Current instructor

Sara Mckinnon

/5Adjusted rating
/5RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 3.94/5 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

COMARTS 371
Quality 4/5Difficulty 1/5
Class was simple and the professor graded everything nicely and on time. If you turned things in, you're gonna do good. But this could also be because the class was online, asynchronous, and in the summer. Easy summer class either way.
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CA260 · course not matched
Quality 3/5Difficulty 2/5
Prof McKinnon is great. Actual lecture information is in modules and is done outside of class. One in-person case study/week to apply module information to real-life scenarios. Quizzes on module information. Papers are linked to learned content. Papers were of value bc I learned how to write in different formats (press release, cover letter, etc)
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CA260 · course not matched
Quality 3/5Difficulty 1/5
Prof McKinnon definitely cares about her students and is passionate about the class, it is quite easy if you just do the work and show up to class. Don't need to do the readings.
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CA260 · course not matched
Quality 3/5Difficulty 1/5
The class is boring, the Canvas page is a nightmare, and there is a lot of little assignments throughout the semester so you often do a lot of work for only a few points. That being said--it is extremely easy to get an A, but you probably won't actually learn anything.
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COMARTS 260
Quality 2/5Difficulty 2/5
I didn't enjoy the online class. It was boring and very political. I felt uncomfortable with some of the participation questions. I didn't connect with the teacher and didn't feel like I learned anything. The case studies can be fun, but are way too long for how few points there are. It was an easy A but I hated it. More work from TA than teacher.
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CA260 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 2/5
Prof. McKinnon's class was definitely one of my favorite courses so far at UW. She uses relevant examples of the course concepts and the assignments are all applicable things that one might use in a communications career.
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Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.

Classes with Sara Mckinnon

COMARTS 298 is a directed study course allowing students to engage in independent reading, research papers, production projects, or research team participation under faculty guidance.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

No recorded grade history

COMARTS 373 explores intercultural communication and rhetoric, examining how culture, history, and power shape identities and cross-cultural engagement.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2019: 3.74 GPA, 90.0% A/AB (n=40 letter grades).

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2024–Spring 2024 · limited sample

COMARTS 699 is a directed study allowing students to complete advanced independent projects, such as research papers or productions, under faculty guidance.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2026 · limited sample

COMARTS 799 is an independent study course focused on independent research and writing under instructor supervision.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2022: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=1 letter grades).

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2022 · limited sample

A graduate seminar reviewing recent and ongoing theoretical developments in rhetorical theory.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2022: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=8 letter grades); Spring 2024: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=13 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.97 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=15 letter grades).

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2026

COMARTS 990 is a research and thesis course focusing on independent research and writing under instructor supervision.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

No recorded grade history

LACIS 440 examines specific topics related to the Latin American, Caribbean, and Iberian region, covering themes in history, literature, media, and politics.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=11 letter grades); Fall 2025: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=8 letter grades); Spring 2026: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=11 letter grades).

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2026 · limited sample

Recorded teaching history

Explore courses taught by this instructor →
Browse recorded courses
TermCourseTitle
Fall 2026COMARTS 298Directed Study
Fall 2026COMARTS 373Intercultural Communication & Rhetoric
Fall 2026COMARTS 681Senior Honors Thesis
Fall 2026COMARTS 699Directed Study
Fall 2026COMARTS 799Independent Study
Fall 2026COMARTS 969Seminar: Contemporary Rhetorical Theory
Fall 2026COMARTS 990Research and Thesis
Fall 2026LACIS 440Topics in Latin American, Caribbean, and Iberian Studies
Fall 2026LEGALST 681Senior Honors Thesis

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

Instructor identity & provenance
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