AMES-260S
READING PALESTINE
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.
DepartmentAMES
Terms offeredSpring
Typical enrollment5–5
Semesters of data1
3.8
Hrs / week
5
Responses
5
Enrollment
100%
Response Rate
Evaluation Scores
Overall quality
Teaching, content, and experience combined.
4.6
Intellectually stimulating
Challenges students to think deeply.
4.6
Instructor effectiveness
Explains concepts and facilitates learning.
4.6
Difficulty
Higher means harder.
3.0
Feedback Analysis
Feedback Analysislow
Analysis based on student evaluations
Based on 18 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.
• Students repeatedly say the course teaches something concrete, whether that is content mastery, research skill, or a strong foundation.
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
I started with a baseline knowledge and walked away feeling like an expert on the material and topic!
Spring 2025 · McLarney, Ellen
I learned all about the history of many major conflicts in the Middle East, beginning with World War I and Ottoman/British Mandate Palestine, then moving to the state of Israel, including the Nakba and the Six Day War of 1967, and then moving to more modern day occurrences with the Intifadas and Oslo Accords.
Spring 2025 · McLarney, Ellen
I learned a lot of history about Palestine and the nature of the conflict as well as all the complex relationships surrounding the conflict. It was very helpful and informative to read about the different perspectives and experiences.
Spring 2025 · McLarney, Ellen
I learned the importance that various authors and literary trailblazers such as Ghassan Kanafani, Mahmoud Darwish and Shafiq al Hout have played in reviving the palestinian intellectual movement as a means of amplifying the resistance. I learned the interconnected nature of various forms of imperialism and colonization from Great Britain, France and the United States and how that influenced the current state of the middle east and the Palestine question. I have learned to critically evaluate claims made in the news and media by analyzing historical literature to better contextualize the current situation in Palestine and Israel.
Spring 2025 · McLarney, Ellen
Rating History
Rating history
Error bars show \u00B11 std dev
| Term | Instructor | Overall | Difficulty | Hrs/wk | Enrolled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring 2025 | McLarney, Ellen 4.4Rate My ProfessorsQuality4.4Difficulty3.2Would retake94%Based on 31 ratingsClick to view on RMP → | 4.6 | 3.0 | 3.8 | 5 |
Instructor
McLarney, EllenAMES
Also teaches
AMES-125 EGYPT: MOTHER OF THE WORLD5.0AMES-319S ANDALUSIA4.7AMES-328S LITERARY ISLAM4.3AMES-329S ISLAMIC MEDIA