2.5
Quality3.0
Difficulty51%
Would Retake116
Reviews51%
Would Retake
116
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
10
4
23
3
21
2
39
1
23
What Students Say
“She's honestly just a nightmare”
PHIL112 - 1.0 rating“Only 2 exams with plenty of review to pass them”
PHIL360 - 4.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
18%
Textbook Required
55%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.10 avg changeRatings by Course
IS400
5.0
(1)PHIL360
4.0
(1)PHILOSOPHY112
3.3
(3)PHIL3420
3.0
(1)PHIL320
3.0
(11)Difficulty by Course
PHIL114
5.0
PHIL420
5.0
113
4.0
420
4.0
MORALISSUES
4.0
Reviews (116)
very fragmented presentations
really fun coarse, and a great teacher too. take this class if you are interested in learning more about theories on God.
Very nice, very helpful. Lectures difficult to follow, too unorganized. Knows her stuff, though.
hard course, nice teacher
Horrably boreing and useless class
Horribly scattered and unorganized lectures. Think twice about taking philosophy classes with 50+ people, its hard to digest.
Hard to follow; mumbles when she talks... seems like a nice lady, but hard to understand and get interesting in the class.
Ugh. Terribly boring and hard to follow..
She is nice and she knows what she's talking about, but it doesn't mean the class does. She's not very engaging. You'd think talking about theories proving or disproving God would be intriguing. There was discussion of the arguments, but it just wasn't enough. Great arguments to ponder though.
Probably the most pointless, boring class I have taken at Western.
goes in circles. mumbles. likes violent examples. doesn't makes much sense.
The class matieral is interesting but the way she teaches makes it hard to understnad
Does mumble, does like trolleys, but if YOU are ready to learn and expand yourself, she can help you. Expect to be told what is right, but sometimes you have to make leaps on your own to get there.
She doesn't make sense. Lectures are disorganized. She's a nice person, but her classes suck.
Wow, this was a crappy class, if you mess up on one thing, you're pretty much screwed. But I never picked up the book and did just fine.
Sit up front, get to know her, and you'll do fine--jeez...
This class was excellent, and inspired me to pursue a major that included philosophy. Debates at the end were a bit lackluster, but that's the fault of the participants, not the instructor.
Put it this way. I never read the book, and only attended class about once a week (if that) and still got an A out of it. Do the study guides (which are mostly based of the handouts she gives you) and attend class once in a while, and you'll do fine. Tests are mostly essay and short answer. Discussion is usually minimal, but sometimes can take the whole period. She's hard to understand, doesn't answer questions very well.
Makes everything boring and tedious...have learned some...but not much...
Never got book, went to class, and went through study guide. Do the same and you will do fine.
Class was so hard... Couldnt really understand her lectures, essay midterms and finals were tough. Wouldnt recommend this class unless you know a little about philosophy first.
She is a very nice lady. Lecture is not really that clear which makes the class difficult.
worst philosophy teacher at western. doesn't explain things well, very hard to follow.
Not a hard class at all, as long as you prepare yourself with the study guides for the exams. Trying to discuss the class examples with her is pointless, because she will only repeat what she originally said and then move on, after making some of the stupidest analogies. Bottom line - easy GUR.
Hands down the -WORST- philsophy class I've taken at Westen. The lectures were incomprehensible. I want my money back. This was a waste of my time.
she is very ambiguous in lecture and on tests, which, make her tests tougher than they should be. He quizzes are also poopy!
No Comments
I found her lectures to be interesting and though-provoking. I had no trouble keeping up, and the packet she gave us outlined everything she talked about in class. Attendance was necessary because of the detail involved, but the book was an optional read. I would take another class with this professor.
She is absolutely brilliant. It is somewhat difficult to understand what she's talking about at first, but once you figure it out, she's a genius and you will learn a ton. The concepts are difficult, but the grades are pretty easy. Attendance not important, tests easy. Taken 320, 420.
Not what I was expecting to get after taking a 100-level phil course with Hud. Interesting teaching style, not my favorite, and hard to understand at times. Otherwise good.
terrible, poor, useless
Textbook was downright useless, reading the outline packet and taking notes during lecture is all that's needed for an A. Able to have intelligent ethical discussions with, sometimes. At other times mired by (this was an ethics class) self-righteous jerks with an need to air an irrelevant opinion about everything. Unwilling/unable to control such.
Read the course packet and listen a bit in class and you're set. I LOVE THE BOOK so I recommend reading it anyway although its not essential for your grade. I did find a couple outspoken, critical students to really harm the class environment. The teacher is very polite and will listen to your ideas, however :)
I took the moral issues philosophy class because I was interested in having class discussions and things like that. The class consisted of her going over a packet she gave us - reading it line by line to us and telling us why it was right. If we tried to start a discussion she would try to stop it. Everything she said was illogical.
I took the moral philosophy class thinking that it would be fascinating. Instead it was dull and mundane. She doesn't let anyone share their ideas, instantly shutting them down or saying how it doesn't deal with the course, she likes to hear herself talk even when its rubbish. She grades hard and hates you if you disagree with her on anything.
I took her moral philosophy class. It wasn't at all what I expected, and to be honest, I found it dry and uninteresting... but that's just me. Her tests were extremely easy- she gives you a study guide that is essentially the midterm/final. A nice teacher, but I wouldn't take that class or another class of hers again.
I took her Intro to Logical Thinking class and it wasn't that bad. Lectures were definitely a bit dull but the class was easy overall and the mock final/midterms were just like the rest of the tests. Not a bad class to take if you want to fill up a 3 credit GUR.
Where to start. When I signed up for the class, I was really eager to learn all about morals and certain debates such as abortion and euthanasia. But the class wasn't what I was expecting, I couldn't wrap my head around what she taught, she's pretty dry, doesn't use anything except a whiteboard and a marker, but will let people talk and debate wi
One of the worst teachers I've ever had. Her lectures were incomprehensible, and she never answered peoples' questions thoroughly. She doesn't even use blackboard or an overhead, so it's impossible to get the information if you miss it.
This teacher is awful, I took PHIL 113 and was not allowed as a polytheist to write about anything other than philosophy of the Judea Christian God. Very disappointed to say the least. In my opinion a very intolerant teacher that downgrades students if they stray from her opinion on philosophy.
F H-S rox
Yes, she is hard to understand. Yes, she will not let you stray from your personal beliefs. But her job is to teach you other's views on the subject. And she does an excellent job. She knows her stuff, and encourages participation and debate
DO NOT TAKE THIS TEACHER! She has a VERY distracting voice, her presentations are unprofessional (simply reading off a word document on the screen; not to mention the font is tiny). I had taken PHIL 102 before I took her class, so I knew most of the material alredy. But I felt bad for those learning it for the first time
Terrible, terrible class. but I didn't have a choice, and you probably don't either. Don't bother with the book. Record her lectures and just memorize what she says and spit it back to her on the exams. Good luck.
Horrid teacher. She has an accent and she mumbles excessively which makes it hard to understand her. Don't need to go to class. Read the textbook, do the homework (40% of grade), and memorize her mock exams! The mock exams are EXACTLY the two tests in the class. Easy class so long as you put in the effort to learn the material and do well on exams.
GO TO CLASS. Then 99% of your problems will be solved. If you ask for help, she WILL help. Only a midterm, final, and 2 BPLR lectures to go to outside of class. Loved her examples and she can explain things multiple ways if you ask.
She seems to know what she is talking about, but is really bad at translating that into interesting, detailed lectures. She has a very odd accent and mumbles a lot of the time, which makes it really hard to pay attention. She kind of jumps all over the place in her lectures and assumes that everyone is on the same page as her. READ BOOK.
Really unclear and constantly changing her answer. Only 1 quiz, midterm, and final. Never discussed the book. If you know about philosophy then take it, I had no clue and was sometimes lost, mostly because of her but I learned
this class was horrible! she literally read straight from the textbook, used examples from the textbook. it was super bland and there was barely any interaction. it was just very dry
The most boring class ever... I don't think she could have made it any more boring. the content was interesting but I fell asleep listening to her talk about it!
The course packet is your life for this class. And you NEED to got to lectures and write down what she says to get a good grade on midterm/final. Super boring. Not too hard. Not really worth taking though.
Not my favorite class. The professor is really soft-spoken and the class is really boring. She gives you the questions for the test beforehand so just put the time in studying those. Not hard to get a B in the class.
By far the worst teacher that I have had at western. Even if you could understand what she is saying there is no way that you could possibly remember it because she makes absolutely no sense. Terrible class, worse teacher, could have been interesting had not wanted to rip my hair out the whole time. Avoid at all costs.
I'm not sure why so many people dislike her class. I've learned so much from her. The exams are straight forward as long as you make sure you know the answers to the study guide and go to class. If some things are unclear, just ask! She explains things very well. Yes she does mumble sometimes so just pay attention!
Uses little to no visuals other than writing random words on the whiteboard, expresses no facial emotion, talks with a very monotonous German(?) accent. Doesn't use canvas at all, just sends out vague emails once in a while. Also, BORING. Even if you like philosophy.
A boring lecturer. She gives quizzes occasionally, and has very little warning for them. Not worth the tuition. Do not take this class.
Note: I am extremely disinterested in Ethics, so my experience is biased in that sense. Snyder is extremely disorganized, sporadically writing on the board - 10 quizzes per quarter at random times. Doesn't post any course material on Canvas and struggles with outside class communication (i.e. email). Information is boring, but she doesn't help
I understand why a lot of people would say not to take her class. Yes, she does have boring lectures. Yes, she writes sporadically on the board, sometimes being hard to follow. But, if you take notes, read the textuse the class handbook, and have a good study buddy, the class should be a breeze. She's an easy grader and is open to others' views.
In class is so dull and you can not understand what she is saying.
I wish this class was more than what it was. I thought it would be more worldly, but the religion was focused on very strict, traditional, monotheisticism. I was hoping for fun. I had a class right before this one and had to race over for an okay seat, and could not hear her at all in the small classroom. I'm sure she's great, but I can't hear her.
Took this as a GUR. Only two tests and they are essay questions, but she gives you the questions ahead of time so no surprises. And if you have questions about them ahead of time, she will help you. Very boring class though and as easy as it sounds.
I was skeptical of taking a philosophy class, but was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Very little homework, easy grader, and overall an interesting class. If you come to class and engage in class discussions it should be an easy A.
Make sure to attend class because what she rights in the board is important. And she adds stories and emphasizes what's important.
Boring Lectures
Snyder was terrible, the worst class I have ever taken. I had to go to every class because within the exams you must regurgitate what she says in class back to her in order to pass. I never opened the book and I passed but, this class felt like the biggest waste of both time and money :( I would NEVER recommend it to anyone. Worst prof EVER.
Worst class I have taken, didn't cover religion in a philosophy of religion class. Very unclear of what she expected, and seemed like she had no idea what she was teaching.
She's honestly just a nightmare. Her favorite thing to do is listen to herself talk. She doesn't really care about us learning, just that we listen to her talk. On the plus side she's a really easy grader. That's about it.
Everyone hates her, but I honestly enjoyed having her as a teacher. The lectures aren't too dull, and reading the textbook helps a lot. Once she saw that I showed an interest in doing well in the class, she helped me out when I asked her questions and was kind. Not the best, but not the worst like everyone makes her out to be.
I LOVED Frances! She is absolutely brilliant and is well established within her field of study- so all of the negative comments saying she knows nothing are totally inaccurate and should be ignored. Her lectures/lecture style are a little different, but she bends over backwards to help students in office hours. She was one of my favorites for sure!
To be honest, her lecture are dull, and she doesn't do too great a job explaining the material. Having said that, she's more than willing to help you out during office hours, where you can ask specific questions. This makes her material a lot clearer. Additionally, she's an easy grader which makes up for her lack of clarity.
I am currently in her Philosophy 112 class & I find it very hard to stay focused. I can barely understand her because she speaks so soft, but from what I do hear, it's very repetitive. I thought this class would be interesting, but all it makes me want to do is sleep. I suggest taking from another professor if you choose to take this class.
It's so sad that she teaches most ethics classes. Such an interesting topic wasted on an unhelpful and lazy teacher. She shows a lot of useless YouTube videos since she is probably aware she has zero presence and can't project her voice to a loud enough decibel for humans to discern. She is the one disappointing part of the philosophy department.
Although there are nightly readings, they are interesting and fun. Random pop quizzes to go with those readings so you have to read! Only 2 exams with plenty of review to pass them. she is very quiet and hard to hear sometimes but sit close to the front and there will not be a problem! Good class!!
Easy A as long as you go to class, take notes, and do some studying for the written exams.
My least favorite professor I've had yet. Only about four things are graded in the whole class. Lectures are very dry and she isn't always open to other student's opinions if she doesn't agree with them. I studied hard for the midterm and final which are essays and got a B+ and A- on them- she grades very harsh even though this is an intro class.
Her voice is nice but her lectures are a bit challenging to focus on. Grade is based on reading quizzes and the midterm/final. Go in with caffeine try to ask good questions, if you participate the class will be a lot better.
Just do not take this class. I thought it would be interesting but its just pointless. Find something more interesting to take. The teachers lectures are so boring and not helpful at all. I probably taught myself more from YouTube videos than what I actually learned in class. The only good thing is shes an easy grader.
Frances is a very kind professor who cares about her students. She knows what she's doing, and never hesitates to pause class to help someone gain further understanding.
Great Professor Philosophy of Religion was a VERY interesting class. Get ready to think and get your head around huge concepts, Howard-Snyder is very nice and willing to help you along the way. completely lecture driven. No Powerpoint, she talks while writing on the whiteboard which works well with her style of teaching. No Homework, Easy class.
She was chill. Talked the whole class time, gave you test questions and answers.
Frances isn't the most charismatic lecturer and that's okay! She provides a "course packet" which is an outline of every lecture. If you read the material before class it's easier to understand and take good notes. Reading and notes are KEY! There's no homework but for the 2 exams you'll need to know what you're talking about.
Kind of hard to pay attention in class. She's actually pretty funny when she isn't giving a lecture, but her teaching style is dry. Not a difficult class, you can't go wrong by just repeating exactly what she lectured. I wouldn't turn down a class with her, but I wouldn't specifically try for one.
Professor Howard-Snyder wants you to know the exact material she teaches you. If you have ideas about a topic she doesnt really answer or expand. Also, she does not really allow for many questions and if you have a question she usuallu doesnt answer it thoroughly
Her classes are made up of lectures only (expected). She can be soft spoken at times so sit in the front. She is not very charismatic but her lectures are still interesting. Her "course packet" doesn't give you everything, so take notes if you want to be able to study for the tests. The only things graded are 1 HW assignment, 1 quiz, and 2 exams.
Professor Snyder is an alright professor. She is quiet during lecture so sitting near the front is a must. Her style is writing on the whiteboard through lecture which I dont mind. However, I do find her to be aloof and unapproachable. She doesnt really answer students questions and dismisses them, which I find problematic.
hard to pay attention as her voice WILL put you to sleep. you have to phrase things exactly the way she says them in lectures and in the course packet because otherwise you won't pass the exams. doesn't listen to students opinions and deflects when her points are proven wrong. don't waste your money and stress on this class, its not worth it.
Her lecture style is hard to follow. I learned more from just reading the textbook or the YouTube videos she will occasionally show in class. Not good at answering student questions. However, she is an easy grader, and even if you get something completely wrong you will usually get half credit or more. If you write what she says, you will get an A.
Frances is by far my favorite professor at WWU, I'd even say her course material combined with her clear/interesting explanations are what pushed me to want to become a philosophy major. Sometimes in Phil courses professors can overwhelm you with needlessly complex explanations- but she makes sure students understand things in concise, simple ways.
Not great. Doesnt always know what shes talking about. Got through this class using crash course videos. Very tough grader but doesnt explain theories well in class and is typically all over the place. Very minimal homework but tests are worth a lot and are typically essay exams.
Lectures are pretty boring but the real problem is that if you have any questions they will be dismissed or, if they are answered, it is done in an unclear fashion. She clearly doesn't care what you have to say. Also, no HW is nice, but it means that you're graded on a quiz, midterm, final and ONE assignment. Really, don't take this class.
If I had any other option, I would have taken it. Lectures are extremely boring (bring caffeine, maybe a crossword or two). She never will actually answer a question from a student. The entire class is one quiz on basic principles, a take home, the mid term, and the final. Her handwriting also is almost completely unreadable.
Professor Howard-Snyder is very kind. Though the concepts of the class were difficult at times, asking clarifying questions helped a lot. I would recommend going to office hours from time to time. The lectures were a bit much and a lot to take in, but overall the class was fine.
This professor is just a run-of-the-mill professor. She lectures on certain topics, and there is a short essay to write from these topics every week. Is a very repetitive class, but I didnt mind too much. Would help if she gets a better microphone for her lectures though.
Gives you a lot of essays to write, they are pretty easy and very boring. I think it is worth the loss of points to go off-topic. Lectures are boring and unhelpful. Literally learned very little from this class. The only plus is that is a relatively easy GUR class.
This class is easy to pass, as it's one that you can just guess your way through and still earn a decent grade. She encourages discussions but shuts down anything she disagrees with, without even reasoning. Avoid if you actually are passionate about philosophy and ethics.
My only real complaint about Prof. Howard-Snyder would be that she doesn't make it clear what she's looking for in your weekly papers. I got good grades on most of the papers, but her feedback was rarely more than "good work." Her lectures can be low-energy. Fine class, would probably be better if it weren't asynchronous for me.
We didn't use the at all FYI. Her lectures are a bit boring, to the point of almost falling asleep, though that could be because I had a morning class. She posts all of the slides for her lectures online as well as all the quizzes and two essays we were given, and you're allowed to use notes. If you're looking for an easy class, this is for you.
It's a good class and she's an adequate professor. Not the greatest speaker, though. She's too quiet and you don't hear a lot of conviction in her lectures.
She is quite and hard to understand most of the times. Most of the answers are in the power points but if you don't attend class regularly it will get confusing and you might not pass. The times I talked to her and emailed her she was very nice and explained things well. The content can be overwhelming/confusing and you only get graded on quizzes.
Attendance was unnecessary, I went a total of 4 times and still got a B+, in her classes it is very clear she views students are lower than her as she regularly talks down on questions asked or incorrect answers. Very easy course and readings are completely unnecessary as all info for quizzes are in her posted slides. Easiest class with worst prof.
Prof Snyder is just an overall okay teacher, she puts in an average/good enough amount of work to teach you effectively. No need to show up to class unless you struggle with the topics. All of the tests and quizzes are online and she provides the presentation slides to look at online.
Disappointing experience, was hoping to be challenged intellectually yet it was only my patience and frustration that was challenged. She expects great detail in her assignments that she doesn't provide in her lectures. Frequently surprised by content on her slides and her lectures were about as informative as a surface level google search.
Her slides show minimal effort. She's very hard to understand because shes either mumbling, saying "um uh" or is just too quiet. She clearly knows a lot, but uses that to talk down to students. Her grading is unclear too. I would avoid any future classes with her.
Material was interesting, but unfortunately shallow for a philosophy class (granted it is an intro course). I appreciated that the material covered was related to important real-world issues. Professor Howard-Snyder was helpful and answered any questions, but didn't go out of her way to help students unless specifically asked.
Teacher tends to ramble and it starts to confuse everyone in the room. Zero feedback received on any test, including the midterm. Seems like a smart person but can't verbalize it. Overall made the class kind of boring, powerpoints lacked any real content, usually had gifs of something somewhat related to "jazz" it up.
Worst professor I have ever had. She literally wants you to plagiarize her on the exams. If you do not recite something word for word, she will take lot of points off of your grade, even if you learn the material and want to put things in your own words. There is also no point in buying the book she wants you to buy. She is the worst.
Gave 6 total assignments which included the midterm and final, and did not weight them. Did not give good feedback on points you missed on the quizzes (the only other assignment type). It felt like she wanted you to basically restate her exact words from the lecture in the form she would on the quizzes/tests.
Snyder posts slides on canvas, all quizzes are "open note open resource", if you restate what's on the slides you'll get a good grade. Philosophy isn't something I care about, this class didn't change that. If you want an easy GUR credit this is an ok class. I didn't buy the textbook, and it was never used, don't waste your money.
Frances took a minute to get used to but once you understand her lecturing style, her PHIL112 class becomes fun and exciting. She gets a little sidetracked during lectures so be sure to supplement the content with the textbook (provided online and free). The readings were no more than 10 pages per week, quizzes are all easy and engaging. Very fun!
I attended lecture a total of 5 times this quarter and left with a 97%. If you want an easy GUR, this is the class. Everything is graded based off no time limit quizzes and exams that you take on canvas. Everything needed for the exams is in the slides on canvas, and if you copy it near word for word, you'll get an A.
Interesting material, but can be shallow at times. Professor is helpful, but you'll need to advocate for yourself. unstuckstudy was a lifesaver for prepping for this class!
One of the most interesting classes I have taken with a few very engaging and interesting assignments. Lectures were mind numbingly boring but attendance was not important. Graded on a few online assignments, but grading felt inconsistent and feedback was very poor. Not the best prof but I would still take the class again.
She was a great professor and I have no complaints
Only 6 graded assignments but they're all open book. You can just rewrite information from her slides and it counts. Lectures were boring.
This professor was very difficult. She grades you only by two exams and a few quizzes, but never wants you to have an original thought of your own. Just repeat word for word what she has written down in the slides on the exams/quizzes, and you'll be fine. Attendance wasn't mandatory, thankfully, because the class is so dull and boring.
Okay/decent prof, but very difficult to understand at times in lecture, but the material is interesting. Wish we were graded on more things, I feel like I did an okay job on ny paper and got a better grade than expected.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
18%
Textbook Required
55%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.10 avg changeRatings by Course
IS400
5.0
(1)PHIL360
4.0
(1)PHILOSOPHY112
3.3
(3)PHIL3420
3.0
(1)PHIL320
3.0
(11)Difficulty by Course
PHIL114
5.0
PHIL420
5.0
113
4.0
420
4.0
MORALISSUES
4.0