Current instructor

Martin Foys

Adjusted rating
RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 4.14/5 from 37 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

ENG177 · course not matched
Quality 1/5Difficulty 4/5
The attendance quizzes contain three questions, and if you get two of them right you'd still only get a 66. By the way, attendance is the average of all the scores. I regret taking this class. I was 0.46 points from an AB and there was no rounding.
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ENG177 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 3/5
Professor Foys is one of the most engaged and interested lecturers I have ever had. His lectures are genuinely interesting, and I learned a lot. However, I will say that there is a lot of reading, and the final exam study is an absolute nightmare. He has plenty of resources, but be prepared to grind!
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ENG177 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 3/5
Prof. Foys is an incredible lecturer, and is clearly very passionate about the things he teaches. He made each lecture engaging and fascinating, he structures his classes very well.
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ENG177 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 2/5
Dr. Foys was clearly excited to teach the rise of modern fantasy. The title of the course "Pop Culture and Fantasy" was misleading, however Dr. Foys was an engaging professor. It is reading heavy, but the texts are easy and inexpensive. He communicated his expectations and provided a detailed study guide for the exams. Attend lecture, take notes.
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ENG177 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 3/5
Dr. Foys is intensely passionate about what he teaches, which contributes to how incredible his lectures are. They are well-presented and insightful, and I'd probably attend on my own time. That being said, lecture attendance is mandatory (and taken on TopHat with location on), and there is a LOT of reading in the 2nd half of the semester.
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ENG177 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 3/5
Dr. Foys is an excellent lecturer with a clear passion for what he's teaching. You will read a LOT, especially towards the end, but the material is interesting. Lectures were very informative, didn't just read off slides.
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Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.

Classes with Martin Foys

Literature and Popular Culture examines the intersection of literature and popular culture across various forms and media.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Martin Foys

Martin Foys delivered passionate and funny lectures that students found engaging, though the course required extensive reading, often exceeding 100 pages per class. Assessment depended heavily on TAs for essays and exams, with some students finding papers graded harshly while others noted exams were manageable.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Introductory honors literature course taught in discussion format with varying topics and materials.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Martin Foys

Martin Foys led discussions effectively and provided feedback that students found genuinely helpful for improvement. This qualitative assessment comes from a student who rated the course difficulty as high but the teaching quality highly.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Recorded teaching history

Distinct courses recorded per term

Explore courses taught by this instructor →
Browse recorded courses
TermCourseTitle
Spring 2027ENGL 177Literature and Popular Culture
Spring 2027ENGL 182Introduction to Literature for Honors
Spring 2027ENGL 682Senior Honors Thesis in the Major
Spring 2027ENGL 799Independent Reading
Spring 2027ENGL 890Pre-dissertator Preliminary Exam Research
Spring 2027ENGL 990Dissertation Research in English
Fall 2026ENGL 681Senior Honors Thesis in the Major
Fall 2026ENGL 699Directed Study
Fall 2026ENGL 795One-credit Seminar
Fall 2026ENGL 890Pre-dissertator Preliminary Exam Research
Fall 2026ENGL 990Dissertation Research in English
Fall 2026ENGL/MEDIEVAL 520Old English
Fall 2026ENGL/MEDIEVAL 803Topics in Medieval Literature

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

Instructor identity & provenance
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