Reviews of professor Mara Marin

Rating: 1.0/5, difficulty: 4.0/5
Marin is very unclear, and pretty unreasonable as a professor. It begins with the syllabus. The professor is also unhelpful in class whenever somebody has a genuine question; if she doesn't know what to say, she basically deflects the question, as opposed to working to figure it out in class.

Rating: 4.0/5, difficulty: 3.0/5
I was a little skeptical to take a class with Mara because of mixed reviews but I found her great. Lectures were very well executed, and she helps students understand the text. She doesn't "shut down" students points, but she does honestly tell them if they are wrong but helps explain, and helps students understand the material. Great prof!

Rating: 1.0/5, difficulty: 3.0/5
Course is a survey but ideas are very superficial- TAs only repeat exactly what she says bc they know she's going to expect us to parrot back her interpretation of theory on tests even if we know or prefer other acceptable academic interpretations. Her choices of translation have questionable authorship and she makes it hard to use alternatives.

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 4.0/5
Dr. Marin is an excellent lecturer and is far more approachable than one might first assume. She is super accessible outside of class; go to her office hours (like with all professors) if you want to push yourself or are getting lost in the theory. This websites initial representation of her is way off. Her feedback is integral for Poli students.

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 4.0/5
I was afraid at the start, she turned out to be one of the kindest profs. I realized it's not that she shuts other opinions down, but instead many take her criticism as harsh only because she is no-nonsense and very constructive. USE OFFICE HOURS for all assignments, she will walk you through things to help you build confidence in your success.

Rating: 4.0/5, difficulty: 4.0/5
Old school professor, be prepared to critically read. However, I like that  Marin assigns page numbers and paragraphs to read that are most important to focus on. Her humor, while subtle, is enjoyable. Do the study questions she provides. It is a challenging class for me, but that's what University is meant for.

Rating: 3.0/5, difficulty: 3.0/5
Her humor goes over people's heads quite often, but if you really listen, she is hilarious! She does a good job explaining generally hard readings and concepts. Her explanations are a little eclectic and she tends to jump from point to point which is hard to follow. Participation is what gets you a good grade in lecture and tutorial.

Rating: 4.0/5, difficulty: 4.0/5
Mara Marin is actually a really good prof. She doesnt "shut down others opinions" rather she just doesn't sugar coat it, if your wrong then she'll tell you but she will also work with your idea to make sense of it. She is actually very nice and caring if you put in effort. Do the readings and attend lectures and you will learn a lot! Very nice!!