Very interesting topics were presented in this class and discussion was usually quite thought provoking. Professor Mathewes is a brilliant lecturer, but he doesn't use a powerpoint or anything- he just stands up and talks, so you have to be really good at taking notes and listening. Personally, I thought the readings, though interesting, were excessive. However, if you are able to keep up with the readings, this class is very worthwhile.

Mathewes is a fantastic lecturer and the subject matter is fascinating. Peter Kang was very helpful and fun as a TA. The only drawback to the course is that there is an excessive amount of reading (4-6 hours per week), and while most of it is interesting, you must commit yourself to really going through the readings thoroughly in order to do well in the course.

Extremely interesting, but you need to be caught up with the reading. There's A LOT of reading, and some of it is pretty dense, so if you don't like to read, I wouldn't recommend it.

Mathewes is a good professor and keeps lectures fairly interesting, but there is entirely too much reading for this course (~900 pages of course packet for the semester). Midterm and final included sections on matching authors to articles - wasn't too difficult but doesn't do anything to help you learn. There was so much reading I ended up feeling like I couldn't get much out of it and we couldn't cover it all in discussions.

Mathewes is an amazing lecturer who is able to keep the class engaged, even though it is so large. Scott Bailey, my TA, is by far the best TA I have had.

The class is really interesting and I highly recommend it. Matthewes lectures raise some interesting issues, but you must really know the articles for the exams. Scott Bailey was a great TA who really helped us understand the articles for each week.

Some of the readings were interesting. But there were too much assigned reading in general (about 1000 pages). Quizzes are random and not very effective. Prof. Mathewes is an interesting lecturer. This course does challenge you to think more critically about ordinaray issues.

This is absolutely one of the best classes UVA offers. Professor Mathewes is truly an intellectual; he's very engaging and charismatic. It's one of those classes that really opens your eyes to new perspectives, and a new way of viewing the world. There's a substantial amount of reading, but most of the time I found it enjoyable. If you go to lecture and take good notes the exams will be fine. This class is well worth the time.

I thought the class was all right. I guess I had high expectations since everyone thought it was a good class (not just those on the course forum). I think he covered way too many readings than was necessary and should have focused mainly on the religion's view on each topic, not individuals who happened to be a part of one of the major religions. his lecturing style, i thought, was also very hard to follow. i wasn't sure what he was talking about half the time and didn't know if my notes were right. the second half of the semester was a little easier since i knew what to expect. it's important to know the main views of each article. the midterm and final are quote ids (not as hard as it may seem, but you really need to prepare for them), short answer on the main points of the article, and an essay section that ties in most of the readings. he sent out a past midterm and final, which was really helpful (some of the questions/quotes are the same). overall i wouldn't not recommend the class, but it would definitely not be one of the classes i'd recommend right away.

Mathewes is an enjoyable lecturer, even if he does focus on the readings. There is a lot of reading, but it won't kill you if you don't read every last word. Do understand, you need to have a feel for all the readings to do well, and know some of them inside and out.