It isn't a simple GenEd. I thought of it that way and had 68% to start the class. He is an amazing guy and spoke to him in office hours and he explained how I have to focus on readings and take more notes in class. If you do those two things you are basically guaranteed an A or B.

There are more readings than expected. However, if you just pay attention in class and take notes you will at least get a B. You may get bored at times but that's every class at times. He gives great feedback in class and office hours. He wants everyone to pass with an amazing grade but requires some effort. Extra credit in the last month.

This class is a lot of better if you actually read, or just pay attention, to his lectures. Ethical reasoning is going to be kind of boring, but this class was pretty easy. Just pay attention in class and read the pages he talks about during class. Yates is a nice guy and you can tell he cares! Extra credit at the end of the semester!

I really enjoyed Yates class and I feel like you learn a lot. You don't even need to read everything as long as you show up to class and pay attention and take notes. Pretty easy, but strict about attendance and paying attention during class.

Professor Yates is one of the best professors I have had so far at JMU. Being a new student, his class was a great class to start with at JMU. Four tests, six discussions, and lots of reading. If you show up and speak up in lectures, you'll be sure to do well!

Yates is a caring and funny philosophy professor. There are four tests, each w/ extra credit. He also lets you do a paper for extra credit. There is a textbook and two books, but the lectures are basically all you need to know. Attendance is not taken nor mandatory, but he tries to make his lectures as interesting as possible. Def takes shrooms.

Chill dude. Only grades were 4 really easy exams. I just made a quizlet set each time and got As on all. Short readings, easy to follow lectures. Got boring sometimes. You will only fail if you're lazy. Come to class, do readings, and you will get As.

You can read assignments or actually go to class, but don't have to do both. I didn't read anything and ended w an A but I went to almost every lecture and took tons of notes. Sometimes he's hard to follow but he's really good about meeting w students. Theres around 4 tests plus a midterm and final but he does easy extra credit. Likes participation

This class was super easy online. His lectures are dry but as long as you take notes on the slides, the tests and quizzes are cake. He has a ton of grades so even if you do not do that well on something there is plenty of opportunities to bring up your grade.

Professor Yates was awesome and I would suggest taking him to anyone! He's really flexible and kind and earnestly wants his students to succeed not only grade wise but to understand what they're learning. Class was asynchronous for fall semester 2020 but was a pretty easy A while also being a really educational class. The way he ran it was awesome.

In the beginning of the semester I was doing the assigned readings for the class but realized I was better off for the quizzes by just taking the notes from the lecture because he explained things in a more understandable way. He was super generous for the first month of class and posted the readings online for people who couldn't get their books.

Asynchronous - It was helpful to have the books to be able to go to during the open note quizzes. It's easier to just not read and only take notes on his lectures. He has very descriptive and helpful lectures. He doesn't overwhelm you with work, and lectures were never really over 60 minutes. Take good notes on lectures & you will do fine.

I loved this class! This was the first philosophy class I've ever taken. It was a considerably tough class and it's very reading-heavy. But if you don't mind that then this class is a great choice. Prof Yates was easily the best professor I had this semester. You can tell he cares about his students and has a passion for teachinging

You can tell Professor Yates is passionate about what he teaches. His class was asynchronous lectures that covered the readings in detail that were assigned prior to each class. I watched and took good notes on the lectures first and get a sense of the readings and sometimes read. There were weekly quizzes (6-8 questions) on the readings.

Was online, so lectures were recorded. Different books were required, and had reading quizzes every week. Very caring and if you reach out, he will most likely help. A good amount of work was assigned each week but was able to manage if you are able to plan. Super nice and highly recommend!

I'm taking Dr. Yates for the Spring 2021 semester and even though it is fully online he makes everything very clear. There is a decent amount of reading, but usually they're not too long. I've had an A all semester. He's very knowledgeable in the subject and truly wants his students to do well. I am hoping to take him for 101 in the fall

I struggle with Philosophy so this class was difficult for me. I've taken this professor twice and he's been great each time. Enjoys what he does so class is always lively. Grade is mostly based off exams and occasional discussions. LOTS of reading.

I've taken both of prof Yates' philosophy courses and I would definitely recommend him. The class is relatively straightforward, so long as you do the readings or skim them at the very least. I personally liked the discussion board aspect of the class because I enjoy writing and always scored well on them. He's an understanding person as well

TBH I kinda hated him at first, but I liked him as the semester progressed. The material was really interesting to me and he always answered any questions I had in class. He seemed actually interested in the material he teaches unlike a lot of other professors I've had at JMU. Overall a great professor and I would recommend taking him!

Yates is a friendly and funny Professor. Tests were very easy and lectures were long, but overall easy class. Really enjoyed this class, especially for a GenEd.

The lecture is boring and not very engaging, but he is really nice and clearly loves what he does. He gives you 4 reading questions twice a week which are easy but sometimes require a lot of reading. The tests are in person and not terribly hard if you study the textbook and notes well.

Dr. Yates really cares about the content and discussion in his classes, which can make it fun! This was an honors section, so it was a small, discussion based class and could be lecture heavy at times, although he made sure students had an understanding of the material.

As someone taking a philosophy class for the first time, I really enjoyed Professor Yates and how he held his class. As long as you read whatever is needed before each lecture, you should do fine in the class. Attending the lectures is where he explains the bulk of the reading. Other than reading quizzes, there's discussions and exams and that's it

I really enjoyed PHIL 101 with Professor Yates! He always came to class so passionate and ready to share in that with all of us. Tests are moderately difficult, but you have reading quizzes every day that will help your grade. Lots of reading. For people who aren't super interested in philosophy, the lectures might feel a little long.

I had Dr. Yates for Phil 101 Honors and it was one of the best gen eds I have taken at JMU! He is extremely knowledgable and since it was a small class, we had a lot of great discussions where we participated the entire time. He has very clear grading criteria as well, so if you do the readings you'll be fine!

Yates is such a chill man who loves philosophy and makes the class interesting - I took him for honors philosophy 101 and we did a lot of discussions based on the readings, but he also mixes in lecture to make sure we cover the material well and are prepared for exams. Great dude, love him and his sense of humor.

Very funny and insightful guy. Very passionate about his class. A lot of (sometimes drab) readings, but if you do the work, youll do fine.

I loved Professor Yates!! Yes, you have to go to class. But by doing that he covers literally everything you need to know for tests, discussion boards, and the quizzes. There are quizzes every class, but only 4 questions long and really easy to find the answers within readings. Emphasis on going to lectures and you will be fine!

Prof Yates is a cool guy. His lectures are intenseee but he cares and understand the material really well. We have 3 exams(worth 18%, 22%, 20%), in person and quizzes twice every week(40%). Quizzes are open book and online, 4 questions each quiz, pretty easy. Overall no complaints.

Prof. Yates is a pretty good professor. He gives reading quizzes that are due before each class that are super easy, as long as you do the reading. They are open note and a big part of your grade, so make sure to stay on top of those. Make sure you go to class and take notes because his tests are all based on the reading and notes from lectures.

Professor Yates really knows what he is talking about. He lectures the whole entire class block, and the tests are mostly on what he says in class so attendance is really important. He assigns a lot of readings and a reading check quiz due before every class. The quizzes and three tests make up your grade.

Yates is a simple, easy-going professor. He cares about what he teaches and uses clear examples to help you understand. The class depends on reading and you have an easy canvas quiz about the reading before every class. I would attend class even though he posts the lecture slides because, he goes into more detail.

Prof. Yates is the best PHIL 101 option. He is hilarious and will connect the material with real life experience. He has weekly reading assignment quizzes before class that are online. There are two tests in person and the final (not cumulative). I absolutely recommend him, he is so great.

Yates is a cool dude; I just cannot stand how boring his lectures are. I struggle most class periods to stay awake. As long as you participate and pay attention/take notes, test is chill. RQ's (reading Quizes) are a huge chunk of your grade and there no reason to get below a 75% on any of them.

Such a middle of the road professor. I enjoyed his class and I could tell he enjoyed teaching, philosophy just isn't my thing. If you read, study for even a day before exams, and participate (legitimately once a class is enough), you'll do fine. I enjoyed this semester simply because he made such abstract concepts comprehensible.

Yates is overall a great guy, wants his students to succeed but wants you to earn it. This class is very reading and lecture heavy. If you don't go to class, you will fail. A lot of the material that is on the tests aren't what he posts online, so you will probably be really confused.His lectures can get boring and slow, but would recommend him!

I enjoyed his class, however, it was hard in the aspect of there is ALOT of reading. Grading based on reading quizzes and 3 tests (NOT cumulative) 30% quizzes then 70% was tests. It was tough, expect to put work in to succeed, but he doesn't give extra credit or curve. COMMUNICATE and let him know whats going, he's understanding and will help u out

He cares about the subject he's teaching, and the work isn't hard as long as you show up and read what he assigns.

The class follows a pretty standard format: daily reading quizzes due before you come to class and heavy weighted exams. If you come to class and take notes you should be fine but I wouldn't put off studying for the exams because they were on the difficult side.

He is a very good professor. He knows how to teach the material. Attendance isn't mandatory, but it is important if you want to keep up with important information, especially on upcoming tests.

quizzes due before every class. I think I would have enjoyed him much more if I enjoyed the material I was learning.

Honestly? If you like philosophy, take this guy. He's SUPER passionate about it and his lectures can be quite engaging. Readings aren't super long and exams are p straightforward too If you aren't too into philosophy, maybe not. His lectures could feel boring and drag on a bit, but I still do think you could still do well in the course

Yates is pretty good and clearly enjoys the material he teaches. He does stumble in lectures at times, but he does try his best to explain the material in an interesting way. This class has readings, but it is pretty manageable. If you aren't used to college reading amount though, it may seem like a lot. Attendance and readings are important

Although the work for this class can be a lot, Professor Yates was SUCH a good teacher. The lectures felt long but the content was actually really interesting. You have to do all the readings and quizzes to understand the class at all, but I couldn't recommend a better teacher. Also, you need all the books for this class.

The ratings that say he is horrible and powerpoints aren't helpful are from people who don't go to class or don't listen. Dr. Yates' class is great if you don't play 2048 during class and actually listen. The slides are outlines but what is really on the exams are points he elaborates on verbally. Type notes to get what he is verbally saying down

Dr. Yates is an amazing professor. He tells you everything that you need to know for the exams and tries to make it simplistic. He is very understanding and more than happy to answer any questions you might have. I learned so much from this course, do not listen to the bad comments. I can promise that they simply did not pay attention!!

I understand how some others may think this class was overly difficult but those people did not go to class and if they did they obviously did not pay attention. I loved this class, professor was kind and understanding and eager to answer any questions any student might have. He's so awesome and the class taught me a lot. I highly recommend!

I am very surprised to read that Professor Yates could have any negative reviews. I had low expectations, especially for a gen-ed credit, but honestly, I was excited to go to class. He is so intelligent and goes far beyond what is written on the PowerPoint presentations. One of the best professors I have ever had and a genuinely kind man.

Def have to go to class to pass his tests but such a great professor. Really interesting class would recommend!

prof yates was an amazing professor, but his work load was a lot. there was a reading quiz before each class which consisted on what was said in lecture and out of one of the 5 textbooks that was required. tests were hard but if you go to class and take good notes you will do fine. only 3 exams and drops the lowest 4 quiz grades

His lectures are long but they go over your assigned reading and homework assigned during the previous class. There's a quiz after every class with a few exceptions which are based on the assigned reading from the previous class. Tests are initially hard but I found I did better when I wrote down word for word exactly what he said in class.

Nice guy but a difficult course, especially if you've never taken a PHIL class before. Readings and quizzes after every class, due before the next. In person exams on scantron, lectures are boring but so important for the exams and daily quizzes. Doesn't post the lecture notes until a week after the class, so go to class! Not an easy gened.

Initially he seems a bit prideful due to his keen gaze, but he's just listening.Visit his cave, he'll answer all ur silly Qs & respect u for it. Might go off on tangents (pay attention to comparisons). Might roam from 3 o'clock to 9 o'clock & all round as if the room is his stage, but this keeps u awake.Notebook=only to copy his virtuoso drawings.

Prof Yates is a cool guy who is beyond passionate for philosophy. He gives about 20 or so pages to read with a timed 8-10 question reading quiz due right before each class. The quizzes are a breeze if you actually read. Tests are definitely a bit harder, so make sure you study and review! He doesn't allow you to miss tests even when you're sick.

this man can lecture!! Although there is a reading + quiz due before each class, they're consistently engaging and made me look forward to the lectures. He opens up time at the end of class for people to share their opinions which is always fun. Definitely have to show up to do well but class is always thought provoking. Highly recommend!

Professor Yates is amazing! While there are readings for each class, they are very manageable and the corresponding quizzes are too. He is an amazing lecturer and makes everything very interesting. It is easy to see that he cares about the subject and his students. If you pay attention in class and do the readings, you can get an A for sure.

Prof Yates is amazing, while his class is lecture heavy a majority of the grades are short easy online quizzes to do before class. And if you miss any he drops the lowest 3. I learned the hard way that to do good on the tests you need to attend class, but it's not very note heavy as long as you are listening. His lectures are very interesting.

Prof Yates loves his craft, and it shows. While classes are lecture-heavy, they're really interesting if you get into it. Actively asking questions and clarifying what you don't know will help, as well as being in class: tests often reuse wording he says during lectures. Became a philosophy minor after taking this class- loved it!

Great lectures that are really interesting. Not all that difficult of a class if you read what's assigned.

I absolutely loved Dr. Yates! He's super understanding and so caring. I'm not interested in philosophy at all and took the class for a genEd requirement and barely put in effort and still ended with a B+. He makes philosophy actually interesting and is super engaging in class. I really appreciate him and he deserves a better rating!!

Professor Yates is passionate about philosophy, but the class can be a slog. Lots of readings, quizzes, and tough exams. Take good notes and use unstuck ai for additional study prep to succeed. Boring lectures, but worth going to.

love him! such a sweet guy. convinced me i loved philosophy (took another philosophy class and realized it was just the professor, not the material...) weekly comprehension quizzes, easy to pass. 2 exams that you can fly through if you really work on paying attention and engaging with the lectures

Professor Yates changed my opinion on philosophy. He is not "all knowing" and he admits even when he is confused on a certain topic. He is very funny and understanding! He went out of his way to get notes for me when I was absent!! Tests are heavily based on lectures and readings. If you actually do the readings and go to class it's an easy A.

such an amazing teacher, very understanding. There are readings before each class with a quiz but it's really easy. I never did all the readings and still got a good grade. He's so funny and makes class so enjoyable, take him!

Lots of reading but the material was very interesting in my opinion. He doesn't take attendance but he doesn't post any lecture notes so you should try not to miss. No homework just 2 quizzes a week based off the assigned reading (usually isn't unbearably long either). Exams were closed note but fair if you studied and knew the material.

It's not him, it's φιλοσοφία—everyone's thoughts r another person's opinions. THEY ALL use the same jargon. Mind u, he's been religiously reading n preaching phil for eons n's got it down—uses the Socratic method...Read the classics—b grateful he doesn't stand in ur way w his archaic words on exams n that he writes in caps. A simp for wordsmiths...

Super great guy!! Lots of take-home quizzes and readings. As long as you come to class and take notes, tests are a breeze.

Loved Yates. One of the best professors I've had at JMU.

SUCH a rewarding class!! Great guy and great professor. He doesn't take attendance but if you don't go, you'll struggle. Show up, take notes on his lectures, and the 3 exams will be super easy for you. Readings and reading quiz due by each class which can be tedious (but helps you understand material).

great class highly recommend for a phil gen-ed. if you go to class, follow along and do the 2 practice quiz a week you will be fine. save the practice quiz questions if possible, he use's them on the exams. the content is boring and some of these philosophers (Descartes) need therapy bc what?! overall just try and u will do well, chat is ur bestie

Professor Yates is passionate about philosophy and makes you enjoy it too. The class requires 4 books (2 are cheaper) and is graded on 3 exams and reading quizzes. If you're not into reading different viewpoints, don't take this class, but if you are, it's rewarding. I wish there were more assignments to boost your grade.

Personally, I find the class boring and confusing but Mr. Yates himself is a great professor who is passionate about what he teaches

he's nice as a person but its not his fault philosophy is so incredibly boring. he's very passionate and his lectures switch between engaging vs slow & painful. he does his best to convey philosophy in terms we can understand. attendance isn't mandatory, but if you don't go then you wont do well on exams. chill guy boring class

Attendance isn't mandatory but if you don't go to class you're screwed for the tests. I went to every class and never studied for the exams except for reading over my notes taken in class and got an A on every exam. There is a reading and quiz due before every class but they're online and super easy. Lectures are kinda boring.

I love Dr. Yates. His class is entirely lectures and the material is a little boring but he makes it interesting. You must however, go to every class to do well. If you go to every class and study for an hour before each test you'll be just fine! if you are intrinsically motivated you'll be fine!

Not bad for GenEd. Class is boring most of the time but can be interesting at times. Online quizzes for each class on canvas and 3 exams (no cumulative final). Attendance isn't mandatory, but going to class def helps. He requires textbooks, but they're not needed if you go to class & take notes. No tech allowed for notes in front half of class.

I love prof Yates! Honestly, the best way to do well in this class is to go to the class. I recommend starting off the class by doing the reading and reviewing, but once you get the hang of his lecture style, it becomes pretty easy and you won't have to put in much time. I would recommend sitting at the front too, it helps you be more focused.

I have never taken a philosophy course before but this class was great! You do have to go to class to get notes and understand the material however attendance is not graded. I always found his lectures very interesting and the 3 exams were not bad if you studied and went to class. the readings were very manageable - never more than 20ish pages.

Good professor. Clearly knew and was interested in the material. Attendance is not mandatory but you have to go to get the notes which are needed to do well on the test (he doesn't post the lecture notes). Grade is made up of the reading quizzes online and 3 in person exams. Overall not a terrible class if you are willing to put in the work.