Eric Gerlach

PHIL1 · PHIL20 · PHIL31A · PHIL20B · PHIL2 · PHIL10 · PHIL20A · PHIL16 · PHILOSOPHY1 · PHIL37 · PHILOSOPHY37 · 75 lifetime ratings

AI rating: 95/100
RMP rating: 4.6/5
Take again: 95.12%
Difficulty: 1.9

The decision

if you can write a and learn from his website videos.

Best fit · Easy A HunterEssay-Only GradeHilarious LecturesOptional AttendanceOwn Website MaterialsEasy Generous Grader

Grades usually rest on a if you show real thought.
Lectures are funny and inspiring, with free online notes that .
long monologues and self-paced deadlines frustrate students who need structure.

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

WalkInThePark

91/100

Most students say the normal outcome.

Online async comments As; in-person agrees if you submit work.

Is the course easy?

Beginner

78/100

Ideas can be deep, but flexible prompts, few graded items, and free notes keep the course approachable.

Both formats rate difficulty low; interest level mainly determines whether lectures feel easy or boring.

Is attendance flexible?

Optional

88/100

Many reviews say attend or not; notes and videos live on his website so skipping rarely tanks the grade.

; in-person is frequently optional though a .

Is this professor recommended?

MustTake

93/100

Overwhelming praise for passion, humor, and grade outcomes with only scattered structure complaints.

Recommendation stays very high online and in person aside from a few outliers.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Generous

90/100

Flexible prompts and ; effortful personal analysis almost always earns high marks.

Format shift

Online and rewards genuine thought over perfection.

Workload

Light

76/100

Usually only three or four essays spaced through the term, sometimes with unlimited .

Format shift

Online summer or async sections can feel denser in short windows but still few graded pieces.

Teaching experience

Excellent

91/100

Hilarious, passionate lectures and thought-provoking materials dominate; a minority want more structure.

Format shift

Both formats celebrate lectures; and monologue style.

Assessment method

FocusOnAssignments

18/100

; midterms and finals are rare or secondary in recent comments.

Format shift

and ; modern online is essay-only.

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

32 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Easy A Hunter

In-person students love funny, passionate lectures and , though some dislike fast loud talking and thin structure.

Main concern

Lecture-heavy delivery and fast talking can overwhelm students who want handouts, group work, or tight structure.

What students said

“The ! Prof Gerlach is so funny and an amazing teacher! ”
PHIL1

“I'm pretty sure if you put effort and submit something you will get an A.”
PHIL20A

“he talks way too loud and way too fast... I gave it 3 classes and quit.”
PHIL16

Remote format

Online

18 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Self Taught Pro

Online or async sections are widely called easy: watch lectures, use his website, submit a handful of essays, and earn high marks.

Main concern

Need self-discipline for ; one student got an F after not dropping while hospitalized.

What students said

“Took this class over the summer asynchronously, only graded on 4 essays... ”
PHIL1

“Your grade is determined by 4 essays... As long as you do the reading and do the .”
PHIL20B

“There are 3 total essays due at the end of the semester... As long as you watch his lecture videos, read the short descriptions, and add your personal opinion in .”
PHIL16

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Most sections grade a small set of essays with flexible topics and little high-stakes testing.

Essay-based gradingFew or no examsFlexible promptsWebsite lecture notesExtra credit available

Assessment risk

StudentFriendly

92/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

and ; closed-book proctoring is not clearly proven.

Few testsEssay focusUnlimited extra credit in some terms

“Your grade is based entirely on 3 papers, 2 are 3-5 pages, one is 5-7 pages.”
PHIL2

“A midterm and a . 4 essays 10 points each and unlimited !”
PHIL1

Online

Online evidence shows three to four emailed or submitted essays as nearly the entire grade, with .

3-4 essays onlyFlexible promptsNo proctoring mentionedWebsite materials

“Your entire grade is based on 4 essays, each with very flexible prompts.”
PHIL1

“you have two 4-page essays which are 25% each and one 8-page paper which is 50% of your grade. All of this is due at the end of the semester.”
PHIL20A

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice
“I'm pretty sure if you put effort and submit something you will get an A.”
Voice snapshots generated from 50 reviews, highlighting essay-only grading, humor, and low stress. Credibility rating: High.

🎯 Teaching Quality

91/100

“Favorite professor ever! ... He makes philosophy fun :)”

🅰️ Easy A Path

91/100

“only graded on 4 essays... information.”

😂 Humor & Vibe

88/100

“His jokes are pretty funny & he has cute cats.”

📅

88/100

“Read, don't read, attend don't attend. Your grade is based entirely on 3 papers”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

Futuristic teaching style and terrific writer
lectures as well as the publications on his website ... are very interesting and thought provoking
He sprinkles jokes and pop-culture/meme references in there too

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

As long as you do the reading and do the
If you write the essay and put your thought down and don't bs it you will get an A
This was probably one of the easiest online classes I've taken

Theme 3

📚 About Workload Structure

You only have 4 assignments the whole semester, all of
Gave us three essays to do by the end of the semester
All online notes are written by the professor

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

Recent reviews read by the AI

Lifetime ratings

90/100

Evidence confidence

50 reviews across many philosophy courses and years with and lecture style.

Inside 50 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 560

4 out of 511

3 out of 51

2 out of 53

1 out of 51

Course coverage

PHIL125 reviews

PHIL165 reviews

PHIL25 reviews

PHIL20B4 reviews

PHIL20A3 reviews

Show 6 more courses

PHIL202 reviews

PHIL31A2 reviews

PHIL101 review

PHIL371 review

PHILOSOPHY11 review

PHILOSOPHY371 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

44 reported outcomes

A range

A+ 13 · A 27

B range

No reported values

C range

C 1

D range

No reported values

F

F 1

No letter grade reported

Drop/Withdrawal 1 · Not sure yet 1

Eric Gerlach

x x x x x x x if you can write a x x x and learn from his website videos.

Four answers before you build your schedule.

WalkInThePark

Beginner

Optional

MustTake

See how this professor fits your week.

Compare the in-person and online experience.

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

In person

Online

See what students actually said.

🎯 Teaching Quality

🅰️ Easy A Path

😂 Humor & Vibe

📅 x x

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

📚 About Workload Structure

See exactly what the AI read.

Quality ratings

Course coverage

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

A range

B range

C range

D range

F

No letter grade reported

if you can write a and learn from his website videos.

📅