Sekou Franklin

School: Middle Tennessee State University
Department: Political Science
Location: Murfreesboro, TN
Overall Rating
rated by 21 students
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He is awful. I had him for two different courses. He goes off on tangents and never teaches what is actually on his quizzes/exams. He seems to be knowledgeable on the subjects but does not know how to teach at all. It made no difference if you sat through lecture or not because you had to teach yourself anyway. Only thing was if you don't go he took off a lot for attendance. Through and through the worst professor I have ever encountered. Do not take him unless you have to.
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Pros: Good Teacher
Learned a lot from him
takes student's improvement throughout the semester into consideration for final grade
Cons: VERY HARD
easily distracted in lectures
Have to teach yourself the material
Difficult study guide
I think Dr. Franklin is used to teaching upper division courses. I wouldn't recommend taking him for a basic gen ed. I am a poli sci major and I think it made a huge difference. You need to have a real interest in the subject since you basically have to teach yourself. He gives very very intense and difficult study guides about two weeks before the exam, and you seriously need all two weeks. You can't just study for his test the night before. He is a really really nice guy. He helped me with some extra assignments at the end of the semester to help me get the grade I desired. He takes attendence very seriously, if you miss more than like once he will count off of your class participation grade which is a fairly good percentage of your final grade. I will probably be taking Dr. Franklin again in the future.
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Pros: The class was very interesting and fun. It really kept my attention and taught me to think critically about civil rights cases.
Cons: Tests are very difficult, so you have to study. They are mostly essay.
Dr. Franklin is a very nice guy and a good teacher. The class is very interesting, and you cover a lot of material each class. You really need to come to class to take notes b/c he doesn't have power points usually, so you have to be there. The tests are mostly essay and short answer, but he gives you a study guide on day 1. Even if you don't do so well on the tests, there are 5 little quizzes on D2L that you take, a couple easy assignments that you receive full credit for if you do them, and an annotated bibliography that's due during finals week. Also, you get a participation grade that can really boost your grade. There's no reason why you shouldn't get an A or B, so if you want to take a class that is WORTHWHILE, TAKE THIS CLASS!!
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Franklin is a very hard teacher. He lectures for every minute of the class he can and doesn't stop.
He puts so much information on the "study guides" it becomes very overwhelming just looking at them. His tests are extremely difficult for such a low-level class, you'd think he was teaching a 5000 level not 2000.
If you have to take this class I seriously suggest you find a different professor.
He doesn't relate anything to current times. He had no idea what the NDAA was when we asked his opinions. There was no debates or class discussion yet he became upset when no one spoke aloud, even though we had no idea what he was trying to say. Many times people would interrupt him and say they had no idea what he was talking about.
Seriously. Don't do it.
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Pros: He is very passionate about politics. He knows his stuff, and he makes you think outside the box.
Cons: Your hand will fall off from taking so many notes. He goes from the beginning of class until the very last minute. And he likes to tell a lot of corny jokes.
Dr. Franklin is a very nice man. He goes out of his way to make sure that everyone knows what is going on in the class. Just make sure you go to class, because he elaborate on topics in the book that you would have no idea about w/o going to class!
You have nightly reading (you can get away without doing it, but it makes class discussion easier if you do). And you have quizzes and reading responses on D2L regularly.
His exams are pretty tough. However, if you study, you'll be fine. He just covers SO MUCH in so little time. I literally had over 20 front and back pages of notes by the time the first test rolled around. So if you are just wanting to take a BS class and not get anything out of it, don't take this class. But if you want ot get your money's worth and learn a lot of interesting things about political science, you should give Dr. Franklin a chance. He's a good teacher, and he is a super nice man.
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Dr. Franklin is a pretty awesome professor. He is easy to communicate with and really willing to help you understand the material. He is a tough test/quiz grader, however, so you need to capitalize on some of the easy busy-work assignments he'll occasionally give. I was not particularly interested in the subject of this course (Municipal Gov't) and only took it as a requirement for my major; I am glad I did, though, because Dr. Franklin was really a great professor to experience.
Exams: Dr. Franklin is looking for specific points in each answer. The more points he finds, the better your grade.
Homework: Some occasional readings for the next class; a couple of article summaries. Not a lot of homework for this course.
Textbook: The text is an essay collection - you read 50% - 75% of the essays. I'd suggest purchasing it.
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Dr. Franklin has such great energy. He's always kind of swaying and moving around while he's lecturing. He tries really hard to learn everyone's names and use them when he can, which was nice. I suspect that he picks favorites. He really likes students who speak up during class and know what they're talking about. Sometimes he'll ask for your opinion on a current issue and he seems genuinely interested. The notes he writes on the board are simple, yet easily understood, which was great. He's really nice and willing to help anyone who asks for it. I only got a C+, but that's because it took me longer than it should have to realize he likes details in essays. I feel like I really did learn stuff from this class.
Exams: I found them to be really easy. Just make sure you're detailed in your essay. It also helps if you use dates. He really likes that.
Homework: Sometimes he assigned chapter reviews from the books. Also, there were a few essays that he asked you to write, but they were easily done. He also assigns some case summaries towards the beginning of the semester that are really simple.
Textbook: He makes you get the condensed version of the book, so there are a few things he talks about that aren't in the book, but if that's the case, he always warns you and tries not to put any of it on the tests unless he really emphasized it in the notes.
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I just love Dr. Franklin. Be sure to participate and comment in class. He loves when the students interject stuff-a quick google search could give you some talking points. One thing I love about him-you never knew from his class where he stood on politics. This allowed students to be more open about thier opinions without intimidation. Made for some good discussion. And it's not the teacher's place to instill ideology anyway. If you aren't comfortable speaking up, he gives you the opportunity to write a short paper for your class participation grade.
Details are very important in this class.
Exams: I don't remember exactly how many tests-pretty sure it was 3, but there were several quizzes thrown in there too. All tough, but the multiple choice part wasn't too bad and he gave lots of opportunities for extra credit.
Homework: There were a coupe of short papers-response type papers but no homework to speak of. You DO have to read!!! Especially Supreme Court cases, constitution issues, and Federalist papers that he assigns If he says it is important, you need to know it.
Textbook: We also had a supplemental book that one of our tests was over.
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Dr. Franklin is probably one of my favorite professors at MTSU. He is very knowledgeable about his subject and he's very willing to meet with students and help them to understand the course materials better. I would definitely recommend his class if you want to actually learn about political science. He's a very dedicated professor and good human being. He welcomes opinions expressed in his class (in a respectful manner, of course) and loves a good debate.
Exams: Dr. Franklin provided a study guide for the tests. The tests were thorough reviews of the course materials covered. Be ready to write good essays, not just a paragraph.
Homework: We had a couple of outside readings and response papers to do. These weren't too bad, but be thorough and grammatically correct.
Textbook: Textbook and other book were good, but Dr. Franklin's lectures were better.
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Dr. Franklin was a nice guy, but I just did not understand what he was talking about half the time. I don't think he presented it clearly. If government is a very strong point for you, then you should do fine, if you never really liked it though, you may want to find another professor.
Exams: All I can say is Study REALLY REALLY hard. Don't just study notes, go through the book and just read it over and over again.
Homework: There was no homework, just a few quizzes, which he drops the lowest one of those. two of four quzzes are on D2L and are the easiest ones. I found the ones in class to be difficult.
Textbook: It helped me understand the course better than the professor did.
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Professor is really nice and willing to help if your having trouble. So do not hesitate if you need help, confused, or lost.
Exams: enable to pass his test make sure you TAKE NOTES on his lecture. the entire class is lecture class and many of the question stated in the test comes from his lecture notes. He also have 2 quizzes, which the question also comes from his lecture. It is wisely recommended to skim the chapter so you have an idea what the lectures are about.
Homework: We had 2 homework assignment through the semester, which were so easy.
Textbook: If you are really interested or majoring in Political Science i recommend you to read the chapter before the class, you will pass the class with an A for sure.
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Dr. Franklin is a dedicated professor of political science. This was the first semester that he offered this "Survey of Social Movements". The sections were: "Approaches to the study of social movements", "Latin America and social movements", "Debating non-violent social movements and armed resistance", "Asia and social movements", "Political repression and countermovement activity", "American and European social movemetens", "African social movements", "The Middle East/ North Africa and social movements", and "Transnational Networks and Mobilization." He has said that the next class, Fall 2007, will be slightly different as he adjusts the curriculum. Everything that we studied was fascinating. The class size was just right, and I have never been more challenged in a class as this one challenged me. Dr. Franklin is a great professor, he really believes in his work and loves teaching. Take him for any class that he teaches. I took him for American Government and Politics as well.
Exams: Tests were mostly essay, and one was a take-home.
Homework: Lots of reading.
Textbook: The reading material was well chosen and very valuable. I got much more than I paid for in this class.
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The teacher is very passionate about what he is talking about. And it sucks when you are someone like me that had no clue what was going on. You have discussion points you get in class... there are also plenty of extra credit opportunities. Be prepared to study for this class. It IS NOT an easy A.
Exams: His tests were tough! You have to study everything from the handouts to your friends notes, because you can't catch everything he wants.
Homework: reading his handouts and there were plenty of them!
Textbook: Okay. That right there may be my problem. I didn't really use the book. I didn't understand much of the book anyway. It was kinda boring.
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Dr Franklin is a very smart man. Not only that, but he genuinly cares for the students that show interest and put forth effort. He has taken the time out to let me know about different internships and programs that I could do, and really likes to get to know that students that are genuinely interested in the material. I am a polisci major, and I will take him again if I get the chance. I don't really recommend him to those taking the course for general ed, because he does tend to teach to those who already have some background in politics, but if you want to take a class from a very gifted political scientist, this is the one.
Exams: The tests are HARD! Read all of the handouts thoroughly and bug the crap out of him until he makes you understand it.
Homework: Reading reading and more reading
Textbook: Really I used the handouts that he gave us more than the textbook. He's big on bringing in copies of articles for us to read.
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Honestly, i dont think this guy has a "teaching" bone in his body. Don't get me wrong this guy is really smart its just that he cant transfer the information to you. Take Another Teacher and save yourself the hassle. Take as a last resort. Trust Me!
Exams: He made the tests very rough. You had better study your tail off if you expect pull a decent grade in here. And also you have better have good english mechanics because he grades like he is an english teacher on papers.
Homework: Read,read,READ!!! Thats all there is! READ! Very Annoying.
Textbook: You must have the 2 books. That's all i can say. You read from both every night.
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franklin is nice enough and passionate about his subject, and his ADD makes me laugh, but his tests are too long with too much material to cover in such a short amount of time. i usually ended up tuning his lectures out halfway through the class because he went off into too many tangents about current day politics that wont be on the test. i would recommend him only if all the other good teachers were taken.
Exams: tests were not incredibly difficult if you kept up with the reading from day to day... one of the issues with his tests were that there is not really enough time to finish if you are a slow test taker. i never had time to do any of the long essays because i was too busy trying to finish the short answer and multiple choice.
Homework: one group project; presentation and opinion paper, and one or two papers on documentaries watched in class.
Textbook: YOU NEED BOTH TEXTS TO PASS... there is a lot of reading from both texts and he expects you to read everything thouroughly and understand all the details.
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Dr Franklin is a great addition to the Political Science Department. He is very knowledgeable, and even though his tests are hard, he certainly makes sure you know something about the subject.
I would suggest Dr. Franklin for anyone who is interested in learning more about how the government of the U.S. works. It's more important than ever these days, and I'm just thankful that instructors like Dr. Franklin are there to guide students, require them to think, and encourage them to get involved in the process.
Exams: They were hard if you didn't keep up with the reading, but if you listen, think and read your assignments, you will do well.
Homework: Most was reading, but there was a paper required to see if we got what was in a video we watched.
Textbook: We had the textbook which was a great help. It had a CD that made the tests easier to study for. We also had a book called "The Enduring Debate" which was great. It was a good way to read both sides of issues on which the average traditional student may not have yet developed an opinion. Very helpful if you did the reading.
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The class is a good class but he relates most of the things that happen today to civil rights and that was naooying. We would be talking about something that really has nothing to do with civil rights and he would find some twisted way to make it relate to them. He also had favorites in the class or at least he did in my class. THere was a woman that was always outspoken and talked about her hard core democratic views everyday and was basically a nuiscance to the learning enviroment in the class and he would not do anything about trying to finish the lecture. He would rather have a debate then to teach and that was really annoying. He also stutters sometimes and makes really corny jokes that he is the only person that laughs at. I would reccomend him for the class if you like a lot of debate and can handle his stuttering.
Exams: The tests were usually easy if you study for them. The essay questions are questions that are talked about and discussed in class so if you listen in class then you usually know how he wants those answered.
Homework: There was a lot of reading. There were two book for this class and you had to use both of them and had reading out of both of them every night.
Textbook: The textbook was good and it helped some but there is also another book that you will need if you have him for this class. It is The Enduring Debate which is a book of debates about contemporary issues. It is a pretty good book but he usese it more than he uses the textbook!!!
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The girl who wrote the previous post doesn't know what she's saying. His classes ended on time. She's just one of those lazy students who sighs too much and does enough to get by. And yes, we did have to use the textbook and the reader. Those were key tools in doing well on the exam. And yes, he grades fairly. Her problem probably was that she didn't have the right answer. "Oh, he doesn't grade fairly! Wah! Wah!" He doesn't speak over the average person's head either, only those who are mentally lazy. And no one should attack the way he speaks or the "huffing" noise he makes. He is a nice guy and he is always in a good mood. He makes learing fun. The previous writer should consider whether or not she's smart enough to even be in college.
Exams: Multiple choice and short answer come from the textbook. The short essay comes from the reader.
Homework: None
Textbook: Using the CD-Rom at the back of the book is helpful. When he hands you a study guide, it corresponds well with the text.
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Professor Franklin is an excellent teacher. Someone said he talks over your head. Well, I guess he would if you don't do your readings from both books and have six absences. Grow up people this is college. If you want to actually LEARN about American Government take his class.
Exams: If you do your reading and actually attend class the test are simple.
Homework: Just reading and one small paper
Textbook: Someone said that you don't need the second text book, well that is probabily why she didn't understand the material. Half the class is from one text book. The other half is from the other book. The tests cover material from both.

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