This was my first philosophy class and honestly I feel like I lucked out. Armstrong is a fantastic professor: really engaging and helpful (definitely go to office hours if you're still confused!). I also had a great TA, so the discussion sections were perfect for clearing up any lingering questions.

The grade consisted of:
1. Weekly quizzes (about two questions long. One question about topics covered in the previous week and one question about topics covered in the readings) [20% of grade]
2. One short paper (like a page long; served as a sort of tester paper so you get used to the formatting of writing a philosophy paper) [5% of grade]
3. Two longer papers (4-5 pages; one due around midterms and one due around finals) [30% of grade each]
4. Discussion Attendance/Participation [15% of grade]

I rated the workload as "neutral" because there is quite a bit of reading, but the grade is essentially the papers. I'd definitely recommend attending lectures, Armstrong really clarified a lot of the readings. Philosophy readings can be pretty confusing to follow (and contain a lot of ideas) Armstrong definitely narrowed down the scope of the papers and talked about the important points.

I wouldn't consider the class difficult, because it's really just a matter of giving some genuine thought to the topics and then articulating them via the papers/quizzes/discussions. It's all about how you've taken in the information and formulated your own thoughts/opinions about the material. Armstrong and my TA really stressed that they enjoy seeing students engage with the material and contribute their own ideas.