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 · CLAS · MCAS

CLAS 4280

Beast Literature · 1 instructor on record · 2 sections

What the course score is made of
95BC evaluations2 records · weight ×1.0 · Spring 2023 – Fall 2024
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
79thMore challenging than 79% of BC classesranked against every one we hold
95BC — “Intellectually Challenging”2 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
78thMore work than 78% of BC classesranked against every one we hold
60BC — “Workload”2 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.

From Aesop's fables to animated films, philosophical dialogues to furry graphic novels, we often imagine animals speaking as humans do. But what are we saying when we use animals to talk with and about one another and ourselves? And what do cultural products featuring articulate beasts say about our attitudes towards humans and animals and the lines that we draw between them? This course examines animal anthropomorphism as a mode of thought and expression in ancient Greece and Rome, Medieval Europe, and the modern world. Please contact Prof. Polt (polt@bc.edu) directly for permission to enroll in this course.

The only instructor on record

2 sections · nobody else has taught itFull record
InstructorOverallWorkloadChallengeRMP overall
Christopher PoltClassical Studies Provisional972 records78th79th827 ratings · all classes

There is no ranking to read here: Christopher Polt is the only instructor with evaluation records for CLAS 4280, so the number is a record, not a position. It rests on 2 records, which is thin — read it as provisional. The RateMyProfessors figure is their overall score across everything they teach, not their score in this class.

Also taught by Christopher Polt

6 other classes
ClassInstructorsCourse score
CLAS 1057Intermediate Latin II417 records85
CLAS 1056Intermediate Latin I314 records82
CLAS 1010Elementary Latin I312 records80
CLAS 1702Rome: Art, Regime, and Resistance14 records95
CLAS 2262The City of Rome14 records86
CLAS 2210Roman Spectacles12 records78

Other CLAS classes

All of them
ClassInstructorsCourse score
CLAS 1057Intermediate Latin II417 records85
CLAS 1011Elementary Latin II416 records83
CLAS 1056Intermediate Latin I314 records82
CLAS 1010Elementary Latin I312 records80
CLAS 1020Elementary Ancient Greek I16 records95
CLAS 1021Elementary Ancient Greek II16 records94

The line

All 13 items · means across 2 records
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
9988th pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
9559th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
9884th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
9880th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
9679th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
9680th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
9672nd pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
9787th pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
8936th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
8933rd 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.
6078th pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
9579th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
9254th 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

2 sections · newest first
InstructorTermSecInstrCourseWork
Christopher PoltFall 202401999960
Christopher PoltSpring 202301959160

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.