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 · Political Science · Spring 2022 – Spring 2025

Maria Krupenkin

Political Science · 10 evaluation records across 4 classes

On each class's board
POLI 2307only instructor on recordPOLI 23672nd of 2 instructorsPOLI 2300only instructor on record ProvisionalPOLI 3316only instructor on record Provisional
What the overall is made of
72BC evaluations10 records · weight ×1.0 · Spring 2022 – Spring 2025
46RateMyProfessors3 ratings · weight ×2.0 · 33% would take again
—Student reviewsno reviews — 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
18thMore challenging than 18% of BC instructorsranked against every one we hold
82BC — “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. RateMyProfessors separately rates this instructor 46 out of 100 for difficulty — that IS a difficulty measure, but it is about the person across everything they teach, not about any one class, so it is shown here rather than folded into the number above.

What the workload rank is made of
31stMore work than 31% of BC instructorsranked against every one we hold
44BC — “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.

Ratings from outside BC

Not evaluation data

Collected from RateMyProfessors, not from Boston College: 3 ratings, 33% would take again, difficulty 46 out of 100. Difficulty is not a quality signal in either direction — a harder course is not a worse one.

Anyone can post there — no @bc.edu check and no enrolment check — so it is weighted alongside the evaluation data, never above it.

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.
8110th pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
806th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
788th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
8212th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
8525th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
8524th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
8315th pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
8010th pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
7911th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
745th 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.
4431st pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
8218th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
683rd 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

4 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.

POLI 2307 Racial and Ethnic PoliticsOvr77Chal11thWork25th
On this class's boardonly instructor on record

3 sections on record · course itself rated 80 out of 100. See the full board for POLI 2307.

TermSecInstrCourseWork
Spring 202501737540
Spring 202301798040
Spring 202201818440
All 13 items for POLI 2307
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
8616th pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
8511th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
828th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
859th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
9145th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
9042nd pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
8719th pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
8622nd pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
8421st pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
776th 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.
8211th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
641st 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.

POLI 2367 Media and PoliticsOvr66Chal3rdWork25th
On this class's board2nd of 2 instructors

3 sections on record · course itself rated 63 out of 100. See the full board for POLI 2367.

TermSecInstrCourseWork
Spring 202501646540
Fall 202201544940
Spring 202201807340
All 13 items for POLI 2367
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
762nd pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
731st pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
711st pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
751st pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
8316th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
8313th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
793rd pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
711st pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
757th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
671st 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.
763rd pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
621st 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.

POLI 2300 Introduction to Data ScienceOvr66Chal41stWork78th
On this class's boardonly instructor on record Provisional

2 sections on record · course itself rated 65 out of 100. See the full board for POLI 2300.

TermSecInstrCourseWork
Spring 202501576160
Spring 202301747060
All 13 items for POLI 2300
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
721st pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
815th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
762nd pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
814th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
798th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
796th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
783rd pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
818th pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
662nd pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
776th 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.
8941st pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
681st 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.

POLI 3316 Technology and PoliticsOvr79Chal21stWork25th
On this class's boardonly instructor on record Provisional

2 sections on record · course itself rated 79 out of 100. See the full board for POLI 3316.

TermSecInstrCourseWork
Fall 202401808440
Fall 202201787340
All 13 items for POLI 3316
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.
836th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
8615th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
8920th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
8523rd pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
8829th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
8719th pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
8312th pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
8420th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
765th 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.
8521st pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
8213th 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.