Current instructor

Russ Shafer-Landau

/5Adjusted rating
/5RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 4.52/5 from 52 quality ratings. The adjusted rating blends this with the UW review average (3.66/5), weighted as 20 additional ratings. Smaller samples stay closer to that average. Each captured review is counted once in the prior; this does not correct who chooses to leave a review.

RMP profile ↗ · All captured review dates; profile matched by name.

What students say

Original student reviews · all captured dates

PHIL241 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 1/5
Loved having Russ as a professor
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PHIL241 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 3/5
The greatest of all time
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241 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 3/5
AMAZING LECTURER! I loved this course, so engaging. Only critique is it is difficult to get an A, any receive ABs/Bs. I enjoyed the format of the exams; essay formats in-person, but giving ideas of what we would be writing about beforehand and was open to interpretation based on your opinions of different theories.
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PHIL241 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 1/5
Professor gave incredible lectures that made material very easy to understand. Didn't do a single reading and still got a high A. Super funny and very open to questions and discussions during and after class. The grade was decided mainly on our final exams (papers) but they were graded very leniently and weren't long at all (less than one page).
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PHIL241 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 2/5
outstanding passionate teacher
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241 · course not matched
Quality 4/5Difficulty 3/5
Russ is fantastic, he makes lecture fun and worth coming to. My two critiques are that there are so many readings (as expected but just a lot), and the fact that it's really easy to get a B but super difficult to get an A. The in-class quizzes were so hard, but the papers were always graded with some grace. Very sweet guy though.
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Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.

Classes with Russ Shafer-Landau

PHILOS 241

Introductory Ethics

3–4 credits

Covers moral problems, ethical theory, skepticism, and practical ethics.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Russ Shafer-Landau is described as helpful and engaging, presenting information in an interesting manner without forcing views. He provides test questions in advance and selects from them, allowing attentive students to skip readings.

Russ Shafer-LandauEmily Fletcher+5 more

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2026
PHILOS 541

Modern Ethical Theories

3 credits

PHILOS 541 explores ethical theories and problems from the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2014: 3.50 GPA, 68.8% A/AB (n=16 letter grades); Fall 2017: 3.26 GPA, 42.9% A/AB (n=21 letter grades); Spring 2024: 2.88 GPA, 29.4% A/AB (n=17 letter grades).

Harry BrighouseRuss Shafer-Landau

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2026
PHILOS 599

Directed Study

1–3 credits

PHILOS 599 is a directed study course allowing students to pursue independent research or study topics arranged with a faculty member.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

James MessinaLarry Shapiro+16 more

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2026 · limited sample
PHILOS 682

Senior Honors Thesis

3 credits

PHILOS 682 is a mentored study course for seniors completing honors theses in the Philosophy major.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

James MessinaLarry Shapiro+18 more

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2022 · limited sample
PHILOS 799

Directed Study

1–3 credits

PHILOS 799 is a directed study course allowing students to conduct independent research or study arranged with a faculty member.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

James MessinaSteven Nadler+11 more

No recorded grade history

PHILOS 999

Independent Work

2–9 credits

PHILOS 999 is an individual mentored study course for graduate students arranged with a faculty member.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

James MessinaLarry Shapiro+22 more

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2022 · limited sample

Recorded teaching history

Explore courses taught by this instructor →
Browse recorded courses
TermCourseTitle
Fall 2026PHILOS 241Introductory Ethics
Fall 2026PHILOS 541Modern Ethical Theories
Fall 2026PHILOS 599Directed Study
Fall 2026PHILOS 681Senior Honors Thesis
Fall 2026PHILOS 682Senior Honors Thesis
Fall 2026PHILOS 699Directed Study
Fall 2026PHILOS 799Directed Study
Fall 2026PHILOS 990Research and Thesis
Fall 2026PHILOS 999Independent Work

Teaching history may be incomplete. Course pages contain course-specific feedback and citations.

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