PUBPOL-574
ECON EVAL OF SUSTAINABLE DEVEL
Offered 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 offeredFall
Typical enrollment13–13
Semesters of data1
3.5
Hrs / week
6
Responses
13
Enrollment
46%
Response Rate
Evaluation Scores
Overall quality
Teaching, content, and experience combined.
4.5
Intellectually stimulating
Challenges students to think deeply.
4.8
Instructor effectiveness
Explains concepts and facilitates learning.
4.5
Difficulty
Higher means harder.
3.7
Feedback Analysis
Feedback Analysislow
Analysis based on student evaluations
Based on 20 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.
• Teaching clarity stands out; students repeatedly say the material is explained clearly and effectively.
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
My main takeaway from the class is the sustainable development model framework that we've been working in, which taught me a new way of thinking about sustainable development policies and policies in general. I think that now I could look at any policy decision and apply this framework to understand some key concepts, such as who is being affected and where.
Fall 2024 · Pfaff, Alex
Thinking policy, constraints and stakeholder analysis
Fall 2024 · Pfaff, Alex
I learned how to apply a model to policy analysis to consider its impacts on welfare and overall think more deeply about who and what is effected. I learned how to do a CBA. I learned how to think more deeply about economics as an academic discipline through readings.
Fall 2024 · Pfaff, Alex
Theoretical discussions around welfare, how to value goods, how to contextualize said values, and how to question numbers presented.
Fall 2024 · Pfaff, Alex
Course focused on critical thinking regarding economic incentives and arguments for policy.
Fall 2024 · Pfaff, Alex
Rating History
Rating history
Error bars show \u00B11 std dev
| Term | Instructor | Overall | Difficulty | Hrs/wk | Enrolled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2024 | Pfaff, Alex 3.4Rate My ProfessorsQuality3.4Difficulty3.9Would retake40%Based on 8 ratingsClick to view on RMP → | 4.5 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 13 |
Instructor
Pfaff, AlexPPS
Also teaches
PUBPOL-303D MICROECONOMIC POLICY TOOLS4.2PUBPOL-901 CHOICE AND PUBLIC POLICY4.0