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 · ADEN · ADV

ADEN 1266

Studies in American Ethnic Literature · 1 instructor on record · 5 sections

What the course score is made of
94BC evaluations5 records · weight ×1.0 · Spring 2022 – Summer 2025
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
41stMore challenging than 41% of BC classesranked against every one we hold
89BC — “Intellectually Challenging”5 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
43rdMore work than 43% of BC classesranked against every one we hold
53BC — “Workload”5 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.

Ethnic difference has a profound effect on personal and social understandings of what it means to be an American. Multicultural fiction navigates the complex terrain of race and ethnicity in America. Fiction depicts a variety of experiences and suggests that what constitutes an American identity is far from settled. A discussion of the literature invites students to share their own personal narratives - stories of race, ethnicity, class, gender, faith, and nationality - to further uncover what it means to be ethnic in America. Writers include: S. Alexie, E. Danticat, J. Diaz, J. Eugenides, and J. Lahiri.

The only instructor on record

5 sections · nobody else has taught itFull record
InstructorOverallWorkloadChallenge
Akua SarrAdvancing Studies965 records43rd41st

There is no ranking to read here: Akua Sarr is the only instructor with evaluation records for ADEN 1266, so the number is a record, not a position.

Also taught by Akua Sarr

5 other classes
ClassInstructorsCourse score
UNCS 2201Courage to Know21114 records90
ADEN 1390Global Literature13 records93
ADEN 3260Survey of African Literature13 records95
UNCP 5514Capstone: Growing Up Ethnic in America13 records91
ADEN 2005Introduction to African American Literature11 record95

Other ADEN classes

All of them
ClassInstructorsCourse score
ADEN 1054College Writing618 records84
ADEN 1060Literary Works411 records82
ADEN 1055College Writing Success Seminar49 records84
ADEN 2650Writing With Precision25 records86
ADEN 1062American Crime Stories14 records77
ADEN 1372Film Adaptation of Fictional Works23 records95

The line

All 13 items · means across 5 records
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
9665th pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
9666th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
9668th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
9768th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
9679th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
9785th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
9569th pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
9470th pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
9782nd pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
9679th 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.
5343rd pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
8941st pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
9038th 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

5 sections · newest first
InstructorTermSecInstrCourseWork
Akua SarrSummer 2025019393
Akua SarrSpring 202501959560
Akua SarrFall 202401969460
Akua SarrFall 20230110093
Akua SarrSpring 202201959540

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.