Usha Menon

School: Drexel University
Department: Anthropology
Location:Philadelphia, PA
Overall Rating
rated by 18 students
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 Pros: - extremely brilliant
- extremely caring
- super passionate about her content area
- excellent class discussions
Cons: - sometimes hard to follow in class because she gets super excited about the material
- writes class notes exclusively on the chalkboard in occassionally illegible handwriting
I have taken Usha for three straight terms in a row and have been mesmerized by the depth and breadth of her academic knowledge and ability to engage students in her classes. I have learned so much and explored so many concepts in 365, 310, and 255 and I believe that she is without a doubt one of the best professors I've taken classes with in my three years at Drexel.
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 Menon is one of the smartest professors I've ever had; you can tell she really knows her stuff and cares that you understand what she's saying. Oftentimes she'll split class time between summarizing the text and asking for the students' thoughts, and she does a good job acting as a moderator and as a devil's advocate where applicable, though she's never rude about it. Her papers and exams are fairly straightforward - there aren't any real surprises as long as you've been paying attention in class.
The only annoying thing is that her handwriting can be hard to read on the board, and since she can talk fast sometimes it's not always easy to write down notes on everything she says.
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 Pros: Good teacher, helpful, organized
Cons: Hand writing on the board is a little hard to understand
A very fair teacher and easy class. Just do the work and you will get an A.
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 Overall a great teacher. She cancels classes alot. You have to read the textbook alot though, but the tests overall should be really easy.
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 Awesome teacher! Her tests are kind of hard, but she lets you pick what format they are in, i would pick a mix of multi choice and extended response... Shes a really lady, the only complaint is that attendance is mandatory and all her notes are hand written on the board which is a bit of a pain. But other then that I would take her again any day!
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 Pros: You actually learn something. This woman knows her stuff and it is very obvious- no textbook reading in front of the class and it is much appreciated!
Cons: Can get a little boring
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 Usha is a wonderful professor. She is very intelligent and a very sweet woman. I loved this class; one of the best I've taken at Drexel. The class is not particularly challenging but it isn't a no-brainer. There is a lot of reading, but fortunately it's actually interesting. There's a lot of note-taking, but the exam and final paper can be studied for simply through the notes since there's so much information. She is a fair grader and the workload is not very demanding at all. I highly recommend both this class and professor
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 Absolutely love her!!! For this to be one of the classes with the least amount of work....I learned SO much more...she makes class fun and encourages critical thinking as well as a reevaluation of your own thoughts and opinions...The textbook was phenomenal...easy read and interesting.... and all we did was have presentation on 1 or 2 chapters during the term and then a midterm and a final...the class was a success partly because the students taught each other rather then her shoving a bunch of lecture notes at you...would definitely take again
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 I really enjoyed having class with her. She gives a lot of notes, so come prepared to write a lot. Her explanations are very clear and you will learn a lot. The workload isn't terrible, just be sure to re-read the material before the exams so that you can explain the concepts fairly knowledgeably and you shouldn't have a problem. Most of the homework is reading, so it's not too bad. She's a very nice and intelligent lady; I would definitely take class with her again.
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 Dr. Menon is the best professor at Drexel. She is inspiring and very encouraging. While she may put down her students in class (I've been scolded for a silly comment once) and get mad if you don't do the readings, she's still a teacher who will push you and force you to open your mind to new ideas and opinions. I encourage everyone to take her classes. You'll learn a lot.
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 Usha Menon is one of my favorite professors at Drexel. She is extremely intelligent and is inspiring. She has alot of class discussions which are informative, interesting and thought provoking. Contrary to what others said, I thought she treated each student's opinion with respect, even if it was different from her own. She is a very kind woman and actually cares about students, which is something you don't see much in college professors. I will be taking more classes with her!
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 She really cares for her students and this is definately a discussion oriented class. Her grading is easy and there is a lot of reading to do. She never really explains things and doesnt keep your attention very well.
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 this class was rather boring and not at all about anthropology. i wished i had withdrawn when i learned that i had to write 20 pages of pure bullshit for her papers.
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 Drexel needs more teachers like her. She's one of the best.
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 I'm not sure why Dr. Menon's rating is so low, but everyone needs to understand what a great teacher she is. Opinions are encouraged and class discussion is a HUGE part of class. She never puts down anyones comments and her grading is fair. She is personable and is easy to make laugh. For those of you saying her classes are boring, then they must be intro classes - what intro classes aren't boring?? The professor can't help it.
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 very nice and caring teacher
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 Usha is boring. There is really no other way to descirbe that class. You can't understand her, and she writes down everything she says on the board so by the end of her class you have like 28353 pages of notes. She encourages you to speak out, but when you do she shoots down your comment and enforces her beliefs on the student. I would never take her again.
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 Professor Menon is a very intelligent woman who provokes the students to think and lead powerful class discussions. She is so nice and gentle with her students. I would definitely recommend her to a friend

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