PUBPOL-89S
FIRST-YEAR SEMINAR (TOP)
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. The sample is still thin, so treat this as directional rather than definitive.
DepartmentPPS
Terms offeredSpring
Typical enrollment15–15
Semesters of data1
3.5
Hrs / week
13
Responses
15
Enrollment
87%
Response Rate
Evaluation Scores
Overall quality
Teaching, content, and experience combined.
4.3
Intellectually stimulating
Challenges students to think deeply.
4.5
Instructor effectiveness
Explains concepts and facilitates learning.
4.3
Difficulty
Higher means harder.
3.3
Feedback Analysis
Feedback Analysislow
Analysis based on student evaluations
Based on 52 comments across 1 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. 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
• Discussion is a clear strength; students repeatedly describe the class conversation as engaging and useful.
• Students repeatedly say the course teaches something concrete, whether that is content mastery, research skill, or a strong foundation.
• 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
• 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
cold war history, middle east conflicts, Chinese conflict with US
Spring 2025 · Schanzer, David
I learned how to look at different sides of a conflict, I learned how to write effectively, and I learned how to take feedback.
Spring 2025 · Schanzer, David
how to write proposals
Spring 2025 · Schanzer, David
I developed an ability to view things from multiple perspectives and understand all angles.
Spring 2025 · Schanzer, David
Reading long text material, argumentative writing, and analytical skills for geopolitics.
Spring 2025 · Schanzer, David
Rating History
Rating history
Error bars show \u00B11 std dev
| Term | Instructor | Overall | Difficulty | Hrs/wk | Enrolled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring 2025 | Schanzer, David 4.9Rate My ProfessorsQuality4.9Difficulty3.9Would retake100%Based on 11 ratingsClick to view on RMP → | 4.3 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 15 |
Instructor
Also teaches
PUBPOL-221 9/11 & ITS AFTERMATH4.8PUBPOL-290-2 SELECTED PUBLIC POLICY TOPICSPUBPOL-292 NAT SEC SIM5.0PUBPOL-517 NAT SEC SIM4.9PUBPOL-590-1 ADV TOP IN PUBLIC POLICY4.5