David Kaplan
Department of Philosophy
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4.0
Overall Rating
Based on 20 Users
Easiness 2.5 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Clarity 3.8 / 5 How clear the class is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Workload 2.5 / 5 How much workload the class is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Helpfulness 4.5 / 5 How helpful the class is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

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30.3%
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12.1%
6.1%
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A
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B+
B
B-
C+
C
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D
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F

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Reviews (14)

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Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
June 13, 2009

This was such a very easy class but only because I actually enjoyed doing the problems. I would do extra problems on my own every single day. I ended up getting 100% on both midterms and missed one problem on the final. So I got an A+ in the class. I did know of some people who struggled very much and failed the exams though so it comes more naturally for some than for others.

As for lecture, it was somewhat helpful but practicing the problems is what helped me the most. Kaplan is a very easygoing and helpful professor. Overall the class was a blast bu this could be because I think logic itself is very interesting.

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Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
Feb. 25, 2009

Kaplan's a pretty good teacher and brilliant guy. He was the phD student of a guy who was a student of Frege (Frege invented philosophy of language and symbolic logic) so you know he's legit.

Philosophy 31 was a breeze.

And as for this comment:
"I never met one male Phil major who didn't think he was Mr. Big Swingin' Dick in the house. But let them have it for now; they'll all be working at McDonald's after graduation."

Philosophy majors either go to law school or grad school in philosophy. There really isn't any other option. The ones who go to law school will definitely make more money than your rude self (you're even worse than the people you accuse). The ones who end up professors will make decent money.

"I never read the book and skipped most of the lectures, but the time it took to do the homework every monday and wednesday night more than made up for that gained time."

Perhaps the lectures and textbook will teach you the information much faster than you can teach it to yourself...hence the reason we have lectures in the first place.

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Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
Jan. 3, 2006

professor kaplan is a wonderful man as a professor. i hardly had to go to lectures, but honestly i went because i wanted to avoid reading the texts. he's very slow with the lectures so you won't miss a thing. many found it boring, but he made us laugh. got an A in the class. =)

as for the exams. there were 2 midterms and 1 final. plus a small computer homework assignment due each week. homeworks are easy A's.. a given. exams do take effort as follows. midterm #1 you're going to need to figure out how to do derivations. once you get it. you'll ace it easily. midterm #2 and the final require a little more intuition.

hope this helps. take him if you want an easy A for a major prereq!

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Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
April 2, 2005

First of all this is the easiest class I've taken in UCLA. I stopped going to class after the 1st midterm and missed a total of 15 points for the quarter. Cake. Kaplan is a pretty tight professor. He does not rush over anything, and by anything I mean ANYTHING. The first lecture he took about 10 minutes going over all the different ways to negate something. But better too slow than too fast. Hes a very amiable guy and makes asking questions welcomed. He goes over some pretty good example problems in lecture and runs you through step by step. Although in reality lecture really isnt necessary for this class, its all run off the logic 2k.

Exams- The first exam 65% of the class got 100%. As long as you do all you hw and the practice exams before the tests, you should have no problem acing it. The only part of this class I found tricky was the symbolizations, but they just require practice. Final was a lot easier than the practice final, which was pretty hard.

Good easy prof, GPA booster.

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Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
Feb. 8, 2004

Professor Kaplan is an excellent professor. While his lectures can meander from topic quite a bit, he cares for his students. Our class was very big, yet he made a concerted effort to learn everyone's name. I wouldn't say that this class is difficult at at all. However, I wouldn't say that this is an easy "A" either. You have to do the homework to ace the exams. If you put in the time, this class will be very easy and enjoyable for you.

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Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
Nov. 18, 2003

TO BE HONEST PROFESOR KAPLAN IS TOO NICE. HE MOVES CLASS ASSIGMENTS IF THE MAJORITY OF THE CLASS DONT DO THEM. HE AND HIS TA'S HAVE OFFICE HOURS ALMOST ALWAYS. THE CLASS ITSELF IS ONE OF THOSE YOU GET IT OR YOU DONT. IT IS VERY ENTERTAINING WHEN YOU DO UNDERSTAND. THE BAD THING IS THAT HE USUALLY WASTE THE FIRST HOUR. BUT HE IS A GOOD MAN AND HIS TA'S ARE GREAT AS WELL. VERY SMART PEOPLE IN THAT CLASS TO HELP YOU. THE DISCUSSION BOARD IN THE WEBPAGE HELPS A LOT AS WELL. SO IF YOU NEED HELP YOU'LL FIND IT

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Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
April 4, 2003

This is just a word of advice to people considering taking this class - don't come into this thinking it will be a philosophy class, approach it as a class about sentence diagramming and algebra. Despite what people say, this is not an easy class, which explains the 2/3 dropout rate. It takes a certain kind of mathematical brain to do it, and if you don't have it (I don't), then be prepared to spend many MANY hours in front of the computers pounding your head against the keyboard in frustration.

However, this is a precipice kind of knowledge - you get it or you don't. If you don't get it, you're completely screwed and you'll fail everything, and if you do get it, you'll likely get 100% on every test. Of the remaining people in the class, about 1/3 of the people got 100% on every test and the remaining wasn't far behind gradewise. Then there were the people who didn't get it and they were getting D's.

Overall, if you're good with math and conceptual thinking, this will probably be the easiest A you'll get at UCLA. If not, then be prepared to work for your A. If you stay in the class the odds are good that is what you'll get.

Prof. Kaplan is a very nice man, and when he takes phone calls in the middle of class it always elicits a giggle or two from everyone. His lecture style gets to be a bit redundant at times, but it surely is a godsend when you're having a hard time getting something. His exams are generally just a bit harder than the homework, so if you do the homework, you'll do well on the exams.

I don't know if Luca Struble is still TAing, but he is someone you ought to go out of your way to be in section with. In my opinion, he explains things as well if not better than Prof. Kaplan, and really cares about how well you do. Just ask him anything.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
Dec. 15, 2002

This class was extremely challenging for me. It reminded me of what I went through when I took math classes. But\363Professor Kaplan is great. He is a really nice guy. Sometimes he did go over the problems a little too much, but I rather have him go over the material too much than too little. The T.A. this quarter was also really good at explaining things with more clarity. If you are thinking of taking this class, definitely take it with Kaplan.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
Dec. 5, 2002

Professor Kaplan is very approacheable. His class is excellent. The program for Logic is a bit quirky but once you get past it it should be allright. Don't be deceived Logic is NOT that easy. It definitely takes time for instnace expect to spend at least 3 hours on some of the homeworks. As a professor Kaplan is great, as a person he is even better. I recommend him wholeheartedly. P.S.: He leads a rich and fulfilling life (inside joke, take his class you'll hear... hehe).

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
Sept. 12, 2002

Don not take Kaplan if you aren't required for your major!! For all you phil majors out there, heres some advice: lectures are pointless (Kaplan thinks that students cannot navigate Windows) learn how to use his stupid logic program and make friends with the TA's. Be prepared to spend a lot of time just figuring out his dumb program, after that the class is cake

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
June 13, 2009

This was such a very easy class but only because I actually enjoyed doing the problems. I would do extra problems on my own every single day. I ended up getting 100% on both midterms and missed one problem on the final. So I got an A+ in the class. I did know of some people who struggled very much and failed the exams though so it comes more naturally for some than for others.

As for lecture, it was somewhat helpful but practicing the problems is what helped me the most. Kaplan is a very easygoing and helpful professor. Overall the class was a blast bu this could be because I think logic itself is very interesting.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
Feb. 25, 2009

Kaplan's a pretty good teacher and brilliant guy. He was the phD student of a guy who was a student of Frege (Frege invented philosophy of language and symbolic logic) so you know he's legit.

Philosophy 31 was a breeze.

And as for this comment:
"I never met one male Phil major who didn't think he was Mr. Big Swingin' Dick in the house. But let them have it for now; they'll all be working at McDonald's after graduation."

Philosophy majors either go to law school or grad school in philosophy. There really isn't any other option. The ones who go to law school will definitely make more money than your rude self (you're even worse than the people you accuse). The ones who end up professors will make decent money.

"I never read the book and skipped most of the lectures, but the time it took to do the homework every monday and wednesday night more than made up for that gained time."

Perhaps the lectures and textbook will teach you the information much faster than you can teach it to yourself...hence the reason we have lectures in the first place.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
Jan. 3, 2006

professor kaplan is a wonderful man as a professor. i hardly had to go to lectures, but honestly i went because i wanted to avoid reading the texts. he's very slow with the lectures so you won't miss a thing. many found it boring, but he made us laugh. got an A in the class. =)

as for the exams. there were 2 midterms and 1 final. plus a small computer homework assignment due each week. homeworks are easy A's.. a given. exams do take effort as follows. midterm #1 you're going to need to figure out how to do derivations. once you get it. you'll ace it easily. midterm #2 and the final require a little more intuition.

hope this helps. take him if you want an easy A for a major prereq!

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
April 2, 2005

First of all this is the easiest class I've taken in UCLA. I stopped going to class after the 1st midterm and missed a total of 15 points for the quarter. Cake. Kaplan is a pretty tight professor. He does not rush over anything, and by anything I mean ANYTHING. The first lecture he took about 10 minutes going over all the different ways to negate something. But better too slow than too fast. Hes a very amiable guy and makes asking questions welcomed. He goes over some pretty good example problems in lecture and runs you through step by step. Although in reality lecture really isnt necessary for this class, its all run off the logic 2k.

Exams- The first exam 65% of the class got 100%. As long as you do all you hw and the practice exams before the tests, you should have no problem acing it. The only part of this class I found tricky was the symbolizations, but they just require practice. Final was a lot easier than the practice final, which was pretty hard.

Good easy prof, GPA booster.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
Feb. 8, 2004

Professor Kaplan is an excellent professor. While his lectures can meander from topic quite a bit, he cares for his students. Our class was very big, yet he made a concerted effort to learn everyone's name. I wouldn't say that this class is difficult at at all. However, I wouldn't say that this is an easy "A" either. You have to do the homework to ace the exams. If you put in the time, this class will be very easy and enjoyable for you.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
Nov. 18, 2003

TO BE HONEST PROFESOR KAPLAN IS TOO NICE. HE MOVES CLASS ASSIGMENTS IF THE MAJORITY OF THE CLASS DONT DO THEM. HE AND HIS TA'S HAVE OFFICE HOURS ALMOST ALWAYS. THE CLASS ITSELF IS ONE OF THOSE YOU GET IT OR YOU DONT. IT IS VERY ENTERTAINING WHEN YOU DO UNDERSTAND. THE BAD THING IS THAT HE USUALLY WASTE THE FIRST HOUR. BUT HE IS A GOOD MAN AND HIS TA'S ARE GREAT AS WELL. VERY SMART PEOPLE IN THAT CLASS TO HELP YOU. THE DISCUSSION BOARD IN THE WEBPAGE HELPS A LOT AS WELL. SO IF YOU NEED HELP YOU'LL FIND IT

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
April 4, 2003

This is just a word of advice to people considering taking this class - don't come into this thinking it will be a philosophy class, approach it as a class about sentence diagramming and algebra. Despite what people say, this is not an easy class, which explains the 2/3 dropout rate. It takes a certain kind of mathematical brain to do it, and if you don't have it (I don't), then be prepared to spend many MANY hours in front of the computers pounding your head against the keyboard in frustration.

However, this is a precipice kind of knowledge - you get it or you don't. If you don't get it, you're completely screwed and you'll fail everything, and if you do get it, you'll likely get 100% on every test. Of the remaining people in the class, about 1/3 of the people got 100% on every test and the remaining wasn't far behind gradewise. Then there were the people who didn't get it and they were getting D's.

Overall, if you're good with math and conceptual thinking, this will probably be the easiest A you'll get at UCLA. If not, then be prepared to work for your A. If you stay in the class the odds are good that is what you'll get.

Prof. Kaplan is a very nice man, and when he takes phone calls in the middle of class it always elicits a giggle or two from everyone. His lecture style gets to be a bit redundant at times, but it surely is a godsend when you're having a hard time getting something. His exams are generally just a bit harder than the homework, so if you do the homework, you'll do well on the exams.

I don't know if Luca Struble is still TAing, but he is someone you ought to go out of your way to be in section with. In my opinion, he explains things as well if not better than Prof. Kaplan, and really cares about how well you do. Just ask him anything.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
Dec. 15, 2002

This class was extremely challenging for me. It reminded me of what I went through when I took math classes. But\363Professor Kaplan is great. He is a really nice guy. Sometimes he did go over the problems a little too much, but I rather have him go over the material too much than too little. The T.A. this quarter was also really good at explaining things with more clarity. If you are thinking of taking this class, definitely take it with Kaplan.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
Dec. 5, 2002

Professor Kaplan is very approacheable. His class is excellent. The program for Logic is a bit quirky but once you get past it it should be allright. Don't be deceived Logic is NOT that easy. It definitely takes time for instnace expect to spend at least 3 hours on some of the homeworks. As a professor Kaplan is great, as a person he is even better. I recommend him wholeheartedly. P.S.: He leads a rich and fulfilling life (inside joke, take his class you'll hear... hehe).

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
Sept. 12, 2002

Don not take Kaplan if you aren't required for your major!! For all you phil majors out there, heres some advice: lectures are pointless (Kaplan thinks that students cannot navigate Windows) learn how to use his stupid logic program and make friends with the TA's. Be prepared to spend a lot of time just figuring out his dumb program, after that the class is cake

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
1 of 2
4.0
Overall Rating
Based on 20 Users
Easiness 2.5 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Clarity 3.8 / 5 How clear the class is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Workload 2.5 / 5 How much workload the class is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Helpfulness 4.5 / 5 How helpful the class is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

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There are no relevant tags for this professor yet.

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