I really liked the way he organized his lectures. He is very clear and the class structure was simple.

Wow, this guy really did know his stuff, but he never smiled. He was the most depressed-looking guy that I knew. Very monotone. He rtaught well and the class was cool, but... Smile More, John!

Very good teacher. Explains things very clearly, makes great points, his lectures are very well organized. Obviously knows his stuff. I feel sorry that students don't pay more attention, he's a great teacher and deserves having a class that really wants to learn. Great teacher.

Class was very easy if you went to class. Not very demanding. Only hard part is the man has no expression whatsoever, monotone, never moves a facial muscle.

not diff at all, show up, take good notes, review for 1/2 hour night before test, and you will be fine. very clear and straightforward, easy to grasp + intersteing.could use a little more expression, dosent usually look like hes having a lot of fun, but no reaseon why u cant get an a in this class.

awesome instuctor!!! he really knows the material. he lectures on everything you need for the tests, plus the class is curved. very easy if you go to class or get notes. it was really funny to see him hold in smiles! let lose sometime

i love his teaching style he is very funny, he knows his stuff and he keeps you laughing. i love the way he aways tries to hide his smile. he wants to stay professional but sometimes we made him laugh. it was fun.

oh my god. he is awesome. just attend the class and you will be fine!

seems like a boring teacher, but once your in his class for a while, you learn he can be ****ing hilarious and overall he is a very clear and intelligent guy.

Awesome!

At first he seems boring and too straight forward. But you realize he really knows the material and as time goes on he is funny as****. He throws in odd comments and only gets a little smirk on his face while the class is cracking up. the material is interesting and hes a really good teacher.

this is the one class i enjoy going to! he's a great teacher and class is so interesting and funny, i love it! very very easy as well! :-)

John is a great guy and his classes are interesting. If you go to class, youre basically guaranteed an A.

His abilities went mostly to his knowledge and less to his interpersonal skills. He's extremely smart, clear, concise... but he'll only crack a smile once in a while... and it's usually when someone's making an idiot out of themselves in front of the class. I liked this professor a LOT.

This class is a lot of fun. I recommend it to everyone. As long as you go to class you'll get atleast a B. He comes off as a jerk but he knows what he's talking about and he's good at teaching it!

He is super dry and writes everything out on the board. He also uses some power point but does not rely on it like some professors do.

Easy A if you attend class- take notes. Everything is on the board. Not biased at all and makes it great to learn.

He might come off as dry, but in reality he has a great sense of humor which is only tripled in effect due to how rarely he shows it. His classes are,"straight to the point", but I think if people were less intimidated by his serious expression (he rarely smiles,but its a contagious smile), class would have many more discussions. Excellent teacher.

He is nice. His exams are fair. The true false questions are tricky. He is a genius on the material. He knows almost everything regarding the material. He never misses a day of class. Everything he writes on the board are on his exams. Just study the notes and you will pass his exams. He does not take attendance. Never use info from the text book.

i had him my freshman year. he was funny and his teaching methods are great. i didn't even have to read the book and i got a B. he is hilrarious, unconventional, and somewhat controversial. not afraid to speak his mind and he is not afraid to let you speak yours.

he is a very blah kind of guy, but everything is straight to the point. test questions come directly from notes that he writes on the board in class...you pretty much knew exactly what to expect and had great notes to study from. i liked him pretty well so i actually took two classes with him.

Nice guy! He speaks in a dull, dry tone but clear. He teaches some interesting topics which will keep you focused in class. His exams are smooth because he curves them. Notes are very detailed. I recommend him!

I'd have to say he is dull and dry, but his material is very clear. Lots of notes, but he covers everything and the exams are very simple. One of my best prof. of the semester.

I liked this class a lot!!! He seemed kind of boring at first but has his funny moments. The class was really interesting. It makes you think a lot. He was a really good teacher.

Very good teacher!! Explains things throughly without putting his opinion in it. The test are so easy just make sure you go to class and take notes! Very interesting class!

Great teacher and great class. Very interesting material and the notes are very helpful. The tests are primarily based on the notes, so it's important to go to class or borrow them from someone else. He presents the material in an unbiased tone. Highly recommended, one of the best classes I've taken!

Excellent teacher. He writes all of the notes on the board. Everything from the tests are from those notes.

Good teacher. Everything that is on the test in written on the board during his lectures. This was one of my easiest classes. Go to class, take notes, read over your notes before the exam and you could EASILY walk out of the class with an A. I totally recommend him!!

If you are considering taking PHIL 231, make sure it is with Beaudoin!! His notes are a little disjointed, but he gets his point across. His tests are fill in the blank, multiple choice, and a few short answer. They are fairly easy (they cover exactly what you cover in class). He is the only teacher you should consider.

This was a great Gen. Ed. I found his humor hilarious once I got used to it. Class talks about current topics. It should be known that he makes it a point to win all class discussions. Great class, you just have to go. Defiantly recommend this teacher and this class

He's a good teacher but the class will be kind of hard if philosophy is not your strongest subject. All the notes are on the board and the test come directly from them. There are only five tests, and no final.

He is dry and does not seem to have much of a personality, but is overall a great teacher. as long as you go to class and study, you will do fine. the topics are interesting and kept everyone in class interested

He's dry but like's to make jokes every blue moon, test are okay,covers exactly what was said in class, he never actually tells you his opinion on cases he have more of a moral discussion/debate with the class to hear our opinions. Overall nice guy class is not hard just show up and study.

He is very intelligent and his class is extremely easy but entertaining. His attitude is hilarious. He's a great professor.

Seemed like he started to have more of a sense of humor towards the end, class would have been more appealing if he had it the whole semester. Good teacher though, understands the material and makes students think for themselves. Go to class and do the study guide. Very straight forward. Tests are based on lectures.

very straightforward: notes/lectures = test. if you miss lecture you can copy the notes in office hours. he seemed kind of annoyed with the class but it's understandable considering the entire class is standing there blank when he's attempting to spark an articulate discussion.

Tests are straight from the notes so plan on going to class every day. No curve-balls though, very straightfoward teaching and on tests.

great teacher. once you pick up on his sense of humor, he is pretty amusing. every test question comes straight from his notes/lectures, so you have to go to class. way better than the other PHIL 231 teachers from what i've heard.

Easy class. What he wrote on the board, it was on the test. if he didn't put it on the board, it wasnt on the test. Make sure you show up to class to get the notes. he is very meticulous about his grading on the tests. so make sure you cover everything you can think of.

During my time in undergrad I took a number of courses with Mr. Beaudoin. He is one of NIU's treasures, and everyone ripping the man apart is simply admitting that they never tried in any of his courses. He is helpful, courteous, and always willing to listen. He is also brilliant.

I definitely find him harsh and boring but he's so smart it's intimidating. He uses his office hours for people who miss his class notes or tests. Ask him something you're not understanding, and he'll help you out. Don't judge him!

Professor Beaudoin is a really good professor&I liked his class. He's extremely intelligent and makes the class a lot of fun, but GO TO CLASS. He puts nothing on blackboard and EVERYTHING on the test is from his notes. If you study your notes before the test you should be fine.

One of the most boring, monotone professors I have ever come across. He doesn't say a word to you unless it is in regards to what he is writing on the board. However, it is a pretty easy class. Everything you need to know, he writes on the board. Go to class, study a little bit and you will surely pass.

I loved Beaudoin's class- it was interesting and he explained the material well. He was a little intimidating, didn't seem very happy most days. However, the class is a good way to learn the philosophy basics. I would recommend this professor to those interested in philosophy.

I loved him, he is really passionate about the course material making it sound so interesting, if you pay attention and study for the exams you'll do great. he writes very fast and messy but if you don't understand what he said/wrote you can always ask him after class. If you go see him you can ask him about ANY problem you might have.

There were just 6 tests and the final is not cumulative. His handwriting is not very good but if you ask him what a work is he will tell you. As long as you take notes and go to class, you should get an easy B. He made he class kind of interesting.

Dr. Beaudoin is very intelligent and he increased my interest in the subject. It usually seems like he is being inconvenienced by teaching this course - I have a feeling he'd rather be teaching more advanced students who are actually PHIL majors. However, there are times when he is very funny. I recommend him.

This professor is one of the best professors at NIU. He is extremely helpful. Although he does not make attendance mandatory he does notice who comes and who doesn't. He likes when students speak up in class. He seems intimidating at first but once you get to know him he is very helpful. Read all of the material because that is the exam.

This professor was very thorough. I was uninterested in philosophy when I singed up for the course I just took it as an elective but he made the subject matter very engaging.

He is not very engaging in class, and he rather just lecture but he does provide you with a booklet of notes and goes through a lot of questions he created to help you understand the material. The tests are all formatted the same and if you go to class and pay attention you should do well. If you are interested in philosophy take him!!

i love this guy! He is very eager to teach and when students interact he goes toe to toe with you. Just to make sure you are understanding and can support what your saying. He is the best Philosophy teacher Ive taken him twice

Got a C on the first test and screw everything up. Got all As after that and still couldn't get the grade back to an A because of the poor grading system. I would recommend him because he is a good teacher but you should be ready to work really hard if you want an A. No extra credit opportunity.

I would love to step into this John's mind for a day. He is incredibly intelligent about the subject and wrote the book for the class. Attendance isn't mandatory but I HIGHLY recommend you go because the material can be confusing. Tests are easy if you study and go to class. No homework, no extra credit. Very helpful outside of class.

The class was pretty challenging, but John made the class easier to follow by going through the book with us during class. He actually wrote the book, which was very interesting. The material was kinda hard, but he used a lot of diagrams to help us remember. I liked the grading scale, 5 exams and 4 quizzes with the 2 lowest dropped.

Some of the topics can be difficult to understand, but if you go in for extra help he is willing to do anything to help! He is one of those professors who is so intelligent that it sometimes intimidates students, but nonetheless, he's very nice! He makes diagrams which help a lot. Assigns a few chapters of reading every day. Go to class!

Four words, He is the best

He has been the best and most knowledgeable professor I have had the pleasure of having at NIU thus far. The class is designed for you to have to study a lot, but he makes it make sense. Also, it is really helpful that he wrote the text, as the tests are modeled after the readings. His lectures and notes are great, and if you try, you pass.

First off, Beaudoin is hilarious. He is clearly shy and doesn't make much eye contact but is actually very nice. He gets less shy as time goes on. His lectures are great and make sense if you pay attention. It is crucial to show up because his notes are everything you need for the test. He is easily the best professor I have had at Northern.

He is such an amazing professor. His tests are hard though compared to the other professors, however, if you are interested to learn about different topics in Philosophy then you must take him. He is the best professor I have ever seen. I got inspired by his amazing lectures, and he made me think about minoring in philosophy. He is the BEST.

Professor Beaudoin is the best professor I had. If you want to learn, take his class.

I have enjoyed both classes I have taken with him. Everything is very straightforward, which is nice with a Philosophy professor. He does not seem approachable, but he is. You can tell he is very shy, but he is actually very nice, knowledgable, and his lectures are entertaining and witty. Ask questions if needed because he is very helpful.

Very fair, clear grading criteria. You must read and do exercises and you will do fine. No extra credit but you cannot do badly on exams if you study. He wrote the textbook and the readings are really interesting, they really make you think which is the name of the class..I would take him again.

Good professor. He can be a bit blunt, but he is easy to understand, explains things well, and has a good sense of humor. The class is reasonably difficult. Not too hard, but also not too easy!! The exams and quizzes are unfortunately the only grades, so STUDY!!! Do the exercises in the book, go to class, a small bit of studying, and you'll be fine

He knows a lot about the topic. He might come off as unapproachable and scary but he is a decent professor. Very organized and he always checks if students understand the lessons. He did his part in the lecture really well but students have to read and try as well.

I really enjoyed taking this class! You do need to take notes on the readings he gives you as well as on the lectures, but if you actually discuss the material with friends and really try to understand your morals, youll be fine. I recommend this class FOR SURE

Grades are only made up of exams. Exams are open note and are easy if you get the concepts. Since it was online I never talked to him but the powerpoint he provides were helpful to clear up any confusion.

BEST PROFESSOR BY FARRRRRR

All around an amazing professor, straight to the point and explains things so clearly.

At first, I was scared of his class having never taken a 300-level course before, especially a philosophy class. He is a very good teacher and gives you study questions to help with tests. His tests are easy if you show up to class, participate, and TAKE NOTES. He teaches by writing on the white board so show up and take notes.

5 exams and a paper, that's it. The exams are all open "book" from the PDF's provided, no book purchsase required. Exams are multiple choice or true / false, plus 2-3 short answer. Maybe not the best format for optimal learning, but easy enough class.

He was amazing. You have to buy his text book, it's like $20, but then his lectures go with the book perfect. He also has this dry humor which I really enjoyed. Very smart and very helpful.

5 tests and one paper (easy grading). 2 extra credit quizes multiple choice. No busy work, or discussion posts. Tests are open book from the provided pdf and all multiple choice except a few short answer.

Not the most engaging in class but he is very knowledgeable about the material. Pay attention in class and read the textbook. The content was not easy at all and is very different from what most people think when they hear about philosophy. However, I believe the content was interesting to learn and it is very useful to apply in life.

Professor Beaudoin was straightforward in his syllabus. If you read and do the work for the class you will pass. I love teachers like this who want students to do their best but do not hold them to the standard of being experts in the subject. Some quizzes were a little challenging with the short answer questions. Final paper at the end.

Although he can have a negative and rude attitude, he is a very good lecturer and makes complicated subjects much easier to understand. Showing up to class and following along should make it very easy to understand what is being taught. Lots of EC opportunities and overall easy class.

Many of his lectures were very monotone and would make him come off as rude but I never took it that way because I could tell he was just trying to make us think. There was "required" reading weekly but I never did it and still passed with an A- so take that as you will.

I absolutely loved being in lectures with Professor Beaudoin. You can just tell that this guy oozes with intelligence and he is absolutely the real deal. He isn't the most personable, but he used dry humor extremely well and I thought he was hilarious. Attendance isn't mandatory, but I believe it is important to go to class if you want to succeed.

Engaging prof with a dry wit. Textbook is a must-read, and lectures align well. Exams focus on concepts - prep with unstuck study and you're golden. Overall, a rewarding class if you put in the work.