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 · ARTH · MCAS

ARTH 1101

Art: Prehistoric to Middle Ages · 6 instructors on record · 8 sections

What the course score is made of
76BC evaluations8 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
9thMore challenging than 9% of BC classesranked against every one we hold
81BC — “Intellectually Challenging”8 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”8 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.

A fundamental course for understanding the visual arts in the Western World: painting, sculpture, and architecture. Major monuments in the history of art will be discussed in historical and cultural context beginning with Paleolithic cave art through the art of the medieval period. This course will examine some of the ancient material from an archaeological perspective, but its main emphasis will be on style and meaning in art. Assignments will include museum visits and the study of significant works of art in Greater Boston.

The board

6 instructors · ranked on this class onlyCompare the top 3

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. 1 of the 6 rows carry a mark saying so.

RankInstructorOverallWorkloadChallengeRMP overall
1Monica BulgerArt History Provisional882 records25th13thno page
2John LansdowneAssistant Professor, Medieval Art · Art, Art History, and Film Provisional872 records25th14thno page
3Kyle MariniArt History Provisional fewer records881 record25th1stno page
4Evelyn StaudingerArt History Provisional831 record25th21st646 ratings · all classes
5Kenneth CraigAssociate Professor, Art History · Art, Art History, and Film Provisional791 record25th11thno page
6Sharon SmithArt History Provisional661 record25th4thno 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. 6 of 6 rows are marked provisional: fewer than 3 records stand behind the number. That is thin evidence, not a bad instructor — the record count is in every row. 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 8 records
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
8925th pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
9025th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
8822nd pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
8919th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
8626th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
8623rd pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
815th pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
806th pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
8627th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
8935th 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.
819th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
8833rd 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

8 sections · newest first
InstructorTermSecInstrCourseWork
Kyle MariniSpring 202601888540
John LansdowneFall 202501969340
Sharon SmithSpring 202501666040
John LansdowneFall 202401797140
Monica BulgerSpring 202401857940
Evelyn StaudingerFall 202301836940
Monica BulgerSpring 202301908140
Kenneth CraigFall 202101797440

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.