AI Rate Professor

Philosophy

Michael McMahan

PHILO101 · PHIL101 · PHI101 · HUMANITIES150 · PHIL210 · PHILO100 · PHL101 · PHILOSOPHY106 · HUMAN150 · ALLPHILOS · PHILOSOPHY101 · PHILOS101 · 39 lifetime ratings

AI rating
54/100
RMP rating
3.8/5
Take again
55.56%
Difficulty
2.6

The decision

if you are self-disciplined, comfortable with , and willing to manage unclear or changing course expectations.

Best fit · Self Taught ProPolarizing ExperienceHeavy ReadingSelf-Discipline RequiredInconsistent Online OrganizationInteresting Philosophy Teacher
  • McMahan has many strong older reviews praising his philosophy knowledge and interesting classes, but newer online reviews are sharply mixed.
  • The , and self-management rather than hard concepts alone.
  • Online experiences are riskier, with complaints , and .

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

FairEffort

54/100

Some older students call it easy, but many reviews warn that , and harsh grading make an A require real effort.

Online evidence is much tougher, while in-person-counted reviews include more older easy-A claims but .

Is the course easy?

Standard

50/100

Philosophy content is often interesting and manageable, but the and pace can make it feel demanding.

Online reviews emphasize heavy independent work, while .

Is attendance flexible?

Varies

58/100

Some reviews mention participation and coming to class, but the .

In-person reviews mention participation and class discussion more, while online reviews focus on deadlines and discussions.

Is this professor recommended?

Depends

56/100

and self-directed work, but many online students strongly warn against disorganization and .

Online recommendation is sharply split and riskier, while .

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Fair

48/100

harsh or unclear, especially in online reviews with few major graded items.

Format shift

Online reviews contain more tough-grader complaints, while as fair or manageable.

Workload

Heavy

28/100

Students repeatedly report a lot of reading, writing, discussions, assignments, quizzes, and .

Format shift

Both formats mention heavy reading, with online reviews especially stressing workload and deadlines.

Teaching experience

Average

62/100

He can be knowledgeable, interesting, and inspiring, but online organization, communication, and .

Format shift

, while online reviews are far more polarized.

Assessment method

Balanced

60/100

Assessments include reading quizzes, discussions, essays, assignments, and a .

Format shift

Online reviews give clearer evidence of essays, quizzes, discussions, and a .

Luni fit check

Weigh these signals against your actual schedule.

Get help balancing workload, grading, and timing when no option is an obvious fit.

Course format

Compare the in-person and online experience.

Classroom format

In person

27 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Effort For Reward

In-person-coded reviews are generally more positive and often call the class interesting or easy, though and some comments refer to online sections despite being counted as in person.

Main concern

Students should expect substantial reading and should not rely on the class being an easy A in every term.

What students said

“A LOT of reading.”
HUMANITIES150
“This teacher is the reason I became a philosophy major.”
ALLPHILOS
“ discussions to know what philosophy is all about.”
PHILO101

Remote format

Online

12 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Self Taught Pro

Online reviews are mixed, with some students praising feedback and interesting material while , and weak communication.

Main concern

Online students may face heavy , and limited instructor responsiveness.

What students said

“Although there's a lot of work to be done, the quality of the course is worth while.”
PHILOS101
“This class is not an easy A.”
PHILOS101
“He has NO syllabus.”
PHIL101

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Exam evidence varies, with reviews mentioning quizzes, discussions, essays, and a large final, but proctoring rules.

Reading QuizzesRetakable QuizzesFinal Worth About One ThirdOn-Campus Final Mentioned

Assessment risk

Varies

52/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

, and some on-campus final requirements, but do not clearly prove closed-book or .

Reading QuizzesStudy Guide FinalOn-Campus Final Mentioned
“a couple quizes (you can retake the quizes for a higher grade), and the final”
PHIL101
“The .”
PHILO101
“ .”
PHILO100

Online

Online reviews mention quizzes and a , but do not clearly prove webcam, proctoring, Lockdown Browser, or open-book rules.

Reading QuizzesRetakable QuizzesFinal Worth About One ThirdTwo-Hour Final Window
“The .”
PHI101
“The only option for the final was a 2-hr time frame on certain day”
PHI101
“The final consisted of three parts, making up 35% of ”
PHI101

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice

“This class is not an easy A. You have to read a lot and he grades very harshly.”

Voice snapshots generated from 39 reviews, highlighting key themes in , and online risk. Credibility rating: High.

🎯 Teaching Quality

62/100

“This teacher is the reason I became a philosophy major.”

📚 Workload Pressure

28/100

“A LOT of reading.”

⚖️

48/100

“Fair grader, gives plenty information/examples, interesting class”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

  • and I love the books he used for the subject.
  • Excellent teacher for majors and non-majors.
  • McMahan was brilliant!

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty and Grades

  • This class is not an easy A.
  • You have to read a lot and he grades very harshly.
  • No easy A but achievable.

Theme 3

💻 About Online Experience

  • He has NO syllabus.
  • Information was hidden around course site.
  • .
  • Scattered, random and inconsistent due dates.

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

39

Recent reviews read by the AI

39

Lifetime ratings

82/100

Evidence confidence

The dataset is large and detailed across many years, but older reviews and format-label inconsistencies reduce precision for current expectations.

Inside 39 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 519
4 out of 512
3 out of 51
2 out of 52
1 out of 55

Course coverage

PHIL10110 reviews
PHILO10110 reviews
PHI1015 reviews
PHILOS1015 reviews
HUMAN1502 reviews
Show 7 more courses
ALLPHILOS1 review
HUMANITIES1501 review
PHIL2101 review
PHILO1001 review
PHILOSOPHY1011 review
PHILOSOPHY1061 review
PHL1011 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

9 reported outcomes

A range

5

A+ 1 · A 1 · A- 3

B range

1

B 1

C range

1

C 1

D range

1

D 1

F

0

No reported values

No letter grade reported

1

Rather not say 1