Hilarious teacher, interesting class

M.C. sections of test were hard/bad. Funny teacher though and overall pretty easy.

Class kind of hard. Must go to class if you want to do well on tests. Texts not much help since all the essays are written by philosophers and hard to understand.

Funny guy; likes the sarcasm. I hate philosophy, so I thought class was boring, but he threw in some humor every now and then. Tests aren't so bad if you know background on the philosophers and their theories.

Gets a kick out of himself and throws in some sarcastic and weird humor to make the class interesting.

his sarcastic examples and simple note taking make the material much easier to understand than other teaching methods. I didn't read a single essay that was assigned and got an A...he goes over everything in class, but you definitely have to take notes and study them before the tests.

Great teacher... makes the class very interesting by using humor... the MC part of his exams were kind of difficult but the essay part made up for it... if you semi-try and then you'll get a B

This was a very easy class. to be honest I think I would have done better had I gone to it more often great sense of humor. Basically had to know the jist of each philosophers thinking and apply it to situations

Good person to take intro phil with. He makes the material interesting by getting student input and inserting humor. You NEED TO ATTEND CLASS AND/OR READ ASSIGNED MATERIALS to do well. The study guide tells you exactly what's on the test. He takes the time to answer questions. Surprisingly, I think I learned something and actually liked the class.

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He is a great teacher. Makes class interesting, so everyone doesn't fall asleep. He makes sure you know exactly what you need to know. Also, very helpful outside of class. I thought I would do horrible in this class, but he helped me understand all the material and helped me know what I needed to focus on.

He's a great professor, I wish I had more like him. He makes a somewhat dry subject interesting and I really enjoyed the course. Go to class and use the review guides to study.

Overall good teacher. Must go to class and take notes to do well, but easy if you do. Some of the topics seem a little obscure at first, but he does a good job of providing examples (often very odd) and keeping you interested. I didn't read the text book at all and did just fine.

Good sense of humor, but a lot of people miss it because he is a little monotone. Go to lecture, take notes, study a little before the test and you should get a good grade. Very fair and not tricky at all.

monotone but has a sense of humor, tests right out of notes. gives a study guide that if you fill out and study a little bit you should be fine. Doesn't expect too much

Almost impossible not to get at least a C(has an awesome curve only need 50% to get C-). Ususally boring but does say some cheesy jokes that get laughs. Go to class and take notes. All I did was study the notes for an hour or two every test and got an A-. I would def. take again.

He has a great sense of humor, which makes class entertaining and engaging. He is also clearly intelligent, which made me trust what he was saying even more.

While his humor was kind of dry, class was hardly boring. He clearly knew his stuff and when he didn't, he admitted it. I didn't need the book too much and I kept getting A's on the tests. Make sure that your essays are longer and chock full of information - they are graded a bit strictly. Easy Extra credit, though.

Although monotone, Dr. Butler is a very competent teacher. Exams are based entirely off of notes (you do not need to read the textbook). The notes are lengthy, but are clearly outlined and defined. Very easy, although I believe attendance is necessary to earn an A.

Great professor with a good sense of humor. Although the subject matter is a little boring, he throws in some jokes that make class less painful. Tests are straight from the notes and study guide. Easy A if you put in a little effort. Expectations are clearly outlined. DON'T BUY THE BOOK

Definitely a professor you want. Easy to understand and gives great examples. Just go to class and get the notes and you shouldn't be worried at all.

I would absolutely recommend trying to take this course with Butler. He actively gets to know his class, and explains concepts with clarity. He has a witty sense of humor, and makes even abstract concepts very simple. Just attend his lectures, and all of the writing and exams are a piece of cake. (Honestly I did not buy a textbook and I was ok.)

Great class. Show up every class (never miss), takes the notes, go to the review session, go to office hours, and DO THE GRAND SLAM EXTRA CREDIT! And you will do fine.

He is a very straight forward teacher, the expectations are clear and it is easy to pass if you attend class. He is also funny and easy to listen to most of the times, but can be boring at times as well. Overall a good teacher and good experience taking his class

He is very clear at the beginning of the semester on how the points will be distributed. He can be a tough grader in that he may not always have the clearest of feedback in order for you to improve on. DO NOT buy the textbook, he goes over the readings the next day. The only thing that messes with your grade are the in class Friday writings.

Butler is an interesting teacher. Hes your classic old guy philosopher with a kind of hipster twist. If you go to class and take the same notes he has on the projector, you will get an A because they are verbatim what he asks for on his essay style tests. Do the extra credit for some extra padding, and you will be fine.

He is soooo boring! I had this class at 8 am and almost fell asleep everyday! I would recommend a different professor! Don't get the book! You won't use it ever!

He is a really good lecturer and keeps your attention and also makes things so easy to understand! He explains everything in depth so the tests are relatively easy. I would definitely take another class with this professor again.

He was a very easy to understand, and he is very good at reviewing in class. His class was one of my easiest classes I've ever taken at Iowa State. He is an amazing lecturer because he understands the material. He explains the concepts in different ways to help everyone understand, GO TO THE REVIEW SESSIONS! If its at 8am though, good luck.

GO TO CLASS! The tests are straight from the lecture, so take good notes. Exams are pretty straight forward and he will give a review sheet. Make flashcards to memorize the concepts. He provides some opportunitie to gain extra credit. Get the extra credit (Grand slam) out of the way early. Its 10 points of true extra credit. 200 points in the class

I really enjoyed him! he has a dry sense a humor which lightens up the class a bit! Make sure you go to class and take nots, if you do that, you will be set for his tests. Readings are not necessary to get .

He is a great teacher. He explains the material for the class well, he also has a dry sense of humor which makes him hilarious. I would highly recommend him for a professor, especially for this class.

Travis is an awesome philosophy teacher. I struggled at the start of the semester, but talking to him early on really helped me understand how he structures his lecture notes and gets his ideas across. He has an extremely dry sense of humor and it can be hilarious at times but cringy at other times. Do not skip the lectures if you want to get an A.

Solid at explaining things, throws in the occasional joke. As long as you go to the lectures, write down all of his notes, and pay attention, it should be an easy class. He makes it interesting enough where you won't space off too often. Enjoyed taking the class with him!

LOVED this professor. His class had no homework besides a few readings and he made things very easy to understand. No papers, clear lectures, study guides and tons of extra credit. I will be trying to take more of his classes in the future.

Found him to be a great teacher who really understands the things he was teaching. Will crack a few jokes in class and the only assignments are a few group writings on Fridays. I found the essays on the exams to be tough sometimes because it seemed he was searching for you to say a specific word, so make sure to understand the topic.

Butler is a solid professor. Pretty laid back and funny. However, his material and teaching style is a little dry. He lays out his notes very clearly so take good ones and you'll be set on the test. He begins each class with a review of the previous so if you skip its not the end of the world. Didn't use the textbook very much

Dry sense of humor which is always nice. He clearly explains the generally outline of the course and it is 100% accurate. No homework, everything is in class and guided (besides exams). Philosophy goes in a big circle but he fills in all the gaps and gives you a good grasp on the ins and out of the class. Great instructor for sure.

He was a really good teacher! At first he seems blocked off, and reserved, but once he starts lecturing hes actually pretty funny. I liked his lectures becase it clarified what I did not understand from the reading. Literally everything on the test was from the notes so make sure you study your notes.

Show up and copy the notes and you'll do fine. He offers extra credit opportunities and study sessions before every exam. He's really good about answering questions and making sure students understand. He's an easier grader if he knows you, so participate by asking questions or answering questions in class. Dry sense of humor but very laid back.

Does a pretty good job teaching the necessary material. Test questions are tricky sometimes . He is stiff at first but after a few weeks of class he loosens up.

He explains the content very well and goes through the notes at a good pace. The tests are fine as long as you review your notes. His voice is also very monotone, but he's a pretty chill guy. I personally thought that the class was interesting and he always let us out at least 5-10 min early.

In order to do well in this class, you need to go to class. He provides very detailed notes, and these are EXTREMELY helpful for the in-class writing assignments as well as the exams. He provides opportunities for extra credit at random times, which is nice. Monotone voice, but is pretty funny sometimes.

The most important thing for this class is to attend lecture. Professor Butler gives you everything you need to know for each quiz and exam. Also, make sure you do the reading from the textbook, even though it's really (and I mean really) boring. If you can answer his in class questions on the reading you will end up getting extra credit points.

Class lectures are very boring but he is veryyyy helpful if you are struggling. Readings are interesting

It's about what you'd expect from a freshmen level class, however he can be pciky somewhat with his essay grading.

Professor Butler is a really good choice if you're going to take 230. He makes the material so clearly outlined and easy to understand in his lectures that doing the readings becomes unnecessary. Show up to lecture and his class will be an easy A (doesn't post notes online). Grades easily and offers some extra credit.

He kind of has a monotone voice, but I really liked his class. It's obvious that some people just don't have an affinity for philosophy, so that's the reason that this class could be difficult. It is also difficult if you don't like taking notes or listening to long lectures. I really liked his jokes and lectures! He also lets you out early a lot.

Great professor for 230. It's lecture heavy and notes aren't online so you really have to go to class if you want to pass. I think his jokes in lecture are funny even though most don't. Be prepared to take notes. He gives study guides for exams and if you go to class you don't really have to study much. He also gives extra credit for participating.

Professor Butlers class was a good experience. Phil 230 is a pretty straightforward class; as long as you write down the notes that he provides in class, youll do just fine. A few in class writing assignments but nothing too hard. Butler has a monotone voice, and a basic presentation style, however, he does crack some golden jokes ever so often.

Professor Butler provided ample opportunity to work with the material and gain extra credit. He was very willing to answer your questions clearly during and outside of class. The tests are laid out pretty nicely following the lecture notes. Would definitely take the class with him.

Butler is a solid professor. The lectures aren't extremely engaging, but he definitely knows what he is doing and you will pass if you take notes and pay attention. There are opportunities for extra credit if you participate in class. He did a great job moving online and making work manageable during the pandemic.

Solid professor, understanding with Covid and the class being entirely online. Optional online lecture once a week.

If you go to class, you should get a good grade. Not many assignments, so exams are important. If you are a good participate, you will get extra credit. You do not need the textbook, but nice to have just in case.

nicest prof, wants you to do well and gives out extra credit when you participate. Not showing up will hurt your grade because he applies the readings to his lectures and if you miss those then a lot of the quiz and test questions wont make sense.

Very easy to do well in this course. Do not buy the book for this class. He references it a few times, but it really isn't needed. Going to class and coopying his notes is really all you need to do in order to do good on his exams. (A lot of people don't go to class). There are some Friday Writing assignments which are required to be at class.

You definitely don't want to miss class, especially Fridays. I thought he was a great professor. He can be a little intimidating but he wears Doc Martins and the lecture is never boring. Everything you need to know is always in the notes - but make sure to do the readings.

Dr. Butler teaches by reading from his own notes, which isn't very engaging but makes it easy to know what content will be covered on writing assignments. You can use notes for writing assignments, so attend as often as possible and write down everything he writes down.

While he's pretty boring his lectures are straight to the point and easy to follow

Dr. Butler is a great professor- he's one of the best ones I've had. He's a great lecturer, and is extremely knowledgeable and passionate about the subject, which makes class engaging. He provides useful feedback on assignments, that help you develop stronger arguments. If you attend class and read the material, you will do well

I recommend attending lectures, I attended every one and did well in the class. Take notes on everything, because you can use the notes on homework and some exams.

Prof. Butler is super chill. He is kind of monotoned, but his lectures are easy to understand. Just go to class and do the writing assignments in class. In class essays are the only thing I studied for. He usually allows group work and lots of extra credit. I honestly don't do the readings, and I still got an A.

Overall chill guy. Very easy class and he is able to effectively communicate the material to the class in his lectures. No surprise twists or turns here. Show up to all of his classes and you will pass. He does grade exams slightly harsher than all of his other stuff, but only ever so slightly.