but I actually wished we had more lectures. Spencer's lectures are very engaging, he's funny and knowledgeable and pushes people to think and to engage with each other in discussions. Absolutely loved this class. And he's cute.

One of my favorite professors ever. He knows his stuff backwards and forwards, he is prepared with absolutely fascinating materials. He fosters extremely good conversations. Tests are a BREEZE. Just know terms on the study guide and that all you need to know. I have taken him 2 times already, and would take him again if I had the chance.

Great Prof, Took Enivronmental Philosophy and Issues with Life and Death with him and loved both classes. I always thought philosophy was a dull and boring subject until I had him. When the material got less interesting he found ways to spice it up or make it more relatable. It was clear that he respected his students and everyone respected him!

I had him for Intro to Philosophy as a hybrid. I looked forward to his lectures so much, that I actually wish it wasn't a hybrid. I liked his class so much, I took Philosophy of Religion with him.

Spencer is a very good introduction to philosophy professor. Lectures are clear and to the point with some anecdotes. Would love to get to be his friend because he has a charming personality. Provides very nice powerpoints and multiple viewpoints of philosophers. He got me to appreciate philosophy. Study Guides prepare you for tests very well.

Amazing teacher. He respects each student he lectures and wants to have a meaningful, while enjoyable class. He has a clear passion for philosophy and isn't scared to bring you into his personal life/getting to know the lives of his students. He does his absolute best to give each student that "ah-ha!" moment, challenging you to think and wake up!

Dr. Spencer is such an intelligent philosopher. The midterm and final were all essay questions, which I found difficult, though if you pay attention in class, it shouldn't be too hard for you. But the papers were pretty simple. He's also really helpful and a fun guy to talk to. I will take a class from him again!

Dr. Spencer is great. He's incredibly knowledgeable and helpful. He lectures most of the class but he tries to get class participation. Two papers and two tests which if you pay some attention to class and look at the study guides you'll pass with no problem. He helped me find a love for philosophy. I will take another class from him for sure!

Fantastic broad introduction to philosophy

Hands down greatest professor that ever lived! Even when I'm sick I don't want to miss class, he is passionate about philosophy and it shows in his incredible lectures. His test reviews are really thorough, and tests are challenging and fair, and they force you to put together the info you learned and apply it in your own way. BEST PROFESSOR EVER.

I was very impressed by Spencer's ability to make the difficult concepts of philosophy fun and engaging for those who know next to nothing about the subject. He is very knowledgable and probably one of the best professors PSU has in the Philosophy department. I would recommend taking his classes!

Most lectures were engaging, but not as much as I would have liked. On a few occasions his lecture was having the class watch another teacher give a lecture on youtube for two hours. Not the greatest.

Great professor. Interesting lectures and engaging readings. I had never taken a philosophy class before, and do not consider myself a strong writer, however I got an 100%. He grades top 7/12 weekly essays, and a final essay. He is a generous grader, which allowed for more critical thinking on the subject rather than worrying about grades. Take

Great professor. I took intro to philosophy with him my first term at school just to get my arts & letters credit and he immediately sparked an interest in philosophy for me -- I wanted to take all of his classes. I am unfortunately transferring out of PSU and I think I will miss Dr. Spencer's classes the most!

This has been the only class in my college career that I have not wanted to miss. Dr. Spencer is engaging with students, and makes all material interesting. Wish I was staying at PSU to take more of his courses.

Dr. Spencer's class on existentialism changed my life. Amazing AMAZING lecturer. Makes complex and dark philosophical concepts understandable and relatable. Heck, I understood Heidegger in this class and who understands Heidegger?? Highly recommended Prof. Wonderful.

Prof. Spencer is an amazing teacher. The time goes by so fast! He is engaging, encouraging, and responsive. His course layout is very well thought out and he is invested in his student's success. I had to miss a couple classes and was actually disappointed to miss his lectures. His power points are super useful as well.

Spencer is by far my favorite professor I've had at PSU and probably though my higher-education as well. He is extremely personable and a fantastic lecturer.

Dr. Spencer actively encourages discussion among the class in a no pressure way and never came off as smug when correcting anyone. He keeps the material super interesting. 2 open book exams, 2 papers. Attendance is not mandatory but I highly suggest just showing up for the lectures because he really makes the material easy to grasp.

I loved this class. Dr. Spencer has a way of getting a classroom engaged. Attendance in not mandatory, but his lectures are insightful and very helpful. Go to class and you will do well. Textbook use is minimal, but I would encourage to read before class because it makes it easy to be a part of interesting discussions.

Dr. Spencer is an amazing professor. He is great at leading interesting, thought-provoking discussions. He will point out oppressive language without making anyone feel alienated from discussion. Attendance not mandatory but very helpful. Grade was based on two 2-hour online tests and 2 papers.

What an awesome teacher, this is the way a class should be taught! no stress about tests and if you put some effort into the writing assignment you will get an A, besides that its a fun class!

Spencer is a fantastic lecturer, and I took an online course. The audio lectures really captured my attention, and taught me a lot. I expected little out of UNST and learned a lot. Prepare to have your life changed. Also, Spencer is a kind person. What a great class. I had no idea that UNST would be so challenging and rewarding.

This class was great. Dr. Spencer understands the right amount of homework and course load to assign. He does not grade too hard, but he does expect you to do your work. Sometimes he likes to hear his voice, and sometimes he relies too much on his viewpoint, but I would take any class he is teaching anytime. You will be glad you did.

Reading these reviews before I registered for classes, I was feeling pretty upbeat about my choice. However, the class was probably one of the worst I've taken in a while. Though it was just an Intro course, philosophy is something that deserves to be discussed, not lectured. Definitely not informative, left me feeling frazzled and in doubt.

Great lecturer. Dr Spencer handles people quite well, which is important in a discussion-based philosophy class. Cool person and a good teacher. His TA for the course was awful; Albert handled it well. After taking another UNST course I am running back to Spencer for a sane experience. I missed him! He also helped me to truly understand philosophy.

This is the second class I have taken with Dr. Spencer, and all I can say is that he is excellent. He clearly loves the subject matter, and strives to engage his students in thinking deeply about philosophy. Tests and assignments require work--reading and thinking, but are fair. If you engage with the material, you will succeed. No text necessary.

Lectures can be borings sometimes. But for the most part show up and you should do fine on the tests. Class paper can be hard to write, but he is an easy grader so you should do fine.

I really enjoyed this class and the material was fun to read about. Get ready for a big group project at the end of the term though, but it was fine and not super hard. Spencer is very organized, which is a big help because there is a lot of material to go through. Great class!

Missed every class after the first couple, my work just got in the way. Two exams open book online taken within a time frame of a few days. Had no time to really study, still passed. One 10 page paper. One annotated bibliography. He's a fairly easy grader. I'm pretty sure my paper would have been better served as toilet paper. Still got an B on it.

One of my fave classes ever. Material was fascinating & his style of audio lectures & excerpts but no book was perfect for me. This class does require you to use your brain & be able to write well, but if deep thinking & writing long trains of thought are your forte, this will be an easy A. Clear grading criteria. Good feedback. Highly recommend.

I loved this class.. The material is chosen carefully and challenging in the right ways. My summer was made infinitely better because I took the time to internalize the reading and engage with my classmates thoughtfully. Randy takes a course that is meant for a classroom and makes it work online. Also, no textbook. Would definitely take him again.

It had the perfect workload, we had summaries due at the beginning of the week but could skip 3. He can sometimes be unclear with expectations but he was always open to meet in his office. I found him really interesting, entertaining, and really enjoyed the lectures (and I am (was) not very interested in philosophy). Highly recommended!

I am not into philosophy, so to me it was a boring class. For the tests, I recorded his lectures (because he talks over info very fast) and relistened to them before taking his exams. Overall, not a difficult class if you put an effort into it. He has a test study guide, I found that very helpful.

This was the first philosophy class I have taken. I Enjoyed the class in part because of the enthusiasm of Spencer. He knows philosophy and is passionate about it. His lectures are fascinating, and he engages the students in lectures. He does have some extra credit.

Participate in the discussion, ask other students questions. Discussions are worth a good amount of your grade, but it is easy to get 100%. Learn the main ideas for the exams and be prepared to share your opinion. Do the readings, which are not bad and pay attention to the topics and questions asked in the slides and audio lectures. Should get an A

Probably my favorite professor at PSU. He cares very much for the subjects he teaches. You can expect that he will go over the material, and if you're interested in the subject, you'll find his lectures quite fascinating and thought provoking. Philosophy is a subject that requires reading, so if you do the reading, the tests should be fine.

I don't usually like philosophy classes but he is great. He makes things very interesting and is a fair grader. If you put in the work, you'll get a good grade. There is a lot of reading, but if you do all of it there's no reason you can't do well on his quizzes. There is a required textbook, but I didn't need it, I found everything online.

I took this phl. of sports class online for my junior cluster. Prof. Spencer is great! His video lectures are clear, concise, and to the point, on top of being interesting. His expectations for class participation and work are fair but can be time consuming. Watch lectures, take quiz, participate in discussion, write term paper A in class.

Fantastic lectures that are very interactive. Inspires and challenges you to look within. One of the best professors i have had.

Albert Spencer is a precious gem. Although he tends to share political opinions which he may or not be entirely educate on, he is a wonderful philosopher, a thoughtful existentialist, and a powerful teacher. His quizzes are challenging, so do the readings. Even though the course work was tough he did a wonderful job making the material accessible.

Great professor. I have to agree with reviews about the political aspects of his teaching style, but other than that, he's fantastic. I think he frames his instructing very well, and he provides a good background of existential philosophy. He is also genuinely concerned with each of his students' mental health, so he's very understanding.

Great class for fulfilling the junior cluster requirement. Weekly discussion posts, quizzes, and video lecture. Final paper due at the end of term. Dr. Spencer is a great professor.

Dr. Spencer was the best online professors I've ever had. Clear about what to do each week, an appropriate amount of work- not too much. He didn't neglect his online class like a lot of professors do- quick to grade. Just complete everything on the weekly overview, post in discussions, and you'll do great. I'd love to take another class from him!

Professor lays out the course in a digestible way that keeps the students engaged. I never thought I would be taking a Philosophy class, however, I am better for having taken the two courses I have from Dr. Spencer.

Online lectures are really helpful in figuring out the material. Quizzes are fairly easy, grades fair on the final paper, and offers some extra credit. I don't like philosophy but I was able to get through this class (Philosophy of Sports) without much trouble. This is a good choice if you already have a heavy course load, it won't add much work

Gives you week 5 and finals week off for his online class. One discussion (500 words, 4 responses) and one quiz (10 easy questions) a week. He drops 2 quizzes and quite a few discussions (3 or 4). Theres a paper for the final as well as some work in the mentor session. Grades the discussions pretty easy. Solid choice for SINQ

He's quick to grade assignments, lenient on grading and very accessible outside of class. His class is informative, interesting and an easy A.

Love this class. 10Q quizzes. 1 post & 3 responses on the text and 1 post 3 responses on the paper you work on all term. Seems like a lot but he drops 5 posts so he gives you opportunity to succeed. Honestly loved the material more then I ever though possible so the work didnt feel like work. 100% recommend. VERY quick to grade which is a blessing

One of the best professors at PSU! He doesnt put you on a pedestal and expect you to know everything about the subject matter. Hes far from a tough grader, and drops a total of five of your lowest assignments! Its really up to you if you get an A or not!

One of the only teachers whose video lectures are worth watch! The topics are super interesting and he does a good job of showing both sides of philosophical arguments. There are a lot of readings but they all are really interesting. Not too much work, read, write a short post or two & a quiz every week. The final is a paper on a topic of choice

Professor Spencer was a very good online instructor and made everything very clear (due dates for discussions, quizzes, final paper). The discussions were very thought provoking and enjoyable to do. This class really made me think differently about ethics and Spencer made a dry topic very interesting.

This professor is solid. He has you work on two discussions a week, make sure you do your discussion for the paper, then at the end you can piece the work together from your discussions and voila term paper! You must read to pass the quizzes. Follow the discussion criteria. Enjoy.

He's awesome at grading and everything. If you are at PSU and look for an upper-division course with easy A, go for him. It would be great if you can have a group and help each other in this class on the quizzes. Easy final paper, easy weekly discussions, and you get an A.

Dr. Spencer was awesome. He is very lenient on discussion posts and you could skip about 4 and still get an A. The online lectures are great too. The final paper is about 2k words but if you participate in the discussion posts throughout the term- you basically have your paper done after a couple of edits. Best class to take for a cluster.

!!SUMMER CLASS FOUR WEEK ACCELERATED!! - On your mark, get set, GO! You will be hitting the ground sprinting. Great class if you can get a head of work, each week had one 500 word discussion post w/3 response, a pre-final paper discussion post w/3 responses and a quiz. You have a final paper, but all the work done in class should prepare you.

One 10 question quiz and a 300-500 word discussion post a week. These make up 80% of grade. Easy A and good material for an introductory course. However, you can't see which questions you missed on the tests so it's difficult to know what you did wrong or where you need to study. Even on weeks I felt good about the material, I sometimes bombed.

Dr. Spencer is awesome! The class layout is very straightforward. One 500 word discussion along with 4 responses and one quiz per week. Make sure you read the chapters to pass the quiz and do the readings for the discussions. Also listen to the audio lectures. Only con is that he barely interacts with the class like the other reviews say.

If you ever get a chance to take one of Professor Spencer's philosophy classes, I highly recommend it. In American Philosophy, I was struck by his passion for the subject material, ability to unpack all of the details and history of the subject, and engagement with the class. Every time I came to class I knew I was going to get a great lecture.

Favorite professor at PSU! Very simple lectures and the class is very interesting, especially for sports fans. Make sure you're doing work each week, mostly the workshops as it helps with your paper at the end of the term. He drops the lowest 2-3 grades of each quiz, discussion posts, and assignments. Definetly recommend and will take again!

Canvas: weekly discussions (answer a prompt a week, respond to a few), very easy weekly not-free book quizzes (reading actually unnecessary, just skim, find, answer), maybe something else but I forgot. Final was an essay. Class is overall extremely easy, an A is practically guaranteed. Professor: flexible, responds fast.

The format is predictable per week. 2 discussion posts (1 lecture, and 1 workshop for final) are due Wednesday followed by three replies per each (the first post 500+ words and a question). There is also a quiz at the end of the week. Not much reading, overall very smooth sailing class.

Discussion, Worksheet and Quiz due every week. Teacher is responsive to email & accommodates extensions. There are a total of 11 assignments dropped by the end of the term, but I would recommend doing at least the minimum required that is stated on the syllabus. Final is a paper due at the end of term, which include all the workshops combined.

Clearly deeply passionate about the subjects. Cares deeply about student success, has carefully designed online classes to be super accessible. Works to make the projects work for the students. Sometimes challenging material, but the professor makes it all so worthwhile.

Professor Spencer's PHL369U class has a smooth format - weekly discussions, quizzes, and a final paper. While the online textbook he designed has some technical issues, the video lectures are engaging. unstuckstudy and other study aids were super helpful for acing the quizzes. Overall, a solid and manageable class.

One of my favorite professors of all time. His classes are structured to be really accessible, breaking down big projects into manageable chunks so finals week isn't overwhelming. He really cares about his topics and makes it easy to understand. Highly recommend his classes. I'm not even a sports person, but his philosophy of sports was phenomenal.