Samba Gadjigo - Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA

Professor: Samba Gadjigo

Department: Languages

College: Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: FREN219
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Samba is a brilliant scholar and he knows a lot about his subject area (French African literature and film). However, be prepared to never know what is going on. He doesn't answer emails and is very vague about assignments. He probs won't learn your name and assigns presentations haphazardly. I had no idea what my grade was until the end.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: FR219
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

The class itself was really interesting and enjoyable, he has a lot of great things to say and is very passionate. However, the assignments were very vague and I often found myself unsure of what his expectations were, and he never gave any grades on assignments to even know if I was on the right track.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: FRANCOLIT
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Samba's excellent, funny, and so good-natured! Took two classes with him and he was passionate and interesting. I would highly recommend him, though he requires a good amount of French proficiency in order to get the most out of his lectures.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: FRENCH219
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

BEST PROFESSOR IN THE FRENCH DEPARTMENT. You will learn so much about Africa, post colonial studies, and about the French language in his class. He really pushes you, and loves talking to you in office hours. His classes are more lecture-based, but you learn a lot. All classes with him are definitely worth it.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: FRE219
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

LOOVE SAMBA! BEST PROFESSOR IN THE FRENCH DEPARTMENT! Lecture-style, which I love, and he's so accessible and knowledgeable. You can also tell he's passionate about what he's teaching. One of my best classes at Mount Holyoke!

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: FREN219
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Samba is an incredible professor. Extremely knowledgeable and passionate about the subject. He was prepared for his lectures, and made them very interesting. This has been my favorite class at MHC. I learned so much and significantly improved my writing skills. I would absolutely recommend taking a class with Samba.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: ACCA
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Samba is AMAZING. He is very understanding and helpful. He is passionate about what he teaches . He picks up interesting books and class discussions are always fun. I highly recommend taking a class with him. He is a wonderful man. BEST FRENCH professor @ MHC.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: FRN341S
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Terrible. No class discussion, no motivation to do the readings, he never followed the syllabus and I found his lectures repetitive and boring. He was extremely vague about his expectations for assignments and didn't give us any grades the entire semester. Also he speaks English half the time and students didn't have many chances to speak.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: FRENC219
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

I was hoping for a class with more discussion about the literature. He prefers to lecture. I enjoyed hearing what he had to say and I learned a good deal, but it could get a bit dry. He admits that he is not tech-savvy.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: FREN120
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

love him, Love Him, LOVE HIM!!! You can't be in his class and NOT love him. Best Teacher Ever!!! His classes are so interesting, and the man is the coolest. Full of knowledge, and knows what he's about. Plus he's got 2 lovely kids(who doesn't like a prof. with good-looking sons?)Samba? I'd definitely recommend him. Pity,he's not my acad. adviser.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: FR219
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

He is a sweet and supercool. Class was extremely enjoyable. The man is brimming with facts and insights that he somehow fits into a coherent narrative of the course topic. However, it is true that you will learn more about how he thinks than the french language. Still highly recommended.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: FREN300
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

if you want to improve your french, dont take a class with him. very smart and interesting subject, but not a good teacher at all. absolutely no class discussion, he's very opinionated and dominates discussions; no debates ever. you can get away with minimal work, but your french will not improve. waste of time for three classes with him.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: FRENC219
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

I love Samba! Definitely take a class with him! Assigns really interesting texts, and the workload is very manageable. He provides a lot of feedback and lets you do a first draft for the two big papers. Very sweet and thought-provoking.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: FREN219
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

By far the best French teacher I've had at MHC. He is a beautiful man with a beautiful soul, and on top of that he's an excellent teacher. He has a way of sliding between French and English that makes incredible intuitive sense. He expects good work but is very understanding. Lots of Pass/Fail grades.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: FREN219
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

he is so sweet and laidback. he is a wonderful professor. great with the discussions. he knows his information and is passionate about it. he understands that everyone comes from different levels and encourages people to talk, telling them not to worry about making mistakes. he is an understanding professor. you get used to his accent very fast.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: FREN219
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

gadjigo is an addictive french teacher. he is extremely laid back about grades and dealines, often can be talked down from a ten page paper to a four page one within minutes. also, he teaches literature like it is a forum for cultural discussion; ive learned more about african history in this class than in my african history class last semester!!11

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: FREN219
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

I love Gadjigo - he has a Senegalese accent, it's wonderful and it provides a great mental excercise. He speaks slowly and repeats the main ideas in simple, succint ways. He understands that expression in French may be difficult for some. If ever you need help, don't hesitate to ask for help after class!

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: 219
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

I love prof Gadjigo. He is so intelligent (and funny). The material for his class is EXCELLENT.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: FREN219
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Very nice professor who'll teach you things beyond just "French literature". It was like a history, politics and French class combined. Very laidback and easygoing. Makes French fun and challenging at the same time.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: FRENCH203
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

AWEFUL!!! his accent is hard, but you get used to that. But he never shows up for classes and doesn't seem to even know where his office is. He made me hate french!