Fall 2026

Law, Politics and Society

LAW, POLITICS AND SOCIETY introduces the legal process, exploring law's concepts, problems, reasoning, and the function of courts.

offering recorded3–4 credits
Recorded instructors · Fall 2026 Kathryn Hendley3.9/5

Summary

1 / 6

The workload includes one easy paper and straightforward tests, with slides posted online and no required lecture attendance, though reading the book is helpful.

Grade history

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

Prerequisites

Course map

Freshman or sophomore standing only

  • Freshman or sophomore standing only
LEGALST/POLISCI 217 used by

“Used by” includes alternatives; linked courses may have other requirements. This is a best-effort interpretation; check the catalog requirements above.

Prerequisite text tree
  • Freshman or sophomore standing only

Professors

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

Raw average: 4.00/5 from 32 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 · 2.5/5 difficulty · 2 reviews

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

Kathryn Hendley is clear about expectations and delivers lectures that can be interesting. She posts slides online and does not require attendance, making the course accessible for self-directed students.

Some students find the material ridiculously easy and the class boring, yet feel the grading curve is harsh. This reviewer suggests the course is pointless for poli sci majors and frustrating due to the difficulty of achieving high grades.

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2014: 2.98 GPA, 44.2% A/AB (n=52 letter grades); Fall 2017: 3.45 GPA, 71.3% A/AB (n=87 letter grades); Fall 2019: 3.27 GPA, 52.4% A/AB (n=84 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

Historical instructors & teaching patterns

Historical reviews of Carlton Henson: Carlton Henson keeps lectures interesting and funny by encouraging participation, though in-class quizzes sometimes test on small details. Exams are hard due to time constraints but encourage deep thinking, and he is noted for making students love the subject.

CARLTON HENSON is recorded teaching in Fall 2011, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2013. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

KATHRYN HENDLEY is recorded teaching in Fall 2007, Fall 2014, Fall 2017, Fall 2019. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

MELANIE MURCHISON is recorded teaching in Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Spring 2019, Fall 2020. 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 Instruction69 / 1202
LEC 001Classroom Instruction48 / 1200

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

Kathryn Hendley's course offers straightforward exams and easy assignments, though experiences range from finding the material boring to appreciating the clear expectations and low attendance requirements.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2023: 3.96 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=40 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.97 GPA, 97.4% A/AB (n=76 letter grades); Spring 2025: 3.86 GPA, 95.8% A/AB (n=71 letter grades).

difficulty & workload

The workload includes one easy paper and straightforward tests, with slides posted online and no required lecture attendance, though reading the book is helpful.

Students report frustration with strict grading curves and boredom due to easy material, while others value the clear expectations and interesting lectures despite minimal feedback.

Topics

  • Legal process
  • Concepts of law
  • Perennial problems of law
  • Nature and function of law and courts

Skills

  • Understanding concepts of law
  • Legal reasoning

Grades

Historical instructor

Fall 2026 · Projected

Before grades are released

– average GPA

Approximate 80% prediction interval

About this estimate

The course’s semester-average GPA, not an individual student’s grade. The center uses 4 recent terms, weighted toward recent results.

The range uses the finite-sample 80th-percentile rank of absolute errors from earlier same-season forecasts. Each forecast uses only records from earlier terms. At least four forecasts are required; bounds are rounded outward and limited to 0–4. This is an empirical estimate: changing instructors or grading policies can reduce its coverage.

8 earlier forecasts · 0.21 GPA average error.

Grades over time

Through Fall 2026

More grade details Grade mix, volume & source data

Where this course fits relative to

Latest available grades · Spring 2025 · all course levels

GPA

Higher than % of other courses in this group.

Course GPAs · red marks this course’s range

letter grades

More recorded grades than % of other courses in this group.

Typical course in this group: letter grades.

About this comparison

1289 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.

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Selected offering source records
LEGALST/POLISCI 217 · Fall 2026

Law, Politics and Society

Recorded 2026-09-07
LEGALST/POLISCI 217 · Fall 2026

Law, Politics and Society

Recorded 2026-09-07
Raw records
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    "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4",
    "semester": "1272",
    "observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00",
    "offering_id": "1272:535:015873",
    "course_id": "LEGALST/POLISCI 217",
    "course_uid": "course_2c1f5513f79c75023e65e320",
    "term_id": "1272",
    "source_course_id": "015873",
    "source_subject_id": "535",
    "title": "Law, Politics and Society",
    "credits_min": 3,
    "credits_max": 4,
    "typically_offered": "Fall, Spring, Summer"
  },
  {
    "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4",
    "semester": "1272",
    "observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00",
    "offering_id": "1272:778:015873",
    "course_id": "LEGALST/POLISCI 217",
    "course_uid": "course_2c1f5513f79c75023e65e320",
    "term_id": "1272",
    "source_course_id": "015873",
    "source_subject_id": "778",
    "title": "Law, Politics and Society",
    "credits_min": 3,
    "credits_max": 4,
    "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 2026-09-07

Download the original dataset
Model outputs & technical records
nvidia/Qwen3.6-35B-A3B-NVFP4
LLM outputs across runs
Download part 1
Full model traces

Recorded model configuration, reasoning, and tool conversations.

Download part 1
Model & dataset provenance
{
  "model": "nvidia/Qwen3.6-35B-A3B-NVFP4",
  "model_revision": "1355db6a052410cfd62085d94b58866fd0f2c3c5",
  "task_version": "14",
  "output_id": "8718b4236ade389ab4c25214ff1f6ec1c3563c8eeac51a7b8afdc2ee50ab8c73",
  "requirements_status": "valid",
  "dataset_revision": "e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349",
  "observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00"
}