New to Sac State. Current events, likes class participation. relates history to modern day. group quizzes + midterms. Great prof, would take her again.

Best teacher I have had. WOuld recommend her to anybody. She is hilarious and very fair. Obviously loves the subject. Very glad I had her before Lapp!

If you're interested in politics and want a fresh viewpoint on the subject, take Maria's class. Her assignments weren't all that difficult, though you have to keep up with the reading, and there's lots of it! If you came for the study sessions you knew what to expect for exams. She's one of those people who makes you feel welcome the minute you walk in the door. If you have the chance...make sure to take her!

I loved her, i cant beleive i passed with a B! haha i hate government class, sorry not my thing, but shes soo funny and doesnt get all up on politics. I wasnt bored, it was nice. I would recoomend this cool lady!

After taking her international politics class, I ended up changing my major to government. She was terrific and very encouraging.

LOVE HER! Gives a fresh view point and keeps us updated on current issues. Her jokes are actually funny too. No busy work, just 2 group quizzes, 1 easy paper and midterms.

She's nice, will crack a few jokes, gives out extra credit , very knowledgeable, and not boring, even if govt is not your subject. Takes roll everyday, but if you don't go, you're missing out on key points that she might have on tests. lectures are to clear out readings. examscan get very specific about a topic. assnmts are easy but exams kills.

She made government interesting. I went into the class thinking we would just read the book and study the structure of the government. But it was far more engaging and interesting than I thought.

She was an excellent teacher. There is a lot of reading, but the quizes were group. All the material on the midterm and final are discussed in class, so attendance is key, but not all that required. She is really nice and she gives a very handy study guide sheet before the midterms and final, so it makes it a lot easier to study for.

She's a fun professor to listen to..has a great sense of humor, but I have to agree a lot of her questions on the exams DON'T relate to the materials in class.

Take tons of notes and prepare for extremely difficult tests, but she's pretty fair and grades nicely on papers and essay questions. Tons of extra credit and her lectures are pretty interesting, not to mention her intelligent, but very funny humor.

She was an excellent teacher! At first, she seems intimidating but after the first lecture she brings out her humor! Take lots of notes & ask questions. Keep up with the readings. The exams are hard, but she offers extra credit. One research paper. I'm already signed up for another one of her classes. She is very approachable.

I hate government, but somehow she made it interesting! She offers a lot of extra credit, which I found helped me learn more. 2 Midterms, 2 papers, a final, attendance and group quizzes with a couple class activities. She is an awesome teacher who knows how to get student's attention and lecture in a non-dry way. I would definitely take her again.

Class was pretty easy esp. with the extra credit offered. She lectures a lot but it is pretty interesting and she sprinkles her dry humor throughout. I'd recommend her for any class she teaches.

Very smart lady with an arsenol of experience in the political world. The text book was written by her and is used in Universities across the country. The tests are very hard and taking notes in her class is critical in obtaining a passing grade. The assigned reading is also a must if one wants to pass. There is extra crdt. Great Prof!

Had her; gov 1, gov 35 and gov 139g. Great professor very fun and likely the most knowledgeable in the department. in lower devision offers a lot of EC. Upper division be prepared to write but learn a lot. Reading is a must! Always available to answer questions & always clear provides students every opportunity to succeed & more highly recommended

She is a funny, smart and lovely woman. Def take her! Fairly easy if you do the work (which isn't very hard). I don't care too much for the subject but I actually learned a lot and enjoyed the class!

Also had her for Gov 1. She is great. One of my favorite professors. Fantastic, dry sense of humor. Very knowledgable. In particular, the material in 139 was fascinating. As for Gov 1, she makes the class much more interesting than it would be with other professors - puts her own special spin on it whci his appreciated!

She's great and hilarious! Her jokes are hecka funny, but can also be hit and miss. The class is really interesting and she explains things very well. Her tests can be hard, but studying lecture notes and from the book is necessary. Group quizzes are easy. I highly recommend this class

Great teacher, thought she was going to be very difficult but easy to talk to and interested in class participation. Stay abreast of current events, and participate in discussions. She has a great sense of humor, smart humor and cultural references. The test are multi. & essay; multi is HARD- read the book take notes and study!

Dr. Sampanis is an excellent teacher. Like most of the Govt dept, she is a challenging teacher. She expects you to come to class prepared and to read the materials. The class is very interesting and there is much discussion involved. She gives great insight and is an excellent teacher. Her class is challenging, but she also offers plenty of E.C.

This class was most definitely challenging. I did miss a lot of class for health reasons, so that set me back. If you want to do well, you HAVE to read everything, and take notes on everything, and participate in the discussions. Midterm m/c (for me) was very difficult. Study hard, work hard, she is funny and really nice and understanding!

I really like her lectures. They are direct and structured. The exam questions were exactly from the lectures in class so take good notes. Her T.A's are fun and helpful if you need assistance. She offers e.c. so you will be fine.

This professor's lectures are structured and she knows what she's talking about. There's a lot to read, and you've got to do it ALL! The tests are tough and this class does NOT act as an intro class

There are TONS of readings that must be done if you don't want to fail her test. Her test are extremely difficult because they deal with specifics of the readings and her lectures (take good notes and go to class everyday) She offers tons of extra credit though just DO IT ALL and you will be fine! She's also very knowledgable and approachable!

Soooooooooooo much extra credit. If you're motivated, you can pass with an A. I got C's on her exams, but A's on everything else. Take her!

Great Professor! Very knowledgeable. Interesting and thought provoking lectures that manage to get you excited and interested about government. Just get ready to read A LOT.

Look. Its a government class. That means you need to read. That means at least 50 pages per class session. You are in godd**n college now this is the kind of s**t that happens. She also gives out a lot of extra credit so you can make up the work you screw up on. Be a good student and work! I would hope in a college course I would have to study!

Dr. Sampanis is wonderful! Her lectures can be dry, but when she turns the class over to the students it gets so much more interesting. There is unlimited extra credit by way of intelligence briefs. Write as many as you need to and you get an A. Or you can participate actively in the simulation exercise.

she cares about each student you do not need to read to pass only one paper make sure you pay attention in class but hands down the best professor

Dr. Sampanis is intelligent, articulate, and passionate about her chosen field. I'd never had a particular interest in political science before but was so inspired I'm thinking about adding it as a minor. She is thoughtful and always ready to give you any help you need, and goes the extra mile to help you learn and be successful in her class.

The professor is really sweet and caring as well as easy to approach. This class is mostly presentations because you are supposed to do plenty of intelligence briefs in order to pass. You also have the option to present. Most of the class during the semester was all presentations from intelligence briefs. Briefs are easy just takes time. Do a bunch

One of my favorite government professors! Cares a lot about her students and makes sure there's variety in her teaching method. There is a bit of writing with 5 case studies from 500-750 words and 5 exploration prompts 250 words each. The midterm and final are challenging but she offers a bunch of extra credit.

Dr. Sampanis is wonderful and she really tries to make the content fun. There are so many extra credit opportunities so take advantage of them! The tests are a bit tricky since you use information from three different textbooks. Also, almost no one gets full points on assignments but, if you do well, youll still get a high score so dont stress.

Very funny teacher, although I don't like how she structures her lessons, she is a good teacher

Professor Sampanis is extremely intelligent and it shows during her lectures. There was no structure to the lecture which made it a bit difficult to follow her, though she did make a huge effort to get people involved in the lecture. The Woll book will be your best friend, so at least skim through the readings.

Great professor. lectures are interesting. She brings up political events that happened in the past that relate to the topics she goes over class. There was a group quiz every other class where we partnered up with classmates to answer and she tends to grade harder on these. She has quizzes on the textbook and that takes a lot of time to work on.

A lot of reading for the homework so make sure you do them because that is what the exams are mostly made up of. I loved her humor. Her teaching style does need some improvement if you are not into poli sci as it gets confusing for some. I am a poli sci major so the class was a breeze.

Her tests suck, unless you dedicated hundreds of hours to her class, you'll get a B max. BUT, she's great overall. Barely any homework and the ones you get are graded by few things. She's super easy to talk to and I feel like whoever has something bad to say about her has not taken the time to listen or read her syllabus. She's very straightforward

The class is extremely lecture heavy, but Sampanis is amazing. She is extremely knowledgeable about the topics, and you will truly learn. She is also really funny, so she connects with her classes really well. Definitely would retake this class!

I liked her as a teacher and her humor, but the coursework was different. Her lectures were entertaining to me, but unorganized. She just makes you read a lot and the weekly quizzes were pretty hard, make sure you have a good batch of group members. This class actually heightened my interest for politics though.

Professor Sampanis is a very knowledgeable and caring professor. She gives every opportunity under the sun to succeed in her class, I highly recommend as she's an absolute joy.

Sampanis has never given her own view. She always remains neutral and presents facts and allows us to make our own

Prof Maria is a great professor; her m

She is an absolutely fantastic pr

Maria Sampanis is a great professor. She is not bias and she delivers the unadulterated truth which some students cannot handle and want to run and cry to the administration. She is very accessible and caring for her students if you approach her. One of the best professors at Sac State.

A lot of people who reviewed her never took the class or go to this school. shes a great professor, never took a side on politics and was always saying that her opinion doesnt matter only the material. she did grade a bit tough with no one ever recieving a perfect grade for any written assignment. never heard any complaints from any students

She gives us clear information through her wonderful lectures, and I retain much of the information well due to my involvement in the lecture and writing of handwritten notes (which I don't do often). We are free to think what we want, consider her input, and ask questions regarding our thoughts compared or embracing hers. Gives extra credit.

She will do quizzes pretty often but they are group and open book. Do the extra credit there are a lot of assignments that are pretty low effort and well worth your time. Also, you can probably get the books from the honors lounge or previous students. The exams are online and are a mix of multiple choice and free response.

I didn't buy the book for this class and I kinda wish I did. The topics in class are very interesting but the reading quizzes are pretty difficult. There isn't a typical structure to this class, just make sure to take notes (on paper) and show up. 3 tests and a paper are most of the grade

Dr. Sampanis is an amazing person and a very knowledgeable professor. Taking her class isn't going to be easy unless you actually engage with the materials. She is pretty understanding, and honestly, those who care about their education are going to prosper with a teacher like her to guide them.

Loved the class! She does not have slides when she lectures so you will have to listen well to take notes! There are a few textbooks required that were kind of expensive. there were few assignments, but make sure to take notes for any presentations