PUBPOL-496S
HONORS SEMINAR
Offered Fall 2026
Term
Instructor
Overview
Feedback is mostly positive. The strongest signal is that students say they actually learn something useful. Difficulty runs on the high side even without a single dominant complaint theme. Best for students who want substance, not a disposable elective.
DepartmentPPS
Terms offeredFall
Typical enrollment11–11
Semesters of data1
6.0
Hrs / week
10
Responses
22
Enrollment
45%
Response Rate
Evaluation Scores
Overall quality
Teaching, content, and experience combined.
4.4
Intellectually stimulating
Challenges students to think deeply.
4.8
Instructor effectiveness
Explains concepts and facilitates learning.
4.6
Difficulty
Higher means harder.
4.3
Feedback Analysis
Feedback Analysismedium
Analysis based on student evaluations
Based on 36 comments across 2 sections
Feedback is mostly positive. The strongest signal is that students say they actually learn something useful. Difficulty runs on the high side even without a single dominant complaint theme. Best for students who want substance, not a disposable elective.
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
• 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 want substance, not a disposable elective.
Student Responses
How to write a methods section. How to create visually appealing and informative posters and presentations. How to run regressions and statistical analyses in R.
Fall 2025 · Postel, Hannah
I learned how to write a whole thesis paper! Dr. Postel acted as my full advisor, teaching me how to do a literature review, plan interviews and data analysis, and form a findings section. I also learned how to do textual analysis and use NVivo well.
Fall 2025 · Postel, Hannah
So many. Primarily, I learned how to synthesize complex literature on my paper's topic and combine a theoretical framework with an operationalized recruitment process and research design that yielded real results. Time management was also huge, there were so many deadlines to juggle.
Fall 2025 · Postel, Hannah
I learned how to create, research, and write an undergraduate thesis.
Fall 2025 · Postel, Hannah
I gained many skills involved in the research process. Writing a thesis was a new approach to research, so most of what I did was a learning experience.
Fall 2025 · Postel, Hannah
Rating History
Rating history
Error bars show \u00B11 std dev
| Term | Instructor | Overall | Difficulty | Hrs/wk | Enrolled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2025 | SoRelle, Mallory | 4.4 | 4.3 | 6.0 | 22 |
Instructor
Also teaches
PUBPOL-902 ETHICS OF PUBPOLPUBPOL-902 POLITICAL ECONOMY OF POLICY4.6