Students must read multiple books weekly and complete five essays, which constitute half the grade, alongside participation and attendance requirements.
Raw average: 3.24/5 from 17 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: 3.0/5 raw quality · 3.0/5 difficulty · 4
reviews
RMP profile ↗ · All captured review dates; profile matched by name.
Elizabeth Lapina is described as nice and caring, though her lectures are considered slightly boring or unrelated to required readings. She maintains strict attendance and participation expectations, including cold calling students, while grading papers leniently.
Recent recorded grades — Fall 2023: 3.50 GPA, 80.4% A/AB (n=51 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.85 GPA, 91.0% A/AB (n=67 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.85 GPA, 94.8% A/AB (n=58 letter grades).
ELIZABETH LAPINA is recorded teaching in Spring 2014, Spring 2015, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Fall 2021, Fall 2023, Fall 2024, Fall 2025. 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
76 / 77
3
DIS 301
Classroom Instruction
18 / 18
0
DIS 302
Classroom Instruction
18 / 18
3
DIS 303
Classroom Instruction
17 / 18
0
DIS 304
Classroom Instruction
18 / 18
0
DIS 333
Classroom Instruction
5 / 0
0
Times are Central. Select a meeting for details; export includes recorded dates for the selected sections. Enrollment reflects scan time.
Elizabeth Lapina teaches a course with mandatory attendance and heavy reading loads, but she is described as nice and not overly tough on grading.
Recent recorded grades — Fall 2023: 3.50 GPA, 80.4% A/AB (n=51 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.85 GPA, 91.0% A/AB (n=67 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.85 GPA, 94.8% A/AB (n=58 letter grades).
difficulty & workload
Students must read multiple books weekly and complete five essays, which constitute half the grade, alongside participation and attendance requirements.
Lectures are described as boring or disconnected from readings, though review sessions reportedly provide exam answers and mini-assignments clarify grading criteria.
Topics
Medieval Europe
Later Roman Empire
Middle Ages
Grades
Latest available · Fall 2025— not enough history to project Fall 2026.
average GPA
A / AB grades
letter grades
Instructor
Grade distribution · % of letter grades
A81.0%81.0%
AB13.8%13.8%
B1.7%1.7%
BC1.7%1.7%
C1.7%1.7%
D0.0%0.0%
F0.0%0.0%
Grades over time
Through Fall 2025
More grade details Grade mix, volume & source data
Where this course fits relative to
Latest available grades · Fall 2025 · all course levels
3.853.85GPA
Higher than 7171% of other courses
in this group.
Course GPAs · red marks this course’s range
5858letter grades
More recorded grades than 4040% of other courses in this group.
Typical course in this group: 70.070.0 letter grades.
About this comparison
1320 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.