AMES-190FS
AMES SPEC TOPICS-FOCUS PROGRAM
Offered Fall 2026
Term
Overview
Feedback is mostly positive. The strongest signal is that discussion is a clear strength. Difficulty runs on the high side even without a single dominant complaint theme. 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.
DepartmentAMES
Terms offeredFall
Typical enrollment18–18
Semesters of data1
6.1
Hrs / week
14
Responses
18
Enrollment
78%
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.
4.4
Difficulty
Higher means harder.
3.8
Feedback Analysis
Feedback Analysislow
Analysis based on student evaluations
Based on 49 comments across 1 sections
Feedback is mostly positive. The strongest signal is that discussion is a clear strength. Difficulty runs on the high side even without a single dominant complaint theme. 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
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
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.
• 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 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
understanding of conflicts in the middle east
Fall 2025 · Lo, Mbaye
I learned how better to frame research questions, how to view conflicts from a neutral point of view, and learned the basic tenets of islamic and middle eastern culture.
Fall 2025 · Lo, Mbaye
I learned a lot more about the Middle East, how to think critically, and better understood not just how to, but the importance of humanizing people in world conflicts.
Fall 2025 · Lo, Mbaye
Analytical skills regarding complex, often foreign, papers, books, and articles. Ability to understand ethical and moral aspects in conflicts, using these factors to better understand and humanize conflicts. Ability to analyze movies for parallels to real-life conflicts and dilemmas.
Fall 2025 · Lo, Mbaye
We learned about ethical models, modern and early Islam, and current conflicts in the Middle East
Fall 2025 · Lo, Mbaye
Rating History
Rating history
Error bars show \u00B11 std dev
| Term | Instructor | Overall | Difficulty | Hrs/wk | Enrolled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2025 | Lo, Mbaye 3.7Rate My ProfessorsQuality3.7Difficulty3.0Would retake83%Based on 41 ratingsClick to view on RMP → | 4.3 | 3.8 | 6.1 | 18 |
Instructor
Lo, MbayeAMES
Also teaches
AMES-220S FROM AL-QAEDA TO BOKO HARAM4.1