Current instructor

Florence Hsia

Adjusted rating
RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 4.20/5 from 83 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

ILS 201
Quality 5/5Difficulty 3/5
Florence is an amazing lecturer, and one of my favorite I've ever had. Her lectures are dense and you NEED to attend, but she is so good at explaining things. I've never ever been confused by anything of hers, which is rare among profs. She also remembered me over a year later despite never attending office hours, and is so so friendly. Love her.
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HISTSCI 201
Quality 4/5Difficulty 2/5
Lecture slides clearly outlined what we learned, so it was nice if you missed a class. Seemed very passionate about the subject
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HISTSCI 201
Quality 4/5Difficulty 2/5
Great professor, and super passionate. This class was fairly interesting, but you do NOT need to do the text book readings or buy the text books. Everything you need to know is either heavily covered in lecture or available as a weekly reading. The class is mildly interesting, and I think with any other professor it would've been incredibly boring.
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ILS 201
Quality 5/5Difficulty 2/5
Professor Hsia is the best. She teaches clearly and passionately about the class material, which can sometimes be a bit dense. The class is very reading-heavy, but the lectures cover everything you need to know for the exams.
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HISTSCI 201
Quality 4/5Difficulty 1/5
If you're not really into history, this class isn't for you. While Dr. Hsia clearly cares about what she's teaching, the content from unit to unit can get a little confusing. The slides aren't as thorough as the online quizzes need, so take good notes. If you pay attention and attend lecture, you should be fine.
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HISTSCI 201
Quality 5/5Difficulty 1/5
Professor Hsia speaks so fluidly and is clearly very knowledgeable about the topics she teaches. Her exams are very straightforward if you attend lecture and remember the important names and places (the textbooks are interesting, but not necessary). She makes the lectures incredibly engaging; you'll definitely learn something new from this class.
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Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.

Classes with Florence Hsia

Directed study under faculty supervision on topics in History of Science, Medicine, and Technology.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2008: 3.85 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=10 letter grades).

No recorded grade history

Seminar involving readings and/or research on the history of medieval, Renaissance, and/or 17th-century science, with varying topics.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2019: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=9 letter grades); Spring 2022: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=5 letter grades); Spring 2025: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=5 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2025–Spring 2026 · limited sample

Seminar covering readings and/or research on the history of science in the 18th century, with varying topics.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

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

No recorded grade history

Recorded teaching history

Distinct courses recorded per term

Explore courses taught by this instructor →
Browse recorded courses
TermCourseTitle
Spring 2027HISTSCI 699Directed Study
Spring 2027HISTSCI 903Seminar: Medieval, Renaissance, and 17th Century Science
Spring 2027HISTSCI 911Seminar-eighteenth Century Science
Spring 2027HISTSCI 990Research and Thesis
Spring 2027HISTSCI 999Independent Work
Fall 2026HISTSCI 201The Origins of Scientific Thought
Fall 2026HISTSCI 699Directed Study
Fall 2026HISTSCI 990Research and Thesis
Fall 2026HISTSCI 999Independent Work
Fall 2026ILS 201Western Culture: Science, Technology, Philosophy I

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

Instructor identity & provenance
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