Fall 2026

Psychology, Law, and Social Policy

Examines the role of psychological principles and research evidence in U.S. laws, social control, and policy.

offering recorded3 credits
Recorded instructors · Fall 2026 Michael Caldwell3.9/5Gregory Van Rybroek3.7/5Mackenzie Szweda

Summary

1 / 6

Workload varies significantly; some report four heavy exams with no homework, while others note dense readings and exams covering extensive material without clear study outlines.

Grade history

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average GPA
letter grades
A
AB
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BC
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F

All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors

Prerequisites

Course map

PSYCH 202

PSYCH 401 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

Professors

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

Raw average: 4.25/5 from 16 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: 4.0/5 raw quality · 2.9/5 difficulty · 8 reviews

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

Michael Caldwell co-teaches with colleagues, using engaging lectures with videos and career stories to explain content clearly. Reviewers find the material interesting and the exams straightforward if students attend and pay attention.

Some reviewers describe the lectures as dry or boring and the exams as extremely difficult, citing dense readings and a lack of study outlines. Others report that quizzes are easy and the workload is manageable.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2024: 3.23 GPA, 53.7% A/AB (n=188 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.35 GPA, 59.1% A/AB (n=186 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.17 GPA, 51.8% A/AB (n=195 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

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

Raw average: 3.71/5 from 7 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: 3.8/5 raw quality · 3.0/5 difficulty · 6 reviews

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

Gregory Van Rybroek is described as witty, engaging, and deeply knowledgeable, with students enjoying his personality and real-world insights. However, some find his lecture pace too fast and his style harder to follow than his co-instructor's.

Reviewers note that Van Rybroek can fly through lectures and may not be sensitive to student needs, though his engaging nature often compensates for these delivery issues.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2024: 3.23 GPA, 53.7% A/AB (n=188 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.35 GPA, 59.1% A/AB (n=186 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.17 GPA, 51.8% A/AB (n=195 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

Historical instructors & teaching patterns

GREGORY VAN RYBROEK is recorded teaching in Fall 2018, Fall 2019, Fall 2020, Fall 2021, Fall 2022, Fall 2023, Spring 2024, Fall 2024, Fall 2025. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

MICHAEL CALDWELL is recorded teaching in Fall 2018, Fall 2019, Fall 2020, Fall 2021, Fall 2022, Fall 2023, Spring 2024, 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.

SectionModeEnrolled / capacityWaitlist
LEC 001Classroom Instruction195 / 2001

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

Reviewers describe PSYCH 401 as an engaging and interesting course co-taught by Michael Caldwell and Gregory Van Rybroek, who bring professional psychology experience to entertaining lectures.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2024: 3.23 GPA, 53.7% A/AB (n=188 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.35 GPA, 59.1% A/AB (n=186 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.17 GPA, 51.8% A/AB (n=195 letter grades).

difficulty & workload

Workload varies significantly; some report four heavy exams with no homework, while others note dense readings and exams covering extensive material without clear study outlines.

Student experiences diverge regarding Van Rybroek's teaching style, with some finding him strange or hard to follow, while others appreciate his personality and engagement.

Topics

  • Societal definitions of membership.
  • Exclusion and restriction from open society.
  • Exclusion mechanisms in criminal and civil courts.
  • Psychology as a science.

Skills

  • Applying psychological principles to U.S. laws and social policies.
  • Understanding clinical-legal processes for marginal individuals.
  • Acting as behavioral experts in criminal and civil courts.

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 5 same-season 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.

5 earlier forecasts · 0.10 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 · Fall 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

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.

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Selected offering source records
PSYCH 401 · Fall 2026

Psychology, Law, and Social Policy

Recorded 2026-09-07
Raw records
[
  {
    "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4",
    "semester": "1272",
    "observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00",
    "offering_id": "1272:820:024968",
    "course_id": "PSYCH 401",
    "course_uid": "course_526f18ca6acb94527ee8f083",
    "term_id": "1272",
    "source_course_id": "024968",
    "source_subject_id": "820",
    "title": "Psychology, Law, and Social Policy",
    "credits_min": 3,
    "credits_max": 3,
    "typically_offered": "Fall, Spring, Summer"
  }
]
Rate My Professors

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.

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": "6b03e651a9cb9d42bbbec6804fdbdf0a78956a631cca9ca677afc0602f9c605b",
  "requirements_status": "valid",
  "dataset_revision": "e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349",
  "observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00"
}