Alan Kirshner

POLSC02 · POLI102 · POL102 · POL101 · POL101A · HIST103 · PS101 · POSCI102 · HIST104B · PS04 · HIST104 · HIST104A · PS102 · 89 lifetime ratings

AI rating: 44/100
RMP rating: 3.0/5
Take again: —
Difficulty: 3.5

The decision

if you want a demanding, opinion-heavy history/politics course and can write well under pressure.

Best fit · Hardcore LearnerPolarizing LecturerBig Ego StoriesHard Essay GraderSelf-Authored TextbookKnowledgeable But Harsh

some call him one of the .
Lectures mix deep knowledge with long personal stories, sarcasm, and perceived arrogance.
Getting an A usually means heavy reading, note-taking, and .

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

HardWork

34/100

An A is possible but students say you must work very hard, write well, and often match his views.

; comments also mention demanding online and self-paced options.

Is the course easy?

Challenging

36/100

Content and and frequently called tough.

Is attendance flexible?

Depends

48/100

Strong fans and strong haters are both common, so fit depends on taste for rigor and his style.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Strict

28/100

Many say he grades hard, docks opinions that differ, and demands strong writing.

Format shift

All counted reviews are in-person.

Workload

Moderate

45/100

Reading, vocab, online essays, and .

Format shift

All counted reviews are in-person.

Teaching experience

Average

50/100

Highly knowledgeable and entertaining for some; rambling, arrogant, and unhelpful for others.

Format shift

All counted reviews are in-person.

Assessment method

FocusOnExams

74/100

In-class essay tests, midterms, finals, and .

Format shift

All counted reviews are in-person.

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

50 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Hardcore Learner

In-person students either love his entertaining lectures and rigor or reject story-heavy, ego-driven classes with .

Main concern

, and required self-authored books frustrate many.

What students said

“Lectures consisted of him rambling on about his many "great life accomplishments".”
PS102

“AMAZING! I loved his class and I always looked forward to going to his lectures.”
PS102

“I'm sorry but this guy is not a good teacher. I swear I had high school teachers that taught better than him. STAY AWAY!”
POL102

Remote format

Online

0 reviews

Low confidence

No stored summary is available for this format.

Main concern

No main concern is stored for this format.

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

and book; they reward writing skill and his framework.

In-Class EssaysChoice Of PromptsHeavy ReadingOpinion-Based Answers

Assessment risk

Standard

42/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

call hard but fair if you study.

In-Class EssaysPrompt ChoiceStrict Writing Standards

“ bad if you pay attention.”
HIST104A

“Each test covers 4 chapters of the book and lecture. The .”
HIST104A

“Always felt unprepared for tests.”
PS102

Online

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice
“You either swim or drown. This New Yorker aint no joke!”
Voice snapshots generated from 50 reviews, highlighting , and demanding expectations. Credibility rating: High.

🎯 Teaching Quality

50/100

“AMAZING! I loved his class and I always looked forward to going to his lectures.”

⚠️ Polarizing Style

40/100

“HUGE ego!!! It's all about DOCTOR Kirshner.”

📝

28/100

“He grades very hard but if you are ready to work very very hard, you'll get an A.”

👍 Split Recommendation

48/100

“STAY AWAY!”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

Funny and entertaining lecturer.
Too many stories.
90% of class is spent talking about all kinds of other stuff (chess, his kids, etc.).

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

there is nothing called easy A
be warned!
An 'A' is easily attainable as long as you are well-versed in the material.

Theme 3

❤️ About Character

HUGE EGO, little man.
He is extremely knowledgeable
One of the .

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

Recent reviews read by the AI

Lifetime ratings

86/100

Evidence confidence

Fifty reviews spanning years show stable polarization on teaching style, ego, and .

Inside 50 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 525

4 out of 518

3 out of 515

2 out of 511

1 out of 520

Course coverage

PS10219 reviews

HIST104A11 reviews

HIST1047 reviews

HIST104B2 reviews

POL1022 reviews

Show 8 more courses

POSCI1022 reviews

HIST1031 review

POL1011 review

POL101A1 review

POLI1021 review

POLSC021 review

PS041 review

PS1011 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

0 reported outcomes

A range

No reported values

B range

No reported values

C range

No reported values

D range

No reported values

F

No reported values

No letter grade reported

No reported values

Alan Kirshner

x x x if you want a demanding, opinion-heavy history/politics course and can write well under pressure.

Four answers before you build your schedule.

HardWork

Challenging

Recommended

Depends

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

⚠️ Polarizing Style

📝 x x

👍 Split Recommendation

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

❤️ About Character

See exactly what the AI read.

Quality ratings

Course coverage

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

A range

B range

C range

D range

F

No letter grade reported

if you want a demanding, opinion-heavy history/politics course and can write well under pressure.

📝