AMES-290S
SP TOPICS IN AMES
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 enrollment16–16
Semesters of data1
3.7
Hrs / week
10
Responses
16
Enrollment
63%
Response Rate
Evaluation Scores
Overall quality
Teaching, content, and experience combined.
3.8
Intellectually stimulating
Challenges students to think deeply.
4.0
Instructor effectiveness
Explains concepts and facilitates learning.
4.1
Difficulty
Higher means harder.
2.6
Feedback Analysis
Feedback Analysislow
Analysis based on student evaluations
Based on 32 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
Critical thinking, building slides, discussions with other students
Spring 2025 · Funabashi, Eric
Writing about ideas from both an abstract and practical standpoint, reading texts about cuisine and dining, thinking more about different cultural viewpoints.
Spring 2025 · Funabashi, Eric
Societal and cultural analysis.
Spring 2025 · Funabashi, Eric
the formation and evolution of japanese national cuisine - economic, social, political, and historical context
Spring 2025 · Funabashi, Eric
I learned to appreciate the history, experience, and authenticity of food from an academic context. I had never questoned the notion of authenticity before and it was interesting to compare it to the marketing constructs that may be built by the nation.
Spring 2025 · Funabashi, Eric
Rating History
Rating history
Error bars show \u00B11 std dev
| Term | Instructor | Overall | Difficulty | Hrs/wk | Enrolled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring 2025 | Funabashi, Eric | 3.8 | 2.6 | 3.7 | 16 |