Historical instructor

IRWIN GOLDMAN

Adjusted rating
RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 4.71/5 from 35 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

PLANTSCI 350
Quality 5/5Difficulty 1/5
he's a really good lecturer and makes the content really interesting. the class itself is really easy, all the content is from lecture and there's no outside readings.
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PLANTSCI 350
Quality 5/5Difficulty 3/5
PLANTSCI350=HORT350. Irwin is a wonderful professor in my opinion. The content in this class was very interesting and I still think of some of the topics daily. The lectures are definitely long but by midway through the semester he started letting us go 15-30 minutes early everyday. You do have to study hard for exams, but are they are doable.
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BIOCORE 381
Quality 5/5Difficulty 2/5
Irwin was fantastic; he is the best of the 381 professors. His evolution unit was captivating and he made me excited to go to lecture, and his exam content of evolution was not too difficult. He did spend multiple lectures talking about Darwin and his life which is not very relevant to the course or exam but he still made it interesting
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HORT350 · course not matched
Quality 4/5Difficulty 3/5
Super nice guy! Definitely is passionate about what he teaches the only downside in my class was the exams were all short answer and pretty hard. We also couldn't see our overall grade the whole semester.
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HORT350 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 2/5
I really enjoyed this class, even though it something that I don't need for my major. Irwin is my favorite teacher I have had so far, as he reminds me of a fun grandpa. He is really sweet, and really enjoys what he is talking about. I would highly recommend taking this class just for fun.
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HORT350 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 4/5
Horticulture 350 was my favorite class taken at UW Madison so far. All of the lectures were very interesting and made me think critically about the world around me. Also this class is not just limited to horticulture but the lectures encompass many other academic fields philosophy, chemistry, etc. I would definitely recommend taking 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 IRWIN GOLDMAN

PLANTSCI 338

Plant Breeding and Biotechnology

3 credits

Covers principles of crop plant improvement within genetics, plant biology, breeding, biotechnology, and global food/feed/raw material needs.

No offering record · Spring 2026 · Sources

with this instructor · course overall, matching historical terms

Irwin GoldmanShawn Kaeppler+1 more

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2026–Spring 2026 · limited sample
PLANTSCI 380

Indigenous Foodways: Food and Seed Sovereignty

Credits unavailable

Examines indigenous foods and foodways in the upper Midwest from historical, legal, biological, and social perspectives, focusing on food and seed sovereignty and hands-on activities.

No offering record · Spring 2026 · Sources

with this instructor · course overall, matching historical terms

Irwin GoldmanDaniel Cornelius

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2026–Spring 2026 · limited sample
PLANTSCI 990

Research

1–12 credits

Independent research and writing for graduate students under faculty supervision, focusing on plant science and technology.

No offering record · Spring 2026 · Sources

Irwin GoldmanShelby Ellison+18 more

No recorded grade history

Recorded teaching history

Distinct courses recorded per term

Explore courses taught by this instructor →
Browse recorded courses
TermCourseTitle
Spring 2026PLANTSCI 338Plant Breeding and Biotechnology
Spring 2026PLANTSCI 380Indigenous Foodways: Food and Seed Sovereignty
Spring 2026PLANTSCI 699Special Problems
Spring 2026PLANTSCI 990Research
Fall 2025BIOCORE 381Evolution, Ecology, and Genetics
Fall 2025PLANTSCI 350Plants and Human Wellbeing
Fall 2025PLANTSCI 351A Deeper Look at Plants and Human Wellbeing
Fall 2025PLANTSCI 699Special Problems
Fall 2025PLANTSCI 990Research
Fall 2024BIOCORE 381Evolution, Ecology, and Genetics
Fall 2023BIOCORE 381Evolution, Ecology, and Genetics
Fall 2022BIOCORE 381Evolution, Ecology, and Genetics
Fall 2021BIOCORE 381Evolution, Ecology, and Genetics
Fall 2020BIOCORE 381Evolution, Ecology, and Genetics
Fall 2019BIOCORE 381Evolution, Ecology, and Genetics
Fall 2018BIOCORE 381Evolution, Ecology, and Genetics
Fall 2017BIOCORE 381Evolution, Ecology, and Genetics
Spring 2017BOTANY 575Special Topics
Spring 2017FOODSCI 375Special Topics
Fall 2016BIOCORE 381Evolution, Ecology, and Genetics
Fall 2015BIOCORE 381Evolution, Ecology, and Genetics
Fall 2014BIOCORE 381Evolution, Ecology, and Genetics

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

Instructor identity & provenance 
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