Carney Curve

Boston College course evaluations · every published number, ranked class by class

Top of the board1.ECON 9902962.LAWS 8856973.PRTO 3300984.BSLW 2299975.PHIL 4932986.LAWS 8308987.SCWK 9960998.EESC 99011009.MUSP 16609610.UGMG 10109811.UNCP 55119712.SCWK 883197

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 – Fall 2025

Dermot Moran

Professor; Joseph Chair in Catholic Philosophy · Philosophy · 9 evaluation records across 3 classes

On each class's board
PHIL 5549only instructor on recordPHIL 7224only instructor on recordPHIL 1727only instructor on record Provisional
What the overall is made of
91BC evaluations9 records · weight ×1.0 · Fall 2021 – Fall 2025
—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
78thMore challenging than 78% of BC instructorsranked against every one we hold
92BC — “Intellectually Challenging”9 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
55thMore work than 55% of BC instructorsranked against every one we hold
53BC — “Workload”9 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 9 records
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
9464th pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
9142nd pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
9359th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
9566th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
9156th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
9153rd pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
9367th pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
9165th pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
8733rd pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
9052nd 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.
5355th pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
9278th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
9266th 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

3 classes · 9 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 5549 Selected Readings in PhenomenologyOvr95Chal86thWork78th
On this class's boardonly instructor on record

4 sections on record · course itself rated 91 out of 100. See the full board for PHIL 5549.

TermSecInstrCourseWork
Fall 202501969140
Spring 202501958860
Spring 202301938980
Spring 202201989560
All 13 items for PHIL 5549
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
9882nd pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
9670th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
9668th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
9659th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
9363rd pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
9466th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
9460th pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
9255th pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
9045th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
9781st 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.
9686th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
9361st 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 7224 Medieval Christian Mystical Philosophy: Eriugena, Eckhart, CusanusOvr89Chal50thWork43rd
On this class's boardonly instructor on record

3 sections on record · course itself rated 89 out of 100. See the full board for PHIL 7224.

TermSecInstrCourseWork
Fall 202401979460
Fall 2022019810060
Fall 202101737340
All 13 items for PHIL 7224
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
9241st pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
8510th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
9239th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
9448th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
9146th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
9037th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
9463rd pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
9046th pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
8215th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
8111th 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.
5343rd pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
9050th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
9252nd 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 1727 The Self and its Limits: Classical and Contemporary PerspectivesOvr85Chal27thWork25th
On this class's boardonly instructor on record Provisional

2 sections on record · course itself rated 81 out of 100. See the full board for PHIL 1727.

TermSecInstrCourseWork
Fall 202501878240
Fall 202401838040
All 13 items for PHIL 1727
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
8820th pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
9024th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
8926th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
9340th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
8625th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
8621st pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
8929th pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
9046th pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
9044th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
9147th 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.
4025th pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
8627th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
8830th 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.