Spring 2027

Topic in American Literature and Culture Since 1900

This course studies a specific topic in American literature and culture from 1900 onward. Students identify and critique topics, apply analytical methods to texts, and use writing to convey critical analysis.

offering recorded3 credits
Recorded instructors · Spring 2027 David Zimmerman3.9/5Ramzi Fawaz3.2/5

Summary

1 / 6

Past student reviews · Ramzi Fawaz

Students reported the class was reading-intensive, requiring hundreds of pages per week, though individual assignments were few in number.

What you’ll be able to do

  • Identify and critique a topic related to American literature since 1900.

  • Identify and apply methods and approaches for analysis of literary and cultural texts to demonstrate literature's contemporary and historical relevance.

  • Leverage writing as a mode of learning and means of conveying critical analysis.

  • Analyze relationships among society, literature, and language that underlie the construction of beliefs.

Source: UW Guide

Grade history

↗
average GPA
letter grades
A
AB
B
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All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors

Prerequisites

Course map

Sophomore standing

  • Sophomore standing
ENGL 457

This is a best-effort interpretation; check the catalog requirements above.

Prerequisite text tree
  • Sophomore standing

Professors

Spring 2027
Adjusted rating
RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 3.97/5 from 143 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.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2017: 3.75 GPA, 95.0% A/AB (n=20 letter grades).

Ramzi Fawaz

Adjusted rating
RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 3.06/5 from 49 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 · 4.0/5 difficulty · 3 reviews

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

Past student reviews · Ramzi Fawaz

Ramzi Fawaz taught a reading-intensive course with hundreds of pages weekly, though few assignments. Students described the class as discussion-driven, with group midterm and final exams that were not difficult. Some found his lectures long and script-based, while others appreciated his witty, welcoming approach to LGBT literature and history.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2023: 3.96 GPA, 96.4% A/AB (n=28 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.83 GPA, 88.9% A/AB (n=18 letter grades); Spring 2026: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=23 letter grades).

Historical instructors & teaching patterns

DAVID ZIMMERMAN is recorded teaching in Spring 2017. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

RAMZI FAWAZ is recorded teaching in Spring 2015, Fall 2020, Spring 2022, Fall 2022, Spring 2023, Fall 2024, 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

Spring 2027

Schedule loads here as you scroll.

SectionModeEnrolled / capacityWaitlist
LEC 001Classroom Instruction0 / 300
LEC 002Classroom Instruction0 / 300

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

Past student reviews · Ramzi Fawaz

The course is described as informative and fun, with a heavy emphasis on lively class discussions that make the extensive reading load feel worthwhile.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2024: 3.48 GPA, 69.6% A/AB (n=23 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.83 GPA, 88.9% A/AB (n=18 letter grades); Spring 2026: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=23 letter grades).

difficulty & workload

Past student reviews · Ramzi Fawaz

Students reported the class was reading-intensive, requiring hundreds of pages per week, though individual assignments were few in number.

Past student reviews · Ramzi Fawaz

Ramzi Fawaz was noted as witty and welcoming, creating an environment where students felt comfortable sharing original ideas during the large group discussions.

Topics

  • American literature and culture since 1900
  • Relationships among society, literature, language, and belief construction
  • Analysis of literary and cultural texts for contemporary and historical relevance

Skills

  • Critique topics in American literature since 1900 and analyze relationships among society, literature, and language.
  • Apply methods and approaches for analyzing literary and cultural texts to demonstrate their relevance.
  • Use writing to convey critical analysis and support learning.

Grades

Latest available · Spring 2026— not enough history to project Spring 2027.

average GPA
A / AB grades
letter grades
Instructor

Grade distribution · % of letter grades

A
AB
B
BC
C
D
F

Grades over time

Through Spring 2026

More grade details Grade mix, volume & source data

Not enough comparable courses for Spring 2027 in UW–Madison.

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
ENGL 457 · Spring 2027

Topic in American Literature and Culture since 1900

Recorded 2026-10-14
ENGL 457 · Spring 2027

Psychedelic Imaginaries

Recorded 2026-10-14
Raw records 
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    "semester": "1274",
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    "offering_id": "1274:352:006934",
    "course_id": "ENGL 457",
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    "term_id": "1274",
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    "source_subject_id": "352",
    "title": "Topic in American Literature and Culture since 1900",
    "credits_min": 3,
    "credits_max": 3,
    "typically_offered": "Fall, Spring, Summer"
  },
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    "run_id": "20261014T203208-0851c9a1",
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    "course_id": "ENGL 457",
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    "term_id": "1274",
    "source_course_id": "006934.39",
    "source_subject_id": "352",
    "title": "Psychedelic Imaginaries",
    "credits_min": 3,
    "credits_max": 3,
    "typically_offered": "Fall, Spring, Summer"
  }
]
Rate My Professors

Student reviews

Original comments behind the course and instructor summaries.

Read original reviews
Download part 1
Madgrades

Grade history

Recorded grade distributions by term, section, and instructor.

Explore recorded grades
Dataset & model

Recorded 2026-10-14

View the dataset on Hugging Face
Model outputs & technical records
Qwen/Qwen3.8-27B
LLM outputs across runs
Download part 1
Full model traces

Recorded model configuration, reasoning, and tool conversations.

Download part 1
Model & dataset provenance 
{
  "model": "Qwen/Qwen3.8-27B",
  "model_revision": "1d4bf0f2ff6012fd82039f2fa52739d0dd7c60c0",
  "task_version": "17",
  "output_id": "c4b99e2ba9bf8ab05d1683085e77a3f34fcdc98ba82e40e4e42394966c77dbff",
  "requirements_status": "valid",
  "dataset_revision": "fc1811fa52e581ea57a35c0cf3343f8740a8ffbf",
  "observed_at": "2026-10-14 17:50:09.728220+00:00"
}