Class record · LAWS · LAW

LAWS 8130

Advanced Legal Research · 8 instructors on record · 29 sections

What the course score is made of

92BC evaluations29 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

41stMore challenging than 41% of BC classesranked against every one we hold

89BC — “Intellectually Challenging”29 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

34thMore work than 34% of BC classesranked against every one we hold

49BC — “Workload”29 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.

Advanced Legal Research teaches practical and adaptable legal research skills for an increasingly complex information landscape. Students will learn to approach research questions with critical thought and to construct well-reasoned, thoroughly supported arguments. Through hands-on exercises that reflect examples from both the transactional and litigation spheres, students will grapple with the complexities of legal authority and learn the most efficient tactics for identifying the best secondary sources and most relevant primary law for a given research inquiry. These tactics will include time-tested strategies on subscription platforms such as Westlaw, Lexis, and Bloomberg Law, as well as free sites like Congress.gov and Regulations.gov. Students will also learn to analyze the risks and benefits of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, including how to leverage them in an effective and ethical manner. Students should consider alternative or supplemental enrollment in topic-specific research courses. Consult EagleApps or the Law Librarys website for current offerings.

The board

8 instructors · ranked on this class onlyCompare the top 3

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.

Rank	Instructor	Overall	Workload	Challenge
1	Amy BruceLaw	983 records	25th	50th
2	Karen BredaLaw	973 records	43rd	71st
3	Laurel DavisLaw	973 records	43rd	53rd
4	Xin ChenLaw Provisional	972 records	25th	29th
5	Stephanie FarneLaw	947 records	43rd	53rd
6	Brian QuigleyLaw Provisional	912 records	25th	50th
7	Joan ShearLaw	894 records	29th	30th
8	Jacob SamuelsonLaw	855 records	46th	19th

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. 2 of 8 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 line

All 13 items · means across 29 records

The Professor4 items

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

9666th pctl

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

9775th pctl

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

9457th pctl

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

9552nd pctl

The Course3 items

Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.

9678th pctl

Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.

9678th pctl

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

9781st pctl

Assignments & Feedback3 items

Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.

9579th pctl

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

9572nd pctl

Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.

9467th 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.

4934th pctl

Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.

8941st pctl

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

9253rd 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

29 sections · newest first

Instructor	Term	Sec	Instr	Course	Work
Stephanie Farne	Spring 2026	01	99	96	60
Jacob Samuelson	Spring 2026	02	92	88	60
Brian Quigley	Spring 2026	03	88	88	40
Brian Quigley	Fall 2025	01	94	94	40
Jacob Samuelson	Fall 2025	02	98	98	60
Stephanie Farne	Spring 2025	01	96	94	60
Jacob Samuelson	Spring 2025	02	89	88	40
Laurel Davis	Fall 2024	01	99	97	40
Joan Shear	Fall 2024	02	81	80	40
Jacob Samuelson	Fall 2024	04	67	75	60
Karen Breda	Spring 2024	01	97	96	40
Joan Shear	Spring 2024	02	95	93	40
Jacob Samuelson	Spring 2024	03	79	83	60
Laurel Davis	Fall 2023	01	96	96	60
Stephanie Farne	Fall 2023	02	93	85	—
Karen Breda	Fall 2023	03	97	91	60
Karen Breda	Spring 2023	01	98	97	60
Stephanie Farne	Spring 2023	02	91	91	60
Amy Bruce	Spring 2023	03	96	92	40
Laurel Davis	Fall 2022	01	95	93	60
Joan Shear	Fall 2022	02	89	90	60
Stephanie Farne	Fall 2022	02	94	90	60
Amy Bruce	Fall 2022	03	99	93	40
Xin Chen	Fall 2022	04	98	98	40
Joan Shear	Spring 2022	02	92	90	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.