Historical instructor

SHANNON SPARKS

Adjusted rating
RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 4.27/5 from 15 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

AMERIND 100
Quality 4/5Difficulty 2/5
Good choice for an ethnic studies credit. I found her easy to approach to ask questions about content and curriculum both through email and in person. There are 5 papers that are 3-4 pages in length but the prompts were about content that was covered in class. The content can be interesting and the workload is very manageable.
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AMERIND 100
Quality 5/5Difficulty 1/5
Easy ethnic studies class to take. Lectures are boring but mandatory for your grade. 5 papers and no exams. The final is online and short response with open notes, textbook and everything. As long as you put effort in you should get an A.
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AMERIND 100
Quality 4/5Difficulty 2/5
Although Shannon's lectures are occasionally boring, she is very effective at describing the material. Overall, this class is an easy-A as long as you show up to class (for the tophat questions) and do well on discussion-questions/essays. The final is online, and mirrors many of the questions on the discussion-questions throughout the semester.
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AMERIND 100
Quality 2/5Difficulty 1/5
If you are taking AMERIND100, keep in mind that she focuses this class on contemporary Indian issues. I went in thinking that it was going to be more focused on culture and history. It's an easy A. Leave your MAGA gear at home, this course carries a strong left-wing perspective.
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AMERIND 100
Quality 4/5Difficulty 3/5
Very nice professor, knows a lot about the topic. Six papers that are 3-4 pages throughout the semester, but not graded harshly. Only test is the final.
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AMERIND 100
Quality 4/5Difficulty 3/5
You have to do a ton of textbook reading and qs each week, but the final is the exact same qs and is online w/ open notes. There are also SIX short (3-4pg) papers, which is the only reason I disliked the course. They are not graded harshly, but I hateeee writing. Overall I would highly recommend Sparks, and this is probably the easiest ethnic class
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Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.

Classes with SHANNON SPARKS

No teaching recorded in Fall 2026.

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Recorded teaching history

Distinct courses recorded per term

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Browse recorded courses
TermCourseTitle
Fall 2019CSCS 990Research and Thesis
Spring 2019CSCS 990Research and Thesis
Fall 2018AMERIND 100Introduction to American Indian Studies
Fall 2018CSCS 699Independent Study
Fall 2018CSCS 811Community-based Research: Theory and Practice
Fall 2018CSCS 990Research and Thesis
Fall 2018CSCS 999Independent Study
Spring 2018AMERIND 100Introduction to American Indian Studies
Spring 2018CSCS 699Independent Study
Spring 2018CSCS 990Research and Thesis
Fall 2017AMERIND 100Introduction to American Indian Studies
Fall 2017CSCS 990Research and Thesis
Fall 2017CSCS 999Independent Study
Spring 2017AMERIND 100Introduction to American Indian Studies
Spring 2017CSCS 990Research and Thesis
Spring 2017CSCS 999Independent Study
Fall 2016AMERIND 100Introduction to American Indian Studies
Fall 2016CSCS 699Independent Study
Fall 2016CSCS 811Community-based Research: Theory and Practice
Fall 2016CSCS 990Research and Thesis
Spring 2016AMERIND 100Introduction to American Indian Studies
Spring 2016CSCS 990Research and Thesis
Fall 2015AMERIND 100Introduction to American Indian Studies
Fall 2014AMERIND 450Issues in American Indian Studies
Spring 2014AMERIND 100Introduction to American Indian Studies
Spring 2014HDFS 990Research and Thesis
Fall 2013AMERIND 100Introduction to American Indian Studies
Fall 2013HDFS 990Research and Thesis
Spring 2013HDFS 990Research and Thesis
Fall 2012HDFS 766Current Topics in Human Development and Family Studies
Fall 2012HDFS 990Research and Thesis
Spring 2012HDFS 990Research and Thesis
Fall 2011AMERIND 450Issues in American Indian Studies
Fall 2011HDFS 990Research and Thesis
Fall 2011HDFS 999Independent Study
Spring 2011HDFS 699Independent Study
Spring 2011HDFS 766Current Topics in Human Development and Family Studies
Spring 2011HDFS 990Research and Thesis
Fall 2010AMERIND 450Issues in American Indian Studies
Fall 2010HDFS 699Independent Study
Fall 2010HDFS 990Research and Thesis
Spring 2010HDFS 699Independent Study
Spring 2010HDFS 766Current Topics in Human Development and Family Studies
Spring 2010HDFS 990Research and Thesis
Fall 2009AMERIND 450Issues in American Indian Studies
Fall 2009HDFS 990Research and Thesis

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

Instructor identity & provenance 
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