Historical instructor
Original student reviews · all captured dates
Dr. Machoian is one of the most passionate and detailed lecturers I've had while being totally realistic. He goes off track and rambles in an entertaining way and he really wants to get to know all of his students. But he makes it very clear what he wants you to remember. Assignments are student-driven, so you can focus on topics that interest you.Rate My Professors ↗
Hands down the best professor I've had at UW. Perfectly weaves personal anecdotes from his life into lectures to make them lively and impactful. Cares so much for his students well-being and lives outside class. Took both "culture and strategy" and "revolution and insurgency." Take his classes you will not regret it.Rate My Professors ↗
I learned a lot about security studies overall & he's a fun teacher. Personally, I'm not a big fan of the American national security sector (and I'm a leftist lol) & the course skews toward that kind of career, but in retrospect I still learned so much. Graded on 2 exams & 1 paper but he's not a hard grader. (I took revolution & insurgency)Rate My Professors ↗
This man is my favorite professor I have ever had and it breaks my heart I can only take two classes from him.Rate My Professors ↗
Dr. Machoian was super cool & lenient especially during a pandemic. Manageable reading, interesting content, & good discussion though not vital to passing. Exams were very fair, essay based. Graded by few things but not a hard grader, & definitely notices who participates & who does not (this can define your grade!) Overall a good professor & class
Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.
No teaching recorded in Fall 2026.
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Teaching history may be incomplete. Course pages contain course-specific feedback and citations.
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