Fall 2026

Engineering Inequality: Technology and Inequity Throughout History

HISTSCI 160 introduces the history of technology through the lens of social inequality, examining how disparities shaped technological development and justice.

offering recorded3–4 credits
Recorded instructors · Fall 2026 Daniel Williford3.9/5

Summary

1 / 6

The workload is described as extremely reasonable with not hard homework, though weekly readings and mandatory attendance are expected. One reviewer noted they skipped readings without issue, while another emphasized participation is required for the grade.

Grade history

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average GPA
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Prerequisites

Course map

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HISTSCI 160

This is a best-effort interpretation; check the catalog requirements above.

Prerequisite text tree
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Professors

Fall 2026
/5Adjusted rating
/5RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 4.42/5 from 12 quality ratings. The adjusted rating blends this with the UW review average (3.66/5), weighted as 20 additional ratings. Smaller samples stay closer to that average. Each captured review is counted once in the prior; this does not correct who chooses to leave a review.

For this course: 5.0/5 raw quality · 2.0/5 difficulty · 5 reviews

RMP profile ↗ · All captured review dates; profile matched by name.

Daniel Williford is described as a caring and accommodating instructor who provides clear grading criteria and reasonable workloads. Reviewers highlight his sympathy for students and willingness to offer extensions, noting that mandatory attendance and participation are required for success.

Williford’s lectures are considered interesting and effective for retaining material when focusing on the big picture. One student found the course enjoyable for humanity credit, while another noted that the homework was not hard and readings were not completed.

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2021: 3.78 GPA, 88.4% A/AB (n=43 letter grades); Fall 2022: 3.70 GPA, 85.4% A/AB (n=41 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.73 GPA, 92.3% A/AB (n=13 letter grades).

Historical instructors & teaching patterns

DANIEL WILLIFORD is recorded teaching in Fall 2021, Fall 2022, Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

Calendar & sections

Fall 2026

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SectionModeEnrolled / capacityWaitlist
LEC 001Classroom Instruction47 / 471

Times are Central. Select a meeting for details; export includes recorded dates for the selected sections. Enrollment reflects scan time.

Meeting source records
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Student experience

the class

Daniel Williford is consistently praised as a great, accommodating, and well-respected professor who cares about students. Reviewers highlight his clear grading, interesting lectures, and generous nature, recommending the course for its engaging content and manageable difficulty.

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2021: 3.78 GPA, 88.4% A/AB (n=43 letter grades); Fall 2022: 3.70 GPA, 85.4% A/AB (n=41 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.73 GPA, 92.3% A/AB (n=13 letter grades).

difficulty & workload

The workload is described as extremely reasonable with not hard homework, though weekly readings and mandatory attendance are expected. One reviewer noted they skipped readings without issue, while another emphasized participation is required for the grade.

Students appreciate Williford's flexibility with extensions and accommodations, as well as his clear grading criteria. The course is recommended for humanity credit, with one student noting they ended up loving science history despite initially taking it just for credits.

Topics

  • Gendered, racial, and class-based disparities in technology history
  • Engineered inequity, state-building, and colonial projects
  • Technology and social justice
  • Transnational case studies from the 17th century to present
  • Non-U.S. and non-European technology histories

Grades

Latest available · Spring 2026— not enough history to project Fall 2026.

average GPA
A / AB grades
letter grades
Instructor

Grade distribution · % of letter grades

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AB
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Grades over time

Through Spring 2026

More grade details Grade mix, volume & source data

Not enough comparable courses for Fall 2026 in UW–Madison.

Sources & history

UW–Madison

Catalog & offerings

Descriptions, prerequisites, and recorded course offerings.

Catalog observation history

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Selected offering source records
HISTSCI 160 · Fall 2026

Engineering Inequality: Technology and Inequity Throughout History

Recorded 2026-09-07
Raw records
[
  {
    "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4",
    "semester": "1272",
    "observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00",
    "offering_id": "1272:456:025992",
    "course_id": "HISTSCI 160",
    "course_uid": "course_9ffac7e978dd0e997ae62dee",
    "term_id": "1272",
    "source_course_id": "025992",
    "source_subject_id": "456",
    "title": "Engineering Inequality: Technology and Inequity Throughout History",
    "credits_min": 3,
    "credits_max": 4,
    "typically_offered": "Not Applicable"
  }
]
Rate My Professors

Student reviews

Original comments behind the course and instructor summaries.

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Madgrades

Grade history

Recorded grade distributions by term, section, and instructor.

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Dataset & model

Recorded 2026-09-07

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Model outputs & technical records
nvidia/Qwen3.6-35B-A3B-NVFP4
LLM outputs across runs
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Full model traces

Recorded model configuration, reasoning, and tool conversations.

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Model & dataset provenance
{
  "model": "nvidia/Qwen3.6-35B-A3B-NVFP4",
  "model_revision": "1355db6a052410cfd62085d94b58866fd0f2c3c5",
  "task_version": "14",
  "output_id": "db70ada3644ecea14f0e610f8023254fcee28103c115a695a20b59db672513a7",
  "requirements_status": "valid",
  "dataset_revision": "e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349",
  "observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00"
}