Current instructor

James Messina

Adjusted rating
RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 4.90/5 from 41 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

PHI101 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 2/5
James is so awesome. He encourages debate and conversation in his class and you can tell he absolutely loves to teach and he loves philosophy. This class was easily my favorite I had this semester, I would recommend him to anyone.
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PHI101 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 2/5
Probably my favorite teacher that I have ever had. Hilarious, engaging, and knows what he's talking about. No matter what argument someone has he is ready to provide a counter which makes the discussion during lecture fun every time. I genuinely think this class has made me a better critical thinker. It is easy overall and you'll never be bored.
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432 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 3/5
Extremely inviting and cool lectures. Brings everyone together and knows everyone's names while having great discussions. Not to mention he is hilarious. Recommend to everyone.
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432 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 3/5
Find his classes and take them.
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PHI432 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 3/5
James is one of the best professors I have had in my four years here in Madison. He shows his passion for teaching and philosophy in every lecture and is the funniest professor I have ever had. He is incredible, I think every student interested in philosophy should take a course with him before they graduate.
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PHILOS 503
Quality 5/5Difficulty 4/5
As a philosophy major, James is a gem in the department. He is energetic and funny, constantly making the material easier to understand with his humor. Attendance and participation matter, but he is very understanding in personal cases. We were graded on four papers and five discussion posts.
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Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.

Classes with James Messina

PHILOS 432

History of Modern Philosophy

3–4 credits

History of Modern Philosophy covers various philosophers from the 17th century through the early 20th century.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2023: 3.43 GPA, 68.6% A/AB (n=51 letter grades); Fall 2023: 3.50 GPA, 75.0% A/AB (n=68 letter grades); Spring 2024: 3.67 GPA, 87.0% A/AB (n=54 letter grades).

James Messina

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026
PHILOS 599

Directed Study

1–3 credits

Directed Study (PHILOS 599) is an independent study arranged with a faculty member.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

James MessinaSteven Nadler+18 more

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2026–Spring 2026 · limited sample
PHILOS 682

Senior Honors Thesis

3 credits

Individual mentored study for seniors completing theses for honors in the major, as arranged with a faculty member.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2022: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=2 letter grades).

James MessinaLarry Shapiro+20 more

No recorded grade history

PHILOS 999

Independent Work

2–9 credits

Individual mentored study for graduate students, as arranged with a faculty member.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

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

James MessinaLarry Shapiro+20 more

No recorded grade history

Recorded teaching history

Distinct courses recorded per term

Explore courses taught by this instructor →
Browse recorded courses
TermCourseTitle
Spring 2027PHILOS 432History of Modern Philosophy
Spring 2027PHILOS 599Directed Study
Spring 2027PHILOS 681Senior Honors Thesis
Spring 2027PHILOS 682Senior Honors Thesis
Spring 2027PHILOS 691Senior Thesis
Spring 2027PHILOS 699Directed Study
Spring 2027PHILOS 990Research and Thesis
Spring 2027PHILOS 999Independent Work
Fall 2026PHILOS 101Introduction to Philosophy
Fall 2026PHILOS 599Directed Study
Fall 2026PHILOS 681Senior Honors Thesis
Fall 2026PHILOS 682Senior Honors Thesis
Fall 2026PHILOS 691Senior Thesis
Fall 2026PHILOS 699Directed Study
Fall 2026PHILOS 799Directed Study
Fall 2026PHILOS 990Research and Thesis
Fall 2026PHILOS 999Independent Work

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

Instructor identity & provenance 
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