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 · ECON · MCAS

ECON 3398

Economics and Defense · 1 instructor on record · 1 section

What the course score is made of
90BC evaluations1 record · weight ×1.0 · Fall 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
80thMore challenging than 80% of BC classesranked against every one we hold
95BC — “Intellectually Challenging”1 record · 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”1 record · 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 upper-division elective explores the economic foundations of national defense through the lens of industrial organization and technology-driven growth models. Students will analyze the structure and behavior of defense industries, examining monopoly and monopsony dynamics, procurement incentives, and the role of public-private partnerships in defense innovation. The course will also assess how technological advancements drive military capabilities, influence strategic competition, and shape long-term economic security. Case studies will highlight the interaction between defense policy, industrial policy, and economic constraints, equipping students with the analytical tools to evaluate defense-related economic decisions in a rapidly evolving global landscape.

The only instructor on record

1 section · nobody else has taught itFull record
InstructorOverallWorkloadChallengeRMP overall
Peter DevineAssistant Professor of the Practice · Economics Provisional951 record25th80th8035 ratings · all classes

There is no ranking to read here: Peter Devine is the only instructor with evaluation records for ECON 3398, so the number is a record, not a position. It rests on 1 record, 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 Peter Devine

1 other class
ClassInstructorsCourse score
ECON 1101Principles of Economics46223 records73

Other ECON classes

All of them
ClassInstructorsCourse score
ECON 1101Principles of Economics46223 records73
ECON 2228Econometric Methods33131 records71
ECON 1151Statistics2797 records72
ECON 2202Macroeconomic Theory2072 records69
ECON 2201Microeconomic Theory1967 records71
ECON 9900Third Year Thesis Workshop1440 records91

The line

All 13 items · means across 1 record
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
9241st pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
8613th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
9779th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
9659th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
713rd pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
819th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
9566th pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
9259th pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
704th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
776th 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.
9580th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
9887th 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

1 section · newest first
InstructorTermSecInstrCourseWork
Peter DevineFall 202501959040

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.