PUBPOL-546
WELL-BEING ECONOMICS
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 offeredFall
Typical enrollment7–10
Semesters of data2
4.8
Hrs / week
15
Responses
17
Enrollment
88%
Response Rate
Evaluation Scores
Overall quality
Teaching, content, and experience combined.
4.0
Intellectually stimulating
Challenges students to think deeply.
4.5
Instructor effectiveness
Explains concepts and facilitates learning.
4.1
Difficulty
Higher means harder.
3.6
Feedback Analysis
Feedback Analysismedium
Analysis based on student evaluations
Based on 53 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
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.
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
I developed out-of-the-box thinking about capitalism and anti-growth models. A new approach to economic theory and a broader understanding of how to approach socio-political challenges in the US and globally.
Fall 2025 · Philipsen, Dirk
I enjoyed the works of Jason Hickel and Kate Raworth. The variety of media was interesting- I think it would also help if people were assigned to lead certain readings so they know which chapters to hone in on.
Fall 2025 · Philipsen, Dirk
New ways of thinking about capitalism. The idea that more is not better. How the idea of growth is trapping us.
Fall 2025 · Philipsen, Dirk
(1) Why capitalism and its history is bad (2) Why growth is not as good as we usually think it is... (3) How to imagine and think about a well-being world
Fall 2025 · Philipsen, Dirk
This class challenged us to question dominant assumptions in economics through our class discussions and presentations. I found myself thinking more critically in my other classes because of the alternative ideas we discussed. Coming up with a radical well-being model for my final project was very challenging, but the push to think creatively without holding myself back led to some intellectual growth (pun intended).
Fall 2025 · Philipsen, Dirk
Rating History
Rating history
Error bars show \u00B11 std dev
| Term | Instructor | Overall | Difficulty | Hrs/wk | Enrolled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2025 | Philipsen, Dirk 4.4Rate My ProfessorsQuality4.4Difficulty3.0Would retake85%Based on 60 ratingsClick to view on RMP → | 3.9 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 10 |
| Fall 2024 | Philipsen, Dirk 4.4Rate My ProfessorsQuality4.4Difficulty3.0Would retake85%Based on 60 ratingsClick to view on RMP → | 4.1 | 3.6 | 5.9 | 7 |
Instructor
Also teaches
PUBPOL-171FS BEYOND DENIAL4.2PUBPOL-249 LIFE WITHIN CAPITALISM4.7