Really nice prof... makes the couses very interesting... materials are helpful... she explains very clearly... exams are super easy... everyone finishes within 30 min.

Awesome prof...she's so compassionate and understanding : ) Probably the best out of her department!

Really clear with her notes, goes over lots of examples in class. Prepares you well for exams.

very nice pro. Makes the course easy even for the international student.

Class is really interesting and she is a really friendly prof. Beware of the course seeming to easy as exam questions are very specific.

I took ling 100, 101, and 320 with her, I enjoyed them very much! This prof is absolutely brilliant!! Her notes and paying attention in class are what you need to do well, you dont really need the text book because she explains everything clearly. Very open-minded, fair, respect students. Marking exams in a very proficient manner.

She is awesome, she is able to clearly teach concepts that would otherwise seem incomprehensible. I had no Linguistics background before taking this class, but due to her teaching I'm doing very well in it.

She smiles a lot, very friendly when you ask her questions after class.Very clear about everything!!paying attention in class is important! buy the study guide..it will help LOTS since practice is important as well. dont bother reading the textbook, it has a lot of stuff you dont neeed to know for the course. Just follow her notes.

Easy course as long as you read the material. Notes are really good, are posted, and easy to follow. Lectures are boring sometimes but missing a couple won't hurt you. Plenty of practice material in text and online. Good course to boost your GPA.

Very helpful proffessor, extremely friendly, easy course as long as you read material and study notes, got an A

You have to go to class or keep up on the textbook reading, this is not a slacker class. If you do one of those things it is super easy, but if you don't, Good luck. Marina was a decent prof, no complaints. The TA she had (Kristina Geeraert) was awesome and should become a prof herself.

Very helpful. Definitely knows her stuff. Never boring.

Knowledgeable, but a poor teacher. You will need to attend every class (tough when she makes it so unbearably boring, not that Ling is fun to begin with) and constantly review your notes. Exams were kind of unfair and tricky. Unfortunately she's one of the only Ling profs at the U of A.

Dr. Blekher was perfect:interesting class,posted her notes online,very clear,and the tests were a joke.Don't even buy the textbook or the study guide though,unless you are going to major in Linguistics.My only issue with her is that her e-mail responses came across as being a little rude.Whatever.Marina is a cute Russian doll though.

A really good class. The notes were posted online and were very detailed; I didn't end up using the textbook much. The lectures were occasionally repetitive, but she also gives a LOT of in-class examples and practices; as long as you attend class, the problems on the exams should be fine - they're all very similar to the practices.

Her notes are extremely clear and as far as I am concerned, as long as you know the notes and do her practise questions, you will be fine on exams. No tricks. Be prepared to work hard for every extra percent since everybody does well in the class and it is scaled.

Her notes are so straight forward, and that is exactly what she tests on. Attendance is NOT mandatory, but still helpful and she really explains things so you understand them, but the course is passable based on reading only notes. Even so, she is a really nice and helpful prof, and her class is enjoyable considering the sometimes dull material.

Very, very nice prof! You can tell that she has a passion for teaching students. She really is supportive of class involvement, and is very approachable. Her tests are very straightforward, and you can get by the course without the text. She posts sample questions/exams online. Review everyday for this course and you'll be fine. Great teacher!

Like everyone said so far: It is an easy course but you HAVE TO STUDY HARD since everyone gets good grades. My class average was insane which made me drop (although in reality I had a 93% in the class, I was scaled down to a B+. She is a good teacher though, and makes sure you understand what is going on.

I don't know what the previous reviewer is talking about.I barely went to class,didn't read from the textbook(only notes), only studied one day before each of the 2 exams,started the two homework assignments late the night before they were due, and, after all of my slacking, still got a 93% which was an A for my final mark.I learned nothing!

I don't know why people are ripping her here. She is so nice and easy. I skipped every class excpet the midterms and final, and I got an A+. Total GPA boost, don't need the text or the class, notes are all online. She doesn't care if you skip class. Easy easy A+, no need to go to class. I studied maybe an hour b4 each test. Take her class. So easy.

This teacher is so easy. Do not have to come to class and still easy get at least an A. Just go through her notes once and forget the textbook, and you'll be fine. I studied for an hour before the test and I got an A with a 80% grade. I don't what everyone else is talking about but this class is EASY. GPA rocket booster for those premed students A+

Class discussions were pretty useless, please don't waste $40 on an i-clicker it doesn't affect your grade at all. Just memorize her notes and you'll do fine. Didn't even read the textbook.

This class was a breeze. I think that it's important to go to classes for clarification of her notes. A definite GPA booster.

Class is fairly easy but lectures should be attended. Most test material comes out of the lectures and the textbook is more complicated than the course. The most important thing is PRACTICE! do the review, do the assignments just practice, once u can do the practice, the exams are a breeze. Unfortunately cheating is rampant so expect a high avg.

I seriously dont think ive ever had a course this easy in my life. This course is easier than CALM at high school. This course is so easy, it should be illegal.I dont even know why it's allowed to be taken. Seriously, take the freeking course and enjoy your free A+ that comes with it. Best decistion of my university career.

Amazing and kind lady. Her main interest is the student's understanding of the material. Keep it up Marina :)

I absolutely love her! She is so passionate about the subject that you can't help but want to know more. The only bad thing is that the average is so high that you have to get about a ninety on the first midterm to be average. It drops off after that, but it is still exceptionally high. Great class, though!

material isnt very hard but in order to get a good grade you need to basically get a 100 on every exam Class average overall was over 80% and she curves that to be a B-, she's a nice person but be very careful taking this class it could rly hurt your mark if not treated like all your other classes

best prof ever. shes soo happy teaching it makes me smile. i never knew scentence structure could make anyone so joyful. haha. need to attend to understand notes, but she makes it fun. class ave. was crazy high..85 fisrt mid, 82 second, 80 final.

great prof! really easy class if you put effort..just take her class. the only question is the average score is too high...

Took 101, 100, 204 with her. very easy professor. go to class, get the notes and problem answers, read and memorize the notes for all 3 classes. do all the problems she gives,and do the practice exam...A+. Not difficult material either (especially if youre a science/engineering student). Final can be studied for in a day

Marina is very clear, far and to the point. Her notes are the only thing that matters; don't bother with the text book-I opened it once the entire semester. The only downfall is that the midterm is 40% of your mark and the final is 50%. Study hard and you'll do great! She's just so cute!!

I absolutely love her as a prof. She speaks slowly, and has clear notes. She makes sure everyone understands before continuing on in the lecture. The exams are fairly easy as long as you read the notes. Going to class is definitely a plus, and skimming is all that is necessary of the textbook. Unfortunately the average is fairly high.

Easy, easy, easy. She really dumbed down the final after the class did fairly poorly on the midterm.Blekher has won awards for her ability to teach large classes.I highly recommend her as she is the best lecturer at the U. I got an A+. Breeze of a class and a GPA booster.

Marina said you don't have to know the names of the theorists, then on her final, she had questions that were essentially a who's who testing on all the theorists. Not cool. Her class is fun and dynamic. It is genuinely enjoyable to be in her classroom. She makes you feel important and valued. It's a shame her exam wasn't what she said it would be.

this course is the biggest joke of life compared to any science course. there is so little material and her exams are straight out of her notes. easy A, please take it! marina is i teresting abd awesome too!

Marina is an incredible professor, she is super helpful and her classes are so interesting. She is probably my favorite prof so far at the University. Doesn't use the textbook much, but teaches you everything you need to know.

Marina is an awesome prof- very clear at explaining concepts and gives great examples, particularly on the tricky topics. She's very nice and approachable too. Textbook isn't really needed, but you must do practice questions to get a good mark. They're not hard though.. put in a bit of effort and you'll ace it.

Most straightforward easy A class. Tests straight out of her notes and reuses old exams. Study, and get an A. Dont study, and whine about the curve

Marina is an excellent prof. She is clear about the concepts and is great if you need additional help. With a bit of studying this can be an easy A course. Also, the class is marked on the curve. The textbook isn't really necessary, although the additional practice problems are helpful.

A somewhat difficult class made easier by Marina. She puts all her notes on eClass, so you don't really need to go to class. However, that may have been my biggest downfall, so I do recommend going because her verbal explanations of her notes are better than you just reading them. Hardly uses the textbook, though. An overall good prof!

Very nice prof, and loves the subject she teaches. Her tests are very easy and fair as long as you study. Only needed textbook for practice questions. Although, I wouldn't recommend this class, it was interesting but, the curve will kill you. Highest grade that was given was -A :( and 85% was the average so -B was 85%......

Great teacher. The class average on all the tests in really high so you need a 70 to pass most tests

easy A. don't really need to go to class but she does examples that aren't in the notes. studied for the final in 2-3 days and got 97% .

Great prof,spoonfeeds the material and genuinely wants students to do well. Recommend going to class for examples, notes are confusing if you don't attend, but she does post them online. Textbook for extra practice qs only - so it's not worth buying. Class avg is really high, but just go to class and pay attention + a few hours of studying = easy A

Marina is a great prof! She has a Russian accent but still easy to understand! She is very helpful in her office hours and explains concepts very clearly. This class is easy if you attend!

Marina is a pretty good lecturer for a class that is impossible to be interested in. Her exams are similar to he practice exams and class notes/examples. Went to 65% of the classes and walked out with an A. THIS IS THE GPA BOOSTER CLASS.

She is a good prof. She puts all her notes and exercise online. in-class practices r useful to understand the contents. exams are very close with sample. She gives study guide after sample exam.And PLEASE make sure you study everything on study guide b4 exam.textbook is not worth to buy,

Very nice prof that is willing to clarify concepts during office hours and has crystal-clear lectures where you get to practise lots. She also has a sarcastic sense of humor. Textbook needed only for practices and for reading about concepts

Very thorough in classes, definitely better to attend and listen to what she's saying rather than scribbling out notes the entire time as she posts everything online. I'd recommend printing out her materials before each class so you can follow along easier. All together a great prof.

I really enjoyed the lectures, her notes were very helpful. However, the exams, although very similar to the in-class problems, were very very tough. Lots of people got lower marks than they should have.Great prof. Wouldn't recommend to take the class.

Marina is a very elegance Russian lady with tiny beautiful accent. Her course is well organized and close-related with exams however the final is a bit hard and i got a lower mark than what i thought to be. the course average is B- (2.66). not highly but still recommend.

Marina was delightful & friendly. Tests straightforward. Easily pass as long as u study (though course material itself not easy for all)Humble & willing to help. Even about 4 years after finishing my studies, I emailed her to ask her advice on a personal language-related issue and she promptly responded with advice - noting she remembered me well.)

Marina is in fact a lovely teacher. She is nice and pleasant to deal with. The class has: long and dry lectures, memorization of all slides and then two heavily weighted tests. The tests are usually alright, but that is if you memorized all the slides. Its a cumulative class. It's an arduous long march on a topic that often gets dry.

Overall enjoyed the class, more because of the content than the prof. Marina is, however, very clear in expectations and lectures, and overall was a low-key class. A little cold and sarcastic in personality, but nothing to be freaked about.

easy prof, all her notes and worksheets are posted online. Will be a very easy class if you are willing to put some effort into it. May seem a bit cold, but she is very helpful when you ask!!

Good Prof, but I was a bad student. She posts all notes online, and uses class time for examples. Take the class she's real good

Tests can be pretty long, but she grades very fairly. You don't have to read the textbook if you go to class, but you should really know your stuff for exams. If you know your stuff, it's not a hard class what so ever.

Dr Blekher has an amazing love of languages. She provides interesting examples of foreign languages for every concept discussed. Lectures can be dry but not because of the prof. Only graded items are two midterms and a final. Tests are reasonable and short - lots of extra practice is available in-class and online. Overall, a lovely teacher!

She was a gem. There is lots to cover in the lectures, but she allowed plenty of time for discussion. Our only assignments were informal discussion responses online and they really helped with learning all the material. She's easy to have a conversation with after class, and grades fairly.

Dr. Blekher is very clear during her lectures and makes otherwise uninspiring material interesting. Her notes are very thorough and all you really need to study for the exams. It is necessary that you attend class, however, as she goes through many exercises and examples which are the bulk of what you will need to do on the exams.

Explains things well. Big on in-class problem solving, which I found to be a lifesaver when it came to remembering concepts.I enjoyed her class. Would definitely take a class of hers again.

Marina is a very good prof. Aside from her thick russia accent, everything is conveyed very clearly and the material that needs to be studied is clear. Highly recommend to come to class. Textbook goes further but she will explain everything you need too know. Please try to engage with her during class, it makes her feel better and you'll more.

Marina is a really amazing. Her lectures are clear but dry sometimes. You need to attend class if you want to understand the material. You don't need the textbook at all. There is no homework or tests other than 2 midterms and a final. As long as you attend lectures, you only need to study the day before the exam to pass.

This class requires a lot of work and practice put into it, but the prof gives lots of time in class trying to help us understand the concepts.

Marina is one of my favourite ling profs! Her lectures and tests don't tend to stray from the slides, so you don't really have to go to class (but she's really sweet so why not?). Her tests are kind of difficult. Make sure you know terms and definitions really well. Overall, really enjoyed this class!

Marina Blekher is a great teacher. She is good at explaining difficult concepts and her notes are very clear and easy to study from. She is very professional and her English is better than mine (though her native tongue is Russian). She makes linguistics interesting and is definitely passionate about it. I would recommend this course and this prof.

This is not an easy A class. Lots of memorization. Marina is really approachable and willing to help. Textbook is not needed but there were some good test prep questions.

Marina is sweet and very understanding. Her exams are very fair too. Lecture is mandatory as she does examples in class that are necessary for the exam. The class is easy if you in put some work and make sure you have your ipa down. However, only take ling if you are genuinely interested in it as it can be dry and boring if you dont enjoy it.

Marina is a very organized and clear lecturer. She's also very respectful when students approach her. The course had far too much information, and she moves too quickly. This just wasn't the course for me.

Really kind prof! Her exams are based entirely on the lecture slides, so understand those and you should be fine. All her slides are posted online, making attendance not mandatory.

I would definitely recommend Marias class. She clearly has a passion for linguistics and tries to make the lectures as interesting as possible. She always goes through tons of examples and there arent any surprises on her tests. She always wants to make sure you get all the marks you deserve on tests and is a very fair marker. Overall great prof.

She genuinely wants you to be successful. All lecture notes are posted with lots of practice examples. Attend lectures as she goes through tons of examples to help you understand the concepts. However, if you have zero interest in the subject and would not put some effort in, this will not be a GPA booster. Otherwise, enjoy and have an easy A.

A very good prof! Her lecturers included a lot of examples and she is always willing to answer questions and clarify any confusing concepts! There are no surprises at all on any of her exams and 90% of the exam are questions that are done in class. The final was harder than her other exams but that's only because I studied last minute!

A very wonderful prof, her notes and explanations are always very clear and she takes time to go through examples in class and clear up any confusions. She outlines what's to be expected on tests very clearly so there are no surprises but she is very picky when marking, however, it is linguistics so those details do actually matter, but be careful

Though she is definitely a tough marker she explains concepts very well and is clear of what she expects on her tests, so really if you just attend class and listen everything is pretty simple. She takes time to go through examples as well as address any student questions quite clearly. she's picky about notation but to be expecte from a ling class

With a rather boring subject matter lectures didn't feel too heavy or overbearing, even in a 3 hour lecture. She was always very respectful and helpful. She uses examples in class that are very helpful and doesn't post answers to them online so going to class is definitely helpful, but not necessarily mandatory as the exercises aren't for marks.

wish there was more than just 2 midterms and a final for your marks. She is a very good professor and always tries to make sure you understand with lots of practice questions both in class and out of class available. The class itself was very hard, and you should know by the first midterm if you need to drop it or not

Dr. Marina was overall a really great prof, very clear and concise. Ling 101 is black and white: you either get it or you don't. Practice a little every night and you will be an expert in no time! Your mark is based on exams almost entirely. She can get frustrated with student's questions, but that didn't seem to stop students :)

Dr. Blekher is very passionate. Linguistics was not easy for me but she does a good job of breaking things done. She gives LOTS of examples in class and good reviews before tests. She puts in effort to ensure students understand concepts.

Put slides online but when she gives homewrk, she goes over the answers in class & doesnt always put the answers online. I skipped class a lot so have empty homework pages cuz I never got the answers. She talks fast so have to type fast or go over her slides on ur own. Loved her tho & taking another class with her! Only midterms and final r graded.

Marina is such a gem because she really cares about what she teaches. Her lectures were a bit boring but they prepare you really well for exams. If you go to class and take some notes youre guaranteed a good grade.

She is kind and wanted to give the first years attending her class as authentic as an experience as she could give. She was quite polite and very careful with the use of mics and recording people's faces during lectures. If you asked her a question, she wouldn't exactly answer it, though. She gave plenty of worksheets to practice with, too.

I had Marina for LING 101 last year in person and LING 204 this semester online. Both times her slides were very straightforward and I didn't need to use the textbook to understand concepts. Lectures are pre-recorded and we had weekly Zoom meetings to discuss the material. Exams are fair and I really liked taking this class with her!

Marina was lovely and really adapted to online lessons very well. Her lectures were not too heavy and there were several chances to discuss with other students as well. She also makes her expectations about answers very clear. Overall she made LING really enjoyable to learn about and I would definitely love to take more courses with her later on.

I've taken two of her classes and both have been great. Her lectures are clear and comprehensive. I found that reading the textbook was good for extra learning, but her lectures were my primary way of learning. Definitely bases some test questions on the textbook, especially the practice questions that we do in class. Really well structured online

I could feel free to ask her question. she is really nice!

Her lectures were clear and straightforward. There was a lot of interactive elements to her class, but participation was not mandatory. She provides a lot of useful practice material / recommended problems! Exams were fair and similar to practice material.

Her lectures complimented the textbook well, which was easy to read through. The open book tests made it very easy. You do not need to memorize the English IPA, but I found that it helped if you did. Her lectures were boring and I found the textbook to be helpful for ways to approach problems.

I have had her for quite a few classes now and I highly recommend. She is such a sweetheart and a fair grader overall. However, her lectures can be a bit boring.

Dr. Blekher was a wonderful professor! Her lectures were very interesting, and she always explained the material clearly. Used LOTS of great examples that helped clarify concepts. Tests were all open book, with no surprise questions at all. The sweetest professor I've ever had, and she took her time to make sure we understood. 10/10 recommend!! :)

amazing prof but the course was a bit tough. 4 quizzes worth about 10% each and 1 final worth over 40%. content starts off easy then gets quite tough, and personally i found that there were too many questions for the time allotted. lectures were dry but i enjoyed her class thoroughly!

Dr. Blekher was amazing! She always had clear expectations and outlined what we needed to know for every test. There is a learning curve in the beginning, but if you put in the initial work the rest of the course will be very doable. She makes linguistics so approachable and makes me want to take more classes!

Dr. Blekher is great! She responds to emails very quickly and gives good feedback. I rarely used the textbook because the slides are thorough and attending lectures are more than enough. 4 open book quizzes worth about 50% and a final exam worth 40% which was very straightforward and had no surprises. I highly recommend this professor!

You get what you put in. Everything in this class builds upon itself, if you pay attention at the beginning the class is a cake walk, but if you ball behind playing catch up is very difficult. Dr Blekher is an amazing professor, lots of in-class work and opportunities to practice/ask questions. Gives you all the tools needed to succeed.

I have been lucky enough to have Marina twice, and she is easily one of my favorite profs at the uni. Her tests are incredibly well written and very fair. Her lectures are well paced, interesting, and she is a very eloquent speaker. Definitely take her second language acquisition class!

Great lecturer and she does a good job going over all the topics and making them easy to understand. The content is pretty boring but that's not really her fault, as long as you pay attention and study you'll be fine

I'm so glad to have taken this class with Dr. Blekher. She is so caring, graceful, and overall an amazing professor. Always willing to answer her students' questions. Made the material SO easy to learn. 10/10 prof.

Dr. Blekher is the best! She is professional and kind. Discussions in lectures were a nice change of pace and really helped solidify learning. I really enjoyed this course and would recommend it.

I really enjoyed Dr. Blekher's class. Fall 2023 had no assignments but heavily weighted exams. Research Participation 6% Midterm One 20%, Midterm Two 30%, Final Exam 44%. It's not an 'easy A' but if you practice the examples from class and understand them inside and out, and memorize all the definitions from the slides its not a hard to reach A.

Marina is very caring and gives good feedback. She's very focused on making sure that the entire class understands the material and isn't afraid to re-explain something if someone doesn't understand the first time. She has good review days before the midterm and final and I would 100% recommend going to those.

GO TO CLASS. I found her lectures a bit dry but you cannot hope to do very well without a lot of effort. Take advantage of the discussion marks since it's an easy %20. There's a lot of memorisation involved so don't procrastinate. You have to either take the class seriously or not at all unless you're a genius or incredibly lucky on tests.

Professor Blekher makes the dry content of this class engaging. The workload is manageable if you keep up with the lectures and practice with unstuck AI. Definitely worth taking this class.

Marina was so helpful. When I missed a few classes, she helped supplement lectures I missed by sending me pre-recorded lectures from a previous online class. Very flexible with time for office hours as well. Provided so many resources and alternative practice opportunities!

She is a good prof, but the lectures are very boring and I wish they were more engaging. The exams are a bit demanding but not overly complicated and she gives helpful review classes before each of them. If you prefer classes that don't focus a lot on theories I would not recommend taking this class.