Class record · ENGL · MCAS

ENGL 2131

Studies in Poetry · 13 instructors on record · 33 sections

What the course score is made of

84BC evaluations33 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

36thMore challenging than 36% of BC classesranked against every one we hold

88BC — “Intellectually Challenging”33 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

27thMore work than 27% of BC classesranked against every one we hold

44BC — “Workload”33 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.

In this class, students will learn to analyze poetry across a wide range of genres, styles, and historical periods. Studies in Poetry will also develop students' critical writing skills, preparing them for upper-division English courses.Course Objectives:To be introduced to and learn to interpret a variety of poetic forms and techniquesTo learn to analyze poems with reference to the social contexts historical, geographic, and otherwise in which they have been composed and transmittedTo continue to hone students abilities in close reading, writing about literature, and oral discussion in the classroom

The board

13 instructors · ranked on this class onlyCompare the top 3

Find an instructor among the 13Filters the rows below. Positions are always against the whole class, so a rank does not change when the list is narrowed.

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. 4 of the 13 rows carry a mark saying so.

Rank	Instructor	Overall	Workload	Challenge	RMP overall
1	Laura TannerProfessor · English Provisional	982 records	25th	72nd	9412 ratings · all classes
2	Andrew SoferProfessor · English	885 records	29th	40th	8211 ratings · all classes
3	Alan RichardsonProfessor Emeritus · English Provisional fewer records	931 record	25th	64th	729 ratings · all classes
4	James NajarianAssociate Professor · English	894 records	25th	13th	863 ratings · all classes
5	Deanna DanforthEnglish Provisional	892 records	78th	79th	—no page
6	Kevin OhiProfessor · English Provisional fewer records	901 record	25th	79th	685 ratings · all classes
7	Dayton HaskinProfessor Emeritus · English Provisional	881 record	25th	41st	887 ratings · all classes
8	Marjorie HowesProfessor, English and Irish Studies · English	865 records	29th	39th	787 ratings · all classes
9	Eric WeiskottProfessor; Director, Honors Program · English Provisional	832 records	25th	33rd	1001 rating · all classes
10	Susan RobertsAssociate Professor of the Practice · English Provisional fewer records	812 records	25th	10th	9015 ratings · all classes
11	Allison AdairProfessor of the Practice · English	823 records	25th	50th	805 ratings · all classes
12	John YargoAssistant Professor · English Provisional fewer records	751 record	25th	9th	—no page
13	Suzanne MatsonProfessor · English	824 records	29th	30th	564 ratings · all classes

All 13 instructors listed.

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. 8 of 13 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 33 records

The Professor4 items

Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.

9030th pctl

Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.

9029th pctl

Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.

9033rd pctl

Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.

9131st pctl

The Course3 items

Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.

8938th pctl

Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.

8727th pctl

Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.

8929th pctl

Assignments & Feedback3 items

Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.

8834th 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.

9039th 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.

4427th pctl

Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.

8836th pctl

Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.

8936th 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

33 sections · newest first

Instructor	Term	Sec	Instr	Course	Work
Deanna Danforth	Spring 2026	01	96	94	60
Suzanne Matson	Spring 2026	02	76	76	40
James Najarian	Spring 2026	03	82	80	40
Andrew Sofer	Fall 2025	01	87	79	40
Kevin Ohi	Fall 2025	02	90	90	40
Marjorie Howes	Fall 2025	03	92	89	40
Deanna Danforth	Spring 2025	01	82	84	60
Laura Tanner	Spring 2025	02	99	96	40
Andrew Sofer	Spring 2025	03	87	81	40
Eric Weiskott	Fall 2024	01	87	79	40
Suzanne Matson	Fall 2024	02	82	80	40
Marjorie Howes	Fall 2024	03	87	86	40
Marjorie Howes	Spring 2024	01	82	78	40
Suzanne Matson	Spring 2024	02	84	84	40
Susan Roberts	Spring 2024	03	87	84	40
James Najarian	Fall 2023	01	85	80	—
Marjorie Howes	Fall 2023	02	91	89	—
Allison Adair	Fall 2023	03	82	80	—
Andrew Sofer	Fall 2023	04	89	91	—
Eric Weiskott	Spring 2023	01	78	80	—
Alan Richardson	Spring 2023	02	93	95	40
John Yargo	Spring 2023	03	75	65	40
James Najarian	Fall 2022	01	90	81	40
Laura Tanner	Fall 2022	02	97	93	40
Allison Adair	Fall 2022	03	78	77	40

Showing the first 25.

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.