Wendy Martinek - Binghamton University (SUNY), Binghamton, NY

Professor: Wendy Martinek

Department: Political Science

College: Binghamton University (SUNY), Binghamton, NY

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: PLSC414
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Professor Martinek does expect a lot from her students and can be very tough at times but her class is so rewarding and you really learn a lot if you are willing to put the work in. She truly cares about the well-being of her students and wants them to succeed not just in class but in life. The best class I've taken at Binghamton. Great lady!

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: PLSC382
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

I almost guarantee the people complaining that she's unreasonable feel that way because they did not take it seriously. It's a lot of material, but you can get through it if you suck it up, work through the reading, and ask for help. The amount of people complaining that they had to work for their grade in a 300 level class is ridiculous.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: PLSC382
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Prof. Martinek IS helpful despite what some others have said. While it's true she sometimes grades in a way that is not at first clear, I have personally spent hours with her as she helped me bring my grade from a C to an A-. She's willing to help, but she won't hand hold; you need to show some initiative -- and I think that's perfectly fair.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: PLSC333
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Her class content isn't particularly difficult. What's difficult are unreasonable forms of testing that require you to guess at what type of info she is looking for. She can be rather arbitrary in her grading, as she allotted points to quizzes depending on her mood. She also deflects questions and is deliberately confusing during lecture.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: PLSC382G
• Grade Received: D
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

She talks like she wants to help but is extremely unhelpful. She openly tells students to complain about her to the department because she (probably) has tenure. For a really interesting class she was completely and totally unfair. She also has 8 TAs who she does not allow to help at all.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: PLSC382
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Prof Martinek is a wonderful and caring professor who goes above and beyond for her students. Ask for help and you will receive it. Get your work done early because it can and will build up.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: HARP101T
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Took her Intro to U.S. Supreme Court Harp 101 class. She was definitely a little tough for a Harp 101 class, but she was very clear with us about what she wanted with her assignments. She did give pop quizzes a lot, but she also warned us about material we should really know. She also really made an effort to be available to us! Definitely caring.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: PLSC331
• Grade Received: C+
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Do not take any class with this Professor. That is my advice to students majoring in Poli Sci or not. Worst Poli Sci Professor in the Department. Take courses with the best (Krasno, Robinson, Yates, etc...) I graduated from Bing (Poli Sci major), then George Mason with Master's in Public Policy, now working full time. My only advice to students.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: 382G
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Professor Martinek is one of the diamonds in the rough at BU. If you go to her office hours and ask for help and have conversations with her, she will save your semester. Her class is hard, but most 300-levels are. People criticize her for being mean and harsh, but those are the people who don't go to her office hours.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: PLSC
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Very boring and irrelevant. She thinks that she is a good teacher, but she is delusional. Deflects difficult questions all the time. The course was a waste of my time. If you met her by accident, you would think she works in the cafeteria!

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: PLSC111
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Her Lack of confidence shows. I don't know how she became a professor. Pretends that she knows, but we can see right through her. She tries to act tough, for no reason whatsoever. She doesn't treat students equally, so you will have to act like you care about her class. Take and forget.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: PLSC111
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

It was the hardest course ive ever taken. She makes it harder for her students to succeed. she doesnt want to be there the majority of the time and doesnt care if you get what she is professing or not. Ive never lost so much respect for anyone as I have for her and I had some dictator like professors in the past but they cared for student success

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: POLI111
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

350 characters is not enough room to explain how terrible of a teacher she is. Incredibly authoritarian (doesnt allow hoods or hats on test day, all bags placed with her, and she'll randomly assign a seat), and useless as an instructor. Picks TAs off of past grades and not grasp of material.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: PLSC111
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Don't expect to take the class if you want easy work. Make an effort to go to the lectures and use office hours. The paper will help if youre having trouble with the tests.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: PLSC111
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

The class involves a lot of hard work, and the tests require you to synthesize the material. Discussion sections are well-structured and always interesting. Professor Martinek is a good professor and very nice, but she takes the course seriously, and though lecture hall attendance is technically not required, it is much better to attend

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: PLSC111
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

There are not enough words to describe how much I regret taking this class. Her expectations are unrealistic. She clearly has issues from her past teaching experiences and there's no getting through to her. She treats the class like she has to teach you a lesson. Even the TAs complained about her in section.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: PLSC111
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

She is not a terrible teacher, she just likes to challenge her students. When I took the class I entered having an interest in Politics, I still have a reasonable interest in Politics. She did not make it easy at all what so ever, but it's college so why should she? The paper helps, just don't slack on it, and really try to come to lectures!!

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: PLSC111
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Never take this class, if you do not appear to your likeness she will make your life hell. Do not take this class, she has some serious issues with her past and takes it out on her students that don't fall under her likeness.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: PLSC111
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

I'm failing her class, but she's really great. Even her emails are stress-free. I've never been to her office hours but she was always available. I'm a transfer student so most of my classes are upper level and it's like I'm a freshman at a huge school. I blame myself for getting low scores but she's really awesome.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: PLSC111
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Prof. Martinek is an ok teacher. She keeps the class interested but can also be too dramatic sometimes and her soap box act can get a little old. The paper rubric is very strict. You can do well if you work hard, but by no means expect to get an A simply for scoring above the average/median. You get what you get, no curves, no disputes, no BS.