Current instructor

James Sweet

/5Adjusted rating
/5RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 4.26/5 from 31 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

HIST277 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 2/5
Really good professor and can answer questions. Class is all writing based but you need to take really good notes becasue the slides aren't given. Talks really fast but overall enjoyed.
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HIST277 · course not matched
Quality 4/5Difficulty 2/5
90% of your grade comes from 3 assignments. The lectures were not posted online, so I went to class, took pics of the slides, and only wrote notes if the slides didn't have text. The only reason to look back at the slides is to know what to include in your essays, so if you're used to other humanities classes(I'm a history major), this is a breeze.
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HIST277 · course not matched
Quality 3/5Difficulty 4/5
His lectures were interesting but it did not always seem like the content was related to the papers and the readings for the week. If you take this course, make sure you do not get Doris Mbaka as a TA. Her grading was harsh and her discussions were unplanned and unstructured. It's an interesting class, but not an easy A.
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HIS600 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 3/5
James Sweet is the real deal. Kind, cares about his students, wants you to succeed. The feedback he gave was always firm but constructive and guiding, and he will make time for you. Lectures are interesting, content is cool, and he's incredibly smart. I would really recommend getting to know him, even if you don't take a course with him.
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278 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 3/5
I had Professor Sweet in fall semester 2021. Not necessarily an easy class but Professor Sweet's lectures are engaging and interesting. He is very passionate about history and it shows in his lectures. If you take this class be prepared for a lot of reading.
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HIST278 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 3/5
Sweet is a legend. The lectures were very engaging and interesting. I enjoyed every single one of the readings, although they were a bit heavy at some points in the semester. Two exams and two essays, no cumulative final. Grading was very fair and easy. I highly recommend to take one of his classes if you can.
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Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.

Classes with James Sweet

AFRICAN/AFROAMER/ANTHRO/GEOG/HISTORY/POLISCI/SOC 277

Africa: an Introductory Survey

4 credits

This introductory survey covers African society, culture, polity, and economy from prehistory to contemporary developments using multidisciplinary perspectives.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2020: 3.54 GPA, 76.5% A/AB (n=119 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.45 GPA, 80.4% A/AB (n=102 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.27 GPA, 66.3% A/AB (n=86 letter grades).

James SweetKwaku Danquah+1 more

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2026
HISTORY 600

Advanced Seminar in History

3 credits

An advanced seminar focusing on the development of research skills and intensive writing through the analysis of primary and secondary sources.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2023: 3.80 GPA, 86.7% A/AB (n=15 letter grades); Spring 2024: 3.55 GPA, 71.9% A/AB (n=32 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.38 GPA, 62.5% A/AB (n=16 letter grades).

Brandon BlochPatrick Iber+6 more

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2026
HISTORY 682

Senior Honors Thesis

1–3 credits

HISTORY 682 is a mentored independent research and thesis writing course for honors students, requiring concurrent enrollment in HISTORY 680.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Stephen KantrowitzAllison Useche+34 more

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2022 · limited sample
HISTORY 699

Directed Study

1–4 credits

HISTORY 699 is a directed study course allowing students to conduct independent research under faculty supervision.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Stephen KantrowitzGiuliana Chamedes+44 more

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2022 · limited sample
HISTORY 861

Seminar-the History of Africa

1–3 credits

HISTORY 861 is a seminar on the history of Africa focusing on research studies, field research techniques, and interpreting non-archival data.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2013: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=5 letter grades); Fall 2017: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=9 letter grades); Spring 2020: 3.96 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=14 letter grades).

James Sweet

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2026–Spring 2026 · limited sample
HISTORY 999

Independent Work

1–6 credits

HISTORY 999 is an independent work course involving directed study under faculty supervision.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

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

Stephen KantrowitzGiuliana Chamedes+54 more

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2022 · limited sample

Recorded teaching history

Explore courses taught by this instructor →
Browse recorded courses
TermCourseTitle
Fall 2026AFRICAN/AFROAMER/ANTHRO/GEOG/HISTORY/POLISCI/SOC 277Africa: an Introductory Survey
Fall 2026HISTORY 600Advanced Seminar in History
Fall 2026HISTORY 681Senior Honors Thesis
Fall 2026HISTORY 682Senior Honors Thesis
Fall 2026HISTORY 691Senior Thesis
Fall 2026HISTORY 692Senior Thesis
Fall 2026HISTORY 698Directed Study
Fall 2026HISTORY 699Directed Study
Fall 2026HISTORY 861Seminar-the History of Africa
Fall 2026HISTORY 990Research and Thesis
Fall 2026HISTORY 999Independent Work

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

Instructor identity & provenance 
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