Spring 2027

Ways of Knowing in the Sciences

Ways of Knowing in the Sciences introduces science as inquiry and discovery, emphasizing hands-on lab and lecture learning with small group work and interactive discussion.

offering recorded4 credits
Recorded instructors · Spring 2027 Basil Tikoff4.0/5

Summary

1 / 6

Past student reviews · Basil Tikoff

The class involved a significant amount of weekly homework, which some students described as extreme or frustrating. Assignments often had unclear expectations, leading to confusion about what was required for success.

What you’ll be able to do

  • Identify and explain how scientists make sense of the natural world.

  • Identify and evaluate the use of evidence-based arguments in science, including quantitative, spatial, and statistical thinking.

  • Critically analyze what science is and what it is not.

  • Demonstrate the ability to recognize sloppy, or fake, science on the basis of logical reasoning.

  • Distinguish between scientific ways of knowing and other ways of knowing.

  • Explain how science interacts with economics, social norms, culture, politics, and religion, all of which affects both the trajectories and public perceptions of scientific inquiry.

  • Recognize the role of, and need for, scientific knowledge in human flourishing.

Source: UW Guide

Grade history

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

Prerequisites

Course map

None

  • None
ILS 153

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

Prerequisite text tree
  • None

Professors

Spring 2027
Adjusted rating
RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 4.23/5 from 26 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: 3.6/5 raw quality · 2.4/5 difficulty · 8 reviews

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

Past student reviews · Basil Tikoff

Basil Tikoff taught this course with a mix of enthusiasm and frustration. Students noted he was knowledgeable and personable, but frequently criticized unclear assignment expectations, inconsistent grading, and heavy workloads. While some found the class fun and worth the effort, others felt the disconnected assignments and lack of timely feedback made it difficult to succeed.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2018: 3.01 GPA, 31.5% A/AB (n=54 letter grades); Spring 2022: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=7 letter grades); Spring 2025: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=6 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

Historical instructors & teaching patterns

BASIL TIKOFF is recorded teaching in Spring 2007, Fall 2007, Spring 2009, Fall 2009, Spring 2017, Spring 2018, Spring 2022, Spring 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

Spring 2027

Schedule loads here as you scroll.

SectionModeEnrolled / capacityWaitlist
LEC 001Classroom Instruction0 / 150
LAB 301Classroom Instruction0 / 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

Past student reviews · Basil Tikoff

Students found the course enjoyable and engaging, with Basil Tikoff encouraging open discussion and making learning various science topics interesting. Many appreciated his personable approach and care for student understanding.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2018: 3.01 GPA, 31.5% A/AB (n=54 letter grades); Spring 2022: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=7 letter grades); Spring 2025: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=6 letter grades).

difficulty & workload

Past student reviews · Basil Tikoff

The class involved a significant amount of weekly homework, which some students described as extreme or frustrating. Assignments often had unclear expectations, leading to confusion about what was required for success.

Past student reviews · Basil Tikoff

Feedback on grading was mixed; one student found it subjective and unclear, with feedback sometimes contradicting prompts. Another noted Basil was responsive to email but failed to return work in a timely manner.

Topics

  • Science as a process of inquiry and discovery
  • Hands-on learning in laboratory and lecture settings
  • Evidence-based arguments and quantitative, spatial, and statistical thinking
  • Interactions between science and economics, culture, politics, and religion

Skills

  • Explain how scientists make sense of the natural world
  • Evaluate evidence-based arguments using quantitative, spatial, and statistical thinking
  • Critically analyze the nature of science
  • Recognize flawed or fake science through logical reasoning
  • Distinguish scientific ways of knowing from other epistemologies
  • Explain interactions between science and societal factors

Grades

Latest available · Spring 2025— 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 2025

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
ILS 153 · Spring 2027

Ways of Knowing in the Sciences

Recorded 2026-10-14
Raw records 
[
  {
    "run_id": "20261014T203208-0851c9a1",
    "semester": "1274",
    "observed_at": "2026-10-14 17:50:09.728220+00:00",
    "offering_id": "1274:500:022783",
    "course_id": "ILS 153",
    "course_uid": "course_4cf6092f224e24f3802dc57a",
    "term_id": "1274",
    "source_course_id": "022783",
    "source_subject_id": "500",
    "title": "Ways of Knowing in the Sciences",
    "credits_min": 4,
    "credits_max": 4,
    "typically_offered": "Fall, Spring"
  }
]
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Student reviews

Original comments behind the course and instructor summaries.

Read original reviews
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Madgrades

Grade history

Recorded grade distributions by term, section, and instructor.

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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": "9623a2a4210fbb0a11763a8e04d7a7f0d5e0dbbca0a92db78ae64cdae690aed7",
  "requirements_status": "valid",
  "dataset_revision": "fc1811fa52e581ea57a35c0cf3343f8740a8ffbf",
  "observed_at": "2026-10-14 17:50:09.728220+00:00"
}