Ryan Emenaker

POLSC10 · POLSCI1 · POLISCI10 · POLSC1 · POLSCI10 · POLITICAL · POLI10 · POLSC2 · POLYSCI1 · POLISCI · POLS10 · POL1 · 74 lifetime ratings

AI rating: 22/100
RMP rating: 3.1/5
Take again: 28.21%
Difficulty: 4.2

The decision

if you want a demanding political science course and , and strict deadlines.

Best fit · Hardcore LearnerHarsh gradingHeavy readingHigh expectationsStrong lecturesLow flexibility

Students consistently describe the course as reading-heavy, writing-heavy, and graded very strictly.
Positive reviews praise his knowledge, passion, lectures, and feedback, especially for serious political science students.
, and a poor fit for students seeking a GE credit.

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

HardWork

27/100

An A is possible, but students describe it as , and tolerance for .

Online reviews make the A feel especially costly, while through sustained effort.

Is the course easy?

Challenging

25/100

The content is treated as conceptually demanding because students report , and high expectations even in GE courses.

Both formats are challenging, but online students complain more about workload design and pacing.

Is attendance flexible?

Mandatory

18/100

Attendance and lecture notes are repeatedly described as essential to passing, with participation also mattering in several reviews.

In-person evidence strongly supports required attendance, while and strict deadlines.

Is this professor recommended?

Avoid

31/100

because the , and flexibility feel disproportionate, despite some praise for his knowledge.

Online recommendations are notably weaker, while and frustrated students.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Harsh

15/100

Students repeatedly call him a tough or harsh grader and and .

Format shift

Online reviews emphasize inflexible grading and no , while in-person reviews also describe critical writing and .

Workload

Overwhelming

18/100

The workload is frequently described as heavy, with constant reading, writing, quizzes, exams, and homework.

Format shift

Online students describe the workload as especially excessive, while and writing.

Teaching experience

Poor

43/100

He is knowledgeable and sometimes praised as an excellent lecturer, but many students describe him as condescending, unhelpful, or unclear.

Format shift

, while online reviews focus more on frustration with communication and course structure.

Assessment method

Balanced

58/100

Reviews mention reading analyses, , and participation rather than one single assessment type.

Format shift

Online reviews mention quizzes and exams more often, while , and participation.

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

29 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Hardcore Learner

In-person reviews are mixed, praising strong lectures and learning value while , and heavy work.

Main concern

In-person students must attend lectures, read heavily, and .

What students said

“The lectures were great, he's a nice guy and good at explaining complex concepts.”
POLSC1

“If you are a serious student and want to get the most out of college, take Ryan Emenaker.”
POLSC10

“I have never been in a class so difficult and overwhelming.”
POLISCI

Remote format

Online

21 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Hardcore Learner

Online reviews are mostly negative, with repeated complaints , and limited help.

Main concern

Online students often felt the workload and .

What students said

“The and unclear, the work load is more than 15 hrs a week for a 9 unit class.”
POLISCI10

“No or any way to improve your grade after he grades something.”
POLSC10

“This is not an easy class, you are required 2 textbooks but you only really have to read the article based one.”
POLISCI10

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

and tests with strict expectations, but reviews do not clearly prove proctoring, webcam, open-book, or closed-book rules.

Timed QuizzesDifficult MidtermDifficult FinalTest HeavyLecture-Based Questions

Assessment risk

Strict

22/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

on readings and lectures, but they do not clearly prove open-book, closed-book, or proctoring rules.

Difficult TestsLecture-Based QuestionsReading-Based Questions

“He said he wasn't going to try to trick us with the questions on the mid-term and then did exactly that!”
POLSC10

“A lot of and good lecture notes.”
POLISCI10

Online

, and essay preparation, but they do not clearly prove webcam, proctoring, Lockdown Browser, open-book, or closed-book rules.

Timed QuizzesDifficult MidtermDifficult FinalTest Heavy

“The and he asks questions about specific questions about the context of words he said in lectures throughout the semester.”
POLISCI10

“The midterm and and require you to pre-right the .”
POLISCI10

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice
“ . Not a good class to just get by and get credit, he expects you to really understand the material.”
Voice snapshots generated from 50 reviews, highlighting key themes in , and recommendations. Credibility rating: High.

🎯 Teaching Quality

43/100

“The lectures were great, he's a nice guy and good at explaining complex concepts.”

⚖️

15/100

“ .”

📚 Workload Pressure

18/100

“The and unclear, the work load is more than 15 hrs a week for a 9 unit class.”

👍 Recommendation Level

31/100

“ .”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

He is passionate about what he teaches, and this class has taught me more than any of my other polsc professors.
Lectures are solid, but extremely essential to passing the class.
He needs to spend more time making sure that his students understand exactly what is expected of them.

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

Ryan is an , and holds students to a high standard.
If you work hard and participate, an A is possible.
No or any way to improve your grade after he grades something.

Theme 3

📚 About Workload

There is a large amount of assignments and .
if you don't like to read.
Interesting class, but and way too easy to fall behind.

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

Recent reviews read by the AI

Lifetime ratings

93/100

Evidence confidence

Fifty reviews across many years and both formats give a detailed, consistent picture of a demanding and polarizing professor.

Inside 50 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 520

4 out of 522

3 out of 56

2 out of 56

1 out of 521

Course coverage

POLISCI1014 reviews

POLSC1012 reviews

POLI108 reviews

POLSC15 reviews

POLISCI2 reviews

Show 7 more courses

POLS102 reviews

POLSCI12 reviews

POL11 review

POLITICAL1 review

POLSC21 review

POLSCI101 review

POLYSCI11 review

Reported outcomes

No letter grade reported results lead the reported letter grades.

35 reported outcomes

A range

A 5 · A- 3

B range

B+ 2 · B 5

C range

C+ 1 · C 5 · C- 1

D range

D+ 1

F

No reported values

No letter grade reported

Drop/Withdrawal 1 · Incomplete 1 · Not sure yet 6 · Rather not say 4

Ryan Emenaker

x x x if you want a demanding political science course and x x x x x x, and strict deadlines.

Four answers before you build your schedule.

HardWork

Challenging

Mandatory

Avoid

See how this professor fits your week.

Compare the in-person and online experience.

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

In person

Online

See what students actually said.

🎯 Teaching Quality

⚖️ x x

📚 Workload Pressure

👍 Recommendation Level

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

📚 About Workload

See exactly what the AI read.

Quality ratings

Course coverage

No letter grade reported results lead the reported letter grades.

A range

B range

C range

D range

F

No letter grade reported

if you want a demanding political science course and , and strict deadlines.

⚖️