Boring, but he really cares. Go to office hours, very helpful!!!

He may be tedious at times but you're guarenteed to laugh at least once a class.

A lot of students would do well if they'd keep their mouths shut and stay awake.

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He's not the most exciting guy, but he's not that hard; kind of condescending.

Willing to help if you ask for it. Seems condescending, but if you talk to him, he's very insecure. He will call on you and it can be embarrassing but I don't think he means to. He just wants to be liked

ok everyone needs to give this man a break! he will do anything to help you get an A in the class(which is not hard to do) and he and his book are both funny, you just have to understand his sense of humor

The poor guy tries so hard. He will always help, but understanding what he says is almost impossible. Although he is very unclear, you can totally tell his work is his life.

If you put forth just a little effort, you will pass. McCarthy is burdened with a class that is not naturally interesting, but he does his best to make the material interesting and fun. And he's a nice person.

McCarthy does the best he can with the subject he is teaching. a very fair grader. easy quizes and tests. cares about his students and his subject very very much! will do anything for his students.

The man tries hard and really cares about his subject..but honestly he is the most boring person i have ever met.

Overall easy class. The book is easy to read, and tests and quizzes aren't bad if you keep up and do the work. It's a boring subject, but he does what he can to try to make it interesting.

WHOA! He gets upset if he makes mistakes..he wants to do the best.. passionate yet boring.. READ, even though it's unclear... quizes suck, most of my class do horribly...no one goes regularly... talks about suicide a lot.. okay class, I guess....

The class has gotten way off course so far, but it doesn't seem too bad. The first quiz was ridiculous.

I think Prof McCarthy is great! His dry sense of humor is priceless, and he knows his stuff (very intelligent)...people that say he can't teach obviously can't learn...

i LOVE jere mc. He takes pictures of us, and he loves students. He's got the dryest sense of humor, and i've even started a jere quote page. He's so funny, so easy, and the class goes by way fast. Just joke around with him and talk alot and it's great

Hey kids, This is my favorite class this semester. This guy is not only hilarious, but he will go through everything until it is at its most clear state. I dont know why everyone finds it so difficult, he's more than helpful and encourages students to seek help. Just show up and take notes. :)

I don't know what people are complaining about. His class is a piece of cake. Read cliff notes for the books if you want a 100 if you just want an A show up. Know what he wants you to and make an easy A on his tests(he tells you everything you need to know to). Real nice guy, funny too.

dont be fooled by these ratings. hes a great teacher who cares about his students. its not a hard class, but you leave feeling like you learned a lot.

im not sure where these ratings are comming from. it is sad to see that the avarage jmu student cannot appreciate mac's humor, insight, and intelect. hes one of the most unique, and effective teachers ive had so far. take him if you have the chance!

boring subject made interesting by a great teacher. take him if possible.

Relax and enjoy this interesting class. Ask plenty of questions, read notes, and the class ends up being very easy.

he told us to buy plato, descartes, hume- i havent needed any of them. so if you want to save money- dont get those books b/c he tells you everything you need to know and you can find it all online. (at least plato)

he has the best dry sense of humor, but sometimes his big words and monotone voice aren't received well by the class. tests are on basic concepts and grades are generally high.

I agree with all the below ppl, the earlier ratings are completely bogus. McCarthy is the best professor I have ever had. He is also the most intelligent man I have ever met. Class is quite easy, if you get confused ask him questions its very simple. Quizzes can be tricky, but tests are very easy.

good teacher, explained the material well. exam was very easy and covered all of the material learned in class.

jerry mccarthy is what i would like to be like when i am older. take the time to talk to him and you will cherish it. i truly enjoyed him, and his class. just talking to him will make you understand, and he really wants people to do well. "if i was only as interesting as that damn clock"-mccarthy

The man is nice and he does a good job explaining considering the subject matter. The meterial is confusing but ask him questions and he'll tell you word for word what he wants you to know for quizzes and exams. Not a particularly enlightening class, but take good notes and study- you'll do fine.

Quite possibly the most monotone voice ever!Really cool though. Talk to him outside of class. Go to class, read the notes posted online, ask questions. He usually breaks out a funny line during class once he knows you. For example "Let there be terror in their hearts and****y in their pants."-J McC

Painfully boring to listen to at times, but hilarious at times as well. Not too hard of a class, but can be tedious to sit through. Beware: Attendence Policy.

I had a hard time with this class. Lectures can be pretty boring and the attendance policy kicked my ass... but he's a nice guy and he has a sense of humor. He does have a really monotone voice, though... but all the text is in Sparknotes! :)

Makes philosophy applicable and really brings an interesting perspective. He is only boring if you're an idiot and couldn't do the little bit of reading he assigns a week. Quizes and tests and pretty simple. One of the best I've had so far at JMU.

Fairly easy class. He has a droning voice but he can be pretty funny sometimes, explains the material well although quite opinionated. He doesn't try to force his opinion on you, but he brings it up constantly, and quizzes you on some of his views and optional materials - is a National Review book review really exam material?

An easy class, gives his opinion alot. Can be very funny, will do everything in his power to help you. Lots of extra credit oppurtunities. Best porfessor I have had at JMU.

The subject is generally boring and straight-forward, you just regergitate all of the information he talks about in class in the tests and quizzes which are straight from his notes that you print off online. I got a B+ in the class by just reading his notes, didn't read any of the books. Easy but boring if you read his notes.

Mccarthy tries really hard to be funny and most of the time he is. I did not have to read the book, when I was confused I went to his office hours. He will do everything possible to help you. If you take notes and study his handouts the test and quizzes are not difficult. Uses a bunch of the same questions on the final. Good professor had him twice

McCarthy is one of the most intelligent professors I have ever had. Students who complain about his monotone voice must be ADD and lack 80% of their brain. This is a boring subject however he's a funny guy and does his best to make class interesting. If you pay attention (basically if you're awake) it's EASY EASY EASY.

I will not go to the extremes of the rating before mine. McCarthy is probably the nicest person I have ever met and if you take some time to talk to him, one of the smartest. His class is relatively easy, just take notes in class the reading is optional, albeit interesting. His voice can get broing but he makes sooe good jokes if you pay attention.

Good class, takes some studying, go to class. If you need go to office hours. Recommended.

I really liked this class becuase McCarthy made me luagh alot and it was easy. No need to read the stuff he assigns just do the reading online. He can be a little bit boring sometimes but came to class and pay attention and you should like it!

Great Professor with a great class, get to know him and you will be rewarded. I am a philosophy major because of him and I wish some of my upper level teachers were as interesting as he is. He is demanding in class because he wants you to understand the material, but the material for a philsophy 101 course is interesting so read bits of the book

He is hilarious. Take him. As for the material, he writes his own study guides for everything he teaches, so just read those and you should do fine on the tests. Other than tests and a few quizzes, there is no real work.

I think McCarthy is awesome. He's incredibly funny. You don't really need to pay attention but it's beneficial to. He gives a few quizzes... drops the worst one. The tests aren't that bad if you read his study guides and sparknotes.