PUBPOL-221
9/11 & ITS AFTERMATH
Not in Fall 2026
Term
Overview
Feedback is mostly positive. The strongest signal is that discussion is a clear strength. Difficulty runs on the high side even without a single dominant complaint theme. Best for students who will actually talk in class instead of sitting silent. The sample is still thin, so treat this as directional rather than definitive.
DepartmentPPS
Terms offeredSpring
Typical enrollment35–35
Semesters of data1
4.9
Hrs / week
34
Responses
35
Enrollment
97%
Response Rate
Evaluation Scores
Overall quality
Teaching, content, and experience combined.
4.8
Intellectually stimulating
Challenges students to think deeply.
4.8
Instructor effectiveness
Explains concepts and facilitates learning.
4.7
Difficulty
Higher means harder.
3.9
Feedback Analysis
Feedback Analysislow
Analysis based on student evaluations
Based on 126 comments across 1 sections
Feedback is mostly positive. The strongest signal is that discussion is a clear strength. Difficulty runs on the high side even without a single dominant complaint theme. Best for students who will actually talk in class instead of sitting silent. The sample is still thin, so treat this as directional rather than definitive.
Student Reports
How hard is the A?
A is doable but not automatic
The signal here is more do-the-work-and-you-should-be-fine than easy-A chatter. Students do not describe the A as automatic, but the evidence also does not paint grading as punishing.
Homework Load
Heavy homework load
Homework load is one of the clearest friction points. Students repeatedly describe assignments, readings, or problem sets as time-consuming.
Lecture Load
Lighter lecture burden
Student comments describe this as more discussion-, seminar-, or workshop-driven than lecture-dependent. The lecture burden itself does not sound like the main source of friction.
Strengths
• Discussion is a clear strength; students repeatedly describe the class conversation as engaging and useful.
• Readings, films, or outside materials come up repeatedly as a real strength rather than filler.
• Students repeatedly say the course teaches something concrete, whether that is content mastery, research skill, or a strong foundation.
Tradeoffs
• Difficulty runs high even when comments do not settle on one dominant complaint.
Best fit for
Best for students who will actually talk in class instead of sitting silent.
Watch out for
• Most of the signal comes from a limited sample, so be careful about over-generalizing.
• A large share of the evidence comes from one instructor's version of the course, so this may not generalize cleanly.
Student Responses
How to articulate my thoughts more clearly, respond to counterarguments to my points, write well constructed informative papers.
Spring 2025 · Schanzer, David
how to properly debate topics in class (especially when prof asks us to elaborate or poses a follow-up question
Spring 2025 · Schanzer, David
decline to answer
Spring 2025 · Schanzer, David
historical and legal analysis, cultural criticism, literature review
Spring 2025 · Schanzer, David
Argumentative writing skills were strongly developed in this course. Professor Schanzer does not like any fluff in his writing. Through this class you learn how to make sure every sentence forwards your argument. Thinking through an argument. In class, even if Schanzer likes your idea, he's going to push back. It forces you to prep your comment to be challenged and only speak when absolutely confident. Reading quickly. So much reading in this class.
Spring 2025 · Schanzer, David
Rating History
Rating history
Error bars show \u00B11 std dev
| Term | Instructor | Overall | Difficulty | Hrs/wk | Enrolled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring 2025 | Schanzer, David 4.9Rate My ProfessorsQuality4.9Difficulty3.9Would retake100%Based on 11 ratingsClick to view on RMP → | 4.8 | 3.9 | 4.9 | 35 |
Instructor
Also teaches
PUBPOL-290-2 SELECTED PUBLIC POLICY TOPICSPUBPOL-292 NAT SEC SIM5.0PUBPOL-517 NAT SEC SIM4.9PUBPOL-590-1 ADV TOP IN PUBLIC POLICY4.5PUBPOL-803 POLICY ANALYSIS I4.8