Class record · LING · MCAS

LING 3104

Formalism and Functionalism in Linguistics · 1 instructor on record · 2 sections

What the course score is made of

96BC evaluations2 records · weight ×1.0 · Fall 2022 – Fall 2024

—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

82ndMore challenging than 82% of BC classesranked against every one we hold

96BC — “Intellectually Challenging”2 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”2 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.

Analysis of two competing orientations in linguistic theory since 1900: formalism (emphasizing systematicity, autonomy, abstraction: American structuralism, varieties of generativism); versus functionalism (prioritizing the role communication imposes on language: Prague School, cognitive linguistics). Extensions into applied linguistics. Readings, lectures, discussion.

The only instructor on record

2 sections · nobody else has taught itFull record

Instructor	Overall	Workload	Challenge
Margaret ThomasProfessor, Linguistics · Eastern, Slavic, and German Studies Provisional	972 records	78th	82nd

There is no ranking to read here: Margaret Thomas is the only instructor with evaluation records for LING 3104, so the number is a record, not a position. It rests on 2 records, which is thin — read it as provisional.

Also taught by Margaret Thomas

6 other classes

Class	Instructors	Course score
LING 3103Language and Language Types	13 records	86
LING 2379Language and Ethnicity	12 records	90
LING 3358The Linguistic Structure of Japanese	12 records	84
LING 3361Psycholinguistics	12 records	85
LING 3362Language in Society	12 records	86
LING 2102The Linguistic Structure of English	11 record	76

Other LING classes

All of them

Class	Instructors	Course score
LING 3101General Linguistics	24 records	76
LING 3102Syntax and Semantics	14 records	91
LING 2377Language and the Study of Africa	13 records	83
LING 3103Language and Language Types	13 records	86
LING 1201General Linguistics	12 records	85
LING 2379Language and Ethnicity	12 records	90

The line

All 13 items · means across 2 records

The Professor4 items

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

9886th pctl

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

9886th pctl

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

9885th pctl

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

9882nd pctl

The Course3 items

Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.

9890th pctl

Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.

9891st pctl

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

9352nd pctl

Assignments & Feedback3 items

Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.

9148th 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.

9888th 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.

9682nd pctl

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

9783rd 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

2 sections · newest first

Instructor	Term	Sec	Instr	Course	Work
Margaret Thomas	Fall 2024	01	100	98	60
Margaret Thomas	Fall 2022	01	93	93	60

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.