Historical instructor

VIREN MURTHY

Adjusted rating
RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 2.79/5 from 28 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

EA255 · course not matched
Quality 1/5Difficulty 3/5
This was one of the worst courses I ever took as a history student. The content offered virtually no historical scholarship; instead, it was riddled with the professor's own theories—or "philosophy"—which ultimately amounted to nothing more than crude anti-imperialist rhetoric. It was truly sad.
Rate My Professors ↗
EA255 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 3/5
Excellent and clear lectures! Thought provoking.
Rate My Professors ↗
HIS255 · course not matched
Quality 1/5Difficulty 2/5
Poor lecturer. Talks super slow, says exactly what's on the slides. Will ask questions, disagree with the answer, then say the same thing adding 0 extra details. Misquotes philosophers and thought "I am the state" was Henry VIII (it was louis XIV)
Rate My Professors ↗

Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.

Classes with VIREN MURTHY

ASIAN/HISTORY/POLISCI 255

Introduction to East Asian Civilizations

3–4 credits

Multidisciplinary and historical survey of East Asian civilizations (China, Japan, Korea, Tibet, and Mongolia) from prehistory to the present, covering philosophy, economy, governance, social structure, kinship, and geography.

No offering record · Spring 2026 · Sources

with this instructor · course overall, matching historical terms

Viren Murthy

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2021–Spring 2026
HISTORY 201

The Historian's Craft

3–4 credits

The Historian's Craft involves conducting original historical research using archival materials, defining questions, analyzing evidence, and presenting conclusions in written and spoken formats.

No offering record · Spring 2026 · Sources

with this instructor · course overall, matching historical terms

Daniel StolzKathryn Ciancia+13 more

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2021–Spring 2026
HISTORY 682

Senior Honors Thesis

1–3 credits

Senior Honors Thesis involves mentored independent research and thesis writing on an original topic for honors.

No offering record · Spring 2026 · Sources

with this instructor · course overall, matching historical terms

Allison UsecheBrandon Bloch+6 more

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2022 · limited sample
HISTORY 999

Independent Work

1–6 credits

INDEPENDENT WORK is directed study under the supervision of a faculty member.

No offering record · Spring 2026 · Sources

Stephen KantrowitzWalter Stern+21 more

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2021–Spring 2022 · limited sample

Recorded teaching history

Distinct courses recorded per term

Explore courses taught by this instructor →
Browse recorded courses
TermCourseTitle
Spring 2026ASIAN/HISTORY/POLISCI 255Introduction to East Asian Civilizations
Spring 2026HISTORY 201The Historian's Craft
Spring 2026HISTORY 682Senior Honors Thesis
Spring 2026HISTORY 692Senior Thesis
Spring 2026HISTORY 990Research and Thesis
Spring 2026HISTORY 999Independent Work
Fall 2025HISTORY 681Senior Honors Thesis
Fall 2025HISTORY 703History and Theory
Fall 2025HISTORY 990Research and Thesis
Fall 2025HISTORY 999Independent Work
Spring 2025ASIAN/HISTORY/POLISCI 255Introduction to East Asian Civilizations
Spring 2025HISTORY 600Advanced Seminar in History
Spring 2025HISTORY 682Senior Honors Thesis
Spring 2025HISTORY 699Directed Study
Spring 2025HISTORY 999Independent Work
Fall 2024ASIAN/HISTORY 104Introduction to East Asian History: Japan
Fall 2024HISTORY 500Reading Seminar in History
Fall 2024HISTORY 681Senior Honors Thesis
Fall 2024HISTORY 699Directed Study
Spring 2024ASIAN/HISTORY/POLISCI 255Introduction to East Asian Civilizations
Spring 2024HISTORY 500Reading Seminar in History
Spring 2024HISTORY 990Research and Thesis
Fall 2023ASIAN/HISTORY 104Introduction to East Asian History: Japan
Fall 2023HISTORY 706Topics in Transnational History
Fall 2023HISTORY 990Research and Thesis
Fall 2023HISTORY 999Independent Work
Spring 2023ASIAN/HISTORY/POLISCI 255Introduction to East Asian Civilizations
Spring 2023HISTORY 682Senior Honors Thesis
Spring 2023HISTORY 703History and Theory
Spring 2023HISTORY 990Research and Thesis
Spring 2023HISTORY 999Independent Work
Fall 2022ASIAN/HISTORY 104Introduction to East Asian History: Japan
Fall 2022HISTORY 500Reading Seminar in History
Fall 2022HISTORY 681Senior Honors Thesis
Fall 2022HISTORY 990Research and Thesis
Spring 2022HISTORY 682Senior Honors Thesis
Spring 2022HISTORY 990Research and Thesis
Fall 2021HISTORY 681Senior Honors Thesis
Fall 2021HISTORY 990Research and Thesis
Fall 2021HISTORY 999Independent Work
Fall 2020ASIAN/HISTORY/POLISCI 255Introduction to East Asian Civilizations
Fall 2020HISTORY 201The Historian's Craft
Fall 2020HISTORY 990Research and Thesis
Spring 2020ASIAN/HISTORY/POLISCI 255Introduction to East Asian Civilizations
Spring 2020HISTORY 680Honors Thesis Colloquium
Spring 2020HISTORY 699Directed Study
Spring 2020HISTORY 990Research and Thesis
Spring 2020HISTORY 999Independent Work
Fall 2019ASIAN/HISTORY 104Introduction to East Asian History: Japan
Fall 2019HISTORY 706Topics in Transnational History
Fall 2019HISTORY 990Research and Thesis
Spring 2019ASIAN/HISTORY/POLISCI 255Introduction to East Asian Civilizations
Spring 2019HISTORY 990Research and Thesis
Spring 2019HISTORY 999Independent Work
Fall 2018ASIAN/HISTORY 104Introduction to East Asian History: Japan
Fall 2018HISTORY 201The Historian's Craft
Fall 2018HISTORY 990Research and Thesis
Spring 2018HISTORY 682Senior Honors Thesis
Fall 2017HISTORY 681Senior Honors Thesis
Fall 2017HISTORY 990Research and Thesis
Spring 2017HISTORY 999Independent Work
Fall 2016HISTORY 999Independent Work
Fall 2015ASIAN/HISTORY 104Introduction to East Asian History: Japan
Spring 2015ASIAN/HISTORY/POLISCI 255Introduction to East Asian Civilizations
Spring 2015HISTORY 500Reading Seminar in History
Spring 2015HISTORY 999Independent Work
Fall 2014ASIAN/HISTORY 104Introduction to East Asian History: Japan
Fall 2014HISTORY 500Reading Seminar in History
Spring 2014ASIAN/HISTORY/POLISCI 255Introduction to East Asian Civilizations
Fall 2013ASIAN/HISTORY 104Introduction to East Asian History: Japan
Fall 2013HISTORY 283Intermediate Honors Seminar-studies in History
Fall 2013HISTORY 699Directed Study
Fall 2013HISTORY 999Independent Work
Spring 2013HISTORY 680Honors Thesis Colloquium
Spring 2013HISTORY 690Thesis Colloquium
Spring 2013HISTORY 999Independent Work

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

Instructor identity & provenance 
{
  "instructor_uid": "instructor_5c2f2f86b7465db3c980c378",
  "source": "madgrades",
  "source_instructor_id": "5104315",
  "identity_basis": "source_id",
  "identity_status": "source_identified",
  "name": "VIREN MURTHY",
  "email": null,
  "first_observed_at": "2026-09-06 23:14:58.172943+00:00",
  "last_observed_at": "2026-10-29 21:30:40.248904+00:00",
  "ratings": {
    "review_count": 28,
    "quality": 2.79,
    "difficulty": 3.14,
    "quality_count": 28,
    "difficulty_count": 28,
    "profile_id": "rmp:1868373",
    "source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1868373",
    "match_basis": "exact_name",
    "observed_at": "2026-10-29 23:16:50.152107+00:00",
    "courses": {
      "course_2f4a42afa8e6574227ce878e": {
        "review_count": 14,
        "quality": 2.64,
        "difficulty": 3.57,
        "quality_count": 14,
        "difficulty_count": 14
      }
    },
    "bayesian_quality": 3.1517757886479516,
    "prior_mean": 3.658261892755085,
    "prior_weight": 20
  },
  "grade_statistics": {
    "gpa": 3.341,
    "graded": 1132,
    "counts": [
      486,
      216,
      244,
      89,
      53,
      22,
      22
    ],
    "sections": 76
  },
  "current": false,
  "courses": [],
  "revision": "c9cd06eaa45f9ddf7e69faa38b89ff3d3dd995dd",
  "instructor_url": "/instructors/VIREN_MURTHY--instructor_5c2f2f86b7465db3c980c378"
}