2.7
Quality4.1
Difficulty27%
Would Retake89
Reviews27%
Would Retake
89
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
21
4
10
3
14
2
12
1
32
What Students Say
“Really needs to get over herself”
GRADSCHOOL - 1.0 rating“She never answered any emails”
GOV2660 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
71%
Textbook Required
67%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.70 avg changeRatings by Course
POLSCI
5.0
(1)PS
5.0
(1)2650WSTPOL
5.0
(1)EASTEURO
5.0
(1)GOV2730
5.0
(2)Difficulty by Course
WESTEURO
5.0
GOVT
5.0
EUROPE
5.0
POLITICS
5.0
WESTEUROPE
5.0
Reviews (89)
Yuck! I really got nothing out of this class, except for snide remarks from Prof
No Comments
She is a great professor, she loves what she does and it shows, she is quite challenging but not to bad, i mean if u study then u should do fine. her test are kind of hard but manageable.
She's nice, but doesn't care about her students. If you dont want a death wish, then dont take this class.
Totally obnoxious
There are two things in this world that scare me-and one is nuclear warfare..........the other is Dr. Luba Racanska. I am not kidding
She is the best professor and I think that most FRESHMAN dny students will come to see that.There still too young and immature.
if some one says somthing nice about this womans dny class, then they have not had the class and dont know the agony we go through. Either that or its Luba herself, and in that case, ease up old woman. College is supposed to be challenging, but enjoyabl
The worst Professor of all time. Should quit NOW before she poisons any more young minds with her radical anti-American rambling.
SHE IS THE ABSOLUTE BEST PROFESSOR I HAD AT ST JOHNS. ANYONE SHOULD TAKE HER IF YOUR READY TO DEAL WITH A REAL COLLEGE COURSE.
some ppl have to stop assuming things about freshman b/c they didn't have her for DNY. For DNY at least she is not a good professor,half the assignments have nothing to do with the focus of the class & picky.I wouldn't take her again,but i'm doing well.
She is a good teacher and gives well prepared lectures but does't seem to be too respectful to the students. She can be obnoxious and her tests are rather challenging and she gives big paper assignments. If you just want to learn, shes good.
because of her my GPA dropped! and DNY is supposed to be the easiest class! hers tests are ridiculous! stupid assignments tha thas nothign to do with the class at all! commite suicide if u have her!
Pound for pound the worst Professor alive. She will make your life like a real horrow movie. Yuck!
Overly elitist and snobbish. Brighgt but very arrogant.
DO NOT TAKE FOR DISCOVER NEW YORK UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES! DOES NOT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT NEW YORK. ALL SHE TALKS ABOUT IS EASTERN EUROPE AND THAT IS BORING!
Gov 2650 this is a topic that she knows about howvever if you dont you will fail. Very anal on papers and exams are difficult (if your short answers doesnt have depth); im sorry that i took her class for my GPA definitaly went down. I got a D on the midterm, couldn't pass/fail major :(.
Very hard for a easy DNY class. It has all to do with eastern europe..nothing else...gives tremendous papers to freshman and sometimes grades unfairly.
She is a very challenging individual. Though her class, Western Europe contains too much info that in my opinion is not necessary 4 the REAL WORLD. However she is very understanding person & will help u if needed. Only if u want 2 help yourself. I almost took a pass/fail and in the end I got a A.
she likes to ruined my mind, and she keeps smiling at me everytime i presented.
Very great and amazing teacher, 1 of the best I ever had. She really gets you to do ur work. Papers are reasonable, only one a month. She has a lot of energy and spunk, only 1 day did I almost fall asleep, but that was from shere exhaustion. I was absent for two classes and regret it, bc shes good
wow sum people hate her. lol, ill tell u shes a very nice teacher, smiles alot. very understanding but she does pile the work on u. especially the readings. omg its like u have a text book,freakin like 200 pgs per test. heresa tip:if ur slavic take her! if ur not always compliment the slavs.
Honestly, she's really not that bad. She gives 3 papers (with oral presentations) and 2 exams. I got A's on everything...just do the work and take good notes during lectures...she is kinda boring though.
A great professor!! Just do the work and you will be goood
She is a very intelligent individual. Although tests are hard and papers are long, I learned so much in this class.. She gives an extra credit assignment if you don't do so well on midterm and paper. I learned a lot from the extra cred. If you're up for a challenge take her....good luck...
Do all your work and you will get a good grade. Not an easy bull*&^% teacher but you're sure to learn a lot of things you didnt know before! Midterm/ Final/ Presentations and Reports! Very easy to tlak to.. cares about her students!
Took her for gov of eastern europe and then of western europe. she's hard, but worth it. Highly recommended. You learn from her, and she respects you and gives u a great experience
Dont sit in the back...everyone that did got D's and F's on the midterm. Very expansive. Strain through accent to take good notes. Eastern Europe was never so hard. Got C- with extra credit. Hated this class, me and the rest of the back row!
She is a very intelligent and helpful teacher. Do the work, participate and plan ahead-especially for the term papers..no BS accepted.She is very approachable and understanding. I recommend it if you are serious about your grade.
two ten page papers on topics given to you to select from. hard essay and final. but if you do your work theres no need to complain. bonus points if you do well: shes head of the government department these days
She is definitely a brilliant woman. This is by far the best government class I have taken. Absorb as much you can because she is extremely intelligent. A must take for those who are interested in international relations and comparative governments. You have to read in order to do good, which no one should complain about since you're in college.
Great professor! Difficult but is human!
In my eyes, her classes are the equivalent of what you might find at an Ivy league school (which is not surprising since she graduated from Yale). Very knowledgeable, very helpful, and is willing to raise your grade if you do good on the final. Just remember to take good notes, READ, ask questions, and act interested in the material. She likes that
I took her for DNY and she was sooo boring. She's difficult but fair - just put in some EFFORT and you should be fine...
she is currently the chair of the dept and she knows nothing about the ciriclium. she is not helpful when you attend her office hours,and does not reply to e-mails.
Whoever wrote that she doesn't know anything about the curriculum should learn to spell the word before they question her knowledge of it. She's extremely knowledgable and fair... tests are annoying and sometimes a little unclear but they're never a problem if you read and take notes. Very good professor to take if you are interested in Europe.
Very smart lady. Government majors will learn a lot from her. very resourceful, chair of the department and class is not easy, it requires effort. and that is exactly the way it should be. and she is helpful, just approach her with respect. she's very nice too. yet firm, and takes her papers and assignments seriously. must take her at least once!
Really needs to get over herself. So impressed by her own pomposity and elitism. In reality, she is a very angry individual who takes out her aggression on students who do not agree with her. She does not teach as much as she intends to preach and brainwash. Extremely disrespectful and rude to me on several occassions. I do not recommend taking thi
GOOD HUMAN BEING THAT IS NOT LIKE A MACHINE. HARD TESTS AND HARD PAPERS. HUMAN QUALITIES ARE IMPORTANT AND SHE HAS THEM UNLIKE SOME MACHINE LIKE PROFESSORS.
She has a good heart, and is flexible so long as you dont take advantage of the situation. The work was not hard at all, but she requires you to actually read on Eastern Europeans, though it is a DNY class. You can do well, and not have to try so hard. Make sure she warms up to you
She's a good woman/ she's a bad woman. theres too face to her, you just have to get the right on. she can be really mean, elitist and ****y when she is ready, but kind and warm when she feels like. dont take her if you dont have to, NEVER TAKE HER ONLINE OR 4 DNY!!!! all in all, im glad i took her but boy arent i glad i dont have to take her again
A good, fair academic. She is difficult grade-wise, however, and does not take a liking to those who balance other things (family, work, etc.). Like a handful of the Ivy Gov & Pol professors at St. John's, she doesn't understand that this is a working-class school. We wish we had the ability to devote our lives to our studies like the rich Ivies.
Since when is a University that costs 30k per year a "working class school?" Must have missed that memo. I also love the people who can barely put together a sentence writing, "i no like racinska. her is class is very difcult but also i not like how she tells people to hafta write good." It might help if you LEARN TO WRITE. Racanska is a great prof
I took her online class and it was the worst decision of my life. She has od assignments and want a lot of work without consideration that you have other classes. Never take her or any online class for that matter because they are unpredictable and you can easily forget many of your assignments because they only remind you on blackboard
Dr. Racanska is all over the place with her work. She randomly assigns papers but is fair on grading. In my discover new york class, her main focus was on immigration from the middle east, which she failed to incorporate learning about new York city. I would not recommend her to others
She is intelligent and knowledgeable but seems to have trouble communicating with students e.g. frequently acted aggressive, abrasive, and dismissive. This was very discouraging for much of the class. She is extremely precise with her demands and puts high value on close attention to detail. If students are not intimidated they can learn a lot.
I'm taking this professor for Russian and CIS, which I know nothing about and I currently have a B- in that class, so she's an easy grader. It's not that hard to understand coming from me with NO gov background besides what I learned in high school (I didn't take AP btw). The second part of the semester is easier than the first.
She can come off as aggressive and combative, but she really cares about her students and is challenging while not being overly difficult. Readings are more than reasonable and lectures are very informative.
She never answered any emails. Took forever to give back papers. Said the sources I used for my paper were not scholarly yet she used the same organization's reports in her lectures. Was extremely petty in her grading of papers and her criticisms. Typical professor that's given up trying now that she has tenure.
I actually had to take her for TWO classes and it was probably the worst decision I've made. She thinks entirely too much of herself and her teaching skills don't make up for it. Good lectures but very inconsistent with assignment instructions. She'll say one thing in class and say another thing later. Whatever you do, DONT take her.
Lectures every class, does not explain what she talks about. Skips slides before you finish copying down everything. Rarely answers students questions. No midterm, but there's a cumulative final and does not tell you what it will be on.
Dr. Racanska lectures from the beginning of class all the way to the last second of class. She goes quickly through the slides and you won't be able to copy everything down. She doesn't explain the material very well, and when she assigns papers the grading material isn't very clear. However, she is a very nice person.
Dr. Racanska is very nice and respectful. I had her for GOV 2650 and she is the nicest person you will ever meet. Dr. Racanska seems to be a fair grader and she is very understanding whenever you may be experiencing issues. She goes above and beyond as a professor. Not a lot of professors are as good as she is.
Luba is one of kindest professors I've run into at St. Johns, however tests and papers are very difficult. The textbooks are used heavily and were very long and boring.
Dr. Racanska teaches a hard class and is a tough grader. Show you want to do better and have a meeting with her and she will really help you a lot. Gov1050 has a 15-page paper, open notes final, and 8 assignments (lengthy and time-consuming). Hard class, but the professor is nice.
I took her for the senior IR seminar and although I thought it was so much work and a terrible experience, looking back I learned a lot from the class. Most other seminars just have you work on the final paper the whole semester but she gives many assignments along the way. I wound up getting an A with much effort. She is helpful and clear though.
Dr. R is a very intelligent person. YALE, DUH!Though she is a tough grader, she provides very good feedback and is willing to assist students that are struggling with the material. She's very knowledgeable and so expects that her students are conducting wellfounded research materials. If I wasn't done with my graduate classes, I would take another.
Don't take her if you're looking for an easy A, but DO take her if you're looking for someone to challenge you and better your academic experience! I really enjoyed this class and have learned to love her grading style/class structure even if it is a little tedious. She may seen intimidating at first but she is very kind and intelligent.
Tons of readings. Will not post the powerpoints so you will not hear anything she says in class because you spend the whole time trying to keep up copying the board. Two critique papers - graded harshly. Midterm required an overwhelming amount of memorization. Not an enjoyable class, don't get anything out of it other than stress.
Lectures are powerpoints but are done without any consideration as Professor goes very fast and does not post. Student resorted to taking picture of powerpoint which she told them to put the phone away. Two critique papers singled space, graded harshly especially on word choices and format. 1 12 pg research paper double spaced.
EU class only class still open for Spring 2019. Terrible professor with no consideration for students. Expected everyone had taken 1050 class we said we hadn't but still expected us to know how to cite sources and write in APSA style. Final and Midterm hard and specific. Harsh grader and specific.
I can confidently say I have never sat through more wasted hours of mindless, pointless, blabbering than in this class. This could be remedied if she wasn't condescending and factually incorrect in her information. Her grading technique is to give an arbitrarily low grade, so that you can "learn something." Steer clear at all costs!
Please do not take this professor. She gives very vague guidelines/little help for assignments and then grades super tough. She can be kind of rude and offers criticism that doesn't help to improve work. She assigns a ton of reading and assignments, often with little time to do them. 15-20 pg research paper at the end of the class AND a final.
Dr. Racanska is a tough professor for assigning readings from the textbook heavily. However, before class transitioned online, she outlined the syllabus clearly. In order to get a good grade in the course, you should complete all graded assignments on-time and jot down notes from the lectures and textbook carefully. She also offers extra credit.
I got an A in this course, but I felt terrified with the workload. Shes tough. She assigns a ton of articles from the textbook to read and jot down notes from. She also assigns graded work in the last minute. In order to get a good grade, you should participate, read the textbook, pay attention in lectures, and complete assignments on-time.
The worst professor I've ever had. I took her during covid and she has no sympathy for anyone. She can be very rude and doesn't give good feedback. She's very smart but not a good teacher. There is a lot of work that's given and sometimes she gives due dates out of the blue. Her grading is harsh and gives imprecise directions and useless advice.
I took Dr. Racanska for undergrad and graduate courses. Best advice I can give: 1) READ what she assigns. 2) SHOW HER THAT YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT SHE IS TEACHING. 3) Respect her like shes gold or something. I had a health condition and she was so good to me. She also gave me extra credit. Her class is what YOU try to make it! Still big oof though!
Lots of reading and writing, but she does teach lessons clearly and thoroughly (Yale alumni, obviously). If you cant manage to read and write a lot, I suggest that you dont a class with Dr. Racanska.
I loved her. I did get extra credit (but only when exhibiting the extra initiative or mile). I also loved how she really had me understanding comparative politics at the end of the semester. She is tough. Oh well, tough love am i right? lol. Shes definitely likable and understanding enough!
Don't take her. Her class is very hard and she is not understanding.
The rating from February 2022 truly says it all. Avoid this professor at all costs.
Steer clear at all costs. The amount of work that is given is absolutely insane and little to no helpful feedback is given.
Professor Racanska taught this class asynchronously and proved to be a HORRIBLE communicator. Responds to emails days late and assigned more work in this Undergrad course than the amount of work I was assigned in an actual Graduate level course. Insane waste of time.
Although this professor has a reputation of being tough, I find that this is the only professor in the department that teaches students lol. I know she going to have tough assignments, but the pay off is great in the long run if you really want to pursue something in IR. She loves learning and I do think she cares about her students.
she never answers her emails. I literally taught myself the entire class. Her PowerPoints are terrible. She doesn't give enough time for the midterm/final.
The content is heavy and lots of work. Professor is enthusiastic and smart, Good feedback and particular.
I strongly advise that you do NOT take this class unless you are prepared for a lot of reading and lengthy assignments. Prof Racanska is a very harsh grader & some of the instructions on the assignments she assigns are unclear. Not worth the time and effort, in my opinion.
Assignments are a lot but they help students understand. In these classes, you have to be a strong writer and in presentations, be sure to do extensive research on the subject because it needs to have a genuine discussion and critical analysis... not just reading off the slides. intelligent and guides students well.
This professor is incredibly difficult and passive aggressive. She will deduct points from tedious papers and the only comment will be "good effort", with no indication of why you lost points. Classes at this school cost too much money for professors who give no indication of why you received the grade you did. Steer away at all costs.
A lot of homework, class will never end early and she has very lengthy lectures. Very tough grader and does not provide a rubric. She is passionate and I learned a lot but the workload is a lot and she is a very tough graders
This class is very challenging. The professor is a tough grader—small mistakes like missing a page number can cost several points. She rarely replies to emails, which can be frustrating. Weekly group discussions, three analysis papers, and a 12–15 page final paper make the workload feel heavier than most major courses. JUST AVIOD ALL COST!!1
A ridiculous amount of work for an entry-level class. Does not post assignments in advance so sometimes we have 3 days to do assignments. Assignments are extremely time-consuming because she expects you to read 20-30 page articles before the assignment (on top of the textbook reading). . Very knowledgeable person, a very bad teacher.
Does not ever answer emails, takes a lot of points off for small mistakes, multiple assignments due per week, 12-15 page final paper with 25 steps to follow. Bad communication just avoid
Run for the hills. Do not take if you value your mental health.
I would rather be hit by the F train than write another assignment for this class. Take it if you like a harsh grader.
Just horrible, horrible, horrible. Never answers emails whatsoever and assignments are lengthy as ever. This class is bad to take if you have other classes as well. Assignment period length is also just too short to do and assignments aren't even due at the bare minimum time at 11:59, they're due at 10PM. Just all around not a good professor.
An average overall quality of 2.7 is generous for Dr. Racanska. Don't let it fool you; most of the positive reviews are from the Stone Age. The absurd amount of homework lets me know that she doesn't understand that this is a core class, a core class taken alongside several classes that are actually relevant to students' majors and futures.
I would rather have Hitler as my professor
If Government isn't your major, DON'T EVEN LOOK IN THIS DIRECTION!!! Even if government is your major find a better professor. This class was the hardest class I ever took received zero help and it takes the whole week to do one assignment. Save your self the trouble and take another class!
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
71%
Textbook Required
67%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.70 avg changeRatings by Course
POLSCI
5.0
(1)PS
5.0
(1)2650WSTPOL
5.0
(1)EASTEURO
5.0
(1)GOV2730
5.0
(2)Difficulty by Course
WESTEURO
5.0
GOVT
5.0
EUROPE
5.0
POLITICS
5.0
WESTEUROPE
5.0