Current instructor

William Reese

Adjusted rating
RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 4.09/5 from 11 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

EDPOL/HISTORY 412
Quality 5/5Difficulty 3/5
I loved Dr. Reese! He is a very kind, smart, and funny guy, and his lectures were informative and covered a lot without being too broad or boring. He is easy to listen to, his lectures almost felt like storytelling. He used music, videos, and other props to make lectures more engaging. If you don't already enjoy history, Dr. Reese will get you to!
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EDPOL/HISTORY 412
Quality 4/5Difficulty 5/5
Professor Reese was very interesting in his lectures but you have to attend or you will not pass the class. The class required a lot of reading. The class is graded on two exams and a 12 page paper. Good class that required a lot of work.
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EDPOL/HISTORY 412
Quality 3/5Difficulty 4/5
Knows and loves history but talks so fast and gives so much information that it is sometimes hard to follow. Need to attend lectures to pass the class-- doesn't post slides online. LOTS of reading for homework, but relative to what is learned in lecture. Discussion sections help relate the two. Erin is an AWESOME TA so try to get her.
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EPS901 · course not matched
Quality 1/5Difficulty 5/5
Read 10 books in 10 weeks. He does most of the talking but participation is 70% of your grade. Unorganized. Not impressive.
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EDPOL/HISTORY 412
Quality 3/5Difficulty 1/5
Reese is a very casual, funny, and knowledgeable interactive lecturer. Very easy midterm and final in-class essays. Way too much reading for this class, but is somewhat necessary for the exams. Biggest complaint is that the course seemed more about general US history rather than education specifics.
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EDPOL/HISTORY 412
Quality 5/5Difficulty 3/5
Professor Reese is not only extremely knowledgeable on the history of American education, but every student in his class can directly see his passion for it. He kept me very interested in material and his personal anecdotes were memorable and fitting. He is one of my favorite professors I've had at UW
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Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.

Classes with William Reese

EDPOL/HISTORY 412

History of American Education

3 credits

Examines the history of American education from colonization to the present, focusing on education as individual development and cultural transmission.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · William Reese

Professor William Reese taught with an interactive, storytelling style that students found engaging, though one reviewer noted he spoke too fast to follow easily. Past students reported heavy reading loads and emphasized that attendance was necessary because slides were not posted online. Assessment structures varied, with one student describing in-class essays and another citing two exams and a 12-page paper.

William Reese

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026
HISTORY 691

Senior Thesis

1–3 credits

The Senior Thesis course involves mentored independent research and writing on an original topic, requiring concurrent enrollment in HISTORY 690.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Stephen KantrowitzCindy Cheng+22 more

No recorded grade history

HISTORY 940

Seminar-american History 1900-1945

3 credits

A seminar involving readings and research on United States History from 1900 to 1945.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2016: 3.95 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=11 letter grades); Spring 2019: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=6 letter grades); Spring 2025: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=6 letter grades).

William Reese

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2025–Spring 2025 · limited sample

Recorded teaching history

Distinct courses recorded per term

Explore courses taught by this instructor →
Browse recorded courses
TermCourseTitle
Spring 2027EDPOL 990Research or Thesis
Spring 2027EDPOL 999Independent Reading
Spring 2027EDPOL/HISTORY 412History of American Education
Spring 2027HISTORY 681Senior Honors Thesis
Spring 2027HISTORY 682Senior Honors Thesis
Spring 2027HISTORY 691Senior Thesis
Spring 2027HISTORY 692Senior Thesis
Spring 2027HISTORY 699Directed Study
Spring 2027HISTORY 940Seminar-american History 1900-1945
Spring 2027HISTORY 990Research and Thesis
Spring 2027HISTORY 999Independent Work
Fall 2026EDPOL 399Independent Reading
Fall 2026EDPOL 990Research or Thesis
Fall 2026EDPOL 999Independent Reading
Fall 2026HISTORY 681Senior Honors Thesis
Fall 2026HISTORY 682Senior Honors Thesis
Fall 2026HISTORY 691Senior Thesis
Fall 2026HISTORY 692Senior Thesis
Fall 2026HISTORY 698Directed Study
Fall 2026HISTORY 699Directed Study
Fall 2026HISTORY 990Research and Thesis
Fall 2026HISTORY 999Independent Work

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

Instructor identity & provenance 
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