Reviews of professor Kelsey Rubin-Detlev

Rating: 3.0/5, difficulty: 4.0/5
She is a fine lecturer, but the slides won't help much so you'll have to actively take notes on what she says. The amount of required readings for the course is a bit ridiculous. Lots of the time, most people don't do the readings because it is time-consuming, which makes discussions awkward. There are three 5-7 page essays, a midterm, and a final.

Rating: 1.0/5, difficulty: 4.0/5
I usually don't write reviews on professors because they're typically fine. Prof Rubin-Detlev is an exception. She's cold, stern, rude, and condescending. I earned a B+ in the course (89.8) and she refused to round my grade up. Also, check your papers against classmates, you'll find that an incredibly written paper will earn similar marks to trash

Rating: 2.0/5, difficulty: 4.0/5
Professor Rubin-Detlev is an ehtusiastic lecuturer, but the lecutres and slide shows include mostly russian terms and historical dates which is unhelpful. In addition, the class lectures are pretty boring and frequently have nothing to do with the essays or tests. Participation is mandatory, so you have to go to class even if it is not helpful.

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 3.0/5
The class required a lot of reading, but in turn we were allowed a lot of independence in discussion. Contrary to some of her other reviews, I felt that she was very understanding when absences were needed for valid reasons. The materials were easy to engage with and debate about, and she was open-minded and encouraging during activities.

Rating: 1.0/5, difficulty: 5.0/5
Very rude and condescending. Prof Detlev doesn't accommodate to any special circumstances that may arise and is a very tough grader. Readings are over old, boring, Russian texts and unless you're SUPER into that don't bother. Getting an A was not easy and I would strongly NOT recommend.

Rating: 4.0/5, difficulty: 2.0/5
SLL 330 has very straight forward expectations and criteria - take notes, do the readings and essays on time and you will get at LEAST a B+. Professor Rubin-Detlev reviews key terms to focus on before the midterm + final (instead of you having to study everything). Many students didn't complete readings/show up, so their grades reflected that.

Rating: 1.0/5, difficulty: 4.0/5
Professor Detlev is a very tough grader. Guidlines are not specific and she will dock you points for nonsensical reasons. There is lots of reading - of boring texts - and pop quizzes over each of them. Don't take if you want an easy A. Not much homework however.