James is a beast. First Philosophy professor I had & made me want to take more PHI courses.

James is an awesome teacher. He is very friendly, approachable and is very passionate about teaching.

Great teacher, very approachable. He made the class a lot of fun to attend and was very enthusiastic about the subject, which made it easy to be interested

He was very approachable, taught like philosophy was his life in a very profound but accessible way. Very unbiased and really into getting the students involved in discussion. Also ridiculously intelligent.

Having James as a teacher honestly made the class so much better. He is extremely nice and very interesting to listen to. His stories are good and he makes everyone feel involved. He is also sooo cute and his voice was very easy to listen to. I would definitely take James class again!

James was an amazing teacher. He is brilliant, and starts off each section of the class with an interesting video. His stories are awesome and he gets the students involved with quirky prompts. The books are necessary for the daily quizzes and for quotes to use in essays. I loved him as a teacher

James was very engaging and easy to follow. He often started class with jazz music, and answered any question - no matter how off the wall! He graded rather though, though that's what a proper professor often does, but always gave helpful feedback (so did his TA's). James is a fantastic professor to have a first-semester experience with!

James is honestly such an amazing guy. He has been my favorite professor so far and I am so lucky to have been put into his class. I would recommend taking this class. I didn't have much interest in Socrates, etc before I took it but he has made it really interesting and engaging for his students.

I took this class my first semester of freshman year. I found the subject interesting, though didn't like reading - but it really helped. Some of his examples to explain situations are hilarious. Not many papers due/what you would expect.

This class is pretty easy. If you show up and write down a few notes then you will be fine writing the papers. I have gotten by without buying the textbooks. If you know the name of the section that is assigned you can find it online.

James is one of those teachers that has a class of 400, but if you come up to him after class or go to his office hours, you'll have his undivided attention. He's a very genuine teacher and wants to help the students that reach out to him.

James is a great teacher! You can feel his passion when he lectures and it makes the class more intriguing. He has quizzes pretty often, but he drops two of them at the end of the semester and you're allowed to miss 5 classes. Papers are easy, I made it through without any textbooks. Easy class.

Fantastic. Respects students and is respected in return. He knows his stuff. His sense of humor is great as well. This was my favorite course of my undergrad thanks to him. If you take a class of his, go to office hours. Not only if you need help, but simply for quality conversation with a quality guy.

James is amazing. Hands down one of the best professors I've had the privilege to learn from. He is super genuine, and hilarious. While the material is long, he makes it entertaining and always uses outside sources to spice things up. Beyond this, he starts every class with smooth jazz, haha whats not to love?

James is hilarious and the lectures aren't too dull. He does give pop quizzes but there is only one big test. There are four papers throughout the semester and no final! For the papers it really helps to go to the study sessions and you have to cite the books throughout the papers. I enjoyed this class.

Great professor! TAs did most of the gradingfeedback for essays but he gave great lectures. Easy class; the TAs do a review session before each paper and basically tell you what to write about which is extremely helpful and made the class an easy A.

Lectures are inspirational, make you think even when you leave the classroom. He makes a tough subject interesting and funny to listen to. There are a few papers, but they are relatively easy. I definitely recommend taking this class.

James is an awesome professor. He is hilarious, engaging, genuine, and very smart, and made class really enjoyable. I wasn't a huge fan of the class due mostly to the boring essays which you can only get an A on if you attend study sessions and write exactly what the TAs tell you to. Despite this, James makes the class worthwhile. A+ prof.

The best professor I've had so far, extremely engaging lectures, he is hilarious, there are 4 essays but they're not hard unless you don't read. He makes the class so fun and interesting by the way he talks you can just tell how into it he is. Very knowledgable, you know he knows what he is talking about. Would recommend to anyone!

Show up, read the text (a bit confusing at times but short!) be prepared for daily quizzes, only one test and 4 papers! Easy, and he makes the lectures fun, interesting, and relatable! Great guy overall!

There is one test at the beginning, and the rest of the class is all short papers. This is the one paper centric class I've actually done well in.

Class is awesome! This is the first philosophy class that I've taken and I loved it. There are 3 1500 word papers, 1 test, and an 800 word paper. Gives a lot of quizzes on readings assigned in the syllabus. Always posts powerpoints on BB learn which help a lot with papers.

James is a pretty chill professor. He has his course organized very well. It is easy to follow along and he gives you all the materials you need in order to do well in his powerpoint lectures. There is 1 test and 4 papers. He does give quizzes on reading, but it is usually very easy to get the right answers as long as you have some idea of content.

James is seriously one of the best professors I have ever had. He is so inspirational and is such a good speaker. He explains difficult things in a way that you can actually understand and makes the idea of philosophy actually seem really interesting. I would 100% take another class with him as the professor.

James is very passionate about philosophy and is pretty good at teaching it too. The material may be a bit hard to grasp but he is always willing to answer any questions you may have. There's a quiz almost every week but only one exam at the beginning of the semester. Just read, attend class, and do all 4 essays and you should be fine.

Joiner is a beautiful human being and a fabulous teacher. He truly cares about his students more than any professor I have ever spoken to. Joiner loves to challenge what you think only in an attempt to help you cultivate yourself. He never speaks about himself and is deeply interested in his students and philosophy. He is a professor to have.

James is a great professor. Sometimes he takes a while to get back to students on grades. His lectures are fascinating and make you want to come to class. PHI332 is a good class for Bio students to take as a break from traditional bio classes, while still earning credit toward their major.

James was such a wonderful professor, despite the large amount pop quizzes and readings you will have to do, he is a wonderful lecturer. The material may be dry but he seems to make it fun and engaging. He is a real gem here at nau and I would gladly take this class again.

James is one of the best professors I have ever had. Philosophy can be a difficult topic to understand but he uses relatable examples to explain the material. There are 4 essays and 1 exam in his class and quizzes almost every week. He is very entertaining and an all around great person. (The study sessions for the essays are extremely helpful)

Professor Joiner is an amazing teacher with clear passion for what he is doing. There are 4 papers in this class. They are on Socrates, Krishna, Buddha and your own personal worldview, which is the final. He is very understanding and his quizzes will make you laugh.

A quiz once a week at random. Attendance, quizzes, 1 exam & 4 papers are what you are graded on. Study well for the exam & spend a solid day on the papers & you'll be fine. Go to the TA study sessions they are AMAZING & informational. Lectures are usually interesting he is very conversational & humorous. Explains everything well without being dry.

This is the kind of class I would take for fun. James is hilarious, he makes the topics really interesting, and it was a pretty easy class. There are a couple papers to write but they aren't very difficult and he isn't a tough grader. You can miss 3 classes before getting a grade drop which is nice but this is a class that I always tried to attend.

James is great and he opens your eyes to everything under the sun. However, the grade book is centered on 3 main assignments so you can't afford to miss points. follow the rubric carefully and ask for help and you should be fine. Also, don't forget to read the assignments!

Just amazing and easy class. Highly recommend

I was shocked to see his current rating is 3.8. Prof Joiner's philosophy class was my favorite. He obviously has a passion for the subject and is great at transferring that energy to the class. His lectures were engaging, he was respectful of differing opinions, and it's an easy A as long as you put in the effort. A class worth attending.

James is funny and an active speaker. The class is a heavy lecture but James does not have a boring or monotone voice. He has a pretty good sense of humor and is really easy going. The TA's grade the papers and they're somewhat tough but give a lot of feedback.

Quizzes every Thurs. He always says there "could" be a quiz, there always is. Only test covers the first unit, and then there are papers: one on Socrates, one on Krishna, one on Buddha, one on your own worldview (personal worldview is final). SUPER passionate about the topic, amazing professor. Bc of him I'm taking another Phil class next semester

James Joiner was by far one of my favorite teachers I have had at NAU. Every time I walked into class there was jazz music lightly playing that got me in the mood to think about philosophy. If you are pretty good at writing and willing to work hard, his class is an easy A and I would recommend it 100%. He always made class fun and interesting too.

I am now a philosophy minor after this class. Its that good.

This is not an easy A. I am an education major and thought this class would be cool but it was extremely difficult. You write 4 papers, which are graded hard. You also have reading every night and you have to read. I tried not reading on the first paper and got screwed. James is super nice and not to mention super hot but class is hard.

Hes super funny and youll have four papers to write throughout the semester: one on socrates, hinduism, buddhism, and then your own personal worldview for the final. Theres a quiz basically every thursday but theyre easy and you can miss up to five classes before you lose points. Would definitely recommend him, essays seem tough but arent hard

James is a great guy and really seems to care about his students. There is only one test and then 3-4 easy papers. The quizzes are in class and self graded so take that as you please. Definitely an easy A.

I am loving Dr. J's class! He is one of the most engaging lecturers I have ever had, and manages to connect with the students through in-class discussion. Exams are a little tougher than I anticipated but other than that, I would definitely recommend this class!

James, is a good professor, he goes over topics in class which relate to the papers you are typing which is useful. But there is a quiz every Thursday, sometimes there are pop quizzes on the readings. Overall i would recommend taking his class there are only 4 papers involved with the readings but he helps during lectures.

Professor Joiner does a great job of making Philosophy interesting. He presents different religions without any sort of bias. It's a great class to take if you're interested in other worldviews. Just do the reading and pay attention and you'll do fine.

Super chill guy! Lectures are never boring and dull moments don't exist in this class. He is very invested in teaching philosophy, his words are amazing. Buying the books are a must, choose Amazon Rent (it's cheaper). Papers are easy to write as long as you read the material each week. Quizzes every week too + one exam in the 1st month of class.

One of my favorite professors so far. He stresses the importance of talking to other people who hold different beliefs than you do about different worldviews. He loves to have conversations with us and breaks up lectures with class discussion. There are a lot of papers, but the TAs do well with helping people out with those. Highly recommend!

Oh my gosh, loved him. Such a funny and kind guy that genuinely loves philosophy. His lectures were super interesting, engaging, and hilarious! Looked forward to his class every week, never missed a single one. quizzes often but very easy. 5 main papers, bs'd half of em still got an A. If you have the chance to take him, do it! 10/10.

This is a really good class to take. This instructor is really good at playing both sides when it comes to discussions and is good at teaching his students how to do the same.

James is a super chill, and funny guy. Hes also super hot which is a bonus. Ive never looked forward to a lecture as much as I did when I took his class. Easy A if you read the material and have an understanding of it.

Dr. Joiner is VERY nice in the fact that he didn't require a textbook that takes half my paycheck. They are very small, $5 books and you NEED to read each one to pass. This professor is hilarious and I promise you will not feel the need to miss a class, but if you do, just know that pop quizzes are a thing and they are easy if you read.

Dr. Joiner is the coolest. You can tell hes very caring and wants you to walk away with something after each class. He does assign some hefty readings at times, but most of class is interesting discussions. I took this as an elective but he makes philosophy so interesting and this class is really applicable for anyone going into healthcare.

James is my favorite professor so far. He makes every lecture intriguing and enjoyable. Youll be graded on 1 exam, 4 papers, and a weekly quiz. He cares about his students and genuinely wants them to pass his class. Hes always open for questions and is available. The exam is 25% of your grade so make sure to study the material.

Professor Joiner is a good professor, the class is just a pain when it comes to papers

james joiner is amazing guy. probably one of the most excellent communicators i've ever met. it's like he knows the secret to a happy and fruitful life. he's funny and loves what he does. very passionate and just wants to share what he knows. great guy. the class was very easy and straightforward.

The papers are the only difficult thing if you're not the best writer, but he is a great professor ready to share his life experiences. You can tell he really loves his job. Gives the best lectures if you like lectures. Highly recommended.

James is an amazing professor and I loved this class so much! No textbook required just 3 small 5 dollar books you can get pdfs of if you look around. His lectures make complex philosophy concepts easy to understand and can get anyone interested in what they're learning in class. Papers are mostly opinion-based. I recommend him very highly!

Great guy super mindful and intelligent. will help you out if you need it just ask.

Dr JJ is one of my fav prof's so far. PHI150 had like 220 students in it, but he still made it feel personal. This is really just an intro/exposure to various philosophers with some fun videos and interesting lectures. 3-4 papers, 1 easy exam, few BS quizzes. There's points for attendance but its a rly casual sign in sheet. 3-4 small $5 books.

James is a fantastic professor. The class size is super small so youll get to know everyone well. Theres 4 case studies but as long as you listen to lectures and have some passion on the subject (which honestly isnt that hard) theyll be super easy. Very interesting and relevant topics not sure why it isnt required for boomed majors though

Dr. Joiner was a excellent professor and his lectures were so informative. Of course there are couple of lengthy readings but they are fairly easy since they are interesting. There are only 4 papers to write but they are super easy if you use the readings. There is only one exam but this as well isn't that difficult.

James is a great teacher! I had his class online but he still seemed to care about all of this students. Quizzes every week, just do the reading and you'll pass no problem. Pretty essay heavy, buy they aren't too long and the subject matter is honestly pretty fun, i'd definitely take another class with him.

One of my favorite professors at NAU. He does a great job at explaining everything from an unbiased view and I feel that everything I learned from him was extremely relevant to life outside of class. One of the few classes in my undergrad that didn't feel pointless. Everything for the quizzes was in the readings and he prepared you well for essays.

The course is very interesting and worth while! Every class you leave with a though to think about. The four essays given are long, but the criteria is there. Do get the books or you will be struggling for tests and the essays. That is all you get graded on and it does impact your grade greatly. Give it a shot or you won't pass and miss the fun.

For this class you will have 1 test, 4 papers and weekly quizzes. Make sure you pay attention in lecture as well as attend the study session for the test. For the papers and quizzes MAKE SURE YOU READ. The class is not hard at all if you put effort in. also Joiner makes the lectures fun and thought provoking. Great professor!

Though I don't recommend taking this class your first semester like I did it was a very interesting class! There are lots fo books and essay, but the essay topics are so interesting and really make you think about life in general! If you are into tough questions this is the class for you! Great prof!!

Dr. J is a phenomenal lecturer. He is seriously passionate about the topics he discusses; it's hard as a student not to feel inspired by him. He's not a tough grader, so if you write well and do the reading, this class is an easy A. All in all great professor, would highly recommend

I can't describe how amazing Dr. J is as a person. He really cares about the subject and about the students, and just wants us to be better people more than anything else. His class taught me so much about life and the world around me, and I would only ever take philosophy courses with him because of how awesome he is.

This professor is outstanding with his students and really cares about the situations and opinions of them too. I would recommend taking his course and at take notes during lecture and you'll be well on your way to getting a good grade.

Best professor at NAU.

Dr. J is the reason I added a philosophy minor. His lectures are so engaging, he cares about his students, and his sense of humor is great. He won't overload you with work, but you have to do the reading quizzes and a few papers throughout the semester. The class isn't too hard so long as you attend. Also make sure to compliment his hat.

Overall I liked him as a person and he was clearly passionate about what he teaches, I just find philosophy incredibly boring. Half of his lectures were self-explanatory to anyone with base-level critical thinking. Quizzes are annoying, but papers arent too bad just tedious, the final is easy, just a paper on your opinions.

Prof J is one of my favorite professors at Nau, he's very sweet and cares about the content ! Some of the content can be boring but he makes it fun! 5 absences are allowed before he takes away points and there's barely anything in the grade book. 4 papers and one exam along with weekly quizzes are the only grades ! Do the reading and you'll be set!

the material felt boring but professor made it fun to learn

Very passionate about his work. He does not need a mic to lecture to a class of over a hundred and is able to captivate everyone with his quirky and funny examples. It is quite profound, as it were.

James is the best professor at NAU. James is super passionate about what he teaches and the opinions of his students. If you have a chance to take this class, do it. You have to read a lot and really understand the books to do good in class. James is an extremely good professor and a fantastic person.

Excellent professor and my favorite class of the semester. Highly recommend it to anyone who needs liberal studies credits.

He was awesome! Grades include one exam, weekly quizzes based on the reading, and 3 papers about each of the main philosophers. Also, a final paper about your philosophical beliefs. Need 5 books for this class, but I got them all used for like $30ish from Amazon. His lectures can be boring, but they are thought-provoking. Loved this class :)

Great Professor and very engaging. Class consists of 1 exam, 3 essays, and 1 final that's an essay on your opinion. Super easy class but barely any work in the grade book to buff your grade. Regardless, 10/10 recommend him, just make sure to read and understand the books he gives.

I am a physics major in my fourth year at NAU, and, oddly enough, this intro philosophy course has been one of the gleaming highlights of my college career thus far. Dr. Joiner is easily possibly the most engaging and talented lecturer I have ever witnessed and does an excellent job of illuminating Eastern, as well as western, philosophy.

Dr. J is an AMAZING teacher!! The way he leads class is interesting and very easy to follow. As long as you read the books and attend class, the papers are easy! Definitely recommend taking this class if you need the credits!!

he's alright but just bad at answering emails if you have a question you'll have to ask him in class. He has 6 books that he requires you to have because you will have to write a paper one each one.

There is little to no homework in this class. There are weekly quizzes and about 4 essays you will have to complete over the semester. He is a great teacher though and makes learning about Philosophy interesting.

Dr. J is a great professor and made philosophy interesting. This class is very easy and relaxed. There are a few essays, one exam, and sometimes a weekly quiz. Students are given 5 absences, with no questions asked before it affects their grade. Make sure to do the readings and you will be fine!

Amazing professor. Could not recommend him enough. I had to take this as a summer class because it's always full during the semester. A lot of writing, but that's expected in a 3-week 300-level class. I really enjoyed doing the assignments and readings because he made them interesting. 3 1600-word case studies + many 600-word writings. So much fun

AMAZING prof! He is able to explain content in such an engaging way, I never wanted to miss my 9am class. Reading is required, and the readings can be a little difficult but how he goes over them in class makes it super easy. The only assignments you have are the essays and as long as you read the example you will do just fine!

This professor is passionate about philosophy and extremely informative! There is a lot of reading but the lectures were easy to listen to, entertaining, and thought-provoking. James has a lot of great stories to share, this class was fun to go to and I loved the readings.

The class is overall very easy, there are weekly quizzes on the readings and I would suggest getting the books which are about $4 each. There are 4 papers that do take a bit of time and are the majority of your grade. Attendance is mandatory but participation is not, the class was very fun and he is a very engaging lecturer.

Very fun teacher makes every lecture interesting. There papers instead of exams, but if you pay attention they shouldn't be too hard.

Dr.J is amazing and I really enjoyed the class. I recommend paying attention in class because he provides a lot of good information that helps when writing the essays. I also recommend buying the books or getting them through the library but online, so you can search using keywords since it's a lot of reading.

Dr. J was an amazing professor. I wasn't really interested in his course, i just need the credit but if you pay attention you'll do well. He is understanding and he was always kind to his students.

Dr. J is a great professor. 3 major essays about Krishna, Buddha, and Socrates, and the final paper was very easy. The class was never boring.

Awesome professor and super engaging. His stories are always the best and he does class simulations which can be interesting. Course work is relatively easy - there are short quizzes, an exam, and a few papers. Definitely a good class and I feel like I learned a lot. No bad things to say! Joiner is great and definitely one of NAU's best.

James Joiner changed my life. I love this man and the way that he teaches. He is very generous with his time and resources, and is always willing to meet up outside of class. He is a walking example of how much of a positive impact teachers can have on their students by showing them support. I learned lessons in this class I will never forget.

Lectures were a little bit boring honestly I think that is just me lol. He tried to make them entertaining. Attendance is mandatory. There are a few TAs who grade the essays and I feel as though one of them grades very hard so it was a tossup if I was going to get an A or B on a paper depending on the grader.Other than that the quizzes were fine.

I loved Professor James! His lectures can get very very boring, but he's a funny dude and explains everything well. The class requires around 4 books, none of which I actually bought. They're extremely helpful but you can still pass with a high B without them. His class was very easy, though the reports are due every other week so def pay attention

I think everyone should take this class. Dr. J clearly cares about what he teaches and manages incredible outreach for classes so large. This is easily one of my favorites and I feel like I've grown as a person thanks to the course. He's loud, funny, respectful, and knowledgeable. Don't hesitate.

I signed up for PHI 150 since I generally enjoy philosophy and needed a class to fulfill a diversity requirement. However, James completely exceeded my expectations. I LOVED this class. He was so animated during his lectures, and he taught in a way that you could easily tell he loved what he was teaching. I would sell my kidney for James. 10/10.

Arguably best NAU professor oat

Dr. J was amazing. He literally changed my view on how I live my life. I think everyone should have to take this class. My understanding of the world, different philosophies, and myself as a human has been changed forever in the best way. I will never forget this class. He is a super engaging, intelligent, funny, guy who respects all. RECOMMEND!

This is probably one of the easiest classes anyone could take IMO, the readings are short and can really take you on a ride through philosophical figures' perspectives. Lectures can be long but get a lot covered. There are also major essay assignments and weekly quizzes that can be graded smoothly or harshly based on the TA however, great class!

I really enjoyed this class. The lectures were engaging and he made it fun. The essays are graded by his TA's which sometimes grade difficult but if you ask him to look over yours, he will. Take good notes for your essays.

I took PHI 101 just to fulfill my last diversity credit, but Dr. Joiner was such a pleasure to have in class. His lectures were always so funny and full of thought-provoking questions. There are a LOT of readings in the class, so make sure to do them ahead of time, take all the quizzes, and take notes.

Lots of writing but that is expected from a philosophy class. Easy going and interesting lecturer, every topic we talked about was extremely informational as a future healthcare worker. Lots of reading but overall pretty well structured and simple class.

Outstanding professor. Whether you're into philosophy or not, the passion he has for teaching philosophy is a hidden gem. Great lectures and class discussions!

He had so much energy and passion every morning! You could tell he was passionate about what he was teaching. I switched in late but he sought me out, shook my hand, and explained what I missed. Super fun guy, sometimes his kids show up to class with him lol.

He is good

Joiner is an exceptional teacher! Extremely engaging lectures, very straightforward and flexible assignments and always available as a person outside of class. A truly wonderful class and something I wish everyone could take to bolster their college experience!

Dr. J is a great person and truly cares about his profession and students, but with this being a liberal arts credit, it's kind of hard to enjoy the content unless you're a philosophy major. It's the same setup lecture after lecture with different philosophers, so it got repetitive and felt like a waste of time and not applicable to my major.

Dr. Joiner somehow managed to make a relatively boring subject become somewhat interesting to me. His lectures were always super engaging and he's super funny too, always kindly challenging what his students say. The coursework was simple and consisted of quizzes and four essays which kind of got tedious to do, but weren't very difficult overall.

Professor J's PHI150 class is a rewarding philosophical journey. Lectures can be lengthy but engaging, and the textbook readings complement the material well. Quizzes and essays require effort, but using resources like Unstuck study helps. Overall, a thought-provoking experience.

He is a pretty interesting guy. He really tries his best to keep us engaged but in my opinion the class is pretty boring. The things we learn about are pretty interesting in the very beginning, but covering what they did and said for three weeks takes the fun out of it. The weekly quizzes and the essays make basically all of your grade so do well.

Cannot say enough good things about Professor Joiner. I would take 150 again because the class was actually that good. Don't take if you don't want to try and engage with the subject because it would make the class boring. I recommend this class to any student regardless of their major, Professor Joiner is the best.

BEST class I have ever taken. My fav prof ever. this class is a MUST TAKE!!!!!

He has really interesting and entertaining lectures that keep you involved during class. Definitely need the textbooks they are important for the tests and final, you will pass if you have them.

Must-take teacher. I came into the class expecting to drop due to credit hours, and his lectures convinced me to keep the class during the first week. Genuinely an amazing experience.