A first-year seminar exploring interdisciplinary topics in the social and natural sciences.
Reviewers note the reading material is complex for freshmen, specifically citing 'The Structure of Scientific Revolutions' as not fun.
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This is a best-effort interpretation; check the catalog requirements above.
Raw average: 3.75/5 from 12 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: 2.5/5 raw quality · 2.5/5 difficulty · 2 reviews
RMP profile ↗ · All captured review dates; profile matched by name.
Robert Mathieu is described as very belittling and accused of holding sexist views about women in astronomy, with one reviewer advising to avoid the course entirely.
Another reviewer found him nice and the class interesting for understanding astronomy, though they noted the reading material was not enjoyable and suggested the FIG is unnecessary for astronomy majors.
Recent recorded grades — Fall 2025: 3.41 GPA, 68.8% A/AB (n=16 letter grades).
ROBERT MATHIEU is recorded teaching in 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.
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| Section | Mode | Enrolled / capacity | Waitlist |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEM 001 | Classroom Instruction | 11 / 20 | 0 |
Times are Central. Select a meeting for details; export includes recorded dates for the selected sections. Enrollment reflects scan time.
Reviews of Robert Mathieu's INTER-LS 107 are sharply divided, with one student calling the course belittling and another finding it interesting and nice.
Recent recorded grades — Fall 2023: 3.85 GPA, 88.2% A/AB (n=17 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.83 GPA, 88.9% A/AB (n=18 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.41 GPA, 68.8% A/AB (n=16 letter grades).
Reviewers note the reading material is complex for freshmen, specifically citing 'The Structure of Scientific Revolutions' as not fun.
Students disagree on the value; one advises avoiding the FIG entirely, while another suggests it helps make sense of astronomy but is not suitable for majors.
Latest available · Fall 2025— not enough history to project Fall 2026.
Through Fall 2025
Not enough comparable courses for Fall 2026 in UW–Madison.
Descriptions, prerequisites, and recorded course offerings.
Observations at scan time; dates do not imply when a catalog change took effect.
First-Year Seminar in the Social Sciences and Natural Sciences
Recorded 2026-09-07How Astronomy Shapes Worldview
Recorded 2026-09-07[
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]Original comments behind the course and instructor summaries.
Recorded grade distributions by term, section, and instructor.
Explore recorded gradesRecorded 2026-09-07
Recorded model configuration, reasoning, and tool conversations.
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