the kids who left the above comments must not be able to rise to Dr. Brient's level. She is captavating and interested in her subjects which ought to have the student as interested. She will tell you that her classes are difficult (as they should be!!) If you want to do crossword puzzles in class then don't come to the university!

I think Prof. Brient is a nice woman, but when it comes down to teaching, hahaha. She is interested in her subject, and knows her stuff, but she hasn't nailed the art of making other people interested in what she is talking about. I quit going to the lecture classes and only went to the discussion groups and have managed to maintain a B average.

very helpful and open-minded

I think Dr. Brient just gets a bad rep because in a philosophy class you're forced to think for yourself. She does a good job of clearing up confusing material, and if you take notes you pretty much have all of your material for the exams. The reading load is also pretty light. It's not bad- don't worry about it.

Very quirky but helpful if you show interest and ask specific questions- so you have to keep up on the reading. The lecture can get a bit boring at points but attendance isn't mandatory or neccessary if you grasp all the concepts on your own. Breakout sessions are really helpful.Jason is a great TA- definitely the best teacher I've had at UGA.

She's awesome!

She was a good teacher, but I mainly learned everything I needed to know for the test in breakouts (where attendance is taken).

I had Dr. Brient for the intro level philosophy, and it was something I ended up finding pretty interested. The class is pretty hard though. You have to read the material, and while it is thought provoking and interesting, can be hard to understand. Overall, time consuming, but if you're interested in philosophy, I'd recommend her.

I like her a lot as a person, but not my favorite teacher. I guess my two biggest annoyances were that she didn't call on people very frequently, and she could be hard to get ahold of. But her lectures were insightful, and she was very helpful when you could get her.

Dr. Brient is a really nice professor, and you can tell she is extremely knowledgeable in her area. I personally don't like Philosophy, so my opinion isn't the best. She's a good lecturer, but the material was just boring to me. Anyone who enjoys Philosophy would probably enjoy the class. Essay tests are tough, and she does assign papers.

I actually enjoyed this class. Her lectures had all the information you would need in order to pass the tests. She also gave out the essay prompts for tests early, and there was plenty of time to study. She can be a little boring if you're not interested in the topic though, and she can be hard to get a hold of. Overall she was a good professor.

Really great professor in a department full of hit-or-miss profs. Knows her stuff when it comes to medieval philosophy. Will challenge you on your ideas and critiques of the text, but is never rude or confrontational. She does expect you to have some solid background knowledge, but at this level you should anyway

Brient is defiantly one of the best philosophy professors at UGA. Her classes are mainly discussion based with just enough lecture time to comprehend the material which helps when you haven't read what was assigned. She is super sweeet and interesting and I wish I could have her for all of my philosophy classes.

Great teacher and really nice lady. Really just wants to get you thinking and challenge your ideas about the world we live in. Makes lectures interesting and engaging while still covering lots of information that she wants us to know. Tests aren't too hard, just make sure you know the material well enough or are good as faking that you know it.

I loved having Professor Brient!! She is so sweet and will help you with any questions that you ask her at office hours. She gives you the possible exam questions before the exam and if you pay attention and take notes in lecture it is super easy to make an A- or A on the test. Definitely show up to class because its the easiest way to pass!

This class was so easy. She gives you test questions ahead of time and as long as you take good notes during lectures you should do fine on the exams. Her TA was unique and interesting to talk with. He did all of the gradings. They also did a grade bump at the end of the semester depending on how well your attendance was. I never read the books

Brient was a great lecturer. The TA does all the grading and she gives the test questions to you before-hand too. The only reason attendance was mandatory was bc of the TA, so if you don't have Irami as your TA you might not have to come. I didn't read the books but went to every class so made an A just based on the lectures bc she explains so well

There are 4 written exams with about 5/6 questions each. If you are willing to put in the work, this class is very easy. The only people who don't do well are the ones that don't do the reading which there is a lot of. Dr. Brient is very inspirational and knowledgeable (and definitely a bit cooky). She explains everything in clear detail. RECOMMEND

She's super kind and makes things super straight forward in class. You will learn a lot and do well if you actually read. If you have questions show up to office hours. Pretty easy class overall.

The class is overall very easy. As long as you take good class notes and read, you should be able to do well on the tests. Try to stay caught up on the reading each week, that makes it more palatable (I made a mistake here). Her lectures aren't the most engaging, but they aren't boring, so its not hard to stay focused.

Brient is very sweet and caring. This class was overall very interesting and she makes the content seem easy and interesting. Also, she gives you a list of possible exam questions prior to the exam, which helps a lot. However, you aren't given clear grading criteria so it is hard to determine what the TA will count you off for.

You can get away with not reading if you take good notes. Prompts for tests are given beforehand. If you show up to class, she is more likely to curve your grade at the end. Tests are specific and graded by the TA. I answered all of the prompts before the test and sent the to the TA, and he fixed them so I could study the right stuff. Recommend.

Assigns 20ish pages a night for reading. The material's boring, but she explains it well and her lectures basically give the answers to the exams. Go to class and take good notes and you'll do fine. Grade is based on 3 exams (4 if you take the optional final). She also gives exam questions ahead of time so you know what to study

Brient is really an amazing lecturer. I took this class as a last minute credit and ended up loving philosophy. This class really opens up your mind and causes you to question everything you believe. Her TA Sam was also an amazing asset to the course. Test questions are given ahead and the reading is a lot but interesting. The lectures are amazing.

Brient is a sweet lady and great lecturer. There are three tests and an optional final. She gives you the possible test questions in advance. Her TA Sam grades the tests and I absolutely loved him. Going to class is necessary plus your final grade will be curved if you have good attendance. Just show up to class and take good notes you'll get an A.

TA does all the grading so it's luck of the draw. I took it with Sam Bennett and he's great. Attendance is kinda mandatory, they take it but I don't think they ever check it to see if you've missed too many classes. Great topics and this year she made the final optional. Overall great class.

She's a good professor. I found lecture to be very interesting, although not everyone thought so. There's really no room to mess up though. There's only 4 tests, each is 25% of your grade. Her test are just just essay questions, so keep that in mind if you struggle with this style. She'll give you possible exam questions before the test.

Dr. Brient is the sweetest lady!! Her lectures can kind of drag on, but they're not the worst. She gives you the test questions beforehand so if you do poorly, it's 100% your fault. I also learned some valuable lessons in this class. Take her if you need an easy A!

Easy A. We had 4 exams including the final (Exams are 4 Short Answer and 1 Essay). She gives you all the questions beforehand to study so as long as you take notes you should get an A on every test. Attendance is not a part of your grade but she will bump you if you have good attendance which is nice. Lecture heavy but not terrible

4 tests (essay and short answer) including the final, but the final turned out to be optional. Wish I got an A but I slacked off later in the year. Not a bad class just attend the lectures and you'll be fine for the tests, although the lectures aren't the most engaging. She really cares about the subject though.

Professor Brient is a pretty good pick for a philosophy professor. She gives you the possible questions that will be on the test ahead of time, and it is really easy to prepare for the tests. There is a lot of books you have to read, but if you participate during discussions, you can probably skim the book instead of really read.

Super easy class. I didn't even get the books to read and got an A. she gives you all the test questions in advance so you can prepare really well

Professor Brient is very passionate about what she teaches. If you go to lectures, you dont really even need to read the books that thoroughly. She gives you the potential essay questions before the tests and curves the grades. Good professor to take for PHIL 2010!!

Reading only gets overwhelming if u procrastinate. Quizzes are easy and TA was lenient w essays (only 2). Content was interesting & we touched on modern readings (Gandhi & MLK). Lectures kind of repetitive but not too bad if u watch in 2x. Very reasonable w covid (optional final, dropped reading).

Class is only lectures, with a discussion lecture on Fridays. Lectures are long, but she pretty much summarizes the book and important points, so you do not need to read. Graded by 2 papers and quizzes for each book - just make sure to write with arguments not summarizations our TA was an easy grader

She is a great professor in my opinion. She is always willing to talk to students, and she wants you to succeed. Just try to stay as focused as possible in this class because sometimes she goes on tangents, but they are important for the material.

I really loved this class! It was themed freedom, which I think is really cool. I would say you could probably do about half the readings and still do really well. Her lectures are enough detail to get through most of the class without doing the readings. The class has an online multiple choice quiz for each reading, 2 essays, and an essay final.

The class itself was very easy. Only 2 papers, 5 quizzes, a final. In the quizzes, she literally gives you the answers if you just use the notes & documents she uploads to ELC. As a professor, she's not too bad. Her lectures can be kind of hard to follow sometimes and she repeats herself a lot, but otherwise this class is easy for a good grade.

Two lectures and then one discussion section a week. Really easy class, especially if you are a good writer, since getting As on the papers will likely mean you'll get an A in the class. I stopped doing the readings and still was fine, just less engaged in lectures which I thought were boring. She is a sweet person and our TA was cool.

There are a few books to read but you will do fine if you just go to the lectures. 2 papers make up the majority of the grade but if you have a good TA you will do good. She also allows you to turn in a rough draft so you can get feedback on what to improve. The final was optional for our class and discussion post were weekly.

Super easy to work with. Lecture attendance isn't required, breakout attendance is but you can get away with not coming honestly. There are a few papers but it's not that serious. She truly wants her students to do well.

This was a super easy class to get an A. There are lots of readings, but she talks about what is in the text in class, so you could get 100 on the quizzes just from going to class or reading the notes she uploads. Dr. Brient is very personable, especially if you go to office hours. Attendance necessary for discussion sections but not lectures.

Dr. Brient is a pretty good teacher and sticks close to the syllabus, so you have to refer to it throughout the semester. If you just read the books and go to her lectures, the class is an easy A. The quizzes are open note and there are only two essays. Just keep up with the weekly discussions cause they can affect your grade.

I took 19th century western philosophy with Dr. Brient is very intelligent and passionate about what she teaches. She is caring and wants you to do well. Essays are straight forward. Her reading lists are the best. If you participate and read you will do fine.

I took PHIL 3030 (Existentialism) with Dr. Brient this semester. This is my second semester with her and I really enjoy all of her classes. It is very easy to get an A if you are just doing the reading and engaging. She is very willing to help outside of class as well. She also chooses very good readings. Really recommend her.

Dr. Brient is a great philosophy professor. She clearly knows what she's talking about, and she offers a great introductory course. Sometimes the class gets very boring when she allows students who don't know what they're talking about to talk endlessly. Grade was composed of 2 papers, 5 quizzes and a final. Read + attend class and you'll be fine.

She's a very passionate professor and does a great job explaining the concepts we read about. Take advantage of office hours, she offers great guidance and will support you in anyway she can. She is a super sweet lady, but don't take her kindness for granted when it comes to grading; she is a hard grader for papers and expects you to push yourself.

Brient is a brilliant and kind professor! Her lectures are super engaging and she cares a lot about student interpretation and discussion. Grades are based off a very lenient attendance policy (can miss 8 classes), 3 open-ended essays, and discussion posts. As a PHIL major, highly recommend her, just do the readings and show up and you will be fine

Dr. Brient is super sweet and cares a lot about teaching. She told us on the last day of class that the final was optional. We had two papers due and some quizzes. Honestly, I barely did any reading and stopped going to class after a while. Just review the slides and write your papers early to get ungraded feedback and you'll be fine.

Content is annoying

The course was made up of mostly discussions, with lectures interspersed in between. Dr. Brient is really caring, and always available outside of class to help out (especially on papers), although the grading criteria was a bit unclear. The course's theme was focused on freedom, and I found the chosen readings genuinely interesting and insightful.

Class is lecture and class discussion, in honors-style 30-ish person class. She gave helpful feedback on papers and the quizzes were just reading comprehension & very easy, if you're willing to read the material, which is provided in the bookstore but can be easily found online. Good prof if you're willing to put in thought and effort in papers

Very passionate and kind. Doesn't just read from the slides and asks questions to the class. Online quizzes after each unit and discussion post every week (graded for completion). Two essays that were graded by the TA, so go to office hours and discussions and participate as much as possible. Online optional timed essay final for my class.

Professor Brient goes over all the assign readings in lecture thoroughly. There were a lot of readings, but manageable. The two essays were a bit difficult. Overall, this is a great introduction for philosophy.

She was very sweet. I didn't get the best grade I could have because I didn't perform the best on the two essays. Discussion posts weekly which weren't hard and five quizzes throughout the semester. The main thing was keeping up with the readings so you could participate in the class discussion. For me, I got out of this class what I put into it.

Great professor! Accessable outside of class. Pay attention in class and look through the presentations she uploads to eLC, the quizzes will seem easier. Be participant throughout the year and get to know your TA as they will be grading both of your papers. She makes the final optional, so try on the quizzes and make the discussion post deadlines!

Brient is chill. As long as you take notes at the lectures you'll be fine. Lots of assigned reading but I didn't read any of it, just took lecture notes/participated in discussion and ended up with B+. Weekly discussion posts and two papers are the only graded assignments. TA graded everything except the final which was optional.

I loved her class and the readings she chose for us. Great first philosophy professor to have.

Brient is kind and explains complex concepts in an easy to understand way. Class is comprised of main lectures and breakouts. Attendance is only required for breakouts. There are two papers and a writing final.

Dr. Brient is a good, passionate professor. Her class can be difficult if you don't like to read or participate, or if you have not taken philosophy. If you procrastinate a lot, don't take this class. Put a lot of effort in and an A should be achievable, she likes hard working students and recognizes them.

Outstanding professor, great content, get ready to read. It can be a bit uninteresting at times, but I really like philosophy, and her lecturing is engaging.

This class really depends on your TA, like this semester Daniel was the best and graded papers fairly. I think I learned a lot in the class. They are both very understanding. Breakout sessions are required attendance, but you don't have to attend the lectures.

The lectures are slow and boring at times, but she tries her best to keep everyone engaged. You can get away with not doing the readings as she discusses everything during the lectures. The TA breakout sessions are more engaging and gives great feedback on the two papers and other assignments.