John Vervaeke - University of Toronto - St. George Campus, Toronto, ON

Professor: John Vervaeke

Department: Philosophy

College: University of Toronto - St. George Campus, Toronto, ON

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: COG250
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

John is one of the most knowledgeable, passionate and fascinating lecturers I've ever experienced. He constructed COG250 with a narrative structure, which made the course interesting and easier to remember and study. Be prepared to take lots of notes and study regularly (preferably with a group). I highly recommend taking any course taught by John.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: PSY100
• Grade Received: B-
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

John was a really interesting professor. His lecture was enjoyable and I do really like his slides because it is easy to understand. Both Top Hat and his slides are important for the test and it includes a lot to remember. The questions are tricky, which contains a lot of answers like "both A and B" or "No of the above"

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: PSY371
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

He is one of the best Profs at U of T.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: PSY100
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

difficult tests, but he was one of the best lecturers i've ever had.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: PSY100
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: No
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Made a boring 6-9pm class very very enjoyable. Other people complain about his "philosophical rants" but it invites me to think more about the matter hes presenting us in a deeper way. He made me truly interested in psychology!! Great prof (:

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: NEW333
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Amazing. This course has been life-changing. 3 books for the course (small ones though) and you can get away without reading them (they are interesting but they're not totally necessary by any means). Fair grading.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: COG250
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Very interesting and amazing lecturer!! Definitely my favourite prof so far. Unfortunately the content is a lot to absorb and it's sometimes hard to grasp concepts. You need to take lots of notes and pay attention, tests are fair, he knows what he's talking about, and once again... amazing lecturer.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: COG250
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Interesting course, but I think overall advertised pretty poorly. It's definitely geared towards a more psychology & philosophy take, so if you're coming from neuroscience or computer science the course might not be what you're looking for (especially AI wise). However, John is a very accessible and nice prof! Lectures are intensive but interesting

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: PSY100
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Really funny and makes even boring stuff interesting

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: PSY370
• Grade Received: B-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

He is an amazing lecturer, but you need to really put a lot of time for his class to get a good mark. Heavy lectures and no slides.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: COG250
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

I like his lectures, tho strongly recommend to record his lectures, given that the contents are usually heavy.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: PSY370
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Lectures are mind blowingly brain numbing but he really pushes you to understand the material critically and inspires you to be an avid learner. Always very willing to take questions in class and answer to the depth that is needed for you to understand. Take this course if you want to LEARN! Lectures are a must, if you skip one you'll be very lost.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: COG250
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

The material is exceptionally interesting (which will get one researching outside of class time), and very dense and dispersed (but there is no other way around it!). Must listen to lectures 2x and work hard. Really wants one to learn (succeed) by problem solving for oneself, really. Truly cares about learning. Intense in class; chill outside

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: PSY100
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Smart guy with well planned lectures. Makes an effort to put something meaningful into his course content. If you pay attention and keep an open mind, you'll actually learn something from him. If you're just there to sleep through lectures and cram the exam, stay home.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: COG250
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

I've heard both great and negative things about Vervaeke before taking the class and I found it to be both intimidating and intriguing. The class can definitely be overwhelming, prepare yourself, don't just saunter in expecting to get it asap. It's like 3 hours per lecture of being hosed with info. don't forget to breathe. LECTURE NOTES ARE KEY.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: PSY100
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

His Psy100 class is more like Philosophy 100. His exams have pretty subjective questions, "which of the following is not in the world", for whatever that's supposed to mean. The class average was pretty low (C+) while most of the other psy100 classes had averages around a solid B, putting his students at a complete disadvantage. Not fair.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: COG250
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Dr. Vervaeke is a great professor who makes his classes engaging and enjoyable. He is very wise as his knowledge is very broad and really makes you think. His lectures, however, are without slides and therefore all verbal. Difficult for some, so keep this in mind.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: PSY100
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

He is an amazing professor! Very engaging, you will not fall asleep in his class. However, he is very lecture heavy when it comes to tests so make sure your okay with that. His tests are weighed about 90% lecture content and 10% textbook content. His tests are fair but you must go to class to pass this course. I recommend recording all his lecture

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: COG250
• Grade Received: B-
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

A very philosophical prof... makes people very sleepy. He lectures the course very philosophically without any lecture slides which makes it a challenging course to grasp. Also, he likes to ramble and talk about wisdom, why science is false, and how cog sci is the best science. He is nice and approachable, but the course content is boring.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: GOG250
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Very overrated. Rambles on incoherently. Makes loose connections to disguise the fact that what he's saying lacks substance. Will give him credit, he is for the most part a nice, approachable person (unless he's arguing with you).