PUBPOL-564
DEMOCRACY LAB
Not in Fall 2026
Term
Overview
Feedback is mostly positive. The strongest signal is that the readings, films, or examples carry real weight. Best for students who will engage with the materials instead of skimming everything. The sample is still thin, so treat this as directional rather than definitive.
DepartmentPPS
Terms offeredSpring
Typical enrollment15–15
Semesters of data1
5.2
Hrs / week
5
Responses
15
Enrollment
33%
Response Rate
Evaluation Scores
Overall quality
Teaching, content, and experience combined.
4.4
Intellectually stimulating
Challenges students to think deeply.
4.4
Instructor effectiveness
Explains concepts and facilitates learning.
4.6
Difficulty
Higher means harder.
3.6
Feedback Analysis
Feedback Analysislow
Analysis based on student evaluations
Based on 19 comments across 1 sections
Feedback is mostly positive. The strongest signal is that the readings, films, or examples carry real weight. Best for students who will engage with the materials instead of skimming everything. 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
• Readings, films, or outside materials come up repeatedly as a real strength rather than filler.
• Discussion is a clear strength; students repeatedly describe the class conversation as engaging and useful.
Tradeoffs
• There is no single dominant complaint theme, but the feedback is not uniformly glowing either.
Best fit for
Best for students who will engage with the materials instead of skimming everything.
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
In a time of a lot of political polarization and strife, I was able to succinctly form my opinion and have a lot of really good articles to defend my opinion. I also learned how to critically read political articles and critique themes effectively for better solutions. Also, as a political science major, I was exposed to more of a public policy-focused coursework, which was cool when it came to writing our client reports.
Spring 2025 · Katzenstein, Suzanne
1. how to look at issues related to democracy from a variety of perspectives 2. how to incorporate personal reflection into evaluating more theoretical/technical readings 3. strategies for collaborating with community partners effectively
Spring 2025 · Katzenstein, Suzanne
I learned how to research and compile a professional academic report. I learned about some of the issues facing the U.S. democracy right now and some solutions to help bridge polarization.
Spring 2025 · Katzenstein, Suzanne
- I was able to gain a stronger understanding and ability to write policy reports. Since I have not had much experience in this area, I was really grateful that our final project was centered around creating a final report, not necessarily an essay or test. This made it feel like the work of my classmates and I had real world implications. - I have been a lot better at recognizing and evaluating differing political arguments. A lot of the discussions we had in class centered around current political events, so being able to speak on my own personal beliefs and that of the readings was eye opening in how I perceived the news. - I believe I have become a better public speaker, specifically through having to voice my own opinions and thoughts on the material provided in class or asking questions for classmates.
Spring 2025 · Katzenstein, Suzanne
How to have healthy discourse, how to manage a client-oriented project, and how to be more effective working in groups.
Spring 2025 · Katzenstein, Suzanne
Rating History
Rating history
Error bars show \u00B11 std dev
| Term | Instructor | Overall | Difficulty | Hrs/wk | Enrolled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring 2025 | Katzenstein, Suzanne 4.4Rate My ProfessorsQuality4.4Difficulty2.8Would retake86%Based on 49 ratingsClick to view on RMP → | 4.4 | 3.6 | 5.2 | 15 |
Instructor
Also teaches
PUBPOL-155D INTRO TO POLICY ANALYSIS4.1PUBPOL-311S BUSINESS AND HUMAN RIGHTS4.3PUBPOL-807 MASTER'S PROJECT I2.9