2.4
Quality3.3
Difficulty27%
Would Retake99
Reviews27%
Would Retake
99
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
9
4
16
3
20
2
30
1
24
What Students Say
“Sometimes refuses to answer questions in class and is very condescending”
PLSC113 - 1.0 rating“Extremely condescending and rude in class, won't stop the slides and goes through it very fast”
PLSC113 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
57%
Textbook Required
15%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.33 avg changeRatings by Course
PLSC389H389C
5.0
(1)PLSC382
4.0
(1)PLSC389H
4.0
(2)PLSC
4.0
(2)PLSC100
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
PHD
5.0
PLSC389B
5.0
PLSC10297
5.0
389K
4.3
389
4.0
Reviews (99)
he's mad chill, he's new so still has that energy that binghamton hasn't taken from most prof's
No Comments
Such a good professor.Didn't mind ever going to this class.Tests were fair.He was nice, funny and made the subject even more interesting (plus hes pretty cute so that doesnt hurt) Really open to students views.One of the best classes ive taken.
worst class i've ever taken at binghamton. he knows nothing about latin america. his lectures were always off topic. aviod him like the plague.
eh, he is slightly overrated and it doesn't seem like he is really into what he teaches. but he's hot and has nice eyes. DOES NOT GRADE UP, EVEN WHEN WHEN HE KNOWS YOU MADE AN EFFORT!!! but lets kids who never go to class get decent grades
He seems smart enough but i horrible at getting his point across. This guy doesn't know his ass from his elbow on what he expects from students. The class is very boring, thank god you never have to go. Don't waste your time taking his classes if you need a teacher who knows how to teach.
Awful class, didn't learn a thing. THe prof didn't know what he wanted from the students so how were we supposed to know. The workload was ridiculous as well. Don't take this class.
Avoid him if your Democrat, he is so conservative and a horrible professor, but a very amiable person.
Heller knows his stuff. I dont think he is a harsh grader, but he is tough on stlye and grammar, as he should be. class is based largely in part on writing and i learned in the class.
terrible terrible terrible
One of the worst classes I have ever had. This guy is out of his mind. He is a terrible teacher. He has no idea what he is doing. He randomly changes assignments midway through. You have no idea what your grade might be until the end of the semester. Only positive is u dont have to read.
Class was horrible he didn't know what he wanted from the students. Was not very helpful or clear in the nature of the assignments
Horrible. unfair in his evaluations. wemanized!!
Horrible Teacher.Recieved worse class in Academic carrear. Completly unwelcoming to students. Extremly elitist because he went to Harvard in the 1980's, (yet has not published a Book). very unclear and extremley unfair in evaluations. Never take a class with him unless you want to talk about Harvard or Buffy the vampire slayer.
heller is not the most organized teacher, but he's fair, a semi-easy grader and adorable.i took latin american politics with him which is his speciality and it was amazing, very interesting, easy. constitutional design wasnt as good but he's a fair teacher and i still learned a lot. he's also adorable as hell.
Good teacher who knows his stuff. He may come off a bit abrasive towards the students but if you feel that way, you don't get his sense of humor. He kept me entertained at 9:40am. Gave you material for the 3 tests before hand and the final was optional. Either a love him or hate him, usually.
It seems that he's not suited to be neither an undergrad nor a graduate class teacher. He picks people to speak (not to participate) and if not you would be denigrated with his "Harvardish" elitist words. He is also not fair toward international students. Bear this fact in mind!!
The man is an utter egomaniac. Prepare to be confused and terrified come April, as you'll be writing papers for which he has completely failed to prepare you. Is not afraid to pile on an unreasonable workload. However; he does have a sense of humor, and is probably a great guy to have a beer with.
Professor Heller is extremely nice and obviously enthusiastic about the subject as well as teaching. He knows his stuff but sometimes gets confused on expressing it but is always up for clarification. It couldn't be clearer what was coming on the tests and the papers weren't hard. Very easy grader, but you have to do the readings!!
He tries to make the class fun by telling a couple hundred corny jokes.He is very unorganized, which in the long run is good for the student becasue sometimes he doesnt bother looking at the papers and just gives you full credit.Attend class every day,or you'll be screwed, cause he gives pop quizzes.
Heller is an arrogant jerk. His lectures are very boring and he gives pop quizzes that are very difficult. His jokes are horrible as are his public speaking skills. Avoid if possible.
Heller was a great teacher. He actually made his students read and had random pop quizzes to test it, which there's nothing wrong with. The tests were fair if you studied, but make-ups always seemed worse, but at least he allowed them. And there was an insane amount of time to do the term paper, so that was fine too.
Will teach untill you get the point then moves on to next topic. he will quiz you on everything in the book tho. if you read you can do well
Horrible. Rambles through his points with virtually no clarity, he's pompous and absurdly unclear.
Lectures are basically useless, but you have to go to take the quizzes. They're only worth like 5% of your grade, but anything helps. Tests are easy, and you're given forever for the term paper, so it's not bad. Reading is a must
I really enjoyed taking this class freshman year. Heller is very interesting and cracks a few lame jokes here and there to keep class lighthearted. He also is fair with the quizzes, they are based on the textbook and he flips a coin to give it to use. He also gives you the questions on the midterms beforehand. Very fair, I'd take another class.
his lectures were less that enriching but sometimes interesting; important for the frequent quizzes though not very helpful. his tests were ridiculous, but he gave us questions in advance. hated the class until i realized that its difficulty forced me to learn something. don't his class if you don't want to work.
This guy is the man. Hilarious jokes, take home everything. There is no reason you cant get an A.
pretty easy class. I'd recommend taking it if you have any interest in political science or just need to take it for a gen.ed credit. lectures can be boring, but the weekly quizzes are easy and can boost your grade. TA's suck, but overall the class is not difficult and information is interesting. plus, Heller is amusing.
Heller is the worst. His lectures are boring, the quizzes are ridiculous. The TAs are terrible, especially Cynthia. If you take this class, be aware to not get her as a TA. Shes nuts and gives additional homework every week. Heller makes corny jokes all class and students feel obligated to laugh so he doesnt feel like an idiot.
Heller actually is a good prof. I thought he was going to be tough, but he ended up being helpful and his lectures were put together well. Yet, the TAs did not have their stuff together. I think there was only one that knew what they were doing. Quizzes help, test guidelines help (exactly what is on the test), attendance is important!!
Before this class I was interested in PLSC. Heller made me realize I was misguided. Although he gives you what will be on the test, studying for the test takes a lot of effort, way more than an intro should. Sometimes he comes off as arrogant. Lectures are often not helpful. If you take the class you must rely only on Textbook. I got an A, but hard
Heller's lectures were extremely boring. His test are ridiculous to study for and require you to go back into the text and look up answers. He gives you the study sheet but is way too long. TA's were no help for me either.
Heller quickly loses interest in clearly explaining key concepts that will be on midterms and papers, instead choosing to focus in depth at irrelevant topics. This makes test preparation difficult, in addition to difficult tests in the first place. Would not recommend this professor or this class unless you are specifically interested in pol. sci
Heller is extremely talented in lecture, but I wouldn't recommend speaking to him beyond that. In person is he very rude, so keep your experience with him to lecture. In lecture, he is funny and interesting, and teaches at a level beyond most other professors. The assignments are generally interesting and make the class fun.
Heller knows a lot about politics; lectures are boring but cover material on the exam. Easy quizzes are given for attendance. Reading is imperative to keep up with material. For exams, go through the study guide thoroughly and you'll do well. Papers help you understand concepts. TAs do all the grading. I got an A- in the class; overall, great class
At first he comes off as arrogant but once you get to experience a couple of his lectures he's not as bad. It all depends on the TA as well. He gives study guides before the tests and basically gives you the answers. The final paper is a pain but as long as you cover the basics you'll do alright.
I would not recommend taking a class with Heller. He is extremely vague in his lectures and assignments. Important concepts are not explained well at all. The class feels unorganized and uninspired. Avoid this teacher if you can.
AMAZING guy.
I am sitting here trying to write my final paper for this class..i have come to the realization i have never learned anything throughout this entire semester. I have been to every class and every discussion as well as doing as all the readings..yet I still no nothing. Now im expected to write a final paper and im screwed
The 2 midterms are fairly easy if you study, a lot! Do not cram. Keep up with the readings and go to lecture. The iclicker quizzes must count as a decent part of your grade because I have no idea how i came out with an A-! I barely did the readings and crammed, a lot. If you study theres no reason you shouldnt get an A
His lectures are soooo boring and no one is getting what he is talking about so he keeps going on and on. Shows movie clips as examples for concepts no one gets. Doesn't explain all the reading that is assigned. The TAs will help clear things up. This is a sad class and I'm sorry I ever took it. By the way you can get the Economist for free.
Heller has inconsistent lectures and he does not go over what is in the book in lecture. The TAs are more helpful than Heller is. He has a DVD of clips that he plays a lot in the beginning of the semester but he almost never plays it at he end. The good thing is that he curves the grade at the end.
Heller knows what he's talking about, but he's not good at conveying it clearly to the class. Heller also comes across as extremely arrogant. Prior to taking this class, I was really enthusiastic about being a Poli Sci major but this class has made me rethink that plan.
Lecture usually has nothing to do with weekly textbook readings, but tests are on both. I recommend meeting with the free CIW tutors for help with the essays in this class. Mine helped me get As on my papers (Lenny). Did bad on tests, but got a B. Participation: you have to participate in discussion section, but class attendance isn't mandatory.
Did not like the class. He relied heavily on the TAs to convey his lectures sufficiently, and kind of thought he was the man. He definitely understands specifics, but overall themes seem to trouble him. Need to read the book because lectures were confusing and rather insignificant on tests. Could have made the class way easier than it was
He looks like Patrick Dempsey and has good taste in shows and movies, those are really his only redeemable qualities. His lecture is complicated and his TAs are completely unhelpful. For the tests, you have to memorize 400 pages of information and it's only doable if you're really smart/a genius at Poli Sci.
He sucks. Hated his class. Gets off topic and wastes your time. My TA didn't even show up or know what she was doing half the time either
He is pretty tough, but he is very smart and really knows his stuff. He will go off during lectures but if you are really listening and trying to understand, not just copy down notes than it's easy to relate everything back to the material, and it really keeps the class interesting. I really enjoyed taking his class.
I never realized how much extra work this class would entail. Be prepared to spend all weekend doing readings that aren't covered in class. His tests are fairly difficult and there's no curve. My TA was very helpful, thankfully, otherwise this class would've been a lot more stressful.
I don't care for him as a person; he's arrogant and not approachable, but he's a fantastic lecturer. You'll learn a lot, but to do well, you'll have to read about 60 pages a week (that's not much), go to lecture, and write good essays. Get to know your TA; they'll help with the papers. Exams are difficult, but if you study, you'll do fine.
He is the most aarogant, unhelpful and not caring professor. His tests are questionable b/c there are possibly more then one right answer. His essays dont make sense and he is always making jokes about serious things. He is unclear, and very unhelpful. Do not ever take a class with him, unless you want to fail or hurt your GPA
Dr. Heller is a funny guy with a unique teaching style. The material is very eye-opening, especially if you have never taken a poli-sci class before. However, if you are a freshman beware, this is not a class you can memorize your way through. Use the TA's, be sure you can solve the problems (there aren't many practice problems) and you'll be fine.
There are not enough characters for me to accurately persuade you not to take this course. If you're genuinely interested in polisci, do not take this course with him. Not only will it be a waste of your time, you will likely emerge more confused about the subject matter. This man is a blight in the political science department.
Honestly, not a great professor at all. Wish I never took this course it really hurt my GPA. He's confusing and isn't the best lecturer, he makes us write papers on things he barely teaches.
He's bad. For the final project, you had to piece together everything you learned throughout the class to create your own system of government. That was a really cool project, but the lecture hall is huge and he had a hard time explaining himself and staying organized.
He's great!!
worst professor ever
Very knowledgable but a crappy professor. I wouldn't take this class again. He's a very cocky professor who really doesn't care about how well his students do. He failed to teach a subject that was on a test and when every student got it wrong he admitted he didn't teach it but still counted the question. I learn nothing from his lectures.
Lecture is largely based on PowerPoint notes and his commentary which is often off topic, confusing and not relatable to tests. Moreover, his harsh and rude personality makes him come across as though he does not care about his students or their success
Honestly love this guy, it's insane how many people complain about it! Put in the effort and you'll be fine!! This class has 100% sparked my interest in political science, I'm really glad I stuck with it. TA's are deff a good resource. Final paper doesn't have much guidance/I don't feel prepared for it-that's my only complaint.
Currently studying for his final and I have no idea what I'm doing. Have to read a lot because his lectures are hard to pay attention to which means around 300 pages for every test. Unnecessary when this is an elementary level course and only necessary for a gened. I have never regretted taking a class this much. His lectures are hard to sit throug
Completely unprepared for the final. The final is 7-10 pages which is completely absurd because that should qualify this class as a W Gen Ed, but he put no effort in making sure that happened. Cannot stay on topic during lecture, and it was almost as if he had no clue had the lecture until he read a few sentences the night before Very unclear.
Despite the fact that Heller's lectures tend to be a little bland, the course material is actually interesting. Heller tries to keep students engaged. Reading the textbook for this class and staying up to date with readings is essential to passing. This class is difficult.
Heller's lectures are boring because he doesn't really teach the material very well. Without the textbook I don't see how anyone could pass. Regardless, his tests are easy enough so that reading the textbook is enough to do well. He doesn't assign any homework whatsoever. Decent class, textbook is really interesting, lectures are unnecessary.
He's a pretty bad teacher with little to no interest in the class (doesn't write the tests at all and doesn't even show up to class on test days). Terribly boring lectures that are rather useless but the textbook is pretty helpful.
Class requirements included daily quizzes on assigned readings and two essays. Quizzes are taken after discussing readings. No tests. Heller is brilliant and witty though some of his lectures can seem pretty dry if you aren't into politics. Easy A if you do the readings, do well on your papers (5-10 pages long), and participate in discussion.
Professor Heller is the worst teacher I have experienced in my 3 years as a political science major at BU. This class is based on 4 papers and short quizzes after each class. His questions are incredibly vague and he provides no guidance or direction for what he is looking for. He is a strict grader and if there are any citation errors you fail.
He is not engaging with the class and doesn't do a better job than the textbook does. Why have a teacher if all they do is repeat exactly what's in the textbook? I ask him for examples and he says "I'm not really good at examples". He often times makes his lectures opinionated and will go off topic. The textbook is interesting though.
He's an OK professor. There are readings and quizzes after each class on the readings. Besides that the class was pretty bland.
He's an OK professor. There are readings and quizzes after each class on the readings. Besides that the class was pretty bland. His lectures just reiterate what the reading said and he bases his lectures on any concepts or questions that the students had on the readings. He does this to fill the class time so the quiz is at the end of class
This class is definitely much more difficult to do well in than any 100 level class should be. The lectures are about equally as helpful as reading the book on your own. Tests are pretty difficult. He's really receptive to answering questions during lectures but the slides and info are right out of the book. Had trouble with this class.
Extremely condescending and rude in class, won't stop the slides and goes through it very fast. Material mostly taught through TA's and textbook - a lot of reading required and he will throw in trick questions on tests to see if you went to lectures.
It is very clear Heller doesn't care about his students or even the class he is teaching-reads slides directly from the textbook (so going to lecture is a waste of time), doesn't create any of the tests, (so get to know your TA), and doesn't even show up on testing days. Sometimes refuses to answer questions in class and is very condescending.
I took this class to fulfill my G Gen Ed and it's an easy class. The only hw is weekly textbook work given by the TA in discussion and reading which I never did. My TA was pretty cool and graded by completion. I looked through the textbook the night before tests and did fine. Lectures aren't mandatory and super boring.
This professor is easily one of the worst professors at the university. Lectures are a COMPLETE waste of time and energy. I stopped showing up after the first test and still received an A in the course. This class was a joke. GET ON YOUR TA'S GOOD SIDE IN ORDER TO DO WELL IN THE CLASS. Garbage professor who's condescending and doesn't care.
DO NOT EVER TAKE A CLASS WITH WILL HELLER BC HE WILL MAKE YOUR LIFE HELL. HE IS A HORRIBLE PROFESSOR. IF YOU NEED TO TAKE COMPARATIVE THEN WAIT UNTIL ROBIN BEST IS TEACHING IT. WE HAD HER AS A GUEST LECTURER AND I LEARNED MORE IN 2 DAYS THAN HELLER COULD'VE TAUGHT ME IN AN ENTIRE LIFE
All I can give this professor credit for is that his tests are fair, and he shows up to lecture. I have no doubt he is an intelligent man but his skills as a teacher are highly lacking. If you can help it I would avoid this class. I would show up to lecture but tune him and and work out of the book, which is all you need to ace the class.
The actual content of this class is easy to comprehend, and it is pretty much based off of the textbook. Only 2 tests and a final, but they're easy if you have done the readings. You can ignore almost 90% of the lectures, because they're completely useless if you're concerned about doing well. He is also pompous and very unlikeable.
Yawn! Do homework during lecture, and you will gain more knowledge than listening to the lectures.
if you show up to discussion and read the assigned chapters in the book, you can get an A easily. however, lectures are boring, hard to get through, and are 70% irrelevant. will heller seems like a chill dude, kinda gives off dad joke vibes.
The lectures are extremely boring but he uses iClickers for grades so you won't want to miss many. The lectures don't have a correlation to the tests whatsoever. I only enjoyed the class because of my TA and the discussion I was in for the class and didn't get much from the lectures. Overall, it's not difficult, just painful to sit through.
He seems like a nice enough guy although he can be a little condescending at times. However, as a teacher he provides absolutely nothing. His lectures are meaningless and the only reason half the class shows up is for the participation points. You won't learn anything from his lectures, have to read the textbook and go to discussions to pass.
Has zero ability to convey his subject effectively and lectures derail into circular conversations that do not matter. Read the textbook or you will not pass. Discussion is where everything is learned so go! 3 tests and participation. If you're not good at taking tests, keep that in mind. Mind numbingly boring lecture and overall frustrating class.
AVOID Prof Heller by all means! I would not have passed his course if it wasn't for my TA and textbook; if you don't have a good TA, good luck... Will is a very close-minded professor and makes the class confusing on purpose, does NOT post powerpoints online and does not like to give out good grades. Would not recommend to anyone
Attendance of lectures is mandatory only in that there are iclicker questions that will eventually count for a participation grade. Not sure why he gets a bad rap, thought he was an interesting lecturer, and has a good sarcastic sense of humor. There are certain things he will repeat or say he disagrees with the test. Know these for mp questions
Most of his lectures were spent reciting textbook material. Very egotistical and didn't offer much in terms of teaching things beyond the readings. The tests weren't bad if you studied, but overall the class materials were confusing and not explained well. Would definitely not take another one of his classes.
Lectures are mandatory only for attendance/participation points. Won't put lecture slides online bc he says they're different from the textbook but honestly you just need to read the textbook and go to discussion (hopefully your TA is decent)and the test will be pretty easy. as a lecturer he makes things unnecessarily complicated.
Professor Heller is one of the best professors in the Political Science department. Don't be discouraged by the other reviews - if you want to have a great class with Heller, take an upper level, not an intro course. He cares a lot about his students and each class has a great give and take during discussions.
Comes off as a nice, chill dude at first, but very into himself. Gives a quiz on a 30+ page reading every class which counts for your attendance. Doesn't give exams, midterms, or a final so your only grading criteria are the attendance quizzes (graded out of 3 points) and 2 3 page papers written using the terribly long and convoluted readings.
This professor is not very useful outside of class and does not share his power points unless there is a valid reason to be out of class . either go to all the lectures or read the book and rely on your TA because you will not do well without that .
Daily quizzes on reading, which counts for 50% of your grade. Readings are LONG and DOCTORAL-LEVEL, not undergrad-friendly. Other 50% of grade is based on 2 papers (5-8 pages) with very obscure prompts. Also, he knows very little about American politics - he didn't even know who Joe Manchin was.
Very fair professor who is straight forward with his class procedures. The whole idea is to actively engage with the readings, bring the main points and questions to class, and hold a purposive discussion. The papers aren't difficult, so long as you break down the question. A valuable class experience, and I learned a lot without memorizing slides.
The quiz grades he gives are random. The papers are fair and he grades them accordingly, and he drops the lowest grade. Moving to an online format was successful, but the class was heavily dependent on the students, making it hard to care about the lectures. The quizzes were not hard but the grading was never clear to me.
Class is entirely theoretical. Expect to answer questions like "what is democracy?" after reading 15+ pages on a much more complex, or wildly unrelated, topic. Must be well equipped to start off or willing to catch the hell up, esepcially for a 200's level class. Likes to answer questions w a question. Understanding readings are a MUST.
final grade is based off weekly quizzes, one impossible assignment he says he expects you to fail and three papers. Your lowest paper is dropped. Each week you will have an insane amount of reading with no direction and then asked about a tiny detail with 5 mins to answer. plus his essay comments are ridiculous
Rude, emailed him saying I had a wedding to attend and would miss the first class and wanted to know what material to look at and he simply replied that a wedding was not a valid excuse to miss class. Doctrinal level readings, arbitrary grading, expects undergrads to understand PhD level material.
Knows his stuff, is passionate and tries to encourage that in the students as well. All assignments are in class, but the reading can be long and boring, at times. Nearly impossible to fail if you show up, pay attention, and ask questions. Don't skip= A/B. He will answer anything, and even recap the entire reading, as long as you ask him.
He is great and cares! It is a easy class just a lot of readings, you have to do them because you will get quizzed every class but it is a good easy class if you need a seminar as a senior.
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
57%
Textbook Required
15%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.33 avg changeRatings by Course
PLSC389H389C
5.0
(1)PLSC382
4.0
(1)PLSC389H
4.0
(2)PLSC
4.0
(2)PLSC100
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
PHD
5.0
PLSC389B
5.0
PLSC10297
5.0
389K
4.3
389
4.0