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 · POLI · MCAS

POLI 2405

Comparative Politics of the Middle East · 1 instructor on record · 5 sections

What the course score is made of
90BC evaluations5 records · weight ×1.0 · Spring 2022 – 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
70thMore challenging than 70% of BC classesranked against every one we hold
94BC — “Intellectually Challenging”5 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”5 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

5 sections · nobody else has taught itFull record
InstructorOverallWorkloadChallengeRMP overall
Kathleen BaileyProfessor of the Practice · Political Science915 records78th70th8618 ratings · all classes

There is no ranking to read here: Kathleen Bailey is the only instructor with evaluation records for POLI 2405, 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 Kathleen Bailey

6 other classes
ClassInstructorsCourse score
POLI 1041Fundamental Concepts of Politics1037 records76
POLI 1042Introduction to Modern Politics519 records83
ICSP 7101Readings and Research--Grad55 records
POLI 3404Seminar: The Anatomy of Dictatorship15 records90
ICSP 4942ICS Senior Seminar Continuation13 records95
ICSP 4906Advanced Independent Research II22 records

Other POLI classes

All of them
ClassInstructorsCourse score
POLI 1021How to Rule the World: Introduction to Political Theory645 records82
POLI 1041Fundamental Concepts of Politics1037 records76
POLI 2360Seminar: Rights in Conflict923 records84
POLI 1042Introduction to Modern Politics519 records83
POLI 2665The Question of Justice919 records80
POLI 2440A Continent on the Move: Immigration in Contemporary Europe110 records86

The line

All 13 items · means across 5 records
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
9451st pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
8923rd pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
9348th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
9659th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
8831st pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
9043rd pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
9566th pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
9259th pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
789th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
8417th 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.
9470th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
9144th 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

5 sections · newest first
InstructorTermSecInstrCourseWork
Kathleen BaileySpring 202601889060
Kathleen BaileySpring 202501939060
Kathleen BaileySpring 202401959560
Kathleen BaileySpring 202301878560
Kathleen BaileySpring 202201928860

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.