Frederick Gaines

ETHNICS288 · ETH288 · ETH101 · ETHN288 · ETHNICS102 · ETHN265 · ETHN105 · ETHN103 · ETHNICSTUDIES · ETHN101 · ETHNIC102 · ETH105 · ETHN102 · ETH265 · 93 lifetime ratings

AI rating: 67/100
RMP rating: 3.8/5
Take again: 58.54%
Difficulty: 2.1

The decision

Take Gaines if you value passionate discussion and can tolerate disorganization, but if and fast communication.

Best fit · Effort For RewardPassionate but disorganizedParticipation mattersExtra credit availableTest and reading basedHard to contact

Students often find him kind, passionate, and .
The class can be an easy A with , and .
Organization, Canvas use, communication, and .

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

EasyA

82/100

An A is very reachable for students who attend, read, participate, and use , but and tests create risk.

, while online reviews show more communication and structure problems.

Is the course easy?

Beginner

70/100

The material is usually not conceptually hard, but , and scattered lectures can make the course harder to manage.

In-person reviews often call the class easy with reading, while online reviews emphasize confusion from poor organization.

Is attendance flexible?

Mandatory

25/100

Attendance and active participation are repeatedly described as important or required for doing well.

, and one online review says Zoom camera and active talking affected grades.

Is this professor recommended?

Depends

56/100

and discussions, but many warn against his disorganization and poor communication.

, while online recommendations are much more divided.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Lenient

78/100

, and many A grades suggest leniency, but unclear grade tracking lowers confidence.

Format shift

and easy grades, while online reviews include stronger complaints about grading logistics.

Workload

Moderate

58/100

, and occasional papers, with some students calling the reading heavy.

Format shift

In-person workload is often manageable but reading-based, while online workload feels .

Teaching experience

Average

66/100

He is often passionate and caring, but disorganization, off-topic teaching, and poor communication substantially weaken the experience.

Format shift

In-person teaching is more engaging, while online teaching is hurt more by tech and structure problems.

Assessment method

FocusOnExams

82/100

Many reviews say , and participation, with as support.

Format shift

and open-book quizzes, while online exam timing complaints appear in fewer reviews.

Luni fit check

Weigh these signals against your actual schedule.

Get help balancing workload, grading, and timing when no option is an obvious fit.

Course format

Compare the in-person and online experience.

Classroom format

In person

43 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Effort For Reward

In-person reviews show a passionate and caring professor whose class can be easy, but , and tolerance for disorganization are important.

Main concern

Students often complain that , and sometimes off topic.

What students said

“Super easy class.”
ETH265

“ ”
ETHN265

“Prepare to be engaged in passionate and communal discussions!”
ETHN288

Remote format

Online

7 reviews

Medium confidence · Best fit for Self Taught Pro

Online reviews are sharply mixed, praising interesting topics but repeatedly criticizing poor structure, tech problems, communication, and one camera-on Zoom requirement.

Main concern

Online students may struggle with , and weak communication.

What students said

“His online class is very poorly structured.”
ETH265

“HE NEVER POST WHEN ARE THE BEFORE HE OPENS IT.”
ETHN105

“Loved Mr. Gaines Ethnic studies class on evolution of hip hop!”
ETH265

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

because some in-person tests or quizzes are open-book and manageable, while and strict Zoom participation.

Open Book QuizzesTest HeavyMonthly ExamsUnclear Test TimingCamera-On Zoom Participation

Assessment risk

Varies

64/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

In-person reviews describe test-heavy grading, with several comments saying tests or quizzes are open-book or reading-based.

Open Book QuizzesTest HeavyReading-Based ExamsMonthly Exams

“All of the , but they're all open books.”
ETH105

“ ”
ETH265

“had an ”
ETH265

Online

and one camera-on Zoom participation requirement, but do not clearly prove proctoring, Lockdown Browser, or open-book exams.

Unclear Test TimingCamera-On Zoom ParticipationNo Clear Proctoring Evidence

“HE NEVER POST WHEN ARE THE BEFORE HE OPENS IT.”
ETHN105

“You HAVE to be on the zoom with your camera ON and actively talking to get a good grade.”
ETH265

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice
“ and passionate about teaching.”
Voice snapshots generated from 50 reviews, highlighting key themes in , and organization. Credibility rating: High.

🎯 Teaching Quality

66/100

“He is a great professor and obviously very passionate about teaching. The only issue I have with ...”

📈 Grade Path

82/100

“As long as you show up & READ, you'll do fine on the tests!”

⚠️ Organization Risk

56/100

“His online class is very poorly structured.”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

Dr. Gaines is one of the of learning from.
and passionate about teaching.
He knows a ton of info, but it seemed like he was reading the book for the 1st time with us.

Theme 2

📚 About Grades & Work

Showing up to class and participating is important, and there're lots of extra-credit opportunities.
but, to get an A+ be sure to actively participate in class discussion, read each chapter well for the
Easy A

Theme 3

⚠️ About Organization & Communication

By the end of the semester some Canvas assignments were still not graded / assignments are usually not posted ahead of time..etc
Near impossible to contact him outside of the lecture.
He is not prepared and doesnt follow the textbook, which makes the .

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

Recent reviews read by the AI

Lifetime ratings

96/100

Evidence confidence

Credibility is high because 50 reviews cover a long time span, include both formats, and repeatedly identify the same strengths and weaknesses.

Inside 50 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 546

4 out of 518

3 out of 510

2 out of 510

1 out of 59

Course coverage

ETH26513 reviews

ETHN2658 reviews

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ETH1055 reviews

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ETHNICSTUDIES1 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

34 reported outcomes

A range

A+ 2 · A 17 · A- 4

B range

B+ 2 · B 2 · B- 2

C range

No reported values

D range

D 1

F

No reported values

No letter grade reported

Not sure yet 4

Frederick Gaines

Take Gaines if you value passionate discussion and can tolerate disorganization, but x x if x x x x and fast communication.

Four answers before you build your schedule.

EasyA

Beginner

Mandatory

Depends

See how this professor fits your week.

Compare the in-person and online experience.

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

In person

Online

See what students actually said.

🎯 Teaching Quality

📈 Grade Path

⚠️ Organization Risk

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

📚 About Grades & Work

⚠️ About Organization & Communication

See exactly what the AI read.

Quality ratings

Course coverage

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

A range

B range

C range

D range

F

No letter grade reported

Take Gaines if you value passionate discussion and can tolerate disorganization, but if and fast communication.