Introduction to Survey Methods for Social Research
Introduction to survey methods for social research covering principles, basic techniques, sampling concepts, and survey measurement.
Summary
Recent recorded grades — Fall 2018: 3.33 GPA, 66.7% A/AB (n=6 letter grades); Spring 2023: 3.67 GPA, 91.3% A/AB (n=23 letter grades); Spring 2025: 3.71 GPA, 89.5% A/AB (n=19 letter grades).
What you’ll be able to do
Identify basic sampling concepts and apply them when drawing and documenting a sample.
Describe basic concepts of error in surveys, total survey error, variable errors and bias.
Analyze the components of experiments with a variety of outcomes and designs relevant to survey methodology.
Apply fundamental methods for question testing.
Apply principles of question design in developing survey questions.
Analyze split-ballot experiment, contextualize analysis with well-focused review of relevant literature, accurately describe results, and draw appropriate conclusions.
Document work in professionally written reports.
Source: UW Guide
Grade history
↗All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors
Prerequisites
Course mapSophomore standing and (C&E SOC/SOC 357, 360,STAT 301, 371,ECON 310,PSYCH 210, or MATH/STAT 310)
- Sophomore standing
- take one
This is a best-effort interpretation; check the catalog requirements above.
Prerequisite text tree
- All of
- Sophomore standing
- Any of
Professors
Spring 2027No instructors recorded for this selection.
Historical instructors & teaching patterns
Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
Calendar & sections
Spring 2027Schedule loads here as you scroll.
| Section | Mode | Enrolled / capacity | Waitlist |
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Times are Central. Select a meeting for details; export includes recorded dates for the selected sections.
Meeting source records
No records available.
Student experience
the class
Recent recorded grades — Fall 2018: 3.33 GPA, 66.7% A/AB (n=6 letter grades); Spring 2023: 3.67 GPA, 91.3% A/AB (n=23 letter grades); Spring 2025: 3.71 GPA, 89.5% A/AB (n=19 letter grades).
difficulty & workload
No workload feedback recorded.
Topics
- Sampling and survey measurement
- Survey error, total survey error, variable errors, and bias
- Experimental components and designs in survey methodology
- Question design and testing
Skills
- Basic concepts of sampling and survey measurement
- Principles of question design for developing survey questions
- Concepts of error in surveys, including total survey error, variable errors, and bias
- Professional report writing for research documentation
Grades
Latest available · Spring 2025— not enough history to project Spring 2027.
Grade distribution · % of letter grades
Grades over time
Through Spring 2025
More grade details Grade mix, volume & source data
Not enough comparable courses for Spring 2027 in UW–Madison.
Sources & history
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
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Raw records
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Student reviews
Original comments behind the course and instructor summaries.
Read original reviews
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Grade history
Recorded grade distributions by term, section, and instructor.
Explore recorded gradesRecorded 2026-10-14
Model outputs & technical records
LLM outputs across runs
Full model traces
Recorded model configuration, reasoning, and tool conversations.
Model & dataset provenance
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"model": "Qwen/Qwen3.8-27B",
"model_revision": "1d4bf0f2ff6012fd82039f2fa52739d0dd7c60c0",
"task_version": "17",
"output_id": "59562762543a818f39a53a59d102803083b7b9f8b38fc595b525ce50e1441c00",
"requirements_status": "needs_review",
"dataset_revision": "fc1811fa52e581ea57a35c0cf3343f8740a8ffbf",
"observed_at": "2026-10-14 17:50:09.728220+00:00"
}