Current instructor

Daniel Williford

Adjusted rating
RMP 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.

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

What students say

Original student reviews · all captured dates

STS 201
Quality 4/5Difficulty 2/5
I didn't know what to expect from this class but it ended up being a lot of fun. Daniel's lectures are amazing imo and highlight the main things from the readings as well as feature some unique content. There are a lot of readings but other components of the class truly help you understand them. Attending the lectures is very useful.
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STS 201
Quality 5/5Difficulty 3/5
Taking STS201 with Professor Williford genuinely impacted the trajectory of my college career. His lectures are very engaging, and he is able to create stories that are interest you in the material. He was also kind to me when I was dealing with a lot of issues through the semester, providing me flexibility without me needing to "prove" anything.
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STS 201
Quality 2/5Difficulty 5/5
For an elementary class, this was way too much work. Grading was unclear and him and his TA never seemed to be on the same page which made things confusing. He obviously is knowledgeable about the topics, but he seemed to just yap in class rather than give us the important material. I don't recommend this class, too much work for what it's worth.
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HISTSCI 160
Quality 5/5Difficulty 1/5
if you are not sure which course would give you humanity credit, take him! I take this class just for cr. but end in loving science history
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HISTSCI 160
Quality 5/5Difficulty 3/5
I loved HISCI160 and Professor Williford's way of teaching. I was actually learning and retaining the material since the lectures are interesting if you don't stress about understanding every piece of information and instead just get the big picture. I never did the readings and the homework is not hard. He reminds me of Jessie Eisenberg
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STS 201
Quality 5/5Difficulty 1/5
I loved Prof. Williford's class, at the first his lectures are a little unconventional and are sometimes a lot, but once you realize he is not expecting you to remember every word and instead he is telling stories that you just need to remember the broad strokes of the lectures and the class gets a lot better.
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Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.

Classes with Daniel Williford

An advanced seminar where students apply research skills to a historical topic, producing a project with original analysis through intensive writing and discussion.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Independent Work involves directed study under the supervision of a faculty member.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2022: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=1 letter grades).

No recorded grade history

Overview of science and technology studies exploring science and technology as central institutions in modern societies.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Daniel Williford

Students found Daniel Williford’s lectures unconventional and engaging, often highlighting key reading points with unique content, though some felt the elementary-level workload was excessive. While one student praised the narrative approach and flexibility, another criticized unclear grading and a perceived mismatch between the TA and professor.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Recorded teaching history

Distinct courses recorded per term

Explore courses taught by this instructor →
Browse recorded courses
TermCourseTitle
Spring 2027HISTORY 600Advanced Seminar in History
Spring 2027HISTORY 999Independent Work
Spring 2027HISTSCI 555Undergraduate Seminar in History of Science
Spring 2027HISTSCI 999Independent Work
Spring 2027STS 201Where Science Meets Society
Fall 2026HISTSCI 160Engineering Inequality: Technology and Inequity Throughout History
Fall 2026HISTSCI 211The Historian's Craft: Science, Medicine, and Technology
Fall 2026HISTSCI 681Senior Honors Thesis
Fall 2026HISTSCI 682Senior Honors Thesis
Fall 2026HISTSCI 999Independent Work

Teaching history may be incomplete. Course pages contain course-specific feedback and citations.

Instructor identity & provenance
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