AI Rate Professor

Political Science

Rory O'Brien

PS5 · PS1 · POLITPOLI · PSH1 · PS1ONLINE · POLISCI1ONLINE · POLSC1 · PSONLINE · POLISCI1 · POLICALSCIENCE · PS588000 · POLISCI5 · 92 lifetime ratings

AI rating
74/100
RMP rating
3.3/5
Take again
70.59%
Difficulty
3.2

The decision

Take him if and can handle reading and but not effortless grade.

Best fit · Effort For RewardPassionate lecturerReading heavyPaper based gradingCaring and flexibleSometimes disorganized
  • Students often praise Rory O'Brien's passion, knowledge, and ability to make politics engaging.
  • , and participation rather than constant busywork.
  • The , and lectures that can drift off topic.

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

FairEffort

67/100

An A is realistic if students keep up with reading and , but many reviews warn that high grades require real effort.

Online evidence points to manageable textbook-based work, while , and the professor's grading style.

Is the course easy?

Standard

58/100

The political science content is usually understandable, but the reading load, papers, and .

Online sections seem more self-paced and textbook-driven, while , and attendance.

Is attendance flexible?

Varies

45/100

Online work appears flexible, but several in-person reviews say attendance, participation, or roll-taking matters.

Online reviews do not show strict attendance rules, while , and roll.

Is this professor recommended?

WorthIt

72/100

, and clear expectations, but older and negative reviews warn about grading and organization.

Online reviews are generally favorable for structure and flexibility, while because lecture style matters more.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Fair

55/100

Students often say he grades fairly, but many also call him a .

Format shift

Online grading is described as clear but rarely perfect, while mood-dependent.

Workload

Moderate

48/100

The course usually has few task types, but repeated reading, papers, projects, and .

Format shift

Online work centers on textbook reading, quizzes, papers, and projects, while and several papers.

Teaching experience

Good

72/100

Students praise his passion, knowledge, humor, and care, though .

Format shift

Online praise focuses on clarity and care, while his lecture style.

Assessment method

FocusOnAssignments

30/100

Most reviews describe grades based mainly on papers, essays, projects, quizzes, and .

Format shift

Online sections emphasize papers, projects, and quizzes, while and older sections with exams.

Luni fit check

Weigh these signals against your actual schedule.

Get help balancing workload, grading, and timing when no option is an obvious fit.

Course format

Compare the in-person and online experience.

Classroom format

In person

36 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Effort For Reward

In-person reviews highlight engaging lectures and strong subject knowledge, but , and paper-heavy grading.

Main concern

In-person students and .

What students said

“There is a lot of reading.”
PS5
“He takes roll (most of the time) so you have to show up!”
POLISCI1
“His .”
PS5

Remote format

Online

14 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Self Taught Pro

Online reviews are mostly positive, but students describe a textbook-driven class with , and limited direct instruction in some sections.

Main concern

Online students may need to teach themselves from the textbook and .

What students said

“Doesn't provide any lectures.”
POLISCI1
“3 papers instead of midterms, 3 group projects (format of papers) and ”
POLICALSCIENCE
“No final for this class only 3 projects 3 Essays and small quizzes.”
PS1ONLINE

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Exam evidence varies by course, with while some in-person PS1 reviews mention exams.

Papers Instead Of MidtermsSmall QuizzesNo Final In Some Online SectionsMixed In-Person Exams

Assessment risk

Varies

62/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

In-person reviews show mixed assessment styles, including paper-only PS5 sections and some PS1 sections with exams, but they do not clearly prove closed-book rules or proctoring.

Paper-Based SectionsSome ExamsBook-Based Tests
“ ”
PS5
“there is 3 essays and 3 exams”
PS1
“ .”
PSH1

Online

Online reviews support quizzes, papers, projects, and , but they do not clearly prove webcam, proctoring, Lockdown Browser, or open-book rules.

Textbook QuizzesPapers And ProjectsNo Final In One Section
“3 papers instead of midterms”
POLICALSCIENCE
“No final for this class only 3 projects 3 Essays and small quizzes.”
PS1ONLINE
“ but are basically word for word from the textbook”
POLISCI1

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice

“He's passionate about his subject and that really helps you get into what you're learning.”

Voice snapshots generated from 50 reviews, highlighting key themes in , and format differences; credibility rating: High.

🎯 Teaching Quality

72/100

“His lectures are amazing, and his knowledge is endless.”

📚 Workload Pattern

48/100

“This class , and chapter quizzes.”

⚖️

55/100

“Grades fairly but definitely wants to see some extra effort put in for a higher grade.”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

  • He's extremely passionate about PS, and makes the subject very alive.
  • He never stays on topic and he can be a bit boring, but if you want an easy A.
  • His .

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty And Grades

  • If you do the work, you can earn a B or even an A.
  • He isn't hard, but also never gives 100% on anything.
  • It's not a hard class, but you do have to put in your work.

Theme 3

📝 About Assignments

  • You're only graded based on 6 papers throughout the semester, however they get heftier with time.
  • 3 analytical textbook-related papers, 3 projects about your local government and political thoughts.
  • The textbook

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

50

Recent reviews read by the AI

92

Lifetime ratings

92/100

Evidence confidence

The analysis is based on 50 reviews across many years, with , and lecture style.

Inside 50 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 526
4 out of 524
3 out of 518
2 out of 512
1 out of 512

Course coverage

PS514 reviews
PS113 reviews
PS1ONLINE6 reviews
POLISCI14 reviews
POLISCI1ONLINE3 reviews
Show 7 more courses
POLISCI53 reviews
POLSC12 reviews
POLICALSCIENCE1 review
POLITPOLI1 review
PS5880001 review
PSH11 review
PSONLINE1 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

31 reported outcomes

A range

21

A+ 4 · A 14 · A- 3

B range

8

B+ 3 · B 5

C range

0

No reported values

D range

0

No reported values

F

0

No reported values

No letter grade reported

2

Not sure yet 1 · Rather not say 1