2.0
Quality3.7
Difficulty23%
Would Retake100
Reviews23%
Would Retake
100
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
8
4
12
3
14
2
23
1
43
What Students Say
“VERY rude, mean, and belittling”
100B - 1.0 rating“discussion periods are for review so prepare questions”
SOC100B - 3.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
69%
Textbook Required
30%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.06 avg changeRatings by Course
SOC300
5.0
(1)CLASS01
5.0
(1)SOC480R
4.0
(1)SOC101
3.8
(5)SOC278
3.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
SOC278
5.0
SOC100A
4.1
SOC480R
4.0
SOCIOLOGY100B
4.0
CLASS01
4.0
Reviews (100)
People afriad to talk in class because she will make fun of students. Good teacher, but not very nice. VERY hard grader.
she is unfair, unclear, unprepared, and unwilling. though you will learn some things in her class, but it is overall a waste of time.
Incredibly poor professor. I think that my calculus professor can prepare lessons better than her. She is unapproachable and she is an unfit instructor.
doesnt explain things well and very hard to understand-the ta's arent helpful either
Her accent makes things hard to understand. Tests are based on her lectures which are reinforced by the readings. Since you cant understand what she says, and talks way too fast, you have to do the readings... ta's dont help
I had hard time understanding exactly what this woman expected. Her lectures are poor because she rambles all over the place.
horrible prof. very bias, very nasty, people were afraid to ask questions, she gave off a clear vibe in which she did not like our country, ridiculous tests, should not be allowed to teach sociology
Very biased, not helpful, only she is correct type of view
horrible professor. when in class, you'll learn a total of 3 new and interesting ideas that will appear on the test..rest of the stuff you have to learn on your own! ONE MIDTERM, ONE FINAL = TOTAL GRADE!
sarkar is not a very nice prof at all. she doesn't enjoy teaching and her lectures are ridiculously boring. i think sociology is interesting, but i hate going to her class.
has little patience with students. intimidating. but she is a very fair teacher. i don't understand why some people complain about her exams because she tells us EXACTLY what will show up on it!
Class information is interesting, but readings are not.She plays alot of films which was the best part.She is not friendly and is sarcastic. You feel tense in her class and pray she wont call on you,if u have the wrong answer she will be sure to let u kno
As a teacher teaching the subjects that remain unbaised, she is very good, clear, and precise. Yet, there are subjects where she is clearly biased, and she dismisses any new ideas. It is obvious she doesn't want to teach the intro course.
she hates teaching, and is often hard to understand. She is extremely biased and it is pretty clear from her lectures she dislikes Americans, and if you couldnt tell from that every one of her TAs is from another country, and is equally hard to understand
Well..She knows what she is talking about..but doesn't know how to explain it well. She is more helpful in person then in the classroom.
No Comments
No Comments
Easiest professor I ever had. I got an A in the course by going to lecture and that's it, I went to the discussion sections a little but I never even bought the books. Sit in the back listen and write. Everything that'll be on the test she goes over.
people leave such **** comments. she is one of osama bin ladens many wives? she has foreign TA that dont speak english? you shouldnt be majoring in SOC anyway if you think like that. she was interesting, wasnt hard, and was straightforward abou
i thought she was a good teacher and her class is easy... i never read and i still got an A
This professor seems to have no interest in actually teaching, she expects you to know everything and gets angry if you can't answer her questions. She is very intimidating which makes it even worse. She also seems very anti-american and acts like she is to good for a SUNY and better than everyone
she has great wealth of knowledge about the subject at hand. She has a very tough approach to teaching, and stern on her stands, so she will cut you off if you are wrong. if you willing to do work, and think critically, this is a very good professor to have.
No Comments
Her accent is difficult to understand, and her lessons are a bit hard to follow. She comes off as unapproachable and she's not very helpful. She discouraged me from asking questions in class. She wasn't particularly friendly from the beginning. She also tends to interrupt students and make them feel as though their answers aren't adequate.
I would not advise anyone to take this class. This woman has a very thick accent and sometimes refuses to repeat herself. She is very rude to her students. She refuses to wear her microphone so the students in the back can hear her and she stops her lesson to yell at students for smiling in the classroom. Avoid at all costs.
This teacher might be the all time worst teacher i ever had. She has a very hard accent to understand and doesent like her students at all. She is anti-powerpoint and does not use the overhead projectors. If you are amazing at understanding a very broken Indian accent, then knock urself out. I dont know how she became a teacher.
Easiest class in the world. Dont bother showing up. Like everyone said, she sucks at teaching. Hates guys, freshmen, and white kids. Her tests are amazingly easy.
She doesn't want to be teaching, especially not an intro level class. She is very rude, even mean, to her students, and will often stop class to yell at them. She is very unhelpful, and doesn't use powerpoint or blackboard. However, when she does get around to lecturing, it is very interesting. Also, the tests are really really easy.
This lady is ridiculous, not only is she blatantly anti-american, she is also ****. She is quite unhelpful and makes you feel as though your answers are inadequate. This class is literally a joke, all she does is stand up at the podium and scream at the class for not knowing the material she ISNT teaching. The ta's are good
Worst professor I have ever had. Anti-American, anti-male, and an absolutely rude and ignorant person. Oh and just because she's anti-male dosen't mean that she's pro-female. She hates everyone, just males more. Question: Why is she teaching?
No Comments
This Professor cannot teach, even if her life depended on it. She uses the podium as a bully-pulpit form which to preach her idea of how the world should be and how the U.S is screwing it up. She is blatantly anti-male in not only her teaching style, but in her interactions with students. Stated in class final was short answer only to give essays.
its hard to understand her lectures and doesnt like to explain things. discussion is a waste of time. if ur taking this class as a gen. ed, i would recommend trying something else
She is the worst teacher EVER
Not easy grade, but most effective class I've ever taken. She goes off on tangents, but always covers 90% test material in class. Read & study to do well. She may come off as anti-American, but makes you think by giving perspectives than those we already know. She's fair. If you keep up with work, you have potential to get alot out of this class.
Terrible Class. Horribly **** and unwilling to explain grades- all A's and final grade of C-?????? hates America & everything about it. Messes up grades, the TA sucked too. DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS.
She is very opinionated and anti-American in her sentiment, but the course material is interesting if you pay attention and put the time in.
I have never had such a boring teacher. Her Anti-American views are not even interesting for those of us who come from New York City and can hear rhetoric like this by talking to friends. She is a broken record, but believes she is a novelty because she teaches to a lecture hall that is half filled with kids from WhiteButtcrack, NY.
Worst teacher ever. DO NOT take any classes with her!
wasn't helpful, looked down on student and wasn't open to new ideas. Overall, the most boring and mean teacher i've had in a long time.
This teacher should not be allowed to teach. I honestly think that bc she has tenure she just doesnt give a crap about her students. I had an interest for sociology until I took her. Rather than showing different views, she just jams her views down your throat. She makes students feel horrible about any response they give and she hates america!
Horrible teacher. She doesn't give anything back or even an idea of her grading policy. You have no idea what the range for any grade is but it doesnt matter because she doesnt give you any grades back,ever. The first grade you get is your final grade with no excuses or test grades to back it up. She could easily make up grades and noone would know
people in her higher classes may have liked her but she HATES her intro level classes. Its ironic that a soc prof. discriminates agsinst a certain stereotype. She says all the students are middle/upper class and dont have the proper knowledge bc of it. She looks down upon us. She throws everything on her TAs and doesnt do anything herself.
Do not take this class. I took it for a gen ed and it was a huge mistake. She is a mean, horrible teacher who doesn't give a crap about her students. It was an awful choice for my first semester and was a lot of unnecessary stress. If you must take it, go to the class, try to make the best of it and good luck.
Wasn't at all helpful. & always had a tendency 2 criticize students. Never explained anything. Buying the books was a huge waste of time and money. TA's were horrible- hard 2 understand. Grades were never posted on blackboard,& made up their own standards and rules for grading. No range, and you never knew where you stood in the class. No feedback!
This could of been an excellent class. I think she makes MANY EXCELLENT points about America. However, she is pretentious. It's her job to help her students (we pay for our education!) and she fails in doing so. Unfortunately, this causes her interesting messages to not come across well.....And Zhandarka Kurti was an excellent TA.
Gives no assistance to students. Is horrible at giving instructions and is rude. Would recommend careful consideration before signing up for her brand of torture.
She is a sharp and critical professor. You will learn an enormous lot from her. Just do the work, and you'll do fine.
Sarkar can turn a lecture into a challenging discussion. If you make an argument or even just answer a factual question, she'll always ask you to elaborate. She is a no-nonsense woman, and she can come off as pretty aloof and condescending, but I don't think that's her intention--it's just her nature. Moderate challenge.
Notes all over the place, talks too fast. No written form of notes.
Super Professor. Clear, progressive, cool. Take her class if you don't want to remain in the 20th century.
One of the best!
This is a really serious professor. She pays attention to students and is very helpful. She is smart, funny and cutting-edge. She is what a university is supposed to be all about.
Took the course for Fall 2008 as a Freshman, overall enjoyed the class though the material can be a bit difficult to understand sometimes. Very nice but no-nonsense and fairly serious during lectures, always asks you to elaborate and think further which is cool. However, does mislead you a bit on what you need to study for exams, which sucks a bit.
This is a very smart and super-cool professor. She is helpful and strongly supportive-as long as she feels that your question/comment is honest. She is challenging in the BEST way: she will make you think-the whole point of a class. And she speaks better English than most, not exactly a bad thing for a professor. Do you want to grow? TAKE HER!
good class, interesting. test are a bit tricky the way she words thing. multiple choice and short essays. final was a take home essay, so thats a plus. good class. requires a lot of memorizing of terms and facts. the most random things you learn could end up on the test, and things you think that are superr important may not be on the test at all.
Not a very good teacher, hard to understand. People afraid to raise their hand because we were never right when answering questions. Not very helpful outside of class. Tough grader if you don't write exactly what she wants you get points off.
I worked hard- read all the required materials. Found it interesting, and manageable
Mahua is a great teacher! I learned so much from her class and found it very interesting. I would recommend anyone to take this class. It is hard yet managable. If you do all the reading, take good notes, and study hard for the tests you can for sure get an A!
Semi-think Indian accent and a she talks very fast. Cant really understand her when she talks so fast and is hard to take notes that fast. She has an intense amount of knowledge and I learned a lot during her class. Is a lecture but make sure you go to class since a lot of material covered is on the tests. Make sure you at least skim the readings.
Unless you want to spend a semester hearing about some woman's political views and how America is worse than every other country do not take this class. Rather than learning about sociology we learned about how America oppresses the world. Whether you agree or not, this has nothing to do with sociology.
Could have been an interesting class...if taught by someone else. She's hard to understand, not very open to questions, and she comes off very condescending. Her tests are very specific, and if you don't write exactly what she wants, you're wrong. TAs are very hit or miss. Avoid her class unless you want to hear about how awful America is.
really nice and helpful professor, interesting lectures which tests are based on, make sure you pay attention to everything in class, including textbook readings and films. discussion periods are for review so prepare questions.
I loved this class! It was interesting and a slight challenge. Every week there was reading from the textbook, which wasn't too much. Her tests were fair. I put alot of effort and studying for her tests and got an A, A-. She can be intimidating at times, but if you state and prove your opinion well she'll respect you. If your willing to work takeit
She talked very quickly and had an accent that was hard to understand at times. I went to every lecture and took intensive notes and still didn't receive a good grade at the end of the semester. She was an extremely harsh grader and took points off even for grammar mistakes. SOC with her as a professor was terrible.
You need to read everything she gives you because she tests on the most minute details. She assigned the final assignment-a four page paper- at 10 pm on Tuesday when it was due at 10 am Thursday. She doesn't give guidance on the group project and will tear you apart. With that being said, her midterm and final is easy as long as you read the books.
The professor is really smart and she makes comments that this class is so easy compared to her schooling in India which is annoying. She makes sassy comments, and as long as they aren't pointed at you, shes really funny. She expects you to think critically, which is good. Overall, I loved her class.
I walked into the class thinking that it would be interesting and was sadly disappointed. She is a nice lady but a horrible lecturer. It is extremely hard to take notes because she speaks very quickly and has an accent which is slightly hard to comprehend (only when she speaks as quickly as she does). Tests are good, should attend lectures.
VERY rude, mean, and belittling. Sits on desk in front of room and talks at lecture hall, angry and belittling if we don't know answer to question. Unhelpful. Snobby; if the question is an opinion question only her opinion is the right answer. I'm scared to raise my hand in lecture. Late every lecture, even the last test we took. Bad experience.
Horrible teacher. I thought I liked sociology and wanted to major in it, but this professor changed my mind. With a professor like this, I don't know if I even want to continue at this University. She is snobby and hates America, mean and white people in general.
I basically passed this class thanks to my TA. I barely learned a thing from lecture, she can be difficult to understand. In addition, she does not prepare any slides so it's hard to go along with what she is saying. She also skips around a lot. I don't think she's a terrible teacher but she definitely does not extend effort to help you out.
Horrible teacher. Her final is insane and she gives such a short amount of time to complete it. She does not prepare any slides and talks at her students. Studying for tests are impossible because there is no clarity in her notes. She is snobby and scary. Don't take any class with her! Worst professor I've ever had.
Professor Sarkar definitely knows what she's talking about. You can fall a little behind in class but be sure you've read everything for the tests. Almost nobody in my class got a good grade on the midterm and a lot of people dropped the class. Still, the class was interesting and she gives good feedback on everything you do/say.
Professor Sarkar can come off as condescending and she can get snippy with people who share their opinions. Her grading criteria is very unclear and she usually can't explain the grades that she gives you or how to improve. There are also very few grades which makes it hard to do well. Still, the class was so interesting I'd take it again.
Amazing professor - she's a bit harsh for an underlevel class, but she's very principled and hilarious! Definitely makes the class topics interesting. I will at me she's a harsh dresser, but if you pay careful attention to her lectures, you should be fine. Really a personable and inspirational professor!
Professor Sarkar is definitely one of the harsher professors, especially for underlevel classes, but she's by far one of the greatest and most interesting lecturers. She keeps things hilarious and to the point, and might come off condescending at times, but she knows her stuff.
DO NOT take this class because she will ruin your GPA. I absolutely hate this class because her lectures are all over the place (she goes out of order, there is no visual presentation to follow, and she just repeats the textbook), her tests comprise of 3 extended response questions, and she is NOT open to different opinions. Worst decision I made.
If you are taking this class for an easy gen ed, THINK AGAIN!! This professor is very unclear during lectures (no powerpoints) and you have no idea what is going on half the time. DO NOT take this class, the TA's also aren't very helpful. Buy the textbook if you do take this class because it might guide you in the right direction of what she wants.
Took this class thinking, hey this seems cool. Nope. So many books and movies (watched in class) that you need to know. Tests: only two - all short answers which if you don't know key points you're screwed. Final being only two three page essays, not bad if there was any more detail given. 0/10 wouldn't take again.
She is not the best at connecting the material. The tests are not always related to lecture notes, and the textbook is not helpful at all. I attended all of the lectures and tutorials, studied for hours on tests but still did not do well in the class. I wouldn't take this class because you learn nothing about sociology.
If you're not "synthesizing" information and writing word for word answers on the tests, you won't get a decent grade. Tests have no curve and awful grading criteria. Super difficult readings and boring lectures.
unclear grading criteria, doesnt follow syllabus, isnt receptive or openminded, boring lectures for 3 hours that made no sense, i regret not listening to rate my professor when i signed up for the class - dont take this and make the mistake i did
Worst professor I've ever had on this campus. She is boring as anything and it has to be her way or no way. Her two tests are useless and have nothing to do with some of the movies you watch or reading you do. Your grades are based on two tests, a final paper, and discussions. Horrible avoid at all costs. AVOID IT I WARN YOU
Worst class in my four years at Binghamton. I would not suggest taking this course with this professor.
Mahua is one of the worst teachers I've ever had. I wish I followed the feedback telling me not to take this class, but I'm in it now and I'm miserable. Your whole grade is based off three grades and she doesn't explain where you lose points and all of the questions are so oddly specific. She is extremely judgemental and degrading, don't take it!!!
If I could give her a zero I would. She's such a tough grader with no information on how to get good grades. Absolutely hate this class. Studied over 4 hours for the last test and barely got a 70.
Your grade is based on three things - two midterms and one final paper. I've failed both midterms. Weekly tutorials are boring and drone on forever. I've done the reading and studied lots and yet I can't seem to pass this class. It's for a gen ed, but honestly... I wouldn't recommend it.
She isn't prepared for lectures, and will randomly call on people to participate when she runs out of things to talk about. She encourages questions, but will make you feel stupid. She gives confusing lectures, if you ask her to clarify she'll refuse. The only reason I did well was my wonderful TA Busra, who explained everything during Discussion
Knowledgeable professor who makes the info interesting. lecture ranges from her verbalizing information to watching movies or discussing readings. only two tests and the final essay plus participation and attendance are counted for the total grade
As the semester went on she got lazy and put on a documentary everyday then forced people to talk about it in lecture. Test open ended questions are impossible because if you don't write the exact answer she wants you get a lot of pointa off. She wants people to participate but then makes you feel dumb for answering. Got an -A because of my TA.
Prof. Sarkhar is a very intelligent woman with every good intention when it comes to teaching. She is tough, but her class prepares you for rigorous college work. Take good notes during lectures and do the readings and you'll be fine. She can be sort of sassy/aggressive at times, but is nice and funny overall. Her class is test heavy, so study!
Prof. Sarkar definitely knows her stuff, but can be slightly condescending. She is at times funny but can also be very aggressive and snippy. Her tests are easy, but the grading is so harsh that it makes it almost impossible to get a good grade. Grading is ridiculous- only wants VERY specific word for word answers for open ended questions.
Terrible. If you have an option to not take it then don't. There are three grades: two midterms and a final paper. They seem easy enough but she grades so randomly and harshly its impossible to do well. You have to write EXACTLY what she wants. Shes rude and condescending then wonders why no one participates. Also makes you buy/rent like 13 books.
This might be kind of a hot take, I love Prof. Sarkar I highly recommend her. You have to work for your grade, as her tests are typically all open-ended, but have no fear if you grind and read the sources you'll do great. Super intelligent and funny, and such an amazing woman, seriously one of the smartest people I know. Go to office hours too!
Horrible
Her class was the only class that gave me anxiety to go to. I feel like I would've liked the material with any other professor. She is very knowledgeable, but is extremely condescending and downright aggressive to students who try to participate in class, and then wonders why no one wants to participate. Don't just walk, RUN from her. Not worth it.
Just wow. The content itself (readings, concepts, etc.) is not that difficult but Professor Sarkar makes this class the most anxiety-inducing and upsetting on my schedule. If someone doesn't agree with her, she completely tears them down and then gets angry when no one wants to participate and subject themselves to her wrath. Don't take her!
The grading part of this course is mostly up to the TAs, however, Professor Sarkar does all the lectures & writes the exams. She doesn't allow you to express your opinion during the lecture if you do & she doesn't agree with you " you're wrong. " Definitely made me like I can't even talk during class. The readings are long and must keep up with it
She mainly did all the speaking during lectures and wasn't clear on what her expectations were. My TA wasn't the clearest either and when I met with him to go over my exam he told me the notes I copied directly from the prof was wrong and took points off for not writing the maximum number of pages for the exam.
Worst class I've ever taken. She is aggressive during lecture and makes you feel stupid when expressing your opinion and says you're wrong if she doesn't agree with you so no one likes to participate. Grade based off 2 short answer tests and a final essay. They're graded pretty hard and you have to write the max amount to get full credit basically.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
69%
Textbook Required
30%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.06 avg changeRatings by Course
SOC300
5.0
(1)CLASS01
5.0
(1)SOC480R
4.0
(1)SOC101
3.8
(5)SOC278
3.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
SOC278
5.0
SOC100A
4.1
SOC480R
4.0
SOCIOLOGY100B
4.0
CLASS01
4.0