Examines the historical relationships between metropolitan change, economic transformation, and the construction of race to understand their impact on inequality and marginalized communities.
Raw average: 4.93/5 from 14 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 · 2.5/5 difficulty · 2
reviews
RMP profile ↗ · All captured review dates; profile matched by name.
Walter Stern is praised for his passion and accommodating nature, with one reviewer calling him one of the best professors. However, reviews disagree on difficulty, ranging from easy to moderate, and workloads vary from supplemental readings to creative final projects.
Recent recorded grades — Spring 2023: 3.57 GPA, 84.1% A/AB (n=63 letter grades); Spring 2025: 3.75 GPA, 91.5% A/AB (n=59 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.81 GPA, 90.9% A/AB (n=77 letter grades).
WALTER STERN is recorded teaching in Spring 2023, Spring 2025, Spring 2026. 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.
Section
Mode
Enrolled / capacity
Waitlist
LEC 001
Classroom Instruction
30 / 60
1
DIS 301
Classroom Instruction
11 / 20
0
DIS 302
Classroom Instruction
7 / 20
1
DIS 303
Classroom Instruction
12 / 20
0
LEC 001
Classroom Instruction
29 / 60
5
DIS 301
Classroom Instruction
7 / 20
0
DIS 302
Classroom Instruction
12 / 20
3
DIS 303
Classroom Instruction
10 / 20
2
Times are Central. Select a meeting for details; export includes recorded dates for the selected sections. Enrollment reflects scan time.
Walter Stern is highly praised for his passion and accommodating nature, making the class engaging and easy for those seeking miscellaneous credits.
Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 3.75 GPA, 91.5% A/AB (n=59 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.68 GPA, 80.0% A/AB (n=25 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.81 GPA, 90.9% A/AB (n=77 letter grades).
difficulty & workload
Readings are described as easy and supplemental, with a final project offering significant creative freedom.
Students find the class exciting and recommend Stern for his passion, though one review notes it is best for filling credits.
Topics
Mass incarceration, educational, housing, and income inequality
Experiences of marginalized racial/ethnic minorities
Historical policies and ideas promoting inequality
Responses and resistance to inequality
Historical construction and meaning of race
Grades
Latest available · Spring 2026— not enough history to project Fall 2026.
average GPA
A / AB grades
letter grades
Instructor
Grade distribution · % of letter grades
A72.7%72.7%
AB18.2%18.2%
B7.8%7.8%
BC1.3%1.3%
C0.0%0.0%
D0.0%0.0%
F0.0%0.0%
Grades over time
Through Spring 2026
More grade details Grade mix, volume & source data
Where this course fits relative to
Latest available grades · Spring 2026 · all course levels
3.813.81GPA
Higher than 6565% of other courses
in this group.
Course GPAs · red marks this course’s range
7777letter grades
More recorded grades than 5656% of other courses in this group.
Typical course in this group: 66.066.0 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.