Historical instructor

JOSHUA DIENSTAG

Adjusted rating
RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 4.33/5 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

PS-160 · course not matched
Quality 3/5Difficulty 3/5
I liked Professor Dienstag as a person, but his lectures could be kind of out there-- having a good TA was really important to make sure I understood the readings. Overall though, I did like him and the class was a good introduction to Political Theory, just make sure you actually do the readings and be ready for those in-class essays!
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PS-160 · course not matched
Quality 4/5Difficulty 4/5
I really didn't like his PS160 at first. Thought it was boring and was intimidated by the (almost) weekly essays on highly intellectual thinkers and concepts. But, this ended up being one of my favorite classes last semester! Stick with it and apply yourself even just a little. Do the readings and prepare for the essays- you will learn a LOT.
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PS-160 · course not matched
Quality 4/5Difficulty 3/5
He is a good Lecturer, and you can tell he is passionate about the subject. In-class essays ain't half bad, but the readings can be arduous, especially some of the classics, i.e., Plato and Socrates. Time-consuming class and content can be a bit of a bore, your TA can really help make the class more engaging.
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PS-160 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 4/5
Prof. Dienstag is such a good lecturer. His lectures are loaded with great insight about the readings. Going to lecture is the best way to develop a full understanding of what you are reading. Be prepared to write a lot.
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PS-160 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 3/5
Prof Dienstag is the most knowledge person I've ever met. He gives amazing lectures. 50% of your overall grade is a final exam and essay, which was a little difficult for me. If you go to all the lectures and discussion secs. there is no reason not to do well in the class. Be warned, if you are bad at writing essays this class is not for you.
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PS-160 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 4/5
He was really nice and is actually really funny. His lectures are super dense, so you have to pay attention. Also, there is a lot of reading. It is a really complex class. It was challenging he was really good at teaching it, but you're not going to do well if you don't do the work. THIS IS NOT AN EASY A! TAKE IT IF YOU'RE ACTUALLY INTERESTED.
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Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.

Classes with JOSHUA DIENSTAG

POLISCI 361

Contemporary American Political Thought

Credits unavailable

CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN POLITICAL THOUGHT examines central themes and controversies in American political thinking during the 20th and early 21st centuries.

No offering record · Spring 2026

with this instructor · course overall, matching historical terms

Joshua Dienstag

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2025–Spring 2026 · limited sample

Recorded teaching history

Distinct courses recorded per term

Explore courses taught by this instructor →
Browse recorded courses
TermCourseTitle
Spring 2026POLISCI 361Contemporary American Political Thought
Spring 2026POLISCI 990Research and Thesis
Fall 2025POLISCI 366Continental Political Thought
Fall 2025POLISCI 936Seminar in Continental Political Thought
Fall 2025POLISCI 990Research and Thesis
Spring 2025POLISCI 699Directed Study
Spring 2025POLISCI 931Seminar-political Theory
Spring 2025POLISCI 986Political Theory Workshop
Spring 2025POLISCI 990Research and Thesis
Fall 2024POLISCI 400Topics in Political Science
Fall 2024POLISCI 839Field Seminar in Political Theory
Fall 2024POLISCI 986Political Theory Workshop
Fall 2024POLISCI 990Research and Thesis
Fall 2024POLISCI 999Independent Work
Spring 2024POLISCI 936Seminar in Continental Political Thought
Spring 2024POLISCI 986Political Theory Workshop
Spring 2024POLISCI 990Research and Thesis
Fall 2023POLISCI 160Introduction to Political Theory
Fall 2023POLISCI 986Political Theory Workshop
Spring 2023POLISCI 931Seminar-political Theory
Fall 2022POLISCI 401Selected Topics in Political Science

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

Instructor identity & provenance 
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