Professor
David Kaplan
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Most Helpful Review
Prof. Kaplan is quiet possibly, the most eloquent bad lecturer in the world. His mind wonders as much as he worries about the students' understanding. He is so terribly worried about everyone fully getting the material that he begins to sound like he's insulting your intelligence. I had no trouble with the class, cruising through easily to an A- (which is only cuz of the bell-curve, otherwise I would have 3 points shy of an absolute perfect) The computer program helps so much with logic. Be forewarned however, if you're techno-phobic (scared of computers) don't take this, as all the work and all the tests are done on PCs.... hehe I LUV IT.
Prof. Kaplan is quiet possibly, the most eloquent bad lecturer in the world. His mind wonders as much as he worries about the students' understanding. He is so terribly worried about everyone fully getting the material that he begins to sound like he's insulting your intelligence. I had no trouble with the class, cruising through easily to an A- (which is only cuz of the bell-curve, otherwise I would have 3 points shy of an absolute perfect) The computer program helps so much with logic. Be forewarned however, if you're techno-phobic (scared of computers) don't take this, as all the work and all the tests are done on PCs.... hehe I LUV IT.
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Most Helpful Review
I took Philosophy of Language in the Fall of 2002. My expectations for the class were incredibly high. Unfortunately, they were let down. No syllabus for the class and the midterm and final were due within about a week of each other. Although I admire thoroughness, we only discussed two pages of Frege's "On Sense and Nominatum" the entire semester with some supplementary material. He sprinkled his lectures with tons of amusing stories but the small amount of material covered could be maddening at moments and at the end of the class I felt as though I couldn't even describe what I got out of it. Kaplan was absent about four times. Also, there were far too many "Kaplanites" (students who worship him for his reputation in the field) in the class.
I took Philosophy of Language in the Fall of 2002. My expectations for the class were incredibly high. Unfortunately, they were let down. No syllabus for the class and the midterm and final were due within about a week of each other. Although I admire thoroughness, we only discussed two pages of Frege's "On Sense and Nominatum" the entire semester with some supplementary material. He sprinkled his lectures with tons of amusing stories but the small amount of material covered could be maddening at moments and at the end of the class I felt as though I couldn't even describe what I got out of it. Kaplan was absent about four times. Also, there were far too many "Kaplanites" (students who worship him for his reputation in the field) in the class.
Most Helpful Review
Spring 2019 - This instructor is the worst! There is absolutely not structure to his class. There is no syllabus. The midterm was given a couple weeks before the END OF THE QUARTER. He goes off on tangents and is a boring lecturer. Do yourself a favor and avoid him! It's been past two weeks since we ended Spring Quarter and our final hasn't been graded, nevermind our final grade! Why should we pay for the incompetence of a beloved and generous (donor) instructor?!
Spring 2019 - This instructor is the worst! There is absolutely not structure to his class. There is no syllabus. The midterm was given a couple weeks before the END OF THE QUARTER. He goes off on tangents and is a boring lecturer. Do yourself a favor and avoid him! It's been past two weeks since we ended Spring Quarter and our final hasn't been graded, nevermind our final grade! Why should we pay for the incompetence of a beloved and generous (donor) instructor?!
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Most Helpful Review
Winter 2023 - My TA, Nefeli, honestly saved me in this class! She created very thorough, helpful slideshows concretely outlining the core ideas of Frege and Russell's ideas and is a super kind, approachable, and passionate TA. Definitely recommend! Kaplan however felt a little condescending to the class at times and would ramble A LOT. We spent four weeks on Frege on a class that was meant to focus on Russell which proved to be incredibly frustrating. Perhaps other quarters with him were different but most of my classmates unanimously agreed that this class lacked structure, became repetitive, and was hard to do well in. It is a shame it went like this as I know Kaplan is revered within the field and the class material had potential to prove itself very interesting! However the class environment, unlike our discussion sections which to me felt very helpful, did not feel conducive to learning and made the material just as unclear as it would be if I were to just read the text without the guidance of a professor.
Winter 2023 - My TA, Nefeli, honestly saved me in this class! She created very thorough, helpful slideshows concretely outlining the core ideas of Frege and Russell's ideas and is a super kind, approachable, and passionate TA. Definitely recommend! Kaplan however felt a little condescending to the class at times and would ramble A LOT. We spent four weeks on Frege on a class that was meant to focus on Russell which proved to be incredibly frustrating. Perhaps other quarters with him were different but most of my classmates unanimously agreed that this class lacked structure, became repetitive, and was hard to do well in. It is a shame it went like this as I know Kaplan is revered within the field and the class material had potential to prove itself very interesting! However the class environment, unlike our discussion sections which to me felt very helpful, did not feel conducive to learning and made the material just as unclear as it would be if I were to just read the text without the guidance of a professor.
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