| Information | Review |
|---|---|
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Conny Kazungu Sigel
GVPT484 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/21/2023 |
I really appreciated Dr. Kazungu's connection with her class, she seemed genuinely nice and thoughtful, 5/5 stars if this was the main point of the review. However, her teaching style was absolutely not for me. The subject was defined as "a comparative study of the governmental systems and political processes of the African countries." We barely studied this. Instead of going over theory / trends / structures, we instead looked at specific examples that were then applied to generalizations, and the class was treated more as a history of Africa class (if even that) with some light political science thrown in. Slides were completely all over the place, I couldn't take coherent notes and gave up 1/3 of the way through the semester. In many cases, slides next to each other either contradicted each other's points, were only made of examples with no explanation or topic, or just made no sense at all. For example, points made included: "There are probably no countries where there is not some trace of traditional political systems" and "Africans had mastered the river Nila and Senegal coast (through use of canoes). However, European ships had technological superiority" I'm sorry but what? The points are there but are completely muddled, why say probably? Why would I trust the information that has been communicated if the professor is unsure about it themself? There were also way too many presentations, (3 presentations) x (6 groups) = 36 presentations in a semester, that is insane. In some cases we had to skip entire lectures to just catch up on presentations. Participation was also mandatory. Overall, what everyone else has already said as well. Excellent professor if the class was "Communication and Approachability with Students 101." |
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Conny Kazungu Sigel
GVPT306 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 07/07/2023 |
Great professor! I took her over summer session 1 and I found that GVPT306 was an extremely easy class. She gives out a very reasonable amount of work to complete, and most of it is very straightforward. The topic for this class is very interesting and I feel as though I learned a lot. She's also a very easy grader - I got 100s on almost everything. Every time I had an issue, she got back to me very quickly and resolved the problem. I highly recommend her! |
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Conny Kazungu Sigel
GVPT306 Anonymous 03/25/2023 |
Even though grading attendance isn't allowed at UMD she passes around a sheet for everyone to sign at the beginning of class in order to grade "participation." Slides are overwhelming & disorganized, the topics covered do not relate very well to each other, and there's inconsistency with how assignments are graded. Only take if required. |
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Conny Kazungu Sigel
GVPT417 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 01/17/2023 |
Dr. Kazungu is amazing! She is such a kind and compassionate person and really cares about her students. Things may be slightly disorganized (especially with Canvas) sometimes, but just talk to her and she'll fix it immediately! Her lectures are great, and she clearly knows what she's talking about and is passionate about the environment. Great professor! |
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Conny Kazungu Sigel
GVPT273 Expecting an A- Anonymous 05/12/2022 |
Her outfits slay but her teaching does not. I think this may have been her first time teaching the class because it seemed pretty unorganized. I definitely learned more from the discussion sessions with the TA's than I did during lecture, but attendance is mandatory and if you miss more than two classes you will be penalized. Most of the lectures have information that is completely unnecessary and unrelated to the subject. The tests and assignments aren't very difficult but they will be completely different from what the syllabus says. You should basically disregard the syllabus completely. Overall the class wasn't too bad but if you are looking for a well-structured class this may not be for you. |
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Conny Kazungu Sigel
Expecting an A Anonymous 05/05/2022 |
This professor is very unorganized! Her class is fine (for the most part) when it comes to content. But she has conflicting dates for when assignments are due, her presentations make no sense, and her quizzes are never graded accurately (instead of giving everyone points back for the parts she messed up on, she deducted points from everyone). This is an interesting and important class, but her teaching made it dull and unenjoyable. |