PUBPOL-298
DEV
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. The sample is still thin, so treat this as directional rather than definitive.
DepartmentPPS
Terms offeredSpring
Typical enrollment20–20
Semesters of data1
3.8
Hrs / week
17
Responses
20
Enrollment
85%
Response Rate
Evaluation Scores
Overall quality
Teaching, content, and experience combined.
4.7
Intellectually stimulating
Challenges students to think deeply.
4.5
Instructor effectiveness
Explains concepts and facilitates learning.
4.7
Difficulty
Higher means harder.
2.7
Feedback Analysis
Feedback Analysislow
Analysis based on student evaluations
Based on 66 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
Learned about bridge building leadership and relational meetings. Learned about the different approaches to leadership and community engagement.
Spring 2025 · Nurkin, Andrew
how to be a good person, and a leader
Spring 2025 · Nurkin, Andrew
Class discussions were helpful in engaging students with content and readings and inspired students to exit their comfort zones to practice challenging conversations.
Spring 2025 · Nurkin, Andrew
This course provides insight into the unique concept of community based leadership. It also balances leadership theory excellently with practical skill building, promoting immense self-reflection.
Spring 2025 · Nurkin, Andrew
I developed a greater understanding of what leadership means in various contexts and models of leadership like Asset Based Community Development. I think that this course challenged what I thought leadership meant and really made me reflect on my own leadership.
Spring 2025 · Nurkin, Andrew
Rating History
Rating history
Error bars show \u00B11 std dev
| Term | Instructor | Overall | Difficulty | Hrs/wk | Enrolled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring 2025 | Nurkin, Andrew 3.0Rate My ProfessorsQuality3.0Difficulty3.0Would retake67%Based on 3 ratingsClick to view on RMP → | 4.7 | 2.7 | 3.8 | 20 |
Instructor
Nurkin, AndrewARTS&SCI
Also teaches
HOUSECS-59 HOUSE COURSE (SP TOP)4.4PUBPOL-213 ARTS POLICY AND LEADERSHIP4.4PUBPOL-290 SELECTED TOPICS4.5PUBPOL-415 COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE4.8