Literature and Society

ILS 253 explores the interaction of literature and society through social institutions or literary forms.

offering recorded3 credits
Recorded instructors · Fall 2026 Laura Mcclure4.0/5

Summary

1 / 6

The workload consists of only two small papers and fair exams. McClure prepares students for essays in class, making the assessment process manageable for those who attend lectures.

Grade history

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

Prerequisites

Course map

Sophomore standing

  • Sophomore standing
ILS 253

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

Prerequisite text tree
  • Sophomore standing

Professors

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

Raw average: 4.08/5 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 · 2.3/5 difficulty · 3 reviews

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

Laura Mcclure is described as a kind and effective lecturer who recaps difficult Greek translations to aid understanding. Reviewers highlight her supportive approach and clear preparation for exams, noting the class is enjoyable and fair despite the reading load.

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2023: 3.56 GPA, 69.7% A/AB (n=33 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.41 GPA, 65.6% A/AB (n=32 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.25 GPA, 58.3% A/AB (n=24 letter grades).

Historical instructors & teaching patterns

Historical reviews for Richard Avramenko describe him as helpful, knowledgeable, and caring toward engaged students, despite a sarcastic exterior. One reviewer rated him highly and considered him their favorite professor.

LAURA MCCLURE is recorded teaching in Fall 2017, Fall 2018, Fall 2023, Fall 2025, Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

RICHARD AVRAMENKO is recorded teaching in Fall 2006. 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 Instruction40 / 700

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

Laura McClure's ILS 253 is an enjoyable and easy literature class where attentive students can succeed with minimal effort. Reviewers highlight her kindness and clear goals as key strengths.

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2023: 3.56 GPA, 69.7% A/AB (n=33 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.41 GPA, 65.6% A/AB (n=32 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.25 GPA, 58.3% A/AB (n=24 letter grades).

difficulty & workload

The workload consists of only two small papers and fair exams. McClure prepares students for essays in class, making the assessment process manageable for those who attend lectures.

Students appreciate that McClure reviews reading material in depth, allowing them to perform well even if they skip readings. Her lectures clarify difficult translated Greek texts effectively.

Topics

  • Literature and society interaction
  • Social institutions and literature
  • Literary forms and society

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

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 Fall 2026 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.

Selected offering source records
ILS 253 · Fall 2026

Literature and Society

Recorded 2026-09-07
ILS 253 · Fall 2026

Ancient Texts/Modern Contexts

Recorded 2026-09-07
Raw records
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Grade history

Recorded grade distributions by term, section, and instructor.

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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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