Current instructor

Karl Shoemaker

Adjusted rating
RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 3.75/5 from 48 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

HIST235 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 2/5
There are a couple of longer readings, but as long as you go to lecture and take notes, it is not a hard course. It is one of the most interesting history courses here.
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HISTORY/LEGALST 426
Quality 5/5Difficulty 4/5
Probably my favorite lecturer at Madison. Shoemaker seems intense but he is very forgiving, understanding, and fun. He sets a clear expectation of what he wants and if you do the work you will succeed in his class.
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HIST426 · course not matched
Quality 2/5Difficulty 1/5
Arguably one of the most pointless classes I've taken here. It is so difficult to follow along and actually retain any information when there are no visuals, just monotonous talking for 75 minutes. Take this class if you want an easy A, not if you want to actually learn about the history of punishment.
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HIST426 · course not matched
Quality 3/5Difficulty 3/5
I agree that this professor is only lecturing and teaching what he wants to talk about due to his own interests. There is 0 structure to lecture- no slides, visuals. However, if looking for an easy grader with easy assignments and not many reading, this is a good course. The end of the material was way more interesting than the beginning.
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HIST426 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 2/5
History 426 with Shoemaker is amazing. I would highly recommend doing the readings and going to lecture since he doesn't have lecture slides and just speaks. This makes all of the homework assignments and exams super easy. Highly recommend to anyone!
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HIST426 · course not matched
Quality 1/5Difficulty 3/5
While clearly dedicated to history, Shoemaker's teaching is not up to par. He refused to use anything to accompany his lectures, making them incredibly difficult to follow and to hold attention on. Shoemaker teaches so he can speak about his subject of interest, not to teach students. He's there for him not you. Worst professor I've had at Madison.
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Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.

Classes with Karl Shoemaker

HISTORY 600

Advanced Seminar in History

3 credits

An advanced seminar where students apply research skills to a historical topic, producing a project with original analysis through intensive writing and discussion.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2023: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=10 letter grades); Fall 2025: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=13 letter grades); Spring 2026: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=15 letter grades).

Eric CarlssonCindy Cheng+7 more

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026
HISTORY 691

Senior Thesis

1–3 credits

The Senior Thesis course involves mentored independent research and writing on an original topic, requiring concurrent enrollment in HISTORY 690.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Stephen KantrowitzCindy Cheng+22 more

No recorded grade history

HISTORY/LEGALST 426

The History of Punishment

3–4 credits

Examines punishment across ancient, medieval, and modern traditions through law, literature, art, and philosophy.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Karl Shoemaker

Karl Shoemaker delivered articulate, engaging lectures that combined multiple concepts, often using storytelling and dry humor. Students described the course as straightforward with easy assignments, though readings were lengthy and dense. While one reviewer noted he sometimes drifted off subject, others found his clear expectations and forgiving approach made success achievable if you attended and did the work.

Karl Shoemaker

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2023–Spring 2026

Recorded teaching history

Distinct courses recorded per term

Explore courses taught by this instructor →
Browse recorded courses
TermCourseTitle
Spring 2027HISTORY 600Advanced Seminar in History
Spring 2027HISTORY 681Senior Honors Thesis
Spring 2027HISTORY 682Senior Honors Thesis
Spring 2027HISTORY 691Senior Thesis
Spring 2027HISTORY 692Senior Thesis
Spring 2027HISTORY 699Directed Study
Spring 2027HISTORY 990Research and Thesis
Spring 2027HISTORY 999Independent Work
Spring 2027HISTORY/LEGALST 426The History of Punishment
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 990Research and Thesis
Fall 2026HISTORY 999Independent Work
Fall 2026HISTORY/LEGALST 235Prisons: From Antiquity to Supermax
Fall 2026LEGALST 681Senior Honors Thesis
Fall 2026LEGALST 699Directed Study

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

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