3.0
Quality3.8
Difficulty20%
Would Retake91
Reviews20%
Would Retake
91
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
34
4
12
3
5
2
9
1
31
What Students Say
“Worst teacher I have ever had”
PHIL102 - 1.0 rating“This guy ruined my life”
PHIL001 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
59%
Textbook Required
43%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
C+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.32 avg changeRatings by Course
PHIL200
5.0
(1)2DIFFERENT
5.0
(1)GREATPHIL
5.0
(1)ETHICSETC
5.0
(1)PHIL306
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
PHILOSOPHY
5.0
PHIL104
5.0
ETHIC0102
5.0
PHIL501
5.0
PHIL0102002
5.0
Reviews (91)
even his night class keeps you awake
Very effective, fun learning environment
He is the man!
A challenging course that I still talk about.
Brad is a very nice guy, and has a great sense oh humor. Though some of his humor might take a dig at your religion of choice, but all I can say is keep an open mind.
great sense of humor. Yes, he's an atheist, but he won't go to hell because there is no such place. More respectful than Tetrault, but same basic philosophy. Take his class.
no attendance grades, no homework, no quizzes. 2 papers and that's the WHOLE grade. funny, knows his stuff, very helpful if approached. tough on grading papers and looks out for plagiarism. liked VERY much.
awesome guy. not a bad core class
no quizzes/tests. attendance doesn't count. 2 major papers, which he grades tough. funny guy though, smart and always willing to help.
Wonderful, wonderful teacher. He really gets you to think about things from new angles, and he has an amazing outlook on life. One of the best teachers I've EVER had.
Dr.Art is the best. He is very nice and helpful. If I ever come back to this college is only for him.
Brad Art is a highly entertaining teacher. He has a unique sense of humor that almost anyone will find funny. He opens your mind regarding your religion and isn't afaraid to talk about anything. His classes are great!
one word: dead baby jokes and the ark of the covanent is in his basement. awesome teacher!
As an atheist, he makes me want to convert to Catholicism. Disagrees with points you make only to bring them up in his own discussions later. Offensive, but in a roundabout fashion (at least Tetrault just says what he means). Hippies from N. Dakota are not philosophers.
Great course...great prof.
Nothing is taboo in Art's class (i.e. dead babies). You just sit in a circle and talk. Sometimes the the discussions stray from the topic but he always connects it to the reading assigments.
So good I took another philosophy class just for fun. Very engaging and a ton of fun.
No Comments
He graded me lower on my optional paper than my other 2 papers?? i begged him for a B- and he gave me one when my actual grade was a C. so i liked this guy. He grades very hard.
by far the smartest man alive.
There is no God and it's not his fault. Raised and still a practicing Catholic, I found his ideas challenging and engaging. He presents his class in a discussion setting and really trains you to have an open mind. To get a lot out of his class, you must be prepared to be challenged and engage in the discussions- not just sit there. I'm going to take another Philosophy class with him in Spring 2006 just for fun becuase he was so great.
Classes are interesting but just because people are encouraged to say ANYTHING. I didn't learn any philosophy. He seemed more interested in the girls in the class than actually TEACHING anything. So wear a skirt and smile.
hes out of his mind but it makes for a goodtime- be prepared to be insulted a few times and make sure you insult him back.
Philosophy of Religion may have been the best class I took while I attended Westfield State College. I wouldn't say the writing was easy, but the discussion format was GREAT!!! and Brad is an EXCELLENT professor.
Bring your pillow. You just get to talk about anything. He doesn't teach. He just encourages long discussions not related to the course.
No Comments
Brad is one of the most interesting teachers i have had at Westfield, he grades hard on papers, but the class is worth it. I learned a lot about the class topic, and there is a slight chance he is Satan.
You do nothing all year except for two papers where he grades you absolutly harder than anybody
PRETTY GOOD TEACHER DONT REALLY CARE FOR PHILOSOPHY
Green Gobblins come on...childish demeaning character. You may not be able to prove God exists but you can't prove he doesn't either this was a philosophy of religion class. the 2 papers he required, you were not allowed to use outside sourses to back up your statements. The readings involved the antichrist & freud and such If you like to argue ok.
Very BAD
if your an open minded person and want to take a class that really gets you thinking, this is the class for you! he is a nice guy, grades hard on papers...i took phil of religion during summer session and really enjoyed the class discussions a lot
A lot of people don't like him because he challenges their views and "offends" them, when he just takes the most extreme viewpoint to make the students see all perspectives. Extremely interesting course, especially if you have any interest in the subject, he's a tough but fair grader, the topic doesn't matter, it's the strength of the argument
The consistent sarcasm is a little tough to handle if you're sensitive, but come in with a willingness to question and it gets easier. HARD on papers, but sit through a lecture and you'll understand why. An honestly brilliant professor...keep your "God" talk at the door, because it's not his fault he doesn't exist.
he does not teach u anything at all. All u do is talk in class with others in a group and he gives everyone a c on their papers. U learn nothing and it sux. philosophy is a joke is what i learned.
Loved him
Great use of humor to weave philosophical themes into class, eliciting comprehensible points of your own.
offensive and confrontational. prepare to be insulted and disgusted. easy semester as only write 2 papers but VERY HARD grader and the papers drove me crazy. easy core class if you don't mind a B or C
Boring Class & Hard Grader. Have fun getting a C!
He's probably not human
Brad is an interesting professor with a great sense of humor. Be open minded, don't take him too seriously and you will enjoy the class. Take notes right from the start. You will need them for the 2 papers you will write. No testing here! Tough grader, but fair. If you need guidance just ask, he will help with papers if needed.
He is a bit extreme but once you understand his teaching style it is effective. The atmosphere is very open and comfortable but his expectations are high.
It is impossible to get good grade in his class, even if you spent 100 hours to write the papers. Only what you can expect for the course grade is C.
Spent SO much hours doing those two papers, asked him for help, and it was useless to spend all those hours for those papers, got C.
Loopholes in the Bible is one of the best classes I've ever taken
If you hold a strong Religious Belief don't take the class unless you know how to defend it.nice guy,funny,strange at times, the discussions are what you make of them. No tests, 2 papers
Excellent professor! Take the course with an open mind and you will learn a lot. Professor Art is incredibly intelligent and his command of the subject matter is astounding. A sense of humor and ability to think is necessary for this course. Reading is also a must to fully understand the material yourself.
Prof Art was the worst professor I have ever had. I had personal, unavoidable issues that arouse which caused me to miss two classes. I email and called him about it. He responded two weeks later and told me to drop the course. Big waste of time. Not to mention his course was horrible to sit through.
Professor Art is a good teacher. he knows his material and has a strong sense of humor. If your highly religious,I suggest you take another course. Only two essays, no exams. tough grader, but not that bad. you will leave the class at the end of the semester very open minded and view the world very differently. very glad I had him for ethics!!
terrible...just terrible. had him for intro to phil of religion. didnt know what i was getting into. the material is very very difficult to understand. he makes it 20 times worse. i failed it.
No lectures here, you do the reading at home then everybody discusses it in class. He's very funny but with a twisted sense of humor. Super tough grader though, and it's all based on only two papers. Not a big fan of religion, but if you have an open mind it shouldn't be a problem. I'm religious and I really didn't mind his class.
After an entire semester I had no notes...that's because he doesn't lecture or really do any teaching. Class reads the book(s) and discusses them with prof's "guidance" which is mostly cracking jokes. Rather lazy teacher so don't take him if you want to learn but only want to pass the time 'til graduation. Not recommended.
Professor Art is very straightforward and knows his topics. A class that can make one see ethics from a different perspective. Learned a lot!!
I just started taking his summer ethics class... the first class discussion was THE SINGLE BEST 3 hours at Westfield, and I'm not even a philosophy major. People only complain about him because they can't defend their faith/beliefs against real scrutiny. It's college, sheepeople, try thinking for a change! I'm gonna steal his pen...both of them!
At the beginning of this course I had no interest in Philosophy, but after taking Intro to Ethics with Brad Art I discovered a different approach in answering very challenging modern philosophical questions. His style of teaching is the best so far in my college career. I highly recommend BRAD ART!!! He is god and invisible green goblins are real
A big waste of time. So many other professors at this university that want to see students do well. Prof. Art has zero interest in watching his students grow intellectually, but instead wants to take up class time with ridiculousness. My advice is to take another professor other than this one in order to obtain a real education.
I'll admit that Art's a very likable person and is genuinely funny. That said I can't recommend his classes due to his ludicrously harsh grading. If you have an obsessive interest in the subject matter then he'll be a good teacher for you. If you're taking his course to fulfill a major requirement however, he'll tank your gpa. Be warned.
Quizzes every week. Very hard grader.
Book a weekend, quiz every week before book discussion, no lectures all class discussion, two papers that make or break a grade. Notoriously tough grader for essays. Twisted but sometimes funny sense of humor. Half of my class dropped throughout the semester. Avoid if possible.
You read a book each weekend and have a 5 question multiple choice test every tuesday. The book are very difficult and hard to understand. He also doesn't do a very good job of explaining it in lectures on thursdays. There are 2 papers in this class that you write on one of the books. when i took this class about 4-5 people had to drop out.
This teacher assigns a new book to read every week. There is also a quiz once a week thats 5 questions. AKA impossible to get a good grade and you cant make up quizzes. Classes are long and boring and the teacher makes corny jokes.
Be ready to read. Have to read a different book every week. Take a 5 question test on the book. If you take this class be ready to fail. 95% of my class in the Fall 2015 semester is failing. Worst teacher I have ever had. DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS. If you have to take an ethics class find a different teacher. No teacher would advise you to take him...
By far the best professor I have ever had. I've learned more in his class discussions than any other class. His expectations are realistic. The comments on this website appear to be from people who are just afraid of hard work. If you read and put effort in, you'll be fine.
Most confusing professor. Had a class of about 25 kids and almost 20 dropped it at the end of the semester due to failing. Read a new book every week and take a 5 question quiz that mainly consist of direct quotes from reading that you are bound to not know. I do not recommend this course or professor. Very inconsiderate and not helpful at all.
One 5 question quiz per week. I averaged a 2/5 on every quiz, and passed because I participated. Half of my class dropped the course because quiz grades scared them. Be able to take a joke. Brad says borderline offensive things, in order to fire students up for discussion. Stick around and you will eventually look forward to class.
worst professor I've had in my life by far. You will learn absolutely nothing from him and he will offend every person in the class. The class has a 5 question quiz every week and a huge class discussion every day. DO NOT TAKE HIS CLASS!
awful off color jokes, super creepy. dont bother talking he'll just talk around you
Professor Art is sarcastic, random and strange but funny if you're not a sensitive person. He will assign a ton of readings and they are pretty difficult to understand. When he grades quizzes some people put the same answer as me but only one of us got it correct. The exams are pretty impossible. RIP to my GPA, don't take this class!!
This guy ruined my life. Failed me last minute and I was graduating. I'm an honors student and now I have to pay to take another class. He doesn't care about his students and messes up everyone's GPA. DO NOT TAKE!!!!!!!!!!!
Very hard class. The weekly readings are very difficult, despite being short. The only work you do is a five question quiz every week, which was difficult despite having done the reading . Very harsh, and a lazy teacher. He talks for two hours, and grades multiple choice quizzes every week. Glad I paid for this idiot.
10 years after graduating and this is one of the only professors that I remember his name. If you're a lazy piece of garbage you will fail. But if you're lazy you should drop out of college and become a laborer somewhere. This dude was off-color and funny as hell. Loved his class and his no bs sense.
Horrible class. Hard weekly quiz's that make no sense. Even harder tests. Almost everyone in my class received a score of 40% and below. He smiled as he handed them out. When we asked for extra credit or help all he recommended was to go to his office 5 minutes before class to "warm" up before class. Creepy. Don't take.
1-3 daily quizzes of 1-5 question quizzes on super specific details in religious readings that are hard to comprehend. class is in my opinion WAAAAY too difficult. but hes probably one of the most interesting teachers ill ever talk to or listen to.
We have in class discussions about the Bible along with quizzes and papers. However, all Dr. Art does is take things out of context and cherry picks passages. He has no business to be teaching at Westfield State or any other college. Idk if he had a bad upbringing or what, but he needs therapy. He's obviously seriously disturbed. Should be fired.
Art's class will make you think critically about the way society behaves and how individuals behave. If you come into this class with a closed mind you will not get anything out of it. Be ready to be questioned, "why?". He's a deeply sarcastic person who made reading about philosophy fun with the lectures. 3 hours will fly by if you engage.
Brad art is a passionate, entertaining, interesting professor. His class is not conventional and you might be convinced he's the devil after the first couple days but if you welcome debate and have fun with it it's an awesome experience. Put effort into your work, do the readings, and bring original ideas to class and you will love it and him.
I am considering to withdraw. Papers have to be written about extremely challenging reads, there is no break down of what you read before a quiz or due date, and the quizzes are extremely hard with about 5 questions each. The way the class dynamics are makes it difficult to pass unless you are a philosophy major and practice this style of reading.
Very tough grader, but very little instruction. Doesn't do much to help with your grades
If you are taking this for credit to fulfill the core requirement, then please save yourself and take it with someone else. Horrible professor with absolutely no heart. It makes him happy to see someone fail and he gives absolutely no chances. He doesnt care if you attend every single one of his lectures. You have to do extremely well on 3 essays!
Art is someone who has truly changed my life. Yes, his classes are difficult, don't expect an A, but you'll get much more out of class than just the grade. He really opens up your mind, and I can honestly say that I would not be the same person today if I hadn't taken classes with Art. If you're looking for more than just a grade, take his classes.
An absolutely wild and specious excuse for an educator. A class that is so remarkably unfruitful, it's a wonder how he can be called an educator at all. Steer clear, unless your idea of higher education is to listen to 75 minutes of disjointed ramblings by a man who you could have sworn you saw arguing with a duck in the park.
DON'T TAKE THIS CLASS. I REPEAT, DON'T TAKE THIS CLASS. When your a freshman your classes are chosen for you but if this is on your list drop it immediately. Weekly test out of 5 questions based on direct quotes. No extra help and if you asked he says to show up early and he will go over the reading, doesn't help. Didn't learn anything at all.
I'm sitting in class rn praying that whoevers reading this does not take this professor. Not one person in my class has gotten above a C-. He teaches nothing related to religion. Does not offer help and grades you on four papers only. Grades papers in his own language and gives you a key to follow to figure out what he's saying.
Very rude and disrespectful. If you are struggling he tells you to drop the class. The readings are impossible and theres so much to do you end up with a headache trying to understand the information.
One of my least favorite classes of all time. I had Art for intro to Ethics and I couldn't even give you a basic defenition of ethics after being in that class. Grade is soley based on four papers and participation credit and he is a harsh grader. He talks all class and never puts up notes or literally anything to actually teach about ethics.
One of the worst I've ever taken. His grading criteria for the assigned essays are very unclear and doesn't do a very good job at explaining what he wants. If you don't agree with him on his views he will give you a bad grade. Tries to be funny by making very disturbing jokes. I highly recommend avoiding any of his classes.
Easily one of the most vague grading criterias I have ever experienced. When asked for assistance and a direction to move forward this professor never provided it. He made zero effort to actually teach and to put a cherry on top he made a delusional report that I copied another students essay despite not having access to any other papers.
I had to apply for the pass/fail option for this class. (Got a P). This professor seems nice however has way too much work. Way too religion based for me. I got C's on everything. No clear grading criteria. Weekly one-page paper some papers are longer. Some of the readings are literally up to 100 pages he expects you to read it in a week.
Has no interest in actually teaching you anything. He is also incredibly vague about what he wants. Definitely the worst professor I have ever had. I would strongly suggest you either stay away from this class or opt for a different professor. Failing his class is NOT a result of laziness.
An absolutely wild, and pitiful excuse for an educator. Has to be the *most* unfruitful class I have ever taken. Avoid Brad Art, unless your idea of higher education is listening to the disjointed ramblings of a someone that you could have sworn you saw arguing with a duck in the park.
I did took his class in Fall 1987. I had asked him for a special Independent Study- Buddhist Ecnomics, instead of taking Modern Philosophy. I ended up work much more harded; however, what I had learn from this independent study with Bradford Art was the most crucial foundation my life. I have been always thankfull to Arts Tedsak Thailand
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
59%
Textbook Required
43%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
C+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.32 avg changeRatings by Course
PHIL200
5.0
(1)2DIFFERENT
5.0
(1)GREATPHIL
5.0
(1)ETHICSETC
5.0
(1)PHIL306
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
PHILOSOPHY
5.0
PHIL104
5.0
ETHIC0102
5.0
PHIL501
5.0
PHIL0102002
5.0