No attendance, Homework mostly optional; easy class if you do the work

very concise but not very easy to talk with

Very eccentric-- but keeps you entertained...good teacher

weird examples, but very thorough in explaining the points

Good teacher, nice guy, easy class

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makes the boring class pretty entertaining

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makes a boring subject fun, very willing to help anyone, hard tests

Entertains and teaches boring subject well Easy if you do all of the homework

Amazing teacher, Makes difficult subject easy, Willing to help, class is fun

Funny, funny prof. He gets his point across :)

wacky guy, great examples, makes it easy to learn. only prof to take for this terrible gen ed.

Awesome professor! Makes subject clear and always willing to help

makes monotonous material exciting. explains difficult concepts clearly. no attendance policy, but if you go to class you get handouts and learn the stuff so that you dont need to really study for the tests. try to get him, it will make your life easier.

Awesome professor, very clear and helpful. Makes classes very interesting.

Awesome teacher!! He works hard to keep you entertained in class and hes always more than willing to help you out if you don't understand something...Take him if you need to take GPHIL 120!!!!!

I would recomend this class to anyone. He is hilarious and always keeps you laughing. He is very willing to help if you don't understand.

very helpful and funny teacher, tests are ok if you study

stupid class but great teacher...he makes it funny and his wierd examples get the point across. tests arent bad if you go to class, but there is no attendace policy but then you need to do the work on your own to do well on the exams.

This guy is very particular but he tells you what he wants. I loved the subject of the class, and he made very boring readings very interesting. Fun homeworks, overall pretty easy if you like logic. I recommend it

This guy is an absolute sweetheart. Hilarious and very open about stuff. The material is boring but he makes it ok. Tests are straight to the point, he doesn't try to trick you. If you're taking gphil 120, this is the way to go.

Great guy, knows alot about what he is teaching. Knows that some of it can be kind of boring but makes the best of it. Very helpful and clear. I definitely recommend to take him. Not easy, but you will do well if you do the work and study.

Great teacher, makes a boring subject as interesting as possible. Attendance not required but i recommend going as much as possible because he gives handouts wit all the notes you need. Reading not required if you go to class

I wasn't too excited about this class in the beginning; I thought that it would be learning strictly about the past theologians, without any practical application. Dr. Hoeltzel makes it interesting with cool examples.

Very good about explaining things, interesting to discuss things with... easy if you go to class and understand logic. however, reading about old philosophers sucks. Easy tests. Attendance not required. Overall, highly recommended for interesting and easy class.

i was interested in the stuff before i took the class, so maybe that has something to do with it, but i thought dr. hoeltzel made things as clear as he could, and he did a great job at communicating the ideas to the class. tests are take-home essays, so as long as you read, you're fine. great guy!

He does a great job at teaching the subject and makes even the hardest parts of the curriculum understandable. His sense of humor keeps class interesting.

Class was always interesting... he was one of the best professors I've ever had. He was always willing to help and made even the boring material seem fun

really nice guy and truly wants you to understand the material, which can be a tad bit difficult sometimes. clear about what's going to be on the quizzes and tests.

Excellent professor who clearly put in alot of work outside of the classroom to make sure that he was always very well prepared to present information as clearly as possible. Also quite entertaining which would make the class more enjoyable at times. The only downside would be that it is not easy

I think why everyone is saying he liked to talk to hear himself talk is because no one ever participates. Which I am sure sucks for him. I think the class is pretty easy. He gives you handouts with exactly what you need to know on for test. gives exact test questions too.

Anyone who doesnt like him is a moron, literally. He is very intelligent and makes class material understandable for you. I took a 475 level class and loved him. Those who didnt do well in GPHIL 101, I am sure its not him..pick a different gened next time. Always there for when you need him. G/F sai

Fabulous professor, passionate about teaching. Loves class discussions. Prepare for class, come ready to talk, and you'll get so much out of it. Likes to make you think. Do the work, though, (unlike some of these slackers) and you can def get an A.

Has trouble coming down from his brilliance to explain philosophy who are way intellectually inferior to him. He is so amazingly smart. His brain is an instrument, my god. I suggest his class anyway. A challenge is good. You will learn, but it's hard to understand. Then again it might just be because we were reading heidegger, husserl, and sartre. Tough stuff. You have to love philosophy and be good at to be in this class.

Awesome professor. Probably one of the best philosophy teachers at JMU. 2 tests, and a final, which are easy as long as you do the study guide. Def. take him.

Really good guy, these people say he uses big words to look smart but i think it isn't to look smart it is just because he is smart. he prepares you really well for the tests and you can def get an A in the class. He will help anyone if you just ask, but make sure that you speak up in class because it can help youre grade, overall take him

I don't think I heard him speak in an incomplete sentence all year. He's so smart, but don't be intimidated. I think he likes people to speak up and challenge him. He does a good job of not being threatening to people with religious beliefs (like in our discussion of God, he didn't make me feel stupid for being a Christian). Good guy!

AMAZING!! One of the most articulate and organized professors I've had at JMU. Extremely helpful, smart, and loves to answer questions. Hardly any need to take notes, since he gives really detailed handouts. Not too hard and you will learn a lot!

GREAT professor! soo nice, keeps classes interesting. Not that hard, a midterm, final and 4 quizes. knows the subject very well. definately take him if you get the chance!

Hoeltzel is a really great philosophy teacher. He can explain everything out to in a way a mouse could understand it. He doesn't take attendance and homework is optional (extra-credit). The only work he ever assigns is reading and it is never more than 7 pages, usually only 3 or 4.

He is amazing. He beats the difficult topics into the ground so basically anyone could understand but still keeps it interesting. He gives you most of the notes and a lot of the exams come from them. Quizzes are pretty easy, essay exams are too. He is really smart, he knows it, and is super articulate. Definitely take this teacher.

BS the reading write-ups to get extra credit. Gives handouts of all the notes and goes over them basically word for word. Gives questions to tests before so you know what to write about. Quizzes can be tough if you don't study. Knows a lot and explains well. Some people in my class made it a lot more difficult than it turned out to be.

What an awesome professor. If you can take him I would reccommend it, GPHIL 101 is a very hard course and he is one of the only easy teachers.

Take this man's class, I assure you it will be worth it. He is extremely intelligent and among the funniest professors I have encountered. I really don't know where people are coming from saying he is real hard or unclear. This type of philosophy was totally new to me, I did no reading, and I'm gettin' an -A. Just go to class and you're fine.

Great Professor. So-So subject matter. He's Very articulate and the class isnt too hard (but definitely not easy). You dont need to do the readings to get a decent grade.

I think he was an awesome teacher. Do your work and you'll be fine. He really understands and loves the material and made me kinda love it too. :)

alright professor, tries to keep class fun but its usually boring. gives you essay questions before the test that he picks from, but he grades them really hard. don't need to ever read anything from the book unless you go for the extra credit. if you miss class you end up missing lots of material, so go!!

he is a good professor to get for phil 101. he makes it easy to pass because all you have to do is the easy extra credit and pay some attention in class. his lectures can get a little long winded and if you dont read (like me) it is difficult. i liked him as a prof.

Professor Hoeltzel is a good teacher to choose for 101. His lectures are clear, although they tend to drag at times. 2 quizzes (1 optional) and 3 tests. His study guides are very helpful, he is very specific about what he wants to see on examinations. Overall I feel I learned a good deal about basic philosophy from Hoeltzel.

I can't think of a better professor for this class--He approaches every philosophical issue like it could be true and he's unbiased. Very clear about what he expects. Material is hard--but go to class, do the extra credit reading and study and you should be fine!

The first few weeks of class i was so bored..but if you actually start paying attention the information is so interesting. if you just participate in class, go over the study guides (he gives you the exact questions for the tests beforehand) and do the extra credit you'll be fine! :)

He is a great professor. Class was boring at first, reading really helps. He offers extra credit that is basically summarizing the reading assignments. If you go to him for help he really takes the time to explain it and he wants you to do well. I recommend taking his class, but you do have to work for a good grade.

Great person. Confusing lectures but good enough to pass 2 quizzes, just look over notes def. take good notes. 3 exams that are easy because he gives u the questions before taking it so u have time to look over them. lecture confusing at times but you can definitely pass this class, show up everyday! if u miss a day, u miss alot.

Great guy, over clarifies to the point where it can be painful though. He wears Pac Sun outfits EVERY day its funny. If you ask questions you'll be his favorite person in the world. Tries to make the class interesting and has no attendance policy. He made this boring subject pretty bearable, I would take him again.

He is SOO nice and helpful I dont think his lectures were boring at all. I had no interest in philosophy but he makes it interesting. Tests are hard but you get the questions beforehand. I would def take him again!

I really liked him as a professor. I was not looking forward to this class at all but I ended up enjoying it a lot. He is extremely nice and helpful. I never did the readings and I was fine in the class. Test are somewhat hard but you get the questions beforehand so just write out your answer and memorize it. Take him!

This guy is pretty interesting. He's obviously really smart/knowledgeable. He's completely bald except for this ridiculously big gotie. Mult. choice quizzes, open response tests. Gets pretty boring but what do you expect. Also I barely looked at the book, there were assigned readings but no one read them and everyone knew it. Overall I recomm

Honestly, one of the best professors I have ever had. No, he isn't super easy, but he engages the class and makes it so interesting that it isn't impossible at all to do well. Very creative and helpful. I loved this class!

I'm not sure why people thought this class was boring! He made it really interesting, especially when he asked questions that got debates started. He's always unbiased which is probably hard in an ethical reasoning class. You really don't have to read, the tests aren't bad but you have to go to class. He's quirky but funny, I'd take him again!

He is definitely one of the best ethical reasoning teachers. I found the class disscusions interesting, we ALWAYS talked about sex. tests are all short answer, so you definitely have to study, but his notes are VERY clear and if you go to class most of the time you'll do fine! He's a really funny, quirky, cool guy, take him!

Hoeltzel is very engaging and makes the subject interesting. He uses a lot of analogies to make the subject matter more understandable. He'll hold your hand through his class, providing lecture supplements and study guides that have all the test material on them. Tests are either multiple choice or essay. However, he grades VERY hard.

The class started out easy, but his exams got weird. There are 5 quizzes and 3 exams in the class. He would make us study 6 topics, roll a dice, and we picked 2 topics from the #s he rolled. It was very odd. It was an okay gen-ed, I had to study a lot.

Hoeltzel is a quality professor who knows his stuff. He is friendly and very helpful. Studying is a must for the class. The quizzes and exams are all short answer and pretty detailed. Not the easiest gen-ed I've taken, but with some effort an A or B is definitely not out of the question. With minimal effort I have a B-.

Great teacher! He really knows his stuff. A very engaging lecturer. Test and quiz answers are given out ahead of time and you just have to prepare answers and memorize them, he rolls a dice on test/quiz day and those are the questions you answer. If you take good notes the class is pretty easy.

He is the best! 5 quizzes, three tests. Lots to memorize but study enough and you can easily get at least a B+. Attendance isn't mandatory but going to class definitely helps. Lectures are as straightforward as they can be for how complicated the topics are. He's really helpful and the class isn't bad at all. Definitely take him!

Hoeltzel is the best professor I've had at JMU so far, and the most organized instructor I've ever seen. He is always looking to make things more clear and understandable. Notes are straightforward off of Powerpoint, and he provides awesome lecture supplements. Studying is necessary, but none of the tests or quizzes are too hard. Take his class.

Dr. Hoeltzel is hilarious and always facilitates fun class discussions. He is SO organized and always looking to help clarify confusing points. That being said, you do have to study. Your grade is based off of 5 quizzes and 3 "essay" exams(I don't count them as actual essays). However, the questions are given out ahead of time. Take him!

Great sense of humor and very laid back! Gives you the quizzes and tests to study before hand. All are around 6 "essay" questions but he'll only pick 2-3 for you to answer on quiz/test day. It's a hard subject and is hard to understand in class. Don't panic! Just take good notes and you when you do the study guide, it will literally all just click!

He is an overall fun teacher, you can tell he really likes the subject. The class itself was very boring, and i fell asleep alot. As long as you study your notes your will do well on the tests. He is laid back, no attendance policy. not my favorite teacher but def not my least either.! Also dont buy the text book. I never opened it and got a Bplus

He's really great. He's helpful, funny, clear, and one of the most organized professors I've ever had. The material is boring and sometimes hard to grasp, but I did surprisingly well in the class, mainly because of him.

Hoetzel is a very clear cut professor. He is INCREDIBLY organized and explains the materials really well. The homework is literally not more than 10 pages of reading. You have 3 exams and some tests, but the study guides are extremely accurate + helpful. You NEED to go to class and take notes. Interesting class, and he is very helpful and involved.

Love him! He explains this over and over again so that it's super clear. You MUST go to class and take notes because none of the material comes from the textbook. This semester he decided he would try flipping a coin every day to see if we would have a pop quiz on the reading but he finds excuses not to flip and we've only had 1 quiz.

He's one of the most respectable and fair professors I've had. He genuinely cares about his students grasping the material and is incredibly organized. Without going to class, you'll fail, but he makes it so interesting that I wanted to go. It's an easy A as long as you go to class and put time into understanding the material.

He was really cool, had a great sense of humor, and encouraged discussion. Really enjoyed almost all of his lectures.

He's a great guy. EXTREMELY organized which is very helpful for a class that is as abstract as philosophy. He's great at explaining the normally confusing topics. Test consist of two essays. He gives you 6 possible essay questions a week ahead of time then rolls a die to decide which two questions you will answer. Highly recommend Dr. Hoeltzel.

Professor Hoeltzel is a pretty good professor. He's extremely organized in his lectures and always stops in class to see if anyone has questions. He really does try to make class interesting, however personally, philosophy isn't the most interesting subject. It's confusing sometimes, but if you work to understand it, you'll be fine.

He made philosophy super interesting and was very interactive. He also had a lot of cute little jokes so it wasn't dry at all. His exams are all essays which freaked me out at first but they are very easy to do well on, he tells you everything you need to know in class and is very approachable if you don't understand something.

Dr. Hoeltzel is a pretty easy going guy, gives very clear lectures that come with lecture supplements. Assigns short readings for homework, and flips a coin the next class to see if there will be a pop quiz given. He tries to make a very dry class interesting and adds many of his own quirks. Gives explicit study guides for quizzes and tests.

Professor Hoeltzel is a great professor! He's very witty and tries to make lectures fun. This is a lecture based class and he does expect you to do the reading. He flips a coin for pop quizzes at the beginning of most classes so it's better to do the reading than not. The material isn't bad and he's always willing to help out. Would take again.

Dr. Hoeltzel is a pretty cool guy, he makes corny jokes and pokes fun at some of us. Quizzes are 40 points and feel more like tests. The exams are all essays and are worth 100 each. He talks about pop quizzes but I only had one, they are based on the homework. Basically, lots of work, but awesome professor. Would take it again honestly!

Very simple subject matter but extremely intriguing . Has pop quizzes on the readings, but only on days that he flips a coin and it lands on heads. Most of the time he just decides not to bother flipping the coin and we don't have one. Very fun, quirky and engaging teacher. One of my favorite classes so far.

Dr. Hoeltzel is a great professor. He doesn't require attendance, and he goes out of his way to make the lectures interesting. Gives you all the question to expect on quizzes and midterms. There are five quizzes, two midterms, and a final in this class. Sometimes there are pop quizzes but usually on easy readings that he assigns.

Hoeltzel was a pretty good professor and genuinely seemed to care about doing a good job. Material is pretty heady, but he does a really good job of fleshing it out and giving you all the material you need. Flips coin every class to see if there's a pop quiz but talks himself out of it a lot. Do the study guides and you'll be fine.

He flips a coin for homework reading. Only had a few throughout the semester. The material is kind of hard to comprehend so ask questions. Some of it is super interesting, while others its not. The texts are essay-based and he does grade tough-ish. There are quizzes too, but those were often MC and not too bad if you did the study guides.

His quizzes were much harder than the tests even though they're multiple choice. The assigned reading must be done every class because he flips a coin to decide if there is a pop quiz or not. Overall, a good professor but some of the lectures got a little long. He is there to help though and loves what he teaches which is sometimes hard to find.

This class can be dry but it's structured very well & he provides you with everything you need to do well. The study guides for the quizzes are very helpful. Quizzes are easy if you study; Tests are essays but you get the possible prompts ahead of time. Pop quizzes on the readings are actually rare. Cool guy. Most organized teacher I've ever had.

I love Hoeltzel! He's kind of a quirky guy and his jokes lighten up the class. He flips a coin to decide whether or not you'll have a quiz on the assigned readings, but it's not as scary as you'd think. The quizzes rarely happen. Go to class, print the supplements, study for the tests as they're all essays. Not a super easy A, but still not too bad

Hoeltzel is great! He's a quirky funny awesome guy and makes lectures always interesting. Personally, I am not interested in philosophy, but because of him, I never minded going to class. His quizzes come directly from his lecture supplements and he gives study guides for all of his quizzes and exams.

Very interesting class and professor. A little dry on lectures, kinds of puts you to sleep. Great guy, does his best to learn everyones names even in a class with over 100 students. Would recommend

5 quizzes (gives study guides that make it impossible to fail), 3 exams (gives prompts beforehand, impossible to fail); hilarious during lecture, even for the dry topics. flips a coin to determine if you'll have a pop quiz on the homework (and he drops the lowest grade), but we didn't have a single one. Super interesting and easy. TAKE HIM

This class is easy if you take the time to study! There are 5 quizzes which are straight from the study guide. If you do the study guide you will pass no problem. There are 3 exams and he gives you the prompts before hand so those are easy to pass as well. Hoeltzel is super funny and is always there to answer questions. Take this class!

My FAVORITE professor in three years here. The class isn't too tough if you put in the time to understand the material. I really respected his ability to not add bias to controversial subjects like religion and creation/evolution. Just take notes and put in a little time and it's pretty easy.

He's a very intelligent guy and prefers when he's having a discussion about morally controversial situations with students over actually lecturing. Very funny.

Such a great guy. He really cares about if his students are understanding the lectures and will always stop to answer any questions. He gives you the tests before you take them so you already know exactly what will be on it. If you have to take this class definitely take it with him.

He made me want to double Major in Phil. Take him if you are so lucky.

awesome teacher!! his classes are interesting, he has great power point presentations, guided notes and easy readings. you definitely have to study for the essay tests but it really isn't bad. he's super passionate about the topic and so willing to help you do well! honestly one of my favorite teachers i've had here.

Hoeltzel is an amazing teacher. He prepares you quite well for exams, but is a very tough grader because they are essay based. He's really funny and cracks jokes, which lightens the lecture a bit. He flips a coin in class every day to see if you will have a reading-based pop quiz, but they're super simple and out of 5 points. Take this class!!!!

I love professor Hoeltzel! He had to leave halfway through the semester but I wish I could have had him the whole time. He gives you lecture supplements to follow with lectures and his quizzes and tests are based off the material directly from the lecture supplements. He makes it really easy to follow and he is very interesting and passionate.

Prof. Hoeltzel is a nice guy and cares about his students. Funny but sometimes I had a hard time understanding. I love philosophy but this class is mostly learning about philosophers and their theories, so it was kind of boring for me. 3 tests and 4 quizzes, prompts/study guides given but quizzes are still pretty hard. We didn't have pop quizzes

Super funny and engaging. He explained concepts really well and detailed exactly what to expect on tests. He encourages people to ask questions. He took the time to try and learn everyone's name in the nearly 200 person lecture. He's awesome, I would take him again.

Dr. Hoeltzel is the best philosophy professor I have had at JMU. He teaches in a clear way on otherwise difficult topics. His tests and quizzes come directly from the lectures. While you do not need to do the reading to pass, it makes you appreciate and understand the work more. Go to class and take notes, you will pass. Amazing teacher.

Quizzes and Exams are directly out of the lectures which he hands out each class as printed power points. Reading looks heavy at first but is fairly light and you can grasp the concepts with a fairly basic read through and attention to the lectures. Answers all questions, available outside of class, makes lectures as fun as possible.

Professor Hoeltzel is a solid choice for a gened requirement. He does ramble in lectures and some of the topics can be kinda hard to understand but he tries his best to help you and wants you to ask questions. His grades are based on quizzes and exams which aren't too difficult. He is easily accessible and wants to help you succeed!

This class was possibly the best case scenario for me. I thought I would hate philosophy but this class was SO interesting, I learned a lot and Dr. Hoeltzel is super funny and sweet. There was a short lecture to watch for each class as the only "homework", a couple of quizzes, and 3 exams, all the answers came directly from the lectures. gr8 class

I took this online, and it was done in a flipped-classroom style with async lectures followed by synchronous discussion. The lectures expired a few days after posting. Getting the most out of the class required A LOT of time. There were a few short papers, written exams, and a term paper.

Super nice guy - will have you thinking about life in a whole new way. A good Gen Ed for sure! Definitely show up and take notes but all of the exams and quizzes have great study guides. Would recommend. Good luck!

This is a good GenEd choice!! I personally don't care for philosophy, but his lectures are interesting and he gives great study guides for his quizzes and exams and clear lecture supplements so you know what is important. As long as you go to class and use the study guides and supplements, you'll do well. Good luck!!

this was a required course for my BA, Hoeltzel was definitely the best I could have asked for. Philosophy is boring, but he makes it interesting and keeps is lectures engaging. The quizzes are super easy if you use the study guides, and for tests he gives you a group of essay questions ahead of time and picks 2 random ones the day of the test.

As someone interested in philosophy, I loved the class. Tests can be somewhat difficult. If you pay attention in class, engage in the course, and study for a couple days before, you will be fine. It's not an "easy A" but it is by no means impossibly hard. I'd recommend him to anybody! He's great at remembering students too, so speak up!

Had a great time in this class. Lectures were fun and provided all the information needed to do well. Not a lot of time outside of class needed but you need to be willing to attend class frequently and pay attention. Loved how he would give guided lecture supplements. Tests and quizzes weren't too bad as soon as you get the hang of his style.

Nice professor. Easy to understand lectures. Tests and quizzes cover what you learn in class. Make sure to use wording he uses in class for top scores on essay questions. Textbook required but I never used it

He is such a great professor who gives a very direct lecture. He provides lecture supplements to follow the lectures better. He only grades based off of quizzes and tests so make sure that you study the material :)

Great professor! No homework at all, but you need get ready to read. 4 quizzes and 3 exams are your total grade (NO FINAL). You have to study hard for quizzes(10-15 multiple choices plus 1-2 short answers)and specially the exams(two essays). He is tough grader, you have to write things discussed in class, otherwise you will get a low grade!

The class has lecture-heavy. He won't go back if you miss something, so make sure you become friends with classmates to compare notes. Ask questions, and he will help you understand them better, be careful you listen to what others ask and what he responds with. He is a respectful teacher and will respect your time if you respect his.

I really enjoy Professor Hoeltzel's class. The material is challenging so you do have to pay attention and study, but he's a great lecturer so it isn't that hard. He's super caring and accommodating and is always open to talk about any questions you may have. He gives extra credit based on participation so keep that in mind. 10/10 would take again

He is a very nice guy that is very passionate about teaching. Attendance not mandatory but you 100% have to be there bc all quizzes and tests on lecture. Class grade only 4 quizzes + 3 essay exams but if you are very engaged with the class it's not hard to study. I think the class is very fun and I love talking to him about the lecture as well.

Professor Hoeltzel is one of my best professors this semester. He is very passionate about philosophy, which makes the lectures interesting and engaging. Attendance isn't mandatory, but you need to go to take notes for exams and quizzes. Exams aren't hard as long as you pay attention and have a decently good memory. Take him if possible.

Professor Hoeltzel is a great guy who is passionate about philosophy. He provides lecture supplements and study guides which are very useful. Everything on quizzes and exams are straight from those two things (also some questions from readings). This class is only graded on 4 quizzes and 3 exams (including final). I recommend considering him.

Love-hate class. Lecture-heavy, and if you miss a day, you're out of luck—he won't share notes or repeat slides. Loves participation. Your grade is **4 essay exams** and 6 quizzes. **You get 6 possible essay prompts a week early, then he rolls a die and you write 2**. Studying is intense, but the material is interesting if you get it.

Attendance is not mandatory, but you need to go (he does not post lectures on canvas). Grade is determined by 4-5 quizzes and 3 exams. Quiz is multiple choice/ short answer and texts are just short answer. Not terrible just take good notes and take time to study.

I really enjoyed this class. you can tell he really enjoys what he's teaching and is very helpful. he provides guided notes and study guides for each test and exam, which the questions are exactly the same. there are a lot of readings but they're pretty short. he does look for specific answers which can be challenging, but overall great class!