Frederick Neuhouser

I'm not sure how useful this review will be because he is retiring, but this class changed my life (both for the better and worse). I ended up pass/failing because he is such a strict grader, yet I think I learned more in this class than I ever have before. I was already a philosophy major but this class made me want to take even more philosophy classes and renewed my passion for the subject. It is extremely difficult but if you come with the right attitude you will take so much away.

This is a great course, but you will need to put in the work to do well in the course. I took it in the fall of 2021, and I learned a lot. The readings aren't too bad, and there were days when I skipped them altogether because I was struggling with my health. Still, I recommend doing them to help you understand the course. If nothing else, do them after the lectures so that they'll be easier. I recommend attending lectures as often as possible to ensure that you have a good grasp of the material. My biggest complaint about the course is that the TA (Nick) graded the essays harshly. Considering that the only prerequisite was one prior philosophy course, his grading was unfair. I am always open to feedback, but this was too much. You better be able to write strong philosophy papers if you want to do well, and even that might not be enough. I definitely don't recommend this course for people who have only taken one philosophy course. Professor Neuhouser is very accommodating. If you have a disability, go ahead and meet with him at the beginning of the semester to discuss it with him. He will do what he can to provide support. On the other hand, you really need to attend lectures to do well in the course (or at least get him to record them for you, if possible), so make sure you consider that aspect before enrolling in one of his courses.

Prof. Neuhouser is the single best professor I've taken at Columbia. Simply put, Prof. Neuhouser deserves nothing but the highest praise. He is the one of the most caring and giving professors I have ever had - if not the most - always making himself accessible for his students. He is willing to answer any questions you have - you just have to be willing to put in the work. He will clarify any questions you have about the material in office hours. The material is very difficult, yes, but Prof. Neuhouser has a remarkable capacity to elucidate the most salient points out of a given texts. A previous reviewer mentioned how it's not until you're working on a paper that you truly realize how well Neuhouser had deconstructed a text - I wholeheartedly second this! Do the readings - once, sometimes twice - and show up to every lecture - they're unbelievably captivating! I'm not even close to a morning person (a chronic night owl), but was held fast in my seat by twice-a-week M/W 8:40 lectures! Neuhouser is also the most concise professor I've had at Columbia. In every lecture, almost not a single word is wasted. I tend to handwrite my notes, and with Neuhouser, I was always scribbling furiously throughout the entire class - contrast this to other philosophy classes, where I might jot things down every 4-5 minutes when the professor made an interesting point. Prof. Neuhouser, being one…

This was an overwhelming class. The course material is very difficult to understand and the readings were confusing [since it's Hegel]. The class period is spent with 75 minutes straight of detailed lecture and you really don't have time to look up and figure out what he is saying, you just have to scribble down as much as you can and then go back after and try and make sense of it. I was shocked at how many graduate students were in this course, and I think that's why it was at such a high level. Definitely not an easy course, and I'd stay away from it unless you are passionate about the subject and willing to put in a serious workload. Neuhouser is a great guy though, he learned everyone's name immediately and is friendly.

Professor Neuhouser is an engaging lecturer who encourages interesting and useful classroom discussion. He's also a very nice and friendly person. BUT: He's a real jerk when it comes to grading. He doesn't grade any of the papers himself, but he forces the TAs who do grade the papers to give really bad grades. This was true for the later papers too. You'd think that there would be improvement in the second and third papers (especially since this was an intro class) - and in fact my TA said that the second and third papers were much better. But the overall grades improved only marginally from the first to the second, and not at all from the second to the third. My advice: Pass/Fail the class - but don't take it for grade credit.

Although I have never taken philosophy before, I did not find this class impossibly challenging. Difficult, yes, but also very engaging - Neuhouser is a great professor and very considerate and welcoming to students, not condescending at all. Going to lecture is essential to understanding the occasionally opaque and difficult material (especially Hegel). Neuhouser is amazing at making concepts easy to understand and clear. The reading isn't overwhelming, although at times I found it helpful to go to lecture first and do the reading later, as that was the only way it made any sense. Altogether this was the most interesting course I have taken at Columbia so far; I woke up at 8:40am for this class every week, which for me is usually impossible as I sleep around 4am, and I don't regret it at all. Take this class if you can.

Offered really interesting insight into economic philosophy. This was my first philosophy course, and I'm a first year so the class was hard, but I learned a lot. I went to see him during his office hours and he helped to understand concepts I wasn't sure about. One of my favorite classes this year.

Seriously incredible professor. Like, the best professor you're likely to have at Columbia. He WILL make you want to be a Philosophy major. This class is no joke though, and neither is Hegel. It's more work than any other philosophy course I've taken, even though the reading is usually just a couple of pages. The material is difficult, and requires a lot of time to seriously digest. It is essential to go to every single class, and write down pretty much everything Neuhouser says. Only when you're writing your paper and go back to those notes do you realize how well he has deconstructed the text. Grading: he says on the syllabus that satisfactory work will receive a B, and only good work will receive an A. His grading is on the harsher side of fair, but still isnt too bad. If you put in the work, there's no reason not to receive at least an A-. Also, if you do better in the final than the midterm, the midterm isnt counted for your grade. If your second paper is better than your first, then it counts for double your first paper. The comments are constructive and helpful, and the midterm and final are seriously straightforward. The main thing to remember, as others have noted, is not to pad your writing. Be AS clear and succinct as possible, and write to the point. For inspiration, use his own paper on the Structure of Hegel's Philosophy of Right. Neuhouser will change your life.…

take home midterm (gets dropped if you do better on the final, 8-10 page paper, in-class final;;a ton of reading

Neuhouser often reminded me of that Thinker statue during his lectures from the way he paced back and forth and rubbed his forehead and chin. I personally found him to be an excellent lecturer, often making clear points in texts which otherwise would have gone unclear or undiscovered to the average student. The class also seemed to fly by most of the time, with most of the people looking genuinely interested. This is a lot to say for any class but especially one that was at the ridiculous 9 am slot. The only negative is that he is a rather tough grader, but the reading, his lectures, and his tests are challenging, so I guess it makes sense that he doesn't give As freely. On that note, don't try pulling any BS out on tests and papers. Overall, I learned A LOT, and left considering Neuhouser one of the friendliest (albeit challenging) professors I have had.