Historical instructor

MARTIN FOYS

Adjusted rating
RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 4.22/5 from 36 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 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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ENG177 · course not matched
Quality 4/5Difficulty 2/5
Professor Foys has a strict attendance policy, but offers extra credit later in the semester in order to 'remove' an absence. I thought this class was super interesting and was a lot easier for me because of previous experience in fantasy. If you've read (or watched) Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, or The Hobbit the class will be infinitely easier.
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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

ENGL 177 studies the intersection of literature and popular culture across various forms and media.

No offering record · Spring 2026

with this instructor · course overall, matching historical terms

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2021–Spring 2026

Recorded teaching history

Distinct courses recorded per term

Explore courses taught by this instructor →
Browse recorded courses
TermCourseTitle
Spring 2026ENGL 177Literature and Popular Culture
Spring 2026ENGL 990Dissertation Research in English
Fall 2025ENGL 990Dissertation Research in English
Fall 2025ENGL/MEDIEVAL 427Chaucer's Canterbury Tales
Fall 2025ENGL/MEDIEVAL 520Old English
Spring 2025ENGL 990Dissertation Research in English
Spring 2025ENGL/MEDIEVAL 520Old English
Fall 2024ENGL 177Literature and Popular Culture
Fall 2024ENGL 795One-credit Seminar
Fall 2024ENGL 990Dissertation Research in English
Spring 2024ENGL 990Dissertation Research in English
Spring 2024ENGL/MEDIEVAL 520Old English
Fall 2023ENGL 990Dissertation Research in English
Fall 2023ENGL/MEDIEVAL 803Topics in Medieval Literature
Spring 2023ENGL 795One-credit Seminar
Spring 2023ENGL 990Dissertation Research in English
Spring 2023ENGL/MEDIEVAL 520Old English
Fall 2022ENGL 795One-credit Seminar
Fall 2022ENGL 990Dissertation Research in English
Spring 2022ENGL 795One-credit Seminar
Spring 2022ENGL 990Dissertation Research in English
Fall 2021ENGL 177Literature and Popular Culture
Fall 2021ENGL 181First-year Honors Seminar
Fall 2021ENGL 795One-credit Seminar
Fall 2021ENGL 990Dissertation Research in English
Fall 2020ENGL 990Dissertation Research in English
Fall 2020ENGL/MEDIEVAL 423Topic in Medieval Literature and Culture
Fall 2020ENGL/MEDIEVAL 427Chaucer's Canterbury Tales
Spring 2020ENGL 177Literature and Popular Culture
Spring 2020ENGL 182Introduction to Literature for Honors
Spring 2020ENGL 682Senior Honors Thesis in the Major
Fall 2019ENGL 681Senior Honors Thesis in the Major
Fall 2019ENGL 699Directed Study
Fall 2019ENGL 795One-credit Seminar
Fall 2019ENGL/MEDIEVAL 520Old English
Fall 2019ENGL/MEDIEVAL 803Topics in Medieval Literature
Spring 2019ENGL 177Literature and Popular Culture
Spring 2019ENGL 245Seminar in the Major
Spring 2019ENGL 990Dissertation Research in English
Fall 2018ENGL 990Dissertation Research in English
Fall 2018ENGL/MEDIEVAL 423Topic in Medieval Literature and Culture
Fall 2018ENGL/MEDIEVAL 520Old English
Spring 2018ENGL 177Literature and Popular Culture
Spring 2018ENGL 182Introduction to Literature for Honors
Spring 2018ENGL 799Independent Reading
Spring 2018ENGL 990Dissertation Research in English
Fall 2017ENGL 245Seminar in the Major
Fall 2017ENGL 990Dissertation Research in English
Fall 2017ENGL/MEDIEVAL 520Old English
Spring 2017ENGL 177Literature and Popular Culture
Spring 2017ENGL 990Dissertation Research in English
Spring 2017ENGL/HISTORY/RELIGST 360Early Medieval England
Fall 2016ENGL 990Dissertation Research in English
Fall 2016ENGL/MEDIEVAL 520Old English
Fall 2016ENGL/MEDIEVAL 803Topics in Medieval Literature
Spring 2016ENGL 182Introduction to Literature for Honors
Spring 2016ENGL 990Dissertation Research in English
Spring 2016ENGL/HISTORY/RELIGST 360Early Medieval England
Fall 2015ENGL 177Literature and Popular Culture
Fall 2015ENGL/MEDIEVAL 427Chaucer's Canterbury Tales
Spring 2015ENGL/MEDIEVAL 427Chaucer's Canterbury Tales
Fall 2014ENGL 177Literature and Popular Culture
Fall 2014ENGL 181First-year Honors Seminar

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

Instructor identity & provenance
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