Historical instructor

KEITH YANDELL

Adjusted rating
RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 2.85/5 from 40 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

PHIL261 · course not matched
Quality 3/5Difficulty 4/5
Keith is a kindly old guy who needs to retire because of age. We missed about 5-6 lectures because of his poor health. He is clearly brilliant, but also clearly not what he used to be. His passion and care for the students can't be downplayed though. He ended up giving us the actual final to study off of beforehand to make up for his absences.
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RELIG261 · course not matched
Quality 2/5Difficulty 5/5
Has an amazing mind but seems to put mmore time into his research than into classes he teaches. Lectures seemed to be almost a stream of consciousness on his part, were hardly ever helpful and he often talked in circles and went on many tangents. Handouts and emails were littered with typos. I'm never taking a philosophy course again.
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PHIL501 · course not matched
Quality 4/5Difficulty 5/5
Yes, he's hard to understand... Yes, sometimes he talks in circles... But I consider myself privileged to have taken one of his classes. He's brilliant, he's kind, he's so willing to help. He's funny and he knows what he's doing. Take a class with him while you still have a chance.
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PHIL501 · course not matched
Quality 3/5Difficulty 4/5
Yandell is kind of an acquired taste. He mostly appeals to philosophy major. First, he knows his subjects inside out, up and down. But, it can be difficult to understand what he is saying and what point he is making. However, he has great stories, is a happy man, and is happy to help in any way he can. I would recommend him.
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PHIL432 · course not matched
Quality 2/5Difficulty 2/5
Nice guy, but completely incomprehensible. He talks in circles, and follows no particular outline/ order in lectures. Often would bring up a topic get side tracked on something we weren't supposed to learn until later, and never got back to main point. You will not learn anything from him. At all. Don't bother to go to lectures, or read texts.
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Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.

Classes with KEITH YANDELL

Recorded teaching history

Distinct courses recorded per term

Explore courses taught by this instructor →
Browse recorded courses
TermCourseTitle
Spring 2012PHILOS 990Research and Thesis
Fall 2011PHILOS 990Research and Thesis
Spring 2011PHILOS 432History of Modern Philosophy
Spring 2011PHILOS 990Research and Thesis
Spring 2011PHILOS 999Independent Work
Spring 2011PHILOS/RELIGST 501Philosophy of Religion
Fall 2010PHILOS 681Senior Honors Thesis
Fall 2010PHILOS 691Senior Thesis
Fall 2010PHILOS 990Research and Thesis
Fall 2010PHILOS/RELIGST 501Philosophy of Religion
Spring 2010PHILOS 835Advanced History of Philosophy
Spring 2010PHILOS 990Research and Thesis
Spring 2010PHILOS 999Independent Work
Spring 2010PHILOS/RELIGST 501Philosophy of Religion
Fall 2009PHILOS 432History of Modern Philosophy
Fall 2009PHILOS 990Research and Thesis
Fall 2009PHILOS 999Independent Work
Spring 2009PHILOS 432History of Modern Philosophy
Spring 2009PHILOS 990Research and Thesis
Spring 2009RELIGST 682Senior Honors Thesis
Fall 2008PHILOS 599Directed Study
Fall 2008PHILOS 990Research and Thesis
Fall 2008PHILOS 999Independent Work
Fall 2008PHILOS/RELIGST 501Philosophy of Religion
Fall 2008RELIGST 681Senior Honors Thesis
Spring 2008PHILOS 990Research and Thesis
Spring 2008PHILOS/RELIGST 501Philosophy of Religion
Fall 2007PHILOS 432History of Modern Philosophy
Fall 2007PHILOS 990Research and Thesis
Spring 2007PHILOS 560Metaphysics
Spring 2007PHILOS 990Research and Thesis
Spring 2007PHILOS/RELIGST 501Philosophy of Religion
Fall 2006PHILOS 432History of Modern Philosophy
Fall 2006PHILOS 990Research and Thesis

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

Instructor identity & provenance 
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