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.

Instructor record · Philosophy · Fall 2021 – Spring 2026

David Manzo

Part-Time Faculty · Philosophy · 10 evaluation records across 2 classes

On each class's board
What the overall is made of
99BC evaluations10 records · weight ×1.0 · Fall 2021 – Spring 2026
Student reviewsno reviews — does not contribute
RateMyProfessorsno ratings — does not contribute

Sources are averaged by how much we trust each one and by how many records sit behind it, so a handful of reviews nudges the number rather than replacing it.

What the challenge rank is made of
74thMore challenging than 74% of BC instructorsranked against every one we hold
92BC — “Intellectually Challenging”10 records · raw score out of 100

Boston College's own “intellectually challenging” question — 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
48thMore work than 48% of BC instructorsranked against every one we hold
50BC — “Workload”10 records · raw score out of 100

Boston College reports workload 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 line

All 13 items · means across 10 records
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
10097th pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
9995th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
10097th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
10096th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
9897th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
9795th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
9997th pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
9694th pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
9580th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
9687th 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.
5048th pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
9274th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
9897th 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.

Class by class

2 classes · 10 sections

How each position is worked outPositions 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.

PHIL 2216 Boston: An Urban AnalysisOvr99Chal55thWork29th
On this class's boardonly instructor on record

5 sections on record · course itself rated 98 out of 100. See the full board for PHIL 2216.

TermSecInstrCourseWork
Spring 20260110010060
Spring 20250110010040
Spring 2024019897
Spring 202301999940
Spring 202201999640
All 13 items for PHIL 2216
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
10089th pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
9988th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
9988th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
100100th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
9887th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
9785th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
9990th pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
9681st pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
9253rd pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
9466th 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.
4529th pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
9155th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
9886th 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.

PHIL 2233 Values in Social Services and Health CareOvr99Chal62ndWork45th
On this class's boardonly instructor on record

5 sections on record · course itself rated 98 out of 100. See the full board for PHIL 2233.

TermSecInstrCourseWork
Fall 202501989860
Fall 2024011009860
Fall 2023019798
Fall 2022011009840
Fall 2021011009960
All 13 items for PHIL 2233
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
9989th pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
9884th 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.
10086th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
9992nd pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
9890th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
10091st pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
9683rd pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
9887th 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.
5545th pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
9262nd pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
9989th 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.

How to read this pageScores are out of 100 — Boston College's 1–5 agreement scale, ×20, the way these numbers were printed for years. Almost every class scores high on that scale (the median is about 90), so challenge and workload are shown as a rank against every instructor we hold rather than as a score; the raw figure is in the breakdown above. Neither describes quality, and neither is ever marked better or worse anywhere on this site. A dash means the question was not reported, and is never a zero. The position printed against each class is this instructor's place on that class's own board, computed from the same records the board itself is built from.