Quality 5/5Difficulty 3/5
One of the best professors I've ever had. Very thought provoking discussions. Be ready to challenge your beliefs.Rate My Professors ↗
Historical instructor
MICHAEL THORNTON
What students say
Original student reviews · all captured dates
Quality 2/5Difficulty 3/5
His class is important, and the topics discussed are meaningful, but he is very unorganized. It's hard to know what's expected of you, and he doesn't update Canvas with grades. His grading seems arbitrary and instructions for papers are unclear and vague. Would recommend a different course for sure.Rate My Professors ↗
Quality 5/5Difficulty 3/5
he doesn't deserve this bad reviews. jesus. AA151 is the best class i've ever taken. he's really passionate about everything he talks about, which is why people say his lectures are intense. there's an okay amount of writing- about 1-1 1/2 pages single spaced per week, then 2 big ones in the middle and end of the semester. don't procrastinate.Rate My Professors ↗
Quality 1/5Difficulty 4/5
Do not take this class. Wait a semester, if you cannot find any other ethnic studies class. Professor Thornton teaches absolutely no material and just keeps yapping in lecture about the same stuff - (whites are worst, blacks are best). There is too much work involved (manual labour mostly) for the class. Again, for your own sake, skip it.Rate My Professors ↗
Quality 1/5Difficulty 4/5
While Professor Thornton Had some interesting content Afro 151, I would not recommend taking it. It is far too much work for a three credit course once you factor in the biweekly papers, larger writing assignments, readings, and volunteer work. His directions are frequently unclear too, and don't expect a response to your emails.Rate My Professors ↗
Quality 4/5Difficulty 2/5
This class requires a lot of work. However, it is extremely eye opening especially for many of the people of Madison who come from primarily white neighborhoods. Professor Thornton exposes real life struggles of minorities and is very passionate. Not difficult to do well in this class as long as you go to lecture and put thought into your writing.Rate My Professors ↗
Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.
Classes with MICHAEL THORNTON
No teaching recorded in Fall 2026.
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Recorded teaching history
Explore courses taught by this instructor →Browse recorded courses
| Term | Course | Title |
|---|
Teaching history may be incomplete. Course pages contain course-specific feedback and citations.
Instructor identity & provenance
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