3.0
Quality3.1
Difficulty41%
Would Retake104
Reviews41%
Would Retake
104
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
21
4
26
3
19
2
23
1
15
What Students Say
“He wants his students to understand the material”
PHIL115 - 3.0 rating“He is not clear and his lectures are confusing”
PHIL114 - 2.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
86%
Textbook Required
75%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.36 avg changeRatings by Course
105
5.0
(1)PHILOSOPHY
5.0
(1)HUMANPERSON
5.0
(1)PHILO4
5.0
(1)PHI115
4.7
(3)Difficulty by Course
PHIL215
4.3
PHILOSOPY115
4.0
PHILH115
4.0
PHL115
4.0
PHIL114
4.0
Reviews (104)
Very open to all views, very easy to get along with in/out of class, makes ethics class fly by, lots of class discussion time and brings in good movies to watch, fair grader
No Comments
a good prof. knows his stuff really well, so much so that he gets a little confusing at times. makes class interesting
Totally bad professor. Had him for a night class and rarely did he give us a break during his four hour lecture. All but 2 people failed his first test. Uses language that is not understandable to anyone starting philosophy. Very bad professor!!!!!!
No Comments
Hillarious! I was skeptical at first, but, though it's a little unorganized, he makes class fun and keeps it interesting. He lets you retake tests and gives you the questions in advance for others.
He is a good professor, he trys really hard to help people understand, however, he is not always successful. He is very approchable, and is willing to make time for his students.
He's a wonderful professor. Very easy and fun. Give you test question beforehand, and are always willing to help out in anyways. However, the extensive vocab. gets in the way sometime but his heart is where it is; always trying his best to make everyone understand. Wonderful!!!
He makes a BORING topic bareable... he's a great prof, really funny!!! And if you ever need to bum a cig, he's always standing outside smoking lol
He is so smart that sometimes he gets confusing. He's a really nice guy but lectures the whole time so my advice... take a short class like M, W, F!
I thought he was a solid prof. The class structure was a bit unorganized, but he is very clear in lectures as well as humorous.
He likes to talk about his boyfriend. VERY very liberal biased teaching. Oh, and he'll make fun of students, "diss" them in front of the class. In general, a self-centered, egotistical man with a huge sweat problem.
Good professor, but random! He will go off on random subjects and give crazy analogies! His tests aren't hard and he lets you take the logic test twice! easy A, ok guy, not too bad. Better than most. At least he tries to be enertaining!
Not too sure what to think about this guy other than he is incredibly entertaining and sooooooo smart that he almost gets confusing when he lectures. Lectures the entire time and uses crazy analogies. Often repetitive, but its a good thing. Wants you to understand and participate. Easy tests!
He is a good professor and you will learn a lot if you let your philosophy guard down. It was better as a summer class because you can concentrate on the subject.
Kind of weird but lets you retake the first test and gives you the others ahead of time so the class is pretty easy. He is unclear sometimes though.
No Comments
Any man who digs the Moulin Rouge is ok in my book!!!
Mr. Kronen is entertaining, smart & engaging with fun anecdotes and absurd, enjoyable examples. But, he is highly opinionated and dismisses alternate interpretations or perspectives a little too quickly and with substantial bravado. He loves his common sense arguments, even though what he considers to be common is far from universally accepted.
VERY SMART so u have to pay attention but not a bad class
He is too smart. I don't know how he sleeps at night LoL. When he explains things and you get it ZONE OUT! He will explain and then I'll get it but then he keeps going and its hard to understand. The tests are given in advance, but the final paper is VERY difficult!
No Comments
He has an amazing mind and great ideas/concepts, but he is somewhat biased. He really likes guys (hence why he's gay) - So, if you're a guy you'll probably get a good grade. and if you're kind of shy or don't really like to raise your hand in class - prepare to get a even worse grade. and he also picks favorites - lame!
No Comments
This class was not too academically challenging, but it is very challenging to get the professor to like you. He picks favorites(by some random means) and is very biased in his lectures, which can make them boring. He also doesn't answer questions thoroughly unless you are one of his favorites.
No Comments
This professor was one of the worst I had in my life. He's completely unprofessional and brings his personal life into class. If he likes you, especially if you're a guy, you're in luck. His lectures are unorganized and rambling.
Easy Class. Nice Guy. I'd recommend it.
No Comments
he's pretty nice and says hilarious things (on accident most of the time) but he sweats a lot, goes off on meaningless tangents and is bad at getting his point accross. you can tell he knows what he's talking about but can't quite communicate it. he picks favorites, stares weirdly and grades extremely hard on participation. definately not my fav.
i agree that he does pick favorites....if he likes you and you participate you are pretty much going to get a B or higher....I hardly ever participated except when called on to read, wrote good papers and received an A-, dont think I ever opened the text
He is fun to listen to in lecture for an hour and a half! He posts all his notes online to clarify anything you miss in class, and he will let you give your papers to him early to get extra help before they are due. class consists of 2 papers, midterm, and a final. You get points for doing easy group assingments in class. Take his class!
Not a good teacher at all. No organization, babbled on about random stuff, and graded extremely hard. Not recommended.
Crazy smart man.
This is one of the craziest teachers i have ever had. His laugh will haunt you in your sleep. If you go to class and participate, he will love you. He can be a tough grader but go in and talk to him, he will be helpful
Good prof. Talks about his partner a lot, but this is an otherwise solid class.
Nice guy. Very funny. Makes you think a lot about life. Tests aren't bad.
He was interesting... When writing papers it's best to agree with the view that he holds. This will make your life easier.
He is very liberal and biased in his teaching (only recognizes his own worldview in discussions) Also he is arrogant and puts students down. His grading system is unclear and the class is unorganized he also lectures the whole time! P.S. I wouldnt reccommend writing your final applied ethics paper as an opposition to gay marriage LOL...ooopz
Professor implements his views regarding homosexuality and politics in his classroom and seems to be anti-Catholic in a Catholic university rather than being neuteral. He is not clear and his lectures are confusing. The workload is fine. There is not enough structure and some of the material seems outdated. Always behind in readings and material.
Nice guy, but hard grader. all he grades you on is participation in class, a midterm, final and paper. never any homework
You will be hard pressed to find a better philosophy prof. Class was entertaining at the least, and interesting and enjoyable at best. Show up to class (this part should not be too terribly difficult), pay attention, and do the (short) readings and no one should have any problem doing well.
pretty good guy!
I would NOT recommend this guy to anyone. It feels like he is just thinking out loud for 2 hours every class period. I couldn't follow what he was saying, and when I went to his office hours he wasn't any more clear. He grades a lot on participation, but he doesn't really give you any chance to participate because he is just rambling the whole time
This guy is hilarious, he will keep you entertained by how excited he get over Philosophy. All he grades is participation, logic test, mid term, final paper, and final test. All of which are easy if you pay attention and read the material.
He is hilarious but sort of unclear. The class overall is pretty easy if you just ask questions. The only bad thing is that you only get graded on a few things, so you need to know whats up. Nice guy.
Extremely smart. Has obvious favorites. Can be a bit difficult to understand. But, in class Participate! Ask questions! He'll try to explain in a clear way and relate to you. But, don't be too sensitive. He has obvious views of right and wrong theories. If he disagrees with you he gets passionate trying to convince you. Still a GREAT PROFESSOR!
nice guy at heart, if you don't mind him talking about being gay constantly. a little unorganized. smart but talks over your head and a lot of the time you walk out of there saying what just happened? a little difficult grader, class is not too taxing. a little reading, a couple essay tests, a paper. one of those guys that makes ya giggle
Really nice guy, but as a professor extremely unorganized, confusing, constantly off topic, and very hard to reach. I had no idea what was going on the whole class. It was however refreshing to have a liberal minded professor for once.
I like Prof. Kronen a lot -- I just wish he was more organized in giving out homework and in his teaching style. I often find myself confused at the beginning of class because I don't know whether he moved on to the next subject or stayed on the previous one.
A really nice guy who actually really cares about his students. He tends to be disorganized and I was never really sure where his lectures were going or which topic he had jumped to, but he definitely wanted his students to do well. He's pretty funny and laid-back, but it's hard to guess exactly what he wanted in our papers. Tricky class.
he is very disorganised which makes it difficult to understand. but anyway he is a good proffessor though.
I had him for my first philosophy class. His teaching style is interesting and he's funny. Lecture notes posted online, which are very helpful. I would recommend him.
Terrible. Just Terrible. Dis-organized and all over the place. I would email him and it would take days for a reponse. One time I had to wait 1.5hrs for him to show up for his own office hours! Pushes political beliefs on students. I got a B, ruined my GPA. AVOID. RUNAWAY.
Not sure why all these other people are hating on him. He is a very caring prof and I enjoyed him so much I am taking him for a second time next semester. He makes class fun because he knows that Philosophy of the human person isn't the most exciting subject.
Legendary. One of the best professors at St. Thomas. Every class is like a comedy show... but your learning the profs take on Philosophy. Student recommended.
At sometimes he can be a little disorganized, but you just have to listen at the end of class for what the homework is. All in all he makes a dry subject really interesting and makes you laugh all the time! Really a laid back guy. I would recommend him if you are an open minded person.
Great guy, smart, kinda funny. Pretty easy if you pay any attention. And, decently interesting subject.
I enjoyed this class. He's an interesting person, and kind of funny in his own way. Online he posts his lectors and I highly recommend that you read them before class (you'll sound smart). He gives essay tests, but you get the questions before hand, so just write them before. Pay attention, read his online notes and you'll get a good grade.
Took both the 100 level phil. and his ethics course. While both were great the ethics course was much better in my oppinion. At times the 100 level philosophy course was WAY over my head (and the rest of the classes) he was a good grader and would always have time to help you understand.
Easily my favorite professor at St. Thomas. This guy is the real deal... a wealth of knowledge, very engaging, funny, possibly overly enthusiastic about philosophy, and most importantly makes what would be a very dry class incredibly enjoyable. I highly recommend taking Kronen.
In all honesty I would plain out avoid Dr. Kronen. He talks about material way over students heads and assumes you will understand. There are a few hw assignments, midterm, final, and a paper over the course of the semester. However, he grades based on how you respond to questions in class not on the actual work you submit.
I would avoid taking another class with Kronen. The material is difficult and he doesn't clearly teach it at all. He has office hours but its hard to get in without other people. If you dont agree with one of his views--you're gonna have troubles. Nice enough, I'd just avoid. Final paper sucked.
I am grateful I had the chance to be in Kronen's class. Discussions during lectures were a great learning experience. It is easy to do well if you put in the effort. It really shows that Dr. Kronen is enthusiastic about what he teaches, and that always goes a long way.
I took Kronen for both PHYL 114 & 214. He is super funny! Do the readings, ask questions, don't skip when you don't do your homework and pay attention. He makes some interesting points.
Professor Kronen was a great teacher! He's super funny in a cheesy sort of way and laughs at his own jokes. You can retake a test and he makes sure that you do well. A lot of the class is conversation and this is one of the few classes where I feel comfortable and likely to get involved to talk. I would take him again in a heartbeat.
Kronen's class was always fun. Usually was just a big discussion where we layout certain scenarios related to topics we just learned about. He doesn't just grade your hw on completeness, it is about the quality of answers you write. Helped out on final paper. Overall a good guy, but if you try to skid by on the bare minimum, expect a B or lower.
Kronen was a good professor and funny but sometimes would grade a little harsh. He gave way less homework and tests than the other Philosophy professors.
Kronen is a really funny guy. Enjoyed his class. Class was not tests, all in class "essay". Didn't really lecture, it was mainly class discussion.
Kronen is awesome. Ethics with him was so fun. The lectures were long but he always made them interesting. He's a hilarious character and I really enjoyed his class. Concepts can be confusing a lot of the time, but just ask questions. Wasn't too difficult of a class, there were essay question based tests and I think one essay. Overall great prof!
This was a horrible class with a funny professor, never understood what the guy was teaching but he made lectures less miserable because of his demeanor. Overall I probably could have shown up the first and last day and still known the same amount of "ethics" that I do now.
Lectures with no/unclear notes and gets off track easily, so you don't really know what to write. He lets you retake the first test, which is nice because you don't know what's going on til you see the test. That's the midterm. He has a final, too. There's an essay which he emails you beforehand, and he also leaves for half the test. SUCKS AT EMAIL
Not super clear on grading criteria but a fun and entertaining lecturer on a very complex subject. Not to mention that this is something he obviously cares deeply about and will try to get people to think in different ways in order to help you understand the material.
TAKE KRONEN. He is the bomb dot com. Yes, he does ramble and go off on certain topics, but so do a lot of professors. Listen, if you want to learn something and laugh during class, take him. Also, the tests are way easy and he always has handouts in case you didn't read.
I have taken Professor Kronen for both of my philosophy classes at St. Thomas. Philosophy is really not my thing but Kronen makes it easy. Not a lot of homework and our class only had two tests (Midterm and Final), but there is usually a paper too. He gives a good amount of feedback and if you go to his office hours he is very willing to help!
The class was very lecture based, and he tends to go off topic a lot. There is not a lot of structure to his lectures. He does give you a note sheet though that has everything that you need on it.
Kronen is a professor that is opinionated to the extreme on the class material. If you have views that are contradictory to his own, he will criticize and belittle it rather then using it to further classroom discussion. His course isn't about learning the many different takes on ethics, it's learning about his own take on it. take a better course
Professor Kronen is a really good professor. His thoughts and ideas towards certain situations are always interesting! He makes class engaging and his midterm and final exam questions are given before you take them. Office hours helps as well!
Kronen always looks like he is in need of a nap, but is a very nice man. He wants his students to understand the material. He veers of course kinda frequently but still manages to try and get his points across. He does have a habit of getting really loud out of nowhere and sitting on the desks, but all in all, a decent prof
I wasn't really sure how I felt about Kronen at first, but now I really like him and I'd definitely take another class with him. He's a pretty goofy guy and kind of rambles on, but he gives out a really minimal amount of homework and lets you retake your midterm. Go to his office hours if you're confused and you'll be fine. Overall a good prof
Kronen is a terrible professor. His lectures are incredibly hard to follow, he doesn't answer students questions and rambles on & on. We have hw almost every class but he doesn't grade it for weeks or months later. The feedback he provides is also not helpful b/c his handwriting is completely illegible. The midterm & final are both in class essays.
Avoid taking his class if you can. He answer a question with a question. His lecture was basically him rambling about things. HW are not graded on time. You won't get your midterm grade when it's due, you'll get it at the end of the semester. He tends to go off topic a lot, sucks at email, and brings up Trump in every lecture. Terrible professor.
Kronen is an interesting guy, but pretty normal when it comes to philosophy professors. Lectures tend to be all over the place, but he makes the class very easy. One midterm (he allowed two retakes), one final test, and a final paper. Kronen is always available and ready to help answer any question. Pretty average prof, but class is easy.
Honestly Professor Kronen is one of the worst professors I have ever come across. His lectures are scattered & impossible to follow. He is very slow at grading and his expectations for assignments and papers are very unclear. He is almost never available & cancels office hours frequently and hardly responds to emails!! Avoid taking at all costs
2 tests and 1 short paper. In the beginning, I almost switched out because it seems to be all over the place but you get used to it. The course work is manageable and the textbooks you read arent the super hard kind. Its ethics so yes you'll discuss controversial stuff-get over it. If you participate (meaningfully) he will love you.
I suggest you find a different professor.
I took Ethics with Kronen a few years ago. He likes to go on tangents, but try to stay tuned in because he'll usually bring his argument full circle. If you don't like philosophy you won't like Kronen, but if you do you'll thoroughly enjoy his lectures. He is very caring and for the most part a fair grader. You get what you put into with this class
Very tough grader and expects his answer to be your answer. He is hilarious without trying which makes the class interesting but does not redeem the fact that this class is frustrating because there is zero structure or learning. Would not recommend this professor.
He is kinda confusing to follow but I would take him again if I did another philosophy
Compared to what I've heard about other phil professors, I definitely think taking Dr Kronen was the best choice. He is a little difficult to understand and may be intimidating, but in reality he's a really nice guy who's passionate about philosophy. Good amount of reading, 4 books were required for course.
Its kinda hard to follow him in class but overall I really enjoyed him as a professor and would take him again.
The class was okay. He has a habit of responding to questions with more questions, and his lectures are kind of all over the place. On top of that, getting your homework graded on time isn't something you can count on. There is no electronic usage in class. I don't know if it's philosophy or just him that makes no sense.
Definitely an easy course, lectures all class every class which made it pretty boring. He kind of goes on tangents but is clearly passionate about philosophy which is fun. Easy course load, only 1 essay. Class definitely dragged on though and not very engaging.
The lectures were not comprehensible but that didn't matter since he didn't test on them. The readings never made sense and he didn't explain them in a clear way. Barely gave directions on the papers and exams, but graded them like were in an advanced philosophy class. Does not offer any extra credit, and rarely gives good feedback.
Love him or hate him, John is v passionate about philosophy. He tends to go on tangents, but if you show an ounce of interest he'll appreciate it and it WILL affect how he grades you later on.
His lectures are very hard to follow he goes on random tangents all the time you never get anything out of the lectures because of these rants. He randomly calls on you all the time, and if you do not know the answer, he will keep asking you. The only positive was he was a generous grader, but other than that, I don't recommend.
Professor Kronen is a nice person, but his lectures are pretty confusing. Exams/papers are all written in class. He does grade pretty harshly.
Content is already very difficult without the tangents and rants. You can tell he's passionate but he's all over the place and either shouting or mumbling. Test was easy. If you show up you he guarantee wont fail you.
Try so so so so hard to never get Kronen for this class. Do whatever you can Im not joking. Philosophy is already hard but he makes it so much worse. I didn't learn a single thing, readings didn't make sense, pop quizzes were worth so many points,
Textbooks are confusing and half the time we dont go over it and never see it again. Does not go off of slides, just talks as he pleases and most of the time its nothing were talking about. He will either yell or mumble and expect you to follow along. He always cold calls people and if you dont know he will get upset. He means well but dont reccom.
Kronen is very passionate about Philosophy and that shows through in how he lectures, but the class is very lecture heavy. It was hard to follow along sometimes because of this. Although, it was a very easy class, just make sure to do the assignments because there's not much of them.
Okay. I don't HATE him. He is definitely a sweet person who cares about the subject he teaches. My only issue with him is how long his lectures are. He tends to go on tangents and that makes the lecture a bit confusing and hard to follow. He is not too much of a tough grader and he is really available outside of class. No devices allowed in class.
Look he seems like a nice guy. But he expects people to have their masters in Phil even though it's an intro course. I think a part of me died in his class. He's funny but not a good prof for trying to learn the basics.
The only reason this class is worth taking with John is because it's straightforward. The midterm is easy and able to be retaken; the final test is writing 2 paragraphs in class. Lectures are a drag, though not hard to follow.
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
86%
Textbook Required
75%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.36 avg changeRatings by Course
105
5.0
(1)PHILOSOPHY
5.0
(1)HUMANPERSON
5.0
(1)PHILO4
5.0
(1)PHI115
4.7
(3)Difficulty by Course
PHIL215
4.3
PHILOSOPY115
4.0
PHILH115
4.0
PHL115
4.0
PHIL114
4.0