PUBPOL-415
COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE
Offered Fall 2026
Term
Overview
Feedback is mostly positive. The strongest signal is that the readings, films, or examples carry real weight. Difficulty runs on the high side even without a single dominant complaint theme. Best for students who will engage with the materials instead of skimming everything.
DepartmentPPS
Terms offeredFall
Typical enrollment13–15
Semesters of data2
6.0
Hrs / week
14
Responses
28
Enrollment
50%
Response Rate
Evaluation Scores
Overall quality
Teaching, content, and experience combined.
4.8
Intellectually stimulating
Challenges students to think deeply.
5.0
Instructor effectiveness
Explains concepts and facilitates learning.
4.8
Difficulty
Higher means harder.
4.0
Feedback Analysis
Feedback Analysismedium
Analysis based on student evaluations
Based on 17 comments across 2 sections
Feedback is mostly positive. The strongest signal is that the readings, films, or examples carry real weight. Difficulty runs on the high side even without a single dominant complaint theme. Best for students who will engage with the materials instead of skimming everything.
Student Reports
How hard is the A?
Hard to get an A
Students repeatedly frame high grades as something you have to earn. This reads as hard to ace rather than casually easy, especially once the course pace or grading standards ramp up.
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
Regular lecture load
Lectures matter here, but the evidence points to a fairly standard lecture burden rather than a course dominated by long or exceptionally dense lectures.
Strengths
• Readings, films, or outside materials come up repeatedly as a real strength rather than filler.
Tradeoffs
• Difficulty runs high even when comments do not settle on one dominant complaint.
Best fit for
Best for students who will engage with the materials instead of skimming everything.
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
-Written reflection skills -Introduction to some prominent thinkers in social change -Personal theory of change
Fall 2023 · Nurkin, Andrew
I learned about personal ecology, different leadership theoretical frameworks and thinking of ways to approach systemic issues over symptoms.
Fall 2023 · Nurkin, Andrew
1. How to ask the right questions, even when they're hard 2. How to sit with nuance and feel ok with not having clean answers 3. How to approach research questions that feel overwhelming
Fall 2023 · Nurkin, Andrew
- how to analyze a formidable challenge through a critical and personal leadership lens, and refine my thinking through continued reflection and action - how to incorporate asset-based-community-development thinking within my leadership practice - how to better evaluate: what do I want in my career and life, and where did those desires come from? Is it what I really want?
Fall 2023 · Nurkin, Andrew
Rating History
Rating history
Error bars show \u00B11 std dev
| Term | Instructor | Overall | Difficulty | Hrs/wk | Enrolled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2025 | Nurkin, Andrew 3.0Rate My ProfessorsQuality3.0Difficulty3.0Would retake67%Based on 3 ratingsClick to view on RMP → | — | — | — | 15 |
| Fall 2023 | Nurkin, Andrew 3.0Rate My ProfessorsQuality3.0Difficulty3.0Would retake67%Based on 3 ratingsClick to view on RMP → | 4.8 | 4.0 | 6.0 | 13 |
Instructor
Nurkin, AndrewARTS&SCI
Also teaches
HOUSECS-59 HOUSE COURSE (SP TOP)4.4PUBPOL-213 ARTS POLICY AND LEADERSHIP4.4PUBPOL-290 SELECTED TOPICS4.5PUBPOL-298 DEV4.7