Class record · JOUR · MCAS

JOUR 2302

Politics and the Press · 1 instructor on record · 1 section

What the course score is made of

89BC 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

56thMore challenging than 56% of BC classesranked against every one we hold

91BC — “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

—BC — “Workload”1 record — does not contribute

Boston College's workload question was not reported in these records, so there is nothing to show. That is missing data, not a light class.

Note to Journalism minors only: This course satisfies the requirement for an elective with "critical" orientation.Presidential campaigns get all the attention, but state and local politics are the beating heart of American democracy. From mayoral and gubernatorial campaigns to Congressional primaries, local races offer a unique window into what the body politic is thinking, hoping for, and worried about. For journalists, down-ballot elections offer unique considerations and opportunities. With the 2026 elections as a backdrop, including a high-profile Massachusetts governor's race and closely watched mid-terms, this course will examine the ethics, traditions, and practices of local campaign journalism. The class will take a critical look at reporting past and present and put students to work as political journalists themselves. Note: This course was formerly titled "Political Journalism".

The only instructor on record

1 section · nobody else has taught itFull record

Instructor	Overall	Workload	Challenge
Scott HelmanUniversity and Capstone Provisional	971 record	—	56th

There is no ranking to read here: Scott Helman is the only instructor with evaluation records for JOUR 2302, so the number is a record, not a position. It rests on 1 record, which is thin — read it as provisional.

Also taught by Scott Helman

4 other classes

Class	Instructors	Course score
JOUR 2000Introduction to Journalism	619 records	86
JOUR 4942Senior Seminar	410 records	91
JOUR 2061Making Podcast Magic	12 records	78
JOUR 2265Multimedia Journalism	11 record	88

Other JOUR classes

All of them

Class	Instructors	Course score
JOUR 2000Introduction to Journalism	619 records	86
JOUR 2226Writing About Popular Music	112 records	89
JOUR 2223Sports and News Broadcasting	110 records	86
JOUR 2225Journalism and New Media	110 records	86
JOUR 2231Feature Writing	210 records	94
JOUR 4942Senior Seminar	410 records	91

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.

100100th pctl

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

100100th pctl

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

100100th pctl

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

100100th pctl

The Course3 items

Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.

9468th pctl

Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.

9468th pctl

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

9462nd pctl

Assignments & Feedback3 items

Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.

9788th pctl

Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.

9784th pctl

Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.

100100th pctl

Workload, difficulty & attendanceNot ratings

Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.

9156th pctl

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

8934th 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. 1 of 13 questions were not reported and are left out rather than shown as zero.

Game log

1 section · newest first

Instructor	Term	Sec	Instr	Course	Work
Scott Helman	Fall 2025	01	97	89	—

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.