PUBPOL-249
LIFE WITHIN CAPITALISM
Not in Fall 2026
Term
Overview
Feedback is mostly positive. The strongest signal is that discussion is a clear strength. Best for students who will actually talk in class instead of sitting silent.
DepartmentPPS
Terms offeredSpring
Typical enrollment19–21
Semesters of data2
5.1
Hrs / week
35
Responses
40
Enrollment
88%
Response Rate
Evaluation Scores
Overall quality
Teaching, content, and experience combined.
4.7
Intellectually stimulating
Challenges students to think deeply.
4.9
Instructor effectiveness
Explains concepts and facilitates learning.
4.8
Difficulty
Higher means harder.
3.4
Feedback Analysis
Feedback Analysismedium
Analysis based on student evaluations
Based on 74 comments across 2 sections
Feedback is mostly positive. The strongest signal is that discussion is a clear strength. Best for students who will actually talk in class instead of sitting silent.
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
• There is no single dominant complaint theme, but the feedback is not uniformly glowing either.
Best fit for
Best for students who will actually talk in class instead of sitting silent.
Watch out for
• A large share of the evidence comes from one instructor's version of the course, so this may not generalize cleanly.
Student Responses
critical way to view life - understand how capitalism influences every aspect of life how to engage with a reading. pay enough attention to it, to understand not just the gist of an article, but its central argument
Spring 2024 · Philipsen, Dirk
This course gave me a new lens to view the entire world through. I think it brought some of the most critical aspects of life on earth to me in a different perspective than I had ever before considered.
Spring 2024 · Philipsen, Dirk
During Dr. Phillipsen's course, I adapted new ways of thinking about my life in academic settings and beyond. I became more cognizant of how my actions affect my environment in the long run. Overall, this course opened my eyes to exploring different arguments for different problems in our world without the expectation that there is only one correct answer.
Spring 2024 · Philipsen, Dirk
I learned how to identify and explain an argument, what capitalism exactly is, and capitalism's impact on society and our planet.
Spring 2024 · Philipsen, Dirk
- Potential alternatives to capitalism - Capitalism impacts on progress and reform - Capitalism impacts on environment, politics, and social conditions
Spring 2024 · Philipsen, Dirk
Rating History
Rating history
Error bars show \u00B11 std dev
| Term | Instructor | Overall | Difficulty | Hrs/wk | Enrolled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring 2025 | Philipsen, Dirk 4.4Rate My ProfessorsQuality4.4Difficulty3.0Would retake85%Based on 60 ratingsClick to view on RMP → | — | — | 4.9 | 21 |
| Spring 2024 | Philipsen, Dirk 4.4Rate My ProfessorsQuality4.4Difficulty3.0Would retake85%Based on 60 ratingsClick to view on RMP → | 4.7 | 3.4 | 5.2 | 19 |
Instructor
Also teaches
PUBPOL-171FS BEYOND DENIAL4.2PUBPOL-546 WELL-BEING ECONOMICS4.0