Carney Curve

Boston College course evaluations · every published number, ranked class by class

Positions account for how many records stand behind each number, so one perfect review does not outrank a semester of them. Every score shown is the real average — only the ordering is adjusted.

Class record · AADS · MCAS

AADS 2204

Music and Social Justice · 2 instructors on record · 10 sections

What the course score is made of
90BC evaluations10 records · weight ×1.0 · Fall 2021 – Spring 2026
Student reviewsno reviews — does not contribute
RateMyProfessorsno ratings — does not contribute

That is the class itself, averaged across everyone who taught it. Who taught it, and how each of them scored, is the board below — that is what a student picking a section is actually choosing between.

What the challenge rank is made of
11thMore challenging than 11% of BC classesranked against every one we hold
82BC — “Intellectually Challenging”10 records · raw score out of 100

Boston College's own “intellectually challenging” question for this class only — students answer it positively about courses that stretched them, so it measures intellectual challenge and NOT grading, workload or quality. Almost every BC class scores high on it, which is why it is shown as a rank rather than a score.

What the workload rank is made of
25thMore work than 25% of BC classesranked against every one we hold
40BC — “Workload”10 records · raw score out of 100

Boston College reports workload for this class only as one of five bands, not as a number of hours, and it does not publish what the bands mean — so this site will not translate it into hours. Higher means more work, which is not the same as worse.

This course examines influential musicians and their artistic endeavors towards the path of social justice, education and awareness, with a special focus on African American musicians and their contribution to the world of entertainment. Emphasis will also be on social movements, activism, industry commodity and the direct correlation between music and society. Students will be encouraged to analyze music through lyrics, and song form; while understanding the historical, political and social climates surrounding these artistic ventures. The conclusive expectation of this class is that students understand the significant impact of music on a global scale and be mindful that it is a powerful tool that can be utilized to educate, inspire, create awareness and unite humanity.

The board

2 instructors · ranked on this class onlyCompare the top 2

Scores are real averages. The order also accounts for how many records back each one — the count is under every score — so one perfect review does not outrank a semester of them.

RankInstructorOverallWorkloadChallengeRMP overall
1Shannon JacobAfrican and African Diaspora Studies946 records25th13th1003 ratings · all classes
2Shannon Jacob DormanAfrican and African Diaspora Studies934 records25th10thno page

How this board is orderedPositions account for how many records stand behind each number, so one perfect review does not outrank a semester of them. Every score shown is the real average — only the ordering is adjusted. The comparison here is the class itself: a thin record is read against how this class was rated overall, not against the university.

Every instructor with an evaluation record for this class is on this board — it is not a top ten, and nothing is hidden behind a “show more”. Overall is the instructor's blended score for THIS class only, and its one contributing source is Boston College's evaluations for the sections in the row's record count — nothing on this board is an average across the other things they teach. Workload and Challenge are RANKS against every class we hold, not scores: BC's questions all sit near the top of the 1-5 scale, so a raw number would put almost every row in the high eighties and tell you nothing. Challenge is BC's “intellectually challenging” item, which students answer positively about courses that stretched them — it is not a measure of difficulty or grading. Neither column is ever marked better or worse. The RateMyProfessors column is an instructor's overall figure across everything they teach; that site has no course dimension, so it is shown for information and kept out of the ranking.

The line

All 13 items · means across 10 records
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
9562nd pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
9563rd pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
9564th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
9663rd pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
9464th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
9359th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
9136th pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
8937th pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
9045th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
9359th pctl
Workload, difficulty & attendanceNot ratings
WorkloadHow much work the course took outside class, on Boston College's five-band scale — the band boundaries are not published, so this is not a number of hours.
4025th pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
8211th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
8417th pctl

Bar length is the rank against every comparable record we hold, not the raw score: BC's questions all have a median around 4.5, so a raw-scale bar would be nearly full on every row and would tell you nothing. Every bar is one ink colour — nothing here is graded green or red. The hatched bars are not ratings at all: a higher number on either describes a different course, not a better one.

Game log

10 sections · newest first
InstructorTermSecInstrCourseWork
Shannon JacobSpring 202601929340
Shannon JacobFall 202501969040
Shannon JacobSpring 202501918440
Shannon JacobFall 202401988940
Shannon JacobSpring 202401949140
Shannon JacobFall 2023019394
Shannon Jacob DormanSpring 202301969340
Shannon Jacob DormanFall 202201888340
Shannon Jacob DormanSpring 202201969540
Shannon Jacob DormanFall 202101939040

How to read this boardInstructors are ranked on their record in this class only, never on their average across everything they teach. Scores are out of 100 — Boston College's 1–5 agreement scale, ×20, the way these numbers were printed for years. Workload is BC's own five-band figure, not a number of hours, and is shown as a rank. A dash means the question was not reported, and is never a zero.