Current instructor

Geoffrey Durham

Adjusted rating
RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 4.50/5 from 6 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

His201 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 2/5
Very knowledgeable and kind professor. 100/10 would recommend!
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His201 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 4/5
我要不是直男我就爱上他了,历史系怎么特么会有那么阳光的教授我服了
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HIS229 · course not matched
Quality 4/5Difficulty 3/5
Professor Durham is a great history lecturer. He is able to convey broad information in a short period of time, while ensuring student understanding of the greater picture. He is avaliable outside of class to review material. Beware of pop quizes and difficult tests.
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HIS229 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 2/5
Durham was one of my favorite professors at UW. His lectures were entertaining and focused on concise information from a range of many centuries. His grading is very fair and the exams themselves are topical and not too difficult if you attend lectures. He was clearly very knowledgeable about the class topic and able to answer tough questions.
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His201 · course not matched
Quality 3/5Difficulty 4/5
Prof. Durham was for sure passionate. However, he was highly disorganized with due dates and submission locations ALL over the place. He never lets you know where you stand as no grades are ever posted to canvas. Comes off arrogant, and his grading seems like he's on a power trip--no A's even for beyond A level work. Office hours felt unhelpful.
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HIS229 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 3/5
One of the kindest, most caring, and smartest professors I have had. Makes every student feel listened to and important. I didn't even care about the course material but was engaged every step of the way because of how he taught. I would take anything he taught because he does the work to build a community. Just know that he does pop quizzes.
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Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.

Classes with Geoffrey Durham

Introduction to Central Asia from the Silk Route to Afghanistan, examining human geography, ethnicity, nomadism, pastoralism, oasis cultures, religion, and international politics.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 3.85 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=13 letter grades).

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2025–Spring 2025 · limited sample

The Historian's Craft involves conducting original historical research using archival materials, defining questions, analyzing evidence, and presenting conclusions in written and spoken formats.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2023: 3.27 GPA, 66.7% A/AB (n=15 letter grades); Spring 2024: 3.47 GPA, 80.0% A/AB (n=15 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.43 GPA, 66.7% A/AB (n=15 letter grades).

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 2027GNS/HISTORY 265An Introduction to Central Asia: From the Silk Route to Afghanistan
Spring 2027HISTORY 201The Historian's Craft
Spring 2027HISTORY 682Senior Honors Thesis
Spring 2027HISTORY 699Directed Study
Spring 2027HISTORY 999Independent Work
Fall 2026HISTORY 418History of Russia
Fall 2026HISTORY 681Senior Honors Thesis
Fall 2026HISTORY 699Directed Study
Fall 2026HISTORY 708Introduction to Professional Research in History
Fall 2026HISTORY 999Independent Work

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

Instructor identity & provenance
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