# Duncan Carlsmith — Courses & Reviews | UW–Madison

[View on UW Courses](https://uwcourses.com/instructors/DUNCAN_CARLSMITH--instructor_9eabca00b7e763ffecb5effd)

## Dataset

### search projection

#### version

1

#### terms

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### revision

e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349

### repository

twangodev/uwcourses

### schema version

6

### importer version

8

### projection id

7eb94c60c31fe3d8ae732986b7f3d069e1345ae92fd6239119e63b9d2461969d

### observed at

2026-09-07T15:55:43.033547+00:00

### built at

2026-10-01T19:10:41.241229+00:00

### courses

8951

### current instructors

5754

### limited

false

### terms

* 1272
* 1264
* 1262
* 1254
* 1252
* 1244
* 1242
* 1234
* 1232
* 1224
* 1222
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* 1194
* 1192
* 1184
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### term

1272

### departments

| subject   | count |
| --------- | ----- |
| AAE       | 90    |
| ABT       | 20    |
| ACCTIS    | 36    |
| ACTSCI    | 14    |
| AFAERO    | 10    |
| AFRICAN   | 87    |
| AFROAMER  | 71    |
| AGROECOL  | 21    |
| AMERIND   | 53    |
| ANAT\&PHY | 7     |
| ANATOMY   | 2     |
| ANESTHES  | 8     |
| ANSCI     | 57    |
| ANTHRO    | 95    |
| ART       | 125   |
| ARTED     | 10    |
| ARTHIST   | 121   |
| ASIALANG  | 129   |
| ASIAN     | 109   |
| ASIANAM   | 28    |
| ASTRON    | 38    |
| ATMOCN    | 69    |
| BIOCHEM   | 51    |
| BIOCORE   | 10    |
| BIOLOGY   | 14    |
| BIOMDSCI  | 18    |
| BME       | 66    |
| BMI       | 41    |
| BMOLCHEM  | 10    |
| BOTANY    | 69    |
| BSE       | 44    |
| C\&ESOC   | 73    |
| CBE       | 48    |
| CHEM      | 101   |
| CHICLA    | 52    |
| CIVENGR   | 133   |
| CLASSICS  | 47    |
| CNP       | 10    |
| CNSRSCI   | 50    |
| COMARTS   | 137   |
| COMPBIO   | 15    |
| COMPLIT   | 11    |
| COMPSCI   | 138   |
| COUNPSY   | 78    |
| CRB       | 19    |
| CS\&D     | 71    |
| CSCS      | 40    |
| CURRIC    | 193   |
| DANCE     | 93    |
| DERM      | 8     |
| DS        | 88    |
| DYSCI     | 35    |
| ECE       | 155   |
| ECON      | 145   |
| EDPOL     | 114   |
| EDPSYCH   | 97    |
| ELPA      | 70    |
| EMA       | 53    |
| EMERMED   | 17    |
| ENGL      | 206   |
| ENTOM     | 40    |
| ENVIRST   | 148   |
| EP        | 15    |
| EPD       | 67    |
| ESL       | 16    |
| F\&WECOL  | 60    |
| FAMMED    | 22    |
| FINANCE   | 50    |
| FOLKLORE  | 40    |
| FOODSCI   | 43    |
| FRENCH    | 63    |
| GEN\&WS   | 145   |
| GENBUS    | 72    |
| GENECSLR  | 17    |
| GENETICS  | 60    |
| GEOG      | 113   |
| GEOSCI    | 83    |
| GERMAN    | 82    |
| GLE       | 48    |
| GNS       | 38    |
| GREEK     | 27    |
| HDFS      | 41    |
| HEBR-BIB  | 13    |
| HEBR-MOD  | 10    |
| HISTORY   | 233   |
| HISTSCI   | 56    |
| HONCOL    | 13    |
| ILS       | 43    |
| INFOSYS   | 9     |
| INTEGART  | 7     |
| INTEGSCI  | 22    |
| INTER-AG  | 18    |
| INTER-HE  | 11    |
| INTER-LS  | 22    |
| INTEREGR  | 16    |
| INTLBUS   | 21    |
| INTLST    | 50    |
| ISYE      | 83    |
| ITALIAN   | 53    |
| JEWISH    | 56    |
| JOURN     | 88    |
| KINES     | 128   |
| LACIS     | 26    |
| LANDARC   | 61    |
| LATIN     | 24    |
| LAW       | 120   |
| LEGALST   | 48    |
| LINGUIS   | 35    |
| LIS       | 89    |
| LITTRANS  | 78    |
| LSC       | 52    |
| M\&ENVTOX | 7     |
| MARKETNG  | 62    |
| MATH      | 153   |
| MDGENET   | 8     |
| ME        | 130   |
| MEDHIST   | 43    |
| MEDICINE  | 60    |
| MEDIEVAL  | 32    |
| MEDPHYS   | 39    |
| MEDSC-M   | 29    |
| MEDSC-V   | 41    |
| MHR       | 68    |
| MICROBIO  | 45    |
| MILSCI    | 16    |
| MM\&I     | 22    |
| MOLBIOL   | 6     |
| MS\&E     | 59    |
| MUSIC     | 165   |
| MUSPERF   | 126   |
| NAVSCI    | 20    |
| NE        | 44    |
| NEURODPT  | 11    |
| NEUROL    | 7     |
| NEURSURG  | 4     |
| NTP       | 11    |
| NURSING   | 111   |
| NUTRSCI   | 65    |
| OBS\&GYN  | 18    |
| OCCTHER   | 39    |
| ONCOLOGY  | 14    |
| OPHTHALM  | 5     |
| OTM       | 43    |
| PATH      | 34    |
| PATH-BIO  | 29    |
| PEDIAT    | 26    |
| PHARMACY  | 31    |
| PHILOS    | 77    |
| PHMCOL-M  | 11    |
| PHMPRAC   | 45    |
| PHMSCI    | 60    |
| PHYASST   | 37    |
| PHYSICS   | 88    |
| PHYSIOL   | 3     |
| PHYTHER   | 37    |
| PLANTSCI  | 52    |
| PLPATH    | 35    |
| POLISCI   | 192   |
| POPHLTH   | 58    |
| PORTUG    | 33    |
| PSYCH     | 101   |
| PSYCHIAT  | 22    |
| PUBAFFR   | 54    |
| PUBLHLTH  | 23    |
| RADIOL    | 11    |
| REALEST   | 41    |
| RELIGST   | 90    |
| RHABMED   | 9     |
| RMI       | 24    |
| RP\&SE    | 102   |
| S\&APHM   | 17    |
| SCANDST   | 73    |
| SLAVIC    | 89    |
| SOC       | 149   |
| SOCWORK   | 87    |
| SOILSCI   | 46    |
| SPANISH   | 83    |
| SRMED     | 21    |
| STAT      | 94    |
| STDYABRD  | 52    |
| STS       | 8     |
| SURGERY   | 25    |
| SURGSCI   | 33    |
| THEATRE   | 91    |
| URBRPL    | 60    |
| UROLOGY   | 5     |
| ZOOLOGY   | 89    |

### designations

None recorded.

## instructor

### instructor uid

instructor\_9eabca00b7e763ffecb5effd

### source

legacy

### identity basis

name\_only

### identity status

unresolved

### name

Duncan Carlsmith

### email

DUNCAN\@HEP.WISC.EDU

### first observed at

2025-07-13 04:59:22.367394+00:00

### last observed at

2025-11-16 05:32:31.273726+00:00

### ratings

#### review count

102

#### quality

2.55

#### difficulty

3.38

#### quality count

102

#### difficulty count

102

#### profile id

rmp:283831

#### source url

<https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/283831>

#### match basis

exact\_name

#### observed at

2026-09-07 16:43:06.364151+00:00

#### courses

##### course ac5b0db3a3b0f72a3723ac9e

###### review count

2

###### quality

2.5

###### difficulty

3

###### quality count

2

###### difficulty count

2

##### course 1666a5a286d44301d42ee8d0

###### review count

3

###### quality

2

###### difficulty

4

###### quality count

3

###### difficulty count

3

##### course 2c88e83afad33fe7414fd64f

###### review count

2

###### quality

3

###### difficulty

2.5

###### quality count

2

###### difficulty count

2

##### course e8cfa648b149ecdf80de2aa5

###### review count

4

###### quality

3.5

###### difficulty

2.75

###### quality count

4

###### difficulty count

4

##### course 3d31f8f280d8571385be79ba

###### review count

3

###### quality

3.33

###### difficulty

2

###### quality count

3

###### difficulty count

3

#### bayesian quality

2.731915702220753

#### prior mean

3.6596857835465957

#### prior weight

20

### current

false

### courses

None recorded.

### revision

e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349

### instructor url

/instructors/DUNCAN\_CARLSMITH--instructor\_9eabca00b7e763ffecb5effd

## history

None recorded.

## timeline

None recorded.

## term

1272

## courses

None recorded.

## reviews

### items

```json
[
  {
    "observed_at": "2026-09-07 16:43:06.364151+00:00",
    "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4",
    "source_review_id": "UmF0aW5nLTQzMDUyMDAw",
    "source_instructor_id": "rmp:283831",
    "instructor_name": "Duncan Carlsmith",
    "course_label": "PHYS241",
    "course_id": null,
    "course_uid": null,
    "review_date": "2026-05-06 22:42:55 +0000 UTC",
    "comment": "Prof. Carlsmith makes complex topics very understandable. His lectures can be hard to attend mandatorily in the morning, especially on the days that he mumbles, but a good chunk of all the lectures have some element of actual experiments that are pretty cool. As long as you do the reading, sit in lecture, and go to discussion, you'll do great.",
    "source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/283831",
    "quality_rating": 4,
    "difficulty_rating": 3
  },
  {
    "observed_at": "2026-09-07 16:43:06.364151+00:00",
    "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4",
    "source_review_id": "UmF0aW5nLTQyNjg4Njgw",
    "source_instructor_id": "rmp:283831",
    "instructor_name": "Duncan Carlsmith",
    "course_label": "PHYS241",
    "course_id": null,
    "course_uid": null,
    "review_date": "2026-03-11 19:39:06 +0000 UTC",
    "comment": "Prof Carlsmith knows a lot and cares about his students, but his lectures are kinda hard to follow and apply to the homework. I just take notes on the book during lecture, which I find help's me understand the material much better. Exams aren't bad and we get 15% of extra credit, so you are pretty much guaranteed a good grade in the class. ",
    "source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/283831",
    "quality_rating": 3,
    "difficulty_rating": 2
  },
  {
    "observed_at": "2026-09-07 16:43:06.364151+00:00",
    "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4",
    "source_review_id": "UmF0aW5nLTQyNjExNDAx",
    "source_instructor_id": "rmp:283831",
    "instructor_name": "Duncan Carlsmith",
    "course_label": "PHYS241",
    "course_id": null,
    "course_uid": null,
    "review_date": "2026-02-13 19:59:55 +0000 UTC",
    "comment": "You have to spend $120 for textbook, which is completely unrelated to what he does in class. But if you dont buy it you cannot even do homework. He talks attendance everyday, exams are on completely random topics",
    "source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/283831",
    "quality_rating": 1,
    "difficulty_rating": 3
  },
  {
    "observed_at": "2026-09-07 16:43:06.364151+00:00",
    "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4",
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    "instructor_name": "Duncan Carlsmith",
    "course_label": "PHYS241",
    "course_id": null,
    "course_uid": null,
    "review_date": "2026-02-10 04:08:32 +0000 UTC",
    "comment": "Very sweet man, obviously cares a lot, but you will not learn anything in lecture. He just yaps, and he doesn't explain things, and you will see so much unimportant stuff. All learning is done on your own and in discussion. It's not a hard course to do well in (the material is, not the class itself), but you will have to do it all on your own.",
    "source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/283831",
    "quality_rating": 2,
    "difficulty_rating": 4
  },
  {
    "observed_at": "2026-09-07 16:43:06.364151+00:00",
    "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4",
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    "source_instructor_id": "rmp:283831",
    "instructor_name": "Duncan Carlsmith",
    "course_label": "PHYS241",
    "course_id": null,
    "course_uid": null,
    "review_date": "2026-01-21 17:25:23 +0000 UTC",
    "comment": "The book was great, lectures not so much. I fully believe that prof Carlsmith has a passion for teaching about particle physics, however every single lecture he would rather talk about things that he found cool instead of the actual course content that we needed to learn. Exams weren't incredibly difficult as long as I kept up with reading the book",
    "source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/283831",
    "quality_rating": 2,
    "difficulty_rating": 3
  },
  {
    "observed_at": "2026-09-07 16:43:06.364151+00:00",
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    "course_label": "PHYS241",
    "course_id": null,
    "course_uid": null,
    "review_date": "2025-12-17 03:00:36 +0000 UTC",
    "comment": "The class was conceptually hard, which wasn't helped by Carlsmith's mumble-filled lectures. However, the tests questions are pretty easy (for the most part), and all multiple choice. Your TA's teaching ability matters; I learned most of the content in discussion. There's a 2500 word paper that gives 10% extra credit, which greatly helped my grade. ",
    "source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/283831",
    "quality_rating": 1,
    "difficulty_rating": 2
  }
]
```

### total

102

### page

1

### courses

| course\_uid                      | course\_id  |
| -------------------------------- | ----------- |
| course\_3d31f8f280d8571385be79ba | PHYSICS 201 |
| course\_2c88e83afad33fe7414fd64f | PHYSICS 241 |
| course\_1666a5a286d44301d42ee8d0 | PHYSICS 247 |
| course\_ac5b0db3a3b0f72a3723ac9e | PHYSICS 248 |
| course\_e8cfa648b149ecdf80de2aa5 | PHYSICS 249 |

### matched

true

## social Image

false