Saltzman-Saveker, Judy  

I think the only thing I learned from this professor is that LSD was a mind altering drug...that DEFINITELY has bad side effects. She's definitely a 70s child lost in pondering the philosophy of life and rambles off on the same tangents daily (you will be confused about the points of her stories everytime). Class is worthless to go to except she calls attendance, and her grading is completely absurd. It's all essay tests but when you get your grade back you will be shocked...it has no logic to it whatsoever. She's just another poly professor with too many screws loose. If you end up getting her, you'll definintely be wasting 4 hours a week of your life.

Bad teacher, avoid if possible. Yes the subject of religion (in this case, the origins of Christianity) might sound interesting, but she will suck the joy out of it, guaranteed. This class requires you to study like a mofo to get a good grade. Basically, just avoid this class if at all possible. If not, concentrate on the book and the notes that she will post on blackboard. While she does ramble, most of what she says you won't be held accountable for, as long as it is not in the notes.

Her lectures are nearly impossible to understand because she gets on tangents and tangents of tangents. One time her cell phone went off in class and she was yelling at the class to turn their cell phones off until she realized it was hers. To get a good grade you have to know every word in the book and her notes. A lot of the questions are really obscure even though she gives study guides for the first few quizez. Answer the study questions in the book for each chapter.

Professor Saltzman is a very intelligent woman. However, she cannot explain her knowledge clearly to students taking her class. She knows so much information that her lectures are just filled with information leading to tangents which have more information, all of which the students are unclear of what they should know. I would not recommend taking this class even if you are interested in Christian origins as I was. It is not worth the confusion you are put through.

TURN AROUND AND RUN. NOW!

Be very careful about your decision to take this course. Dr. Saltzman is a nice person and understanding when students need help. She is very knowledgeable about the subject, but very confusing in her presentation. Her lectures leave you dizzy. The material is difficult, but if you stay on top of the reading (there is a ton of it), memorize the vocabulary, and spend a considerable amount of time doing research for a project that is required you will do fine.

Dr. Saltzman is a challenging professor. She is not a joke, and yes, there are a few professors who are at Poly. If you are looking for an extremely knowledgable person who will help you learn to resonate with a subject as foreign as Buddhism, she is the teacher for you. If you are looking to bag another elective on your sprint towards graduation and then the workplace, she may not be the one for you. Her lectures are confusing, if you are a person who is commited to linear thought. That in itself is part of what makes her class so interesting. Open up and let go of all premonitions, do not worry about a grade- perhapse taking the course credit no credit would be desirable if you're a habitual stressball over grades- nonetheless her methods are world class, her insight is underminable and her compassion runs deep. Treat her with kindness, really listen to what she's trying to say- she will often repeat test answers multiple times while lecturing- do the reading, as much as you can- but mainly treat her with genuine kindness and respect and she will reciprocate that.

We didnt see alot of videos about BUddhism because she didnt know how to work the machine so that was kinda a drag. Other then that shes a good professor. Her sarcasm is the best bus she repeats alot of her lectures so that was a waste of time. The tests were fair. they had two parts: Multi Choice and essay. Readings on two text books (sometimes 3) are essential because she doesnt cover too much material. She gives out quizes too and make sure you know your stuff. Yeah sure go ahead and take her, shes not bad.

Professor Saltzman presents the material very clearly, but the class was frankly not as interesting as I had hoped and she has a very dry sense of humor. Often times she would laugh at her own jokes and no one else would find them funny. You have to write a final paper for the class which was a huge portion of the grade, but she wasn't very clear on what she wanted from it or how she would grade it. There are several quizzes and two midterms, plus the final, so you have to stay on top of the reading. Also be prepared for sitting through a lot of "meaning of life" type questions from people in the class. It wasn't hard, but I didn't enjoy it very much.

I took this class expecting to learn a lot about Islam, however I did not. While the material itself is pretty interesting, she cannot communicate AT ALL with the students. I honestly don't think she knows what a coherent sentence is. Her tests are intestesing in that she pulls the most random Arabic names from her "lectures" and the reading, so you never really know what to expect. Her grading is weird when she reads your essays, sometimes you can B.S. and get a good grade, and other times you can't. The project that you have to do isn't that hard at all, I did it in a few days and got a B. However, I DO NOT recommed her, her lectures are hard to understand and follow, and are very boring. I'm just glad I'm done.

she is pretty good in presenting the information. i enjoyed taking the class. however when we were confused she couldn't really answer our questions. she gave an answer, however it was for something else. during a guest speaker's speech she fell asleep, so that was funny. but overall this is a good course to learn and she can present it pretty well. however there are a lot of stuff to read and you must remember a lot of the details. her exam consist of a short essay and multiple choice. the short essay is actually easier than her multiple choice. i thought the multiple choice questions were confusing to read since there would be errors in the questions.