Janna Bianchini

This professor has taught: HIST111, HIST133, HIST219B, HIST289A, HIST328G, HIST330, HIST331, HIST408Q, HIST495, HIST619Z, PSYC603, PSYC660, PSYC661, RELS133, RELS289C, RELS289D, RELS341, WMST455

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Janna Bianchini HIST133 Anonymous 09/10/2024	the professor is very interested in the topic and it shows through her lectures, she presents many examples of the crusades that relate to modern day events and gets very animated when talking about the content. However, that's where the fun ends. this is not your walk in the park gen-ed, or history class. It is a VERY detailed course which requires tens of hours each week to get by. just the first week of class we had to annotate notes on a platform called "perussal" which is notoriously difficult to get a good grade in. you have to annotate lengthy excerpts of books or newspaper articles which can span from anywhere between 10 pages a week to 27 pages. and if you don't annotate enough you could get a failing grade for that assignment. overall, i would suggest avoiding the class as you have to pay for a gen-ed ($52) which sucks up too much time and you risk getting a low grade in which is not worth it.
Janna Bianchini HIST289A Expecting an A Anonymous 05/20/2024	I loved this class and professor! I found the material so interesting and the class overall so engaging! As long as you come to class, pay attention, and take notes you should be fine. While some parts can get confusing Professor Bianchini always explains it well and made the class very enjoyable.
Janna Bianchini RELS289C Expecting an A- Anonymous 05/14/2024	I really enjoyed Professor Bianchini as a professor. Her lectures were always very interesting and she clearly had a passion for teaching and knew what she was talking about. She got excited when asked questions about the content, and was happy to engage after the class period to further answer any questions you may have. Her attitude just generally made the class more enjoyable. As for work, I would never say she was unfair in terms of grading - but at least for this class there was assigned a lot of readings although ultimately I found them not to be completely necessary. I like niche history subjects like this, so if you have any interest in this class or this professor I highly recommend - the only irky thing was clickers sort of made attendance mandatory but I believe she drops five of them.
Janna Bianchini HIST328G Expecting a C Anonymous 02/15/2024	I know this is being graded while the semester is still new, but I need to write about this class cause I am loosing my mind. So this prof decided to upload an ungodly amount of readings on Perusal the second the add drop period seemed to end, and the whole class is discussion based, which is wild for a history class. She seems nice, but since this is not my only class, and we’ve hardly gotten an explanation on how to get good grades, I cannot recommend anyone take this class right now.
Janna Bianchini HIST328G Expecting a C Anonymous 02/03/2024	It's literally only been 2 weeks and yet I feel like I'm about to go crazy. Since this was an upper level class I was expecting a harder workload, however, I wasn't expecting a workload that borderlined sadism. She assigns 124 pages of reading to do, and then two days later expects the class to read 91 pages. Attendance seems to be mandatory due to her discussions. In her discussions, you have to participate unless you want to get a bad grade. I would honestly be fine if I had to do 100+ pages of reading since I'm a fast reader and if this was my only class, but I have other history courses with many more readings. So, I suppose you can take her class if it's going to be your only one and you're really passionate about it, but otherwise, don't. Professor Bianchini herself does seem nice though, just her workload is absolutely ridiculous. No matter how kind a professor is, if their workload is overwhelming to the point of dropping your grade, it's not worth it.
Janna Bianchini HIST289A Expecting a B Anonymous 05/06/2023	Way too much work for a gen ed attendance is basically mandatory. Not gonna boost ur gpa but it does double count
Janna Bianchini HIST289A Expecting a C- Anonymous 04/26/2023	do NOT take this course as a gen-ed credit or if you are not extremely interested in the courses topic. Not only is the substance of the class very specific, but the whole class itself is very harshly graded. After every lecture you have to get together with a randomly assigned group to write a "takeaway" on what was discussed in the lecture and it is very meticulously graded. Janna seems to be a very nice person but is an extremely nit picky professor. The course load can be very overwhelming at times and the final is writing two full essays in two hours with no notes, on paper, and this semester its at 8am. If you were expecting an easy A gpa booster class gen ed this is not at all that.
Janna Bianchini HIST331 Expecting a B Anonymous 04/04/2023	Pretty rigorous course. Make sure to take thorough notes on the readings. Work load is a lot and she does not leave room for any error/make ups. Way more effort than worth taking.
Janna Bianchini HIST289A Expecting an A- Anonymous 05/25/2022	Overall the course was great. The one star down is due to Turning Point issues affecting my grade and the TA being a bit harsh and slow with grading. Overall I thought it was a good course and the readings were not totally necessary.
Janna Bianchini HIST289A Expecting an A- Anonymous 05/18/2022	I really liked this professor. Like many of the other reviews said, her lectures are easy to follow and she definitely knows what she’s talking about. I will admit that this class has a decent sized work load though. This is a good professor to take if you have ADS accommodations, as she was understanding and easy to work with.
Janna Bianchini HIST289A Anonymous 05/14/2022	Janna as a teacher is average. This class is way more effort than its worth and is definitely not worth taking. Unless you are on of the slim few people who are EXTREMELY interested in learning about this meaningless garbage then take literally any other class. You are gonna feel like you have a really good grade in the class then her and her sub-decent TA don't grade anything until finals week and you are left awe struck, thinking that your gpa booster class might turn into a D-. I felt that I had at least a minor interest in the class, and then the work load killed all of it. Not to mention, the final is 2 essays in person, by hand, closed note. And on top of that, its on a Saturday this semester. Very much done with the class and would not do it again if you paid me.
Janna Bianchini HIST330 Expecting an A Anonymous 08/10/2020	Took HIST330 as a summer class and loved it - the class was interesting, tests were fair, and it was all clearly laid out in elms. Would def recommend. Take notes - this is not a class where you can cut corners and skate by to get a good grade! But it's worth it. Dr. B was also very responsive to emails. If you're wondering whether to take her during Fall 2020, she is a master of online classes, so you won't have any issues there.
Janna Bianchini HIST289A Expecting an A Anonymous 12/18/2019	Favorite class ever. Amazing professor
Janna Bianchini HIST331 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/23/2015	Professor: Dr. Bianchini is a very knowledgeable and passionate professor.You can tell she's an expert on the subject matter. She Grades fast and takes no bs when it comes to plagiarism. I never really talked to her personally but she comes off as nice. One thing to note, Bianchini doesn't dramatize her lectures like some history professors do. There's absolutely no theatrics over murders, battles, etc. the class is interesting because the subject matter itself is inherently interesting. Course: Personally, the course was relatively easy, considering you take very thorough notes and attend each class. There are email responses which are short essays based off reading material she gives due every week. It is essential you complete all email responses because they make the difference between an A and a B. Also, material from the responses show up on exams. Attendance: Attendance isn't required, however there are participation points in each class, so you'll only hurt yourself. The reason I gave a 4 instead of a 5 is because she only takes mental notes when someone participates, instead of writing it down. Usually you have contribute two meaningful comments or questions to get a 100. I would do that, but apparently she forgot and would give me a 50% sometime. It is also essential to attend her class because I don't see how it would be possible to pass the exams without attending her class to take notes. Exams: The exams consist of multiple choice with possibility of extra credit, short answer with possibility of extra credit, short essay questions based off the readings (pick 3 out of 5), and an essay question about the themes of the class (pick 1 out of 2). The exams are not tricky so long as you took good notes, and the extra credit really helps. She gives study guides each class to help you prepare for the exam which contain key terms and dates and they are very helpful. Overall: Interesting class, great professor, highly recommended.
Janna Bianchini HIST330 Anonymous 11/27/2012	Everything the other reviewer said is true. She's clear, easy to follow, but still does a good job addressing the complexities of the subject matter. She is one of the best lecturers I've had. If you attend lecture and pay attention, the exams will be easy.
Janna Bianchini HIST330 Anonymous 11/05/2012	Dr. Bianchini is my favorite professor at Maryland, hands down. Her lectures are incredibly clear, straight forward, and interesting. She definitely takes the time to answer questions and make sure everyone understands. She even hands out guides for the lectures with key terms that are amazing study guides for the exams. She usually has a midterm and a final along with a 5-10 page paper and participation points. She also assigns weekly discussion responses based on a primary source reading but they are very easy and opinion based. She is a fair grader and amazing lecturer and I always try to take whatever classes she is offering.