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 · ENGL · MCAS

ENGL 1729

The Role of Literature in Understanding the Complex Meaning of Justice · 1 instructor on record · 6 sections

What the course score is made of
95BC evaluations6 records · weight ×1.0 · Fall 2021 – 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
76thMore challenging than 76% of BC classesranked against every one we hold
95BC — “Intellectually Challenging”6 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”6 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.

The only instructor on record

6 sections · nobody else has taught itFull record
InstructorOverallWorkloadChallengeRMP overall
Marla DerosaProfessor of the Practice; Director of Undergraduate Studies · English946 records78th76th949 ratings · all classes

There is no ranking to read here: Marla Derosa is the only instructor with evaluation records for ENGL 1729, so the number is a record, not a position. The RateMyProfessors figure is their overall score across everything they teach, not their score in this class.

Also taught by Marla Derosa

6 other classes
ClassInstructorsCourse score
ENGL 1080Literature Core90257 records80
ENGL 3011The Art of Tutoring Writing35 records91
ENGL 1110First Year Writing Seminar: From Slavery to Mass Incarceration14 records87
ENGL 1180Lit Core: From Slavery to Mass Incarceration14 records92
ENGL 2141American Literary History I24 records87
ENGL 3220Teaching Banned Books: Race, Gender, and Sexuality in Young Adult Literature11 record88

Other ENGL classes

All of them
ClassInstructorsCourse score
ENGL 1010First Year Writing Seminar136442 records80
ENGL 1080Literature Core90257 records80
ENGL 1079Literature Core for Multilingual Students1340 records89
ENGL 2221Introduction to Creative Writing936 records90
ENGL 2133Studies in Narrative1634 records87
ENGL 2131Studies in Poetry1333 records84

The line

All 13 items · means across 6 records
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
9558th 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.
9983rd pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
9467th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
9575th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
9783rd pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
9681st pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
8626th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
9466th 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.
9576th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
9674th 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

6 sections · newest first
InstructorTermSecInstrCourseWork
Marla DerosaFall 2025019397
Marla DerosaFall 2023019288
Marla DerosaFall 2023029292
Marla DerosaFall 202201969760
Marla DerosaFall 202202999960
Marla DerosaFall 202101939460

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.