Fall 2026

Methods of Sociological Inquiry

C&ESOC/SOC 357 teaches scientific methods for testing sociological theory, including problem definition, hypothesis construction, and data evaluation, with practical research project experience.

offering recorded3–4 credits
Recorded instructors · Fall 2026 Monica Grant2.8/5Leila MoustafaRichard Christopher Kahulugan +1 more

Summary

1 / 7

The course features group projects, homework assignments, and weekly quizzes. Reviewers generally find the workload manageable and appropriate, though some note that group projects can be stressful due to coordination with other classes.

Grade history

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average GPA
letter grades
A
AB
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BC
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F

All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors

Prerequisites

Course map

Sophomore standing or (SOC 181,SOC/​C&E SOC 140, 210, or 211)

C&ESOC/SOC 357 used by

“Used by” includes alternatives; linked courses may have other requirements. This is a best-effort interpretation; check the catalog requirements above.

Prerequisite text tree

Professors

Fall 2026
/5Adjusted rating
/5RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 2.56/5 from 70 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.

For this course: 3.9/5 raw quality · 2.2/5 difficulty · 9 reviews

RMP profile ↗ · All captured review dates; profile matched by name.

Monica Grant is praised as nice, prepared, and passionate, with many finding the course an easy A. Reviewers highlight her clear teaching and manageable workload. Some appreciate her academic experience and engaging discussions.

Some find her lectures dry and confusing, citing wordy rubrics and tricky quiz questions. One student struggled with engagement and unhelpful slides despite mandatory attendance.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2020: 3.86 GPA, 94.6% A/AB (n=74 letter grades); Spring 2025: 3.47 GPA, 70.2% A/AB (n=57 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.58 GPA, 79.5% A/AB (n=73 letter grades).

Historical instructors & teaching patterns

No reviews for current instructor Monica Grant are available. Historical reviews for Jean Grube describe her as a highly engaging teacher who pushes students to learn through required attendance and readings.

ADAM SECHOOLER is recorded teaching in Spring 2009, Spring 2010. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

CHAEYOON LIM is recorded teaching in Fall 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014, Fall 2014, Spring 2015, Fall 2020, Fall 2021, Spring 2022, Fall 2023, Spring 2024, Fall 2024. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

GINA SPITZ is recorded teaching in Spring 2014. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

JORDAN CONWELL is recorded teaching in Spring 2019, Fall 2019. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

KAELYN STILES is recorded teaching in Fall 2007, Spring 2008, Fall 2008. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

MONICA GRANT is recorded teaching in Fall 2013, Fall 2015, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Fall 2017, Spring 2020, Spring 2025, Fall 2025. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

RAHUL MAHAJAN is recorded teaching in Spring 2013. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

SHAMUS RAHMAN KHAN is recorded teaching in Fall 2006, Spring 2007. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

TREVOR YOUNG-HYMAN is recorded teaching in Fall 2011. 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

Fall 2026

Schedule loads here as you scroll.

SectionModeEnrolled / capacityWaitlist
LEC 001Classroom Instruction4 / 731
DIS 301Classroom Instruction0 / 150
DIS 303Classroom Instruction0 / 151
DIS 304Classroom Instruction0 / 150
DIS 305Classroom Instruction3 / 150
DIS 306Classroom Instruction1 / 150
LEC 001Classroom Instruction66 / 900
DIS 301Classroom Instruction10 / 150
DIS 303Classroom Instruction15 / 150
DIS 304Classroom Instruction16 / 150
DIS 305Classroom Instruction11 / 150
DIS 306Classroom Instruction14 / 150

Times are Central. Select a meeting for details; export includes recorded dates for the selected sections. Enrollment reflects scan time.

Meeting source records
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Student experience

the class

Monica Grant teaches a manageable course with no exams, relying on weekly quizzes, group projects, and homework. Reviewers describe the workload as easy and the grading as lenient, often resulting in easy A's for students who complete the required tasks.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 3.47 GPA, 70.2% A/AB (n=57 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.58 GPA, 79.5% A/AB (n=73 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.55 GPA, 75.5% A/AB (n=53 letter grades).

difficulty & workload

The course features group projects, homework assignments, and weekly quizzes. Reviewers generally find the workload manageable and appropriate, though some note that group projects can be stressful due to coordination with other classes.

Lecture experiences vary; some find them dry and confusing, while others find them interesting. Attendance is mandatory, and lecture content appears on quizzes, though one reviewer found slides unhelpful for studying.

Topics

  • Sociological theory testing.
  • Research methodology components.
  • Small-scale research projects.

Skills

  • Problem definition and hypothesis construction.
  • Data collection and evaluation.
  • Conducting small research projects.

Grades

Historical instructor

Fall 2026 · Projected

Before grades are released

– average GPA

Approximate 80% prediction interval

About this estimate

The course’s semester-average GPA, not an individual student’s grade. The center uses 5 same-season terms, weighted toward recent results.

The range uses the finite-sample 80th-percentile rank of absolute errors from earlier same-season forecasts. Each forecast uses only records from earlier terms. At least four forecasts are required; bounds are rounded outward and limited to 0–4. This is an empirical estimate: changing instructors or grading policies can reduce its coverage.

8 earlier forecasts · 0.14 GPA average error.

Grades over time

Through Fall 2026

More grade details Grade mix, volume & source data

Where this course fits relative to

Latest available grades · Spring 2026 · all course levels

GPA

Higher than % of other courses in this group.

Course GPAs · red marks this course’s range

letter grades

More recorded grades than % of other courses in this group.

Typical course in this group: letter grades.

About this comparison

1283 courses over the same term, each with at least 30 recorded letter grades. Cross-listed courses count once. GPA is not a measure of difficulty or teaching quality. The typical course is the median by recorded grade count; tied values are not counted as lower. Grade counts describe course scale, not unique students or typical section size.

Descriptions compare GPA with this group’s average: at least 0.20 higher or lower; otherwise close to average. Section size uses median recorded enrollment: small up to 30, mid-sized 31–99, large 100+. Lectures and discussion/lab sections are described separately.

Sources & history

UW–Madison

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.

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Selected offering source records
C&ESOC/SOC 357 · Fall 2026

Methods of Sociological Inquiry

Recorded 2026-09-07
C&ESOC/SOC 357 · Fall 2026

Methods of Sociological Inquiry

Recorded 2026-09-07
Raw records
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    "offering_id": "1272:864:017569",
    "course_id": "C&ESOC/SOC 357",
    "course_uid": "course_8c0f7542356f64346bde176d",
    "term_id": "1272",
    "source_course_id": "017569",
    "source_subject_id": "864",
    "title": "Methods of Sociological Inquiry",
    "credits_min": 3,
    "credits_max": 4,
    "typically_offered": "Fall, Spring, Summer"
  },
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    "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4",
    "semester": "1272",
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    "offering_id": "1272:900:017569",
    "course_id": "C&ESOC/SOC 357",
    "course_uid": "course_8c0f7542356f64346bde176d",
    "term_id": "1272",
    "source_course_id": "017569",
    "source_subject_id": "900",
    "title": "Methods of Sociological Inquiry",
    "credits_min": 3,
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    "typically_offered": "Fall, Spring, Summer"
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]
Rate My Professors

Student reviews

Original comments behind the course and instructor summaries.

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Madgrades

Grade history

Recorded grade distributions by term, section, and instructor.

Explore recorded grades
Dataset & model

Recorded 2026-09-07

Download the original dataset
Model outputs & technical records
nvidia/Qwen3.6-35B-A3B-NVFP4
LLM outputs across runs
Download part 1
Full model traces

Recorded model configuration, reasoning, and tool conversations.

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Model & dataset provenance
{
  "model": "nvidia/Qwen3.6-35B-A3B-NVFP4",
  "model_revision": "1355db6a052410cfd62085d94b58866fd0f2c3c5",
  "task_version": "14",
  "output_id": "a403e8d0da2767b63e55197d2dca2ef48938cb749f568464f9e8741a49405d00",
  "requirements_status": "needs_review",
  "dataset_revision": "e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349",
  "observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00"
}