Special Topics
Introductory special topics course covering contemporary issues relevant to studying biology.
Summary
Past student reviews · Sharon Thoma
The only pre-class preparation was reading a chapter of The Nature Fix, followed by a discussion of the material.
What you’ll be able to do
Demonstrate understanding of selected concepts in the biological sciences and related disciplines.
Source: UW Guide
Grade history
↗All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors
Prerequisites
Course mapNone
- None
This is a best-effort interpretation; check the catalog requirements above.
Prerequisite text tree
- None
Professors
Spring 2027No instructors recorded for this selection.
Historical instructors & teaching patterns
SHARON THOMA is recorded teaching in Fall 2021, Fall 2022, Spring 2023. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
Calendar & sections
Spring 2027Schedule loads here as you scroll.
| Section | Mode | Enrolled / capacity | Waitlist |
|---|
Times are Central. Select a meeting for details; export includes recorded dates for the selected sections.
Meeting source records
No records available.
Student experience
the class
Past student reviews · Sharon Thoma
Students described this seminar as a relaxing mentorship experience involving nature walks and discussions about enjoying the outdoors.
Recent recorded grades — Fall 2021: 3.70 GPA, 90.0% A/AB (n=10 letter grades); Fall 2022: 3.12 GPA, 62.5% A/AB (n=8 letter grades); Spring 2023: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=9 letter grades).
difficulty & workload
Past student reviews · Sharon Thoma
The only pre-class preparation was reading a chapter of The Nature Fix, followed by a discussion of the material.
Past student reviews · Sharon Thoma
Past students found the instructor to be a fantastic mentor who facilitated enjoyable outdoor activities and weekly reading discussions.
Topics
- Contemporary issues relevant to studying biology
- Selected concepts in biological sciences and related disciplines
Skills
- Demonstrate understanding of selected concepts in the biological sciences and related disciplines.
Grades
Latest available · Spring 2023— not enough history to project Spring 2027.
Grade distribution · % of letter grades
Grades over time
Through Spring 2023
More grade details Grade mix, volume & source data
Not enough comparable courses for Spring 2027 in UW–Madison.
Sources & history
Catalog & offerings
Descriptions, prerequisites, and recorded course offerings.
Catalog observation history
Observations at scan time; dates do not imply when a catalog change took effect.
Selected offering source records
No offering records for the selected term.
Raw records
[]
Student reviews
Original comments behind the course and instructor summaries.
Read original reviews
Grade history
Recorded grade distributions by term, section, and instructor.
Explore recorded gradesRecorded 2026-10-14
Model outputs & technical records
LLM outputs across runs
Full model traces
Recorded model configuration, reasoning, and tool conversations.
Model & dataset provenance
{
"model": "Qwen/Qwen3.8-27B",
"model_revision": "1d4bf0f2ff6012fd82039f2fa52739d0dd7c60c0",
"task_version": "17",
"output_id": "30edb358adbbbecd255fcc7092ecbf385d4d91f5303b3d251f0caea86ceefa8b",
"requirements_status": "valid",
"dataset_revision": "fc1811fa52e581ea57a35c0cf3343f8740a8ffbf",
"observed_at": "2026-10-14 17:50:09.728220+00:00"
}