PUBPOL-260S
LEADERSHIP/POLICY/CHANGE
Offered 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. The sample is still thin, so treat this as directional rather than definitive.
DepartmentPPS
Terms offeredFall
Typical enrollment11–11
Semesters of data1
8
Responses
11
Enrollment
73%
Response Rate
Evaluation Scores
Overall quality
Teaching, content, and experience combined.
4.6
Intellectually stimulating
Challenges students to think deeply.
4.6
Instructor effectiveness
Explains concepts and facilitates learning.
4.9
Difficulty
Higher means harder.
3.4
Feedback Analysis
Feedback Analysislow
Analysis based on student evaluations
Based on 26 comments across 1 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. 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
Moderate homework load
Homework load looks moderate. The recurring signal is steady weekly work, but not a course that turns every assignment into a grind.
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
• 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
This class taught me to critically analyse the social foundations of many of the patterns I have observed in my life.
Fall 2023 · Stansbury, Shane
You learn the causes of doubt and distrust of institutions, as well as what happens when trust in institutions is lost. We also learn what's important in leadership and how to restore trust when it's lost. Furthermore, we augment our ability to hold tough conversations. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
Fall 2023 · Stansbury, Shane
In this course I learned about different leadership styles and definitions, I learned about which of these styles prove to be the most effective, and I learned about the current public trust crisis facing our society and how effective leadership can be wielded as a solution.
Fall 2023 · Stansbury, Shane
I learned about the causes for declining trust in American institutions and political polarization, along with how certain industries are problematic in promoting distrust. In addition, I learned how to write concisely and clearly with our reaction papers.
Fall 2023 · Stansbury, Shane
This was my only course this semester where there was a genuine focus on learning how to think, not what to think. Along with critical analysis skills, having a professor dedicate time to actually giving feedback helped develop my writing tremendously.
Fall 2023 · Stansbury, Shane
Rating History
Rating history
Error bars show \u00B11 std dev
| Term | Instructor | Overall | Difficulty | Hrs/wk | Enrolled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2023 | Stansbury, Shane 4.2Rate My ProfessorsQuality4.2Difficulty4.0Would retake80%Based on 5 ratingsClick to view on RMP → | 4.6 | 3.4 | — | 11 |
Instructor
Also teaches
LAW-245 EVIDENCELAW-312 CYBERCRIMELAW-316 INTRO TO CYBER LAW AND POLICYLAW-582 NATIONAL SECURITY LAWLAW-588 INVESTIG/PROSEC NATL SEC CASES