Professor Shapiro did a great job of making a topic that I don't find interesting somewhat interesting. My only complaint is some lectures drag on a bit. We had required readings and discussion and lecture attendance was mandatory. You don't need to do the readings because it is covered so well but he does cold call two people every lecture.

Nice guy, and an interesting class. He let the TA do some final lessons at the end of the semester that were super fun. You are technically required to do the reading (he cold calls 2 at the beginning of class), but often attending the lecture was enough to understand the material.

I loved Larry. His lectures were engaging, and he took the time to learn everyone's names and address them in class. He made jokes and related the content to current issues, and it was very easy to understand. The reading can be somewhat difficult, but the lectures are extremely helpful.

3 Quizzes and 3 Papers. Mandatory Attendance. Very easy and engaging class. If you show up to lectures and discussions and are willing to learn, no extra time outside of class is required to get an A.

3 quizzes (no final), 3 papers, and discussion make up final grade.

Larry might be the best professor at UW. Lectures were very thought-provoking, and every once in a while Larry would crack a joke that had the whole class laughing. Readings were heavy at times but overall very interesting. Attending lectures is part of the grade, so try not to miss them. 3 papers and 3 quizzes for the semester.

prof shapiro is hilarious and by doing so really helps you engage with the material. sensitive topics are touched on (religion, abortion, etc) but truly gives you new perspectives on the world. 3 papers and 3 blue book quizzes all weighted equally. would definitely take larry's class again - he's the best

Professor Shapiro has the best video editing skill. His lectures are great and he can really get you interested in philosophy. The workload is also pretty chill, so take his class if you're looking for an easy A liberal studies class.

As a CompSci student, he is the best lecturer I've had. Simply incredible lectures. Just because of him I've even thought of changing major. If you have the opportunity to take a class from him. Definitely go for it. Very short and easy 5 papers through the semester, you will definitely pass.

Good professor that gives good lectures. Papers are somewhat tough in terms of grading, as the TA's are very nitpicky with what words you use. Otherwise, not a bad class if you do your work. I got an AB.

Larry is my favorite professor I have had in my 3 years here so far. Very funny guy, kind of like a cool uncle. The class was hard but he did what he could to make it doable. I recommend him very highly.

Larry is awesome! Do your readings (which aren't very long) and show up to lectures, discussions, and review sessions and you'll have no problem doing well in his class. Office hours are also extremely helpful if you are struggling with a paper. Great choice for Philosophy 101, regardless of your familiarity of the subject.

Larry leads a challenging, yet very interesting lecture, every lecture. I was always engaged in the content, and his jokes in lecture always brightened my morning. Highly recommend taking his class!

In his Philosophy 101 class you are graded based on 3 papers, 3 quizzes, and participation. You will get an A on all of the quizzes if you pay attention during lecture, which is very easy to do considering how hilarious Larry is. He's by far the best professor I've had at Madison, and also one of the best teacher's I've ever had. Highly recommend.

Larry's great. He's funny and great at his job. Attendance is mandatory though, and he cold calls 2 students a class. If you pay attention or understand the readings, you'll get an A

I love Larry. He's hilarious and makes the material super easy to follow. Attendance is mandatory and you have to go to lecture, but if you go to review sessions and pay attention, it's an easy A

Larry is great! He was extremely passionate about the topics we discussed and added humor too which made lecture a lot more bearable and interactive. I took this class not knowing anything about it and I loved it! The discussions were actually really interesting and it is a pretty easy A, just go to the review sessions before the tests.

Shapiro has been by far my favorite professor here so far. He is absolutely hilarious and his lectures are really fun. His dad jokes are the best and he makes the material really easy to understand. I look forward to his lecture every week and his tests are very fair. I would highly recommend taking one of his classes!

Larry is the best. Gives lectures that are easy to follow. Tests/papers super easy if you take the time to review (I did about 20 mins studying for each test). Textbooks super interesting (I'm keeping it after semester) but you really don't need to read it. Larry gives informal feel to lecture and is super awesome in general Made me love philosophy

Lectures are mandatory and highly informative/entertaining if you like Philosophy. Larry absolutely knows his stuff. Occasionally he rambles on a bit too much on specific examples, but otherwise he's a great lecturer. Also note that reading the texts is almost optional because all of the content in them is explained in class. Easy essays & exams

Excellent professor. Explains everything very clearly. Gives options for paper topics and due dates by letting you pick from a set.

Although the lectures were pretty boring, they are very helpful. Shapiro adds funny hypothetical scenarios to describe what he is lecturing about in order to make it more interesting, while also making a valid connection. The readings are certainly tough, but do-able; but, Shapiro's lectures clear it up. Not a bad choice if you're taking Philosophy

Doing the reading helped a ton, but as long as you're in class, you'll learn everything you need to know. Had one quiz, a midterm, and a non cumulative final. Not hard at all.

Larry is great and he lectures very well! He gives good, relatable examples to illustrate the concepts he's talking about. Exams are extremely writing-heavy. Watch out for them-- I bombed the final because I just plain misread one of the four (!) questions.

This class was extremely difficult, and the reaction papers were graded very subjectively. Honestly, it is hard to do well in this class unless you get help from your T.A. or from Shapiro himself. Didn't know what I was getting in the class until the very end. Don't take if you don't have to!

Honestly, this class sucked. Reaction papers are very hard to do and are graded subjectively. The material he taught was hard to comprehend at times. Do NOT take this class if you don't have to.

Larry is one of my favorite professors. The material is very interesting and thought-provoking, and Larry does an effective job of being as objective as possible with his explanations and examples. He also has a fantastic sense of humor. You can probably get by without having to read all the readings, but the reaction papers are tough.

Professor Shapiro is very monotone in his lectures. The readings are quite dense and he doesn't explain them in class in an interesting manner. Class size for this was very small, but still not much discussion. He is a REALLY HARD GRADER, but doesn't give much feedback other than "you don't have this correct." Overall, I really disliked the class.

I took this class out of mild interest. The lectures are always entertaining and Larry does a good job at summarizing the readings. You are assigned a paper due every other Monday, the rest of your grade is two exams. Larry makes it obvious hes very liberal and is atheist. Sadly, he constantly criticized opposing political & religious viewpoints.

Boring, monotonous and sarcastic!

Basically all he does in class is recap the readings, so it's not always exciting, but he makes it interesting most days. It should be easy if you read before class.

Very funny guy. He knows his stuff and makes it very clear what you should know. Lecture was mandatory, but it was interesting. Great professor, you should definitely take PHIL101 if you can.

Absolutely great professor. Lectures are clear and explain everything you need to know very well. Frequently makes dirty jokes which adds a lot life to lectures. He literally got me to change my major. Great professor.

He's a great professor! Lectures are clear and he's super funny. Sometimes he makes dirty jokes but it's really interesting. Highly recommended

This was a great class choice on my part. It brings to light real life problems and Larry allows you to have your own opinions on them as long as you can back it up with good argument. He is very funny, very clear, you can tell that he loves what he does. The work load is slim. Great professor, great class, I definitely recommend it.

Hands down the best professor I've had in all my days. Super clear, extremely helpful and clearly wants all of his students to succeed. Highly recommend taking philos 101.

Very helpful, clear, engaging, knowledgeable, and surprisingly funny! Great professor to have.

You don't have to do the reading if you go to lecture, he covers everything, doesn't go too fast, an is really good at getting the info across. The only assignment are 6 reaction papers, 1-2 pages (this is the only time you have to read, and the readings aren't very long at all). He's funny, too.

Took a 599 reading course with him. He's pretty nice, and I was lucky to get the ability to meet one on one with him. He's a clear thinker and an easy-going dude. I'm sure he'd be a great professor for a normal philosophy course, too. Also has a pic of himself with a big ol' beard when he was younger - BAMF.

LARRY SHAPIRO IS THE BEST THING TO HAPPEN TO UW MADISON!! He is incredibly intelligent and makes philosophy so intriguing. You dont really have to read the articles in the book cause he talks about them in class. Extremely clear and wonderful class. I'd take it again if I could.

Don't let him discourage you from believing in God. Realize that everyone has different opinions on the matter and hold true to your beliefs. If you take the class, take it upon yourself to research the opposite side to atheism (because he doesn't always give it). Overall he is a good professor (although bias) and very knowledgeable in his field.

Great at giving notes, great with explanations. Open about his personal beliefs... which makes taking the opposite stance a little difficult. Great guy though.

Larry is a fantastic professor. He has a way of making complex, abstract and difficult material entirely accessible to even the most inexperienced of philosphers. Take this class!

This is a rock solid professor. He has good stories, is able to relate an very difficult subject in a straightforward way, encourages discussion, is very down to earth, and edited his own text that lines up almost exactly with the course. Highly recommended.

People freak out that "if you're not an athiest, you can't do well in philosophy." Those people are wrong. Shapiro (and my TA) were both very clear that they were atheist, but they were more than fair in grading. His notes are great and both discussions and lectures were engaging.

He was a pretty good lecturer and a pretty good professor. But is probably the most biased one you'll meet, most of the time i knew i wasn't learning anything, just hearing his very very biased opinion about everything. If you believe in god he will pretty much mock you for a full semester about why you shouldn't. Decent class all together

Larry is a great professor. If you're going to take Philo 101, get him. Attendance is mandatory, but you should want to attend lecture. Discussion is a different story. The TA had no idea how to get people to actually discuss, was unclear and entirely unhelpful. Worth it to have Shapiro as a professor, but made discussion a complete waste of time.

Larry is hilarious, always keeps your interest, and is always very helpful. Attendance is mandatory for a good grade, but I don't see who wouldn't want to go listen to one of Larry's lectures. TAKE THIS PHILOSOPHY CLASS!!!!

amazing class. makes you think about things you never questioned before. workload is 6 one page papers and 2 four question essay tests. a somewhat easy A if you're at all good at writing...shapiro is hilarious and extremely good at explaining sometimes difficult concepts...TAKE THIS CLASS

Professor Shapiro is a wonderful professor--he keeps your attention with his stories & analogies whilst still teaching. I would recommend this class (Phil 101) and professor to anyone who is looking to learn something while getting a good grade. There are 6 reaction 1 page papers you have to write, and two tests (no cumulative final)

kept class interesting

I recommend this class! Larry is pretty entertaining, but tends to ramble about the same topic a little too long. The expectations for the exams are clear. Lecture attendance is "mandatory."

The man's exams are very clear. 4 Questions, 3 of which are obvious ones. Each answer is only two paragraphs long and he essentailly gives you the answer in the review session. This is the man for Philo 101

Explains material well, funny, tests are not hard. great professor!

Prof. Shapiro is HILARIOUS. Going to class in the morning was nowhere near as hard when it meant going to this class. All of the readings are very interesting and Shapiro always provides a really clear interpretation of the arguments in class. He tests on your basic understanding of the main concepts he covers and that is never hard. Great class!

Good Prof. Puts in funny stories, somtimes he makes the material challenging, but otherwise a good class a professor.

I love Larry Shapiro. He is very clear about the readings, answers any questions in lecture, and knows JUST when to throw in a funny story or joke to keep lecture lively. Mostly it is his joking that sets him apart from any other professor I've ever had. Intro class=easy.

He enjoys telling you he is the head of the department. I stopped doing the readings because he tells you what he wants you to get out of them anyway. good class

made the class much easier to understand, was funny and cute...id definitely reccomend him

An amazing professor, very funny, keeps you awake with his jokes and comments. Talks about subjects from multiple angles to make sure everyone understands. interesting class, learned a lot

An introductory level with the department's chair is always an interesting thing. (The mandatory) lectures are certainly enjoyable and consist mostly of him answering students' topical questions. Neither the exams nor the papers are anything too serious, and I'm not sure how he handles office hours, but it seems unlikely for one to need them.

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Wonderful lectures - easy to follow and take notes on, despite the often difficult material.

Good teacher. Is an atheist so is biased towards those views. Topics in lecture were good.

There are two essay exams and 6 one page reaction papers that are tough. If the TA isn't a prick, the class should be easy. As for Shapiro, he was hilarious. Very open to questions, sometimes too open and class was sidetracked for awhile. But awesome topics were discussed and I'd take him again. Beware though, some topics discussed with biases.

i must have had someone else named larry shapiro. this guy was so boring and monotonous. i thought i would really like philosophy but didn't. i learned a lot more in discussion than in lecture. he presents material in a biased fashion, sometimes pretty blatantly. hardly no workload for a four credit class. easy A/AB though.

I don't like philosophy. However, Larry made the material unbelievably clear and easy to understand. He is always willing to answer questions during lecture. I found it painfully boring to go to lecture. He has a soothing and kind of monotonous voice. So, I basically fell asleep a lot.

An excellent professor. and hilarious.

I'm so sad to see the class end. Shapiro is inspirational, and just an overall excellent professor. You will learn a great deal of philosophy at a smooth pace. Exams are off of lecture so go to class, besides, you will want to.

This was a really fun clas, and he is an interesting professor. He's pretty funny, and explains the material well. He does tend to be very liberal biased when he lectures, but it doesn't get in the way of his teaching.

Larry is really awesome. He turns the material into something humorous.

Larry's a cool guy. Really knows his stuff and explains it well with good examples. Class moves at an easy pace, maybe even a little too slow at times. Readings are frequent but not too long and pretty interesting. Teaches with a strong atheist bias.

He can have his days but overall not a very exciting class. He's a nice guy though and sometimes very interesting.

Shapiro is a great lecturer, sarcastic and very entertaining. If you do the readings and take good lecture notes, exams should be a breeze.

Larry captures your heart with his depth of knowledge and overwhelming honesty. This class allows beliefs to be challenged. Attend lecture, it's graded and the tests are relatively easy if you attend.

Great professor. Very interesting and clear. However, be prepared for him to have a tremendous bious on his opinions, esp. regarding God, free will, etc. You'll love him if you afree with his opinions. He may frustrate you if you don't.

fabululous prof. and hott!

GREAT CLASS! Intriguing and captivating.

Professor Shapiro is a wonderful teacher and he makes the class both fun and interesting. He is by far the best professor I have had so far here are Madison.

Absolutely fabulous. Larry used hilarious and relevant examples to explain complex ideas and it worked great. A ton of fun - one of the best professors I've had.

Larry is a great guy and a great professor. He made philosophy interesting by incorporating interesting things into his lectures. Anyone who complains about going to his class probably didn't listen to him. Good professor.