Current instructor

Yoshiko Herrera

/5Adjusted rating

/5RMP difficulty

captured reviews

About this rating

Raw average: 2.72/5 from 39 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

POLISCI 1822025-12-04

Quality 4/5Difficulty 5/5

Really great professor who always kept lectures engaging! Be aware that the grading scale is different, and Professor Herrera is a tough grader.

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POLISCI106 · course not matched2025-12-01

Quality 1/5Difficulty 4/5

Good, interesting lectures but as a professor on a personal level she is very insensitive.

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PS344 · course not matched2025-05-19

Quality 5/5Difficulty 4/5

I enjoyed the professor and the course content a lot. That being said, the course's grading bracket is the harshest I have ever seen. The cutoff for an A is a 95, and if you mess up one too many questions on the weekly reading quizzes, you will probably get an AB for the course. Take advantage of extra credit, as it helped me earn back an A.

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PS344 · course not matched2025-05-13

Quality 5/5Difficulty 3/5

Herrera's class is very instructive and the readings, while many, are also very manageable. While there are three exams and a course-long paper, the exams are all fairly easy if you have done the course work. Nothing is designed to trick you. Lectures are engaging and there is substantial opportunity to ask questions during or after lectures

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PS344 · course not matched2025-05-13

Quality 4/5Difficulty 4/5

Professor Herrera was definitely a really nice person and was clearly passionate about the subject. I will say that having three exams *and* a term paper felt like a little bit too much at times, but the class is manageable if you stay on top of the reading quizzes

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PS344 · course not matched2025-05-05

Quality 5/5Difficulty 3/5

Dr Herrera is one of the most engaging professors I have ever had. The lectures are super interesting, and she leaves so much room for discussion. There are tough quizzes and tests, but she doesn't try to trick you or anything, and gives you good guidance on what to study. I definitely will retake her classes, I highly recommend.

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

Classes with Yoshiko Herrera

POLISCI 182

Introduction to Comparative Politics (honors)

3–4 credits

An honors introduction to comparative politics focusing on national-level institutional analysis and systematic comparison.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Yoshiko Herrera facilitates thoughtful discussions and structures the course effectively, offering high accessibility and encouragement to students. Reviewers note her willingness to help and her ability to make content engaging even for non-majors.

Yoshiko Herrera Marika Olijar

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Fall 2025 · limited sample

POLISCI 681

Senior Honors Thesis

3–4 credits

POLISCI 681 is a Senior Honors Thesis course focused on political science thesis research and writing.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Eleanor Powell Marwa Shalaby+2 more

No recorded grade history

POLISCI 699

Directed Study

1–4 credits

POLISCI 699 offers directed study projects for juniors and seniors arranged with a faculty member.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2013: 3.92 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=6 letter grades).

Jon Pevehouse Daniel Kapust+21 more

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2022 · limited sample

POLISCI 856

Field Seminar in Comparative Politics

3 credits

A field seminar introducing leading concepts and theories in comparative politics, including states, nations, regimes, and development.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2023: 3.62 GPA, 91.7% A/AB (n=12 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.71 GPA, 91.7% A/AB (n=12 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.83 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=9 letter grades).

Yoshiko Herrera

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Fall 2025 · limited sample

POLISCI 990

Research and Thesis

1–3 credits

POLISCI 990 is a research and thesis course conducted under the direction of faculty.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Jon Pevehouse Daniel Kapust+22 more

No recorded grade history

POLISCI 999

Independent Work

2–3 credits

POLISCI 999 is an independent work course where students conduct research or projects under the direction of a faculty staff member.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Katherine Cramer Mark Copelovitch+9 more

No recorded grade history

Recorded teaching history

Explore courses taught by this instructor →

Browse recorded courses

Term	Course	Title
Fall 2026	POLISCI 182	Introduction to Comparative Politics (honors)
Fall 2026	POLISCI 681	Senior Honors Thesis
Fall 2026	POLISCI 699	Directed Study
Fall 2026	POLISCI 856	Field Seminar in Comparative Politics
Fall 2026	POLISCI 990	Research and Thesis
Fall 2026	POLISCI 999	Independent Work

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

Instructor identity & provenance

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