Statistics for Sociologists I

Statistics for Sociologists I teaches descriptive statistics, probability, inference, regression, and contingency table analysis for sociological data.

offering recorded4 credits
Recorded instructors · Fall 2026 Christine Schwartz4.1/5Jane AhnLeonard Chao

Summary

1 / 7

The course is described as easy with fair exams, requiring students to pay attention and complete weekly assignments to succeed.

Grade history

average GPA
letter grades
A
AB
B
BC
C
D
F

All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors

Prerequisites

Course map

Satisfied Quantitative Reasoning (QR) A

  • Satisfied Quantitative Reasoning (QR) A
C&ESOC/SOC 360 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
  • Satisfied Quantitative Reasoning (QR) A

Professors

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

Raw average: 5.00/5 from 10 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: 5.0/5 raw quality · 3.2/5 difficulty · 5 reviews

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

Christine Schwartz is praised for clear, accessible explanations and slow pacing. Reviewers note that success requires attention and weekly assignments, though one student reported a negative office hours interaction.

A 2012 review describes the class as easy with fair exams but advises psychology majors it may not sufficiently prepare them for subsequent required statistics courses.

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2018: 3.30 GPA, 58.2% A/AB (n=55 letter grades); Fall 2023: 3.32 GPA, 60.2% A/AB (n=88 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.25 GPA, 53.9% A/AB (n=89 letter grades).

No course-specific feedback yet.

Historical instructors & teaching patterns

Historical reviews for John Logan present conflicting views, with one calling his lectures boring and difficult while another praises his passion and helpfulness. No current reviews exist for Christine Schwartz, the current instructor.

CHAEYOON LIM is recorded teaching in Fall 2008, Spring 2009, Fall 2009, Fall 2010, Spring 2011, Spring 2013, Spring 2014, Fall 2016, Spring 2017, Spring 2018, Spring 2019, Spring 2020, Spring 2022, Spring 2024. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

CHRISTINE SCHWARTZ is recorded teaching in Fall 2006, Spring 2007, Fall 2007, Spring 2008, Fall 2008, Spring 2009, Fall 2009, Spring 2010, Fall 2011, Fall 2012, Fall 2018, Fall 2023, Fall 2024. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

DAVID SCHELLY is recorded teaching in Spring 2016. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

GRIFFIN BUR is recorded teaching in Fall 2020, Fall 2021, Fall 2022, Spring 2023. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

JOHN LOGAN is recorded teaching in Spring 2008, Spring 2010, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Fall 2019. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

KEEDON KWON is recorded teaching in Fall 2008. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

LAURA HEIDEMAN is recorded teaching in Spring 2011, Spring 2012. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

NICOLE KRAUS is recorded teaching in Spring 2012. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

NORA SCHAEFFER is recorded teaching in Fall 2006, Spring 2008, Fall 2009, Fall 2010, Fall 2011, Fall 2012, Fall 2013, Fall 2014. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

RICHARD AVILES 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 / 960
LAB 301Classroom Instruction2 / 240
LAB 302Classroom Instruction0 / 240
LAB 303Classroom Instruction1 / 240
LAB 304Classroom Instruction1 / 240
LEC 001Classroom Instruction81 / 1000
LAB 301Classroom Instruction17 / 250
LAB 302Classroom Instruction24 / 240
LAB 303Classroom Instruction23 / 240
LAB 304Classroom Instruction17 / 240

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

Meeting source records

Student experience

the class

Christine Schwartz is praised for making difficult statistical concepts accessible through clear explanations, with one reviewer calling her the best lecturer they have had.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 3.27 GPA, 65.4% A/AB (n=81 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.41 GPA, 65.1% A/AB (n=86 letter grades); Spring 2026: 2.91 GPA, 32.3% A/AB (n=65 letter grades).

difficulty & workload

The course is described as easy with fair exams, requiring students to pay attention and complete weekly assignments to succeed.

One reviewer suggests the class may not adequately prepare psychology majors for subsequent courses, while another notes that office hours were helpful despite an awkward initial interaction.

Topics

  • Sociological data
  • Descriptive statistics
  • Probability theory
  • Statistical inference
  • Hypothesis testing
  • Regression and correlation
  • Contingency tables

Skills

  • Present sociological data
  • Apply descriptive statistics
  • Use probability theory and statistical inference
  • Perform estimation and hypothesis tests
  • Conduct regression and correlation analysis
  • Analyze contingency tables

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 · 0.20 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.

Selected offering source records
C&ESOC/SOC 360 · Fall 2026

Statistics for Sociologists I

Recorded 2026-09-07
C&ESOC/SOC 360 · Fall 2026

Statistics for Sociologists I

Recorded 2026-09-07
Raw records
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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
Model outputs & technical records
nvidia/Qwen3.6-35B-A3B-NVFP4
LLM outputs across runs
Full model traces

Recorded model configuration, reasoning, and tool conversations.

Model & dataset provenance
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