Bram Van Heuveln - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY

Professor: Bram Van Heuveln

Department: Philosophy

College: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: PSYC2120
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Spend 5 minutes with the guy and you'll want to be a cog sci major.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: PHYC2100
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

Professor Bram challenges you to think critically and evaluate things logically. This was framed by the search for sentient robots.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: IHSS1964
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Bram's lectures are engaging and he's always available during office hours or after class. He is well informed of the subject matter.

Rating # 4

Overview:

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

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Bram is one of the best professors I've ever had. His passion for the topics he teaches is contagious. He's also just a really interesting guy! Absolutely take one of his classes if you can, and try to get to know him a bit too! His classes are super interesting and a good break from the norms.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: IHSS1964
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Bram is quite enjoyable to have as a professor. He is very entertaining when explaining new concepts and provides clear criteria for essays.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: PHIL1000
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

I've had Bram twice: once for Minds and Machines and once for Intro to Cognitive Science. In both classes he's awesome, entertaining, funny, and teaches interesting course material. Get into a class of his if you can.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: PHIL4140
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Bram's an amazing professor. Intermediate Logic (PHIL 4140) isn't as fun with him as Minds & Machines or Critical Thinking--it's his first semester teaching it, and Intermediate Logic is mostly about proofs, proofs, proofs rather than logic puzzles or more abstract logic--but I'd recommend any class he teaches.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: IHSS1964
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Professor is good, sometimes hard to pay attention to some of the material. Be prepared to write some essays about topics that are not always the most interesting.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: MINDSMACH
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

He's definitely one of the most fun professors. I had him my first semester in Minds and Machines and the course was relatively easy. He's interesting, funny, and knowledgeable.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: PSYC2120
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

My cognitive thought is that he is dreamy

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: PHIL2140
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Bram's awesome, but his Intro to Logic class is too easy. His other classes are more difficult. The question with blue eyed/brown eyed people is not a trick question. The Oracle speaks once and then disappears. You die an excruciating death if you are wrong about your eye's color on boarding. There's no sneakiness to it. It's just a logic question.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: PHIL2140
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

He knows what he is talking about. I mostly went to lecture to do the homework in class. The textbook is really helpful and go to the TA for help on homework. If you do practice problems you should do fine on quizzes. His online notes are useful. Going to class is optional, but I would go and do other work while half listening. He uses every minute

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: MINDSMACH
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Excellent Teacher. One of the best I've ever had. Highly recommend for any class.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: IHSS1964
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

His teacher is just amazing!!! He is different (in a funny way) and he once let us out to have class outside on a hill. For the final project, he let some of us work on building and programming robots to solve puzzles! I will take as many of his classes to fulfill my Humanities + elective requirements

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: IHSS1964
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Bram rocks! Really easy class and he let us go outside for lecture sometimes. Discussions were enjoyable. Plus he learned everyone's names in less than two weeks.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: INTROTOLOGIC
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

This is a very easy class. If you took discrete math, or had any formal logic proofs in high school, just show up for the lectures which introduce Fitch and you will be fine. I didn't attend class 90% of the time and I got an A.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: INTROLOGIC
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Good Professor, very clear and you don't have to go to the lectures, but they would probably help.

Rating # 18

Overview:

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

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Very helpful when material becomes tough...2 extra help sessions brought me from thinking I would have to drop it to getting an A in the course and final exam.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: COGSCI
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Bram is the BEST teacher in the history of the world. He has a box, and he gave me A's even though I didn't do jack. I slept during most of the classes and was wicked annoying. Also, he's hilarious and awesome. Take any class he teaches.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: MM
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Circular! Answered right answer too early, told me I was wrong until the end, where he concluded the same thing I said an hour earlier.