Historical instructor
Original student reviews · all captured dates
Seidenberg is an expert in his field. His lectures are not the best and the class is hard, but that's the price of taking a class with a great researcher. He wrote the book used in the class and he is an amazing writer. Use his office hours because he is better one on one. Not outstanding, but very nice. Deserves better than the low rating he has.Rate My Professors ↗
Clearly an expert (literally wrote the book for the course), but teaching seems like a side job. His attendance and planning was erratic. Weekly quizzes a mess and often regraded. Lectures are vague and meandering but tests and homework demand deep understanding of material. Syllabus stated to expect to learn a lot on your own - he wasn't kidding.Rate My Professors ↗
Professor Seidenberg is extremely educated and an expert in the field, however he does not convey that whatsoever. Lectures drag on and seem to not cover anything, yet he finds a way to come up with very difficult grading criteria off of what seems like nothing. The TA and discussion sections provided all structure for this course.Rate My Professors ↗
Professor Seidenberg wrote the book that is required for the class. His writing is exceptional and I thoroughly enjoyed it... but do not, I repeat, DO NOT take this course. He is the most unprofessional lecturer I have had at Wisconsin, and his grading criteria is completely erratic. His papers and exams are petty--you will be disappointed.Rate My Professors ↗
If you engage with him, it's clear you get the most out of the class. He's not the best lecturer, but if you see him outside of class, he knows a ton and is extremely eager to share. Had a great experience in his class, he's an extremely nice person who wants to talk about things that excite him more than he wants to lecture. In general 2 thumbs upRate My Professors ↗
Seidenberg is a really nice guy, don't get me wrong, but his class was the worst class I've ever taken. I've had some experience in the Reading Psychology area, and I found this class random and challenging. The tests did not test comprehension- they tested your ability to memorize an unfinished textbook he was making. Would NOT recommend.Rate My Professors ↗
Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.
No teaching recorded in Fall 2026.
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Teaching history may be incomplete. Course pages contain course-specific feedback and citations.
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