Historical instructor

WILLIAM JONES

Adjusted rating
RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 3.79/5 from 14 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

HIST102 · course not matched
Quality 2/5Difficulty 3/5
The class is really interesting, and Professor Jones was clearly passionate about the subject but it was unclear as to what was important or what he wanted you to take away from each lecture. The class is curved, which definitely helps and a big part of your grade depends on your TA and how much you participate in discussion.
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HIST102 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 2/5
Will is a great professor. He talks about broader concepts and overlying themes rather than small details. The class requires quite a bit of reading, but some of it is pretty interesting. Exams consist of identifications and an essay, ALL of which are given to you in advance. So as long as you prepare, there's no reason for less than a B
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HIST102 · course not matched
Quality 2/5Difficulty 3/5
If you are going to take this class be prepared to do A LOT of reading. You have five novels to read over the semester plus whatever textbook/learn@UW he assigns. The lectures have no organization what so ever and you go into the exams not knowing what to expect. Discussion is also unhelpful.
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HIS398 · course not matched
Quality 4/5Difficulty 3/5
Jones is an easy-going professor. His lectures were less specifics-based and more open-ended like a large discussion. Reading is pretty necessary. Three papers and an 8-page final. Biggest complaint, too vague and disorganized. Not the worst history professor but not the best.
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HIST398 · course not matched
Quality 3/5Difficulty 3/5
Professor Jones is a great guy who really cares about his students and knows his history. His lectures offer a lot of information, but the powerpoints aren't online and provide little info. I completely relied on the textbooks (Tons of reading) to learn the course. The TAs are super harsh graders, only grades are essays and participation.
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HIST102 · course not matched
Quality 4/5Difficulty 2/5
Really good professor. 3 essays and one midterm and final. Be prepared for very large reading assignments though. I could also see his lectures being a bit boring to non-history majors, but if US history is your thing, it's a great class! Pretty good TAs too.
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Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.

Classes with WILLIAM JONES

No teaching recorded in Fall 2026.

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Recorded teaching history

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

Instructor identity & provenance
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