Fall 2026

Sociology of Race & Ethnicity in the United States

SOC 134 examines inter-group relations, racism, discrimination, and white privilege, covering historical backgrounds and contemporary challenges of racial and ethnic minorities in the US.

offering recorded3–4 credits
Recorded instructors · Fall 2026 Jason Nolen4.5/5Bartu ErsenChong-Jiu Zhang +7 more

Summary

1 / 7

The course typically involves three to four papers and three to four non-cumulative exams with no final. Readings can be lengthy, and success requires attending lectures and completing assigned readings to prepare for tests.

Grade history

↗
average GPA
letter grades
A
AB
B
BC
C
D
F

All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors

Prerequisites

Course map

None

  • None
SOC 134 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
  • None

Professors

Fall 2026

Jason Nolen

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

Raw average: 4.70/5 from 86 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: 4.7/5 raw quality · 2.1/5 difficulty · 69 reviews

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

Jason Nolen is described as an engaging lecturer who presents material clearly and balances tough issues well. Reviewers note that exams are straightforward if students attend lectures and complete readings, and grading is considered fair. Conversely, some reviewers find his lectures occasionally boring or unengaging, and one notes that test questions can sometimes diverge from lecture depth.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 3.39 GPA, 65.5% A/AB (n=255 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.43 GPA, 66.4% A/AB (n=366 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.34 GPA, 59.7% A/AB (n=196 letter grades).

No course-specific feedback yet.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 3.20 GPA, 56.9% A/AB (n=325 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.21 GPA, 61.7% A/AB (n=175 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.23 GPA, 54.7% A/AB (n=234 letter grades).

Historical instructors & teaching patterns

Historical reviews of Emily Burke, Mosi Ifatunji: Mosi Ifatunji’s course is described as an easy ethnic studies class that is difficult to get an A in due to textbook-based tests and unacademic lectures. In contrast, Emily Burke is praised for being sweet, caring, and organized. Current instructors Jason Nolen and Nicholas Pedriana have no specific review summaries provided in the evidence.

ANGELA BARIAN is recorded teaching in Fall 2006, Spring 2007, Fall 2008, Spring 2009, Fall 2009, Spring 2010. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

CHRISTOPHER HOLMES is recorded teaching in Fall 2018. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

JASON NOLEN is recorded teaching in Fall 2014, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Fall 2017, Spring 2018, Fall 2022, Spring 2023, Fall 2023, Spring 2024, Fall 2024, Spring 2025, Fall 2025, Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

KAELYN STILES is recorded teaching in Spring 2007, Spring 2009, Fall 2009, Spring 2010. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

MELANIE MURCHISON is recorded teaching in Spring 2016, Spring 2017. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

MOSI IFATUNJI is recorded teaching in Spring 2023, Fall 2025. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

MUSTAFA EMIRBAYER is recorded teaching in Fall 2010, Spring 2011, Fall 2011, Spring 2012. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

NICHOLAS PEDRIANA is recorded teaching in Spring 2019, Fall 2019, Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Fall 2021, Fall 2022, Fall 2023, Spring 2024, Fall 2024, Spring 2025, Fall 2025, Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

RICHARD AVILES is recorded teaching in Fall 2012. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

SARAH STEFANOS is recorded teaching in Fall 2018. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

ZACHARY BAUMGART is recorded teaching in Fall 2014, Spring 2015, Fall 2016. 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 Instruction249 / 3000
DIS 301Classroom Instruction25 / 250
DIS 302Classroom Instruction25 / 250
DIS 303Classroom Instruction24 / 250
DIS 304Classroom Instruction25 / 250
DIS 305Classroom Instruction19 / 250
DIS 306Classroom Instruction25 / 250
DIS 307Classroom Instruction20 / 200
DIS 308Classroom Instruction25 / 250
LEC 003Classroom Instruction242 / 3001
DIS 361Classroom Instruction25 / 250
DIS 362Classroom Instruction24 / 251
DIS 363Classroom Instruction20 / 200
DIS 364Classroom Instruction25 / 250
DIS 365Classroom Instruction25 / 250
DIS 366Classroom Instruction25 / 250
DIS 367Classroom Instruction24 / 250
DIS 368Classroom Instruction25 / 250
LEC 004Classroom Instruction178 / 2003
DIS 381Classroom Instruction24 / 251
DIS 382Classroom Instruction16 / 200
DIS 383Classroom Instruction25 / 250
DIS 384Classroom Instruction20 / 200
DIS 385Classroom Instruction25 / 252
DIS 386Classroom Instruction18 / 200
DIS 387Classroom Instruction25 / 250
DIS 388Classroom Instruction25 / 250
DIS 369Classroom Instruction25 / 250
DIS 370Classroom Instruction16 / 250
DIS 371Classroom Instruction0 / 00
DIS 372Classroom Instruction8 / 250
DIS 309Classroom Instruction17 / 250
DIS 310Classroom Instruction11 / 250
DIS 311Classroom Instruction20 / 250
DIS 312Classroom Instruction13 / 250

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

Jason Nolen is described as an engaging and kind lecturer who clarifies material well. However, some reviewers note that lecture depth can be inconsistent relative to test questions, creating mixed experiences regarding classroom interaction.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 3.28 GPA, 60.7% A/AB (n=580 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.42 GPA, 69.7% A/AB (n=726 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.28 GPA, 57.0% A/AB (n=430 letter grades).

difficulty & workload

The course typically involves three to four papers and three to four non-cumulative exams with no final. Readings can be lengthy, and success requires attending lectures and completing assigned readings to prepare for tests.

Mandatory discussions are generally helpful, though their value varies. Some students find lectures engaging and funny, while others report them as occasionally boring or unengaging, creating mixed experiences regarding classroom interaction.

Topics

  • Racism, discrimination, and white privilege
  • Historical backgrounds and characteristics of racial and ethnic minorities
  • Socioeconomic and political challenges faced by minority groups

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.

8 earlier forecasts · 0.09 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 2026 · 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

1283 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.

Download part 1
Selected offering source records
SOC 134 · Fall 2026

Sociology of Race & Ethnicity in the United States

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": "1272:900:017531",
    "course_id": "SOC 134",
    "course_uid": "course_636497c01ee603e3a78b0225",
    "term_id": "1272",
    "source_course_id": "017531",
    "source_subject_id": "900",
    "title": "Sociology of Race & Ethnicity in the United States",
    "credits_min": 3,
    "credits_max": 4,
    "typically_offered": "Fall, Spring"
  }
]
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 1Download part 2
Model & dataset provenance
{
  "model": "nvidia/Qwen3.6-35B-A3B-NVFP4",
  "model_revision": "1355db6a052410cfd62085d94b58866fd0f2c3c5",
  "task_version": "14",
  "output_id": "0d0868812cba5e2f6beef978b5b1c7d377eff52dbf8e987bc0b85933579efbec",
  "requirements_status": "valid",
  "dataset_revision": "e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349",
  "observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00"
}