Fall 2026

Criminology

SOC 441 covers theoretical explanations of criminal behavior, crime measurement, and evaluation of criminological research and policy.

offering recorded3–4 credits
Recorded instructors · Fall 2026 Michael Light4.1/5pari Bishen

Summary

1 / 7

Tests cover lecture content rather than the textbook, making readings optional for exam preparation, though they may aid understanding.

Grade history

average GPA
letter grades
A
AB
B
BC
C
D
F

All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors

Prerequisites

Course map

Junior standing or (SOC/​LEGAL ST 131,SOC 181,C&E SOC/​SOC 210, or 211)

SOC 441

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: 4.47/5 from 19 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: 4.8/5 raw quality · 2.3/5 difficulty · 4 reviews

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

Michael Light is praised for engaging, funny lectures that make criminology interesting. Reviewers note he tests primarily on lectures rather than the textbook, making exams fair and manageable. He is described as knowledgeable, respectful, and genuinely caring about student interaction.

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2018: 3.68 GPA, 91.6% A/AB (n=95 letter grades); Fall 2019: 3.65 GPA, 90.7% A/AB (n=97 letter grades); Spring 2022: 3.36 GPA, 68.4% A/AB (n=95 letter grades).

Historical instructors & teaching patterns

Historical reviews of Michael Massoglia: Michael Massoglia is praised for his fairness and helpful discussions, though some find his lectures unengaging and reliant on external sources. Students report that exams are moderately difficult and require thorough reading and critical engagement with the material to succeed.

CECILE DAVID is recorded teaching in Spring 2011. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

JASON NOLEN is recorded teaching in Spring 2019, Fall 2023, Spring 2024, Fall 2024, Fall 2025. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

MELANIE MURCHISON is recorded teaching in Spring 2018. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

MICHAEL LIGHT is recorded teaching in Fall 2018, Fall 2019, Spring 2022. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

MICHAEL MASSOGLIA is recorded teaching in Fall 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014, Fall 2014, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Fall 2016, Fall 2020, Fall 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2025, Spring 2026. 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 Instruction94 / 997
DIS 301Classroom Instruction24 / 253
DIS 302Classroom Instruction25 / 252
DIS 303Classroom Instruction23 / 250
DIS 304Classroom Instruction22 / 252

Times are Central. Select a meeting for details; export includes recorded dates for the selected sections. Enrollment reflects scan time.

Meeting source records

Student experience

the class

Reviewers describe Michael Light's SOC 441 lectures as engaging, funny, and interesting, with one noting the tests are very fair.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 2.94 GPA, 52.6% A/AB (n=97 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.65 GPA, 78.0% A/AB (n=91 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.05 GPA, 48.2% A/AB (n=85 letter grades).

difficulty & workload

Tests cover lecture content rather than the textbook, making readings optional for exam preparation, though they may aid understanding.

Students appreciate Light's respectful interaction and engagement during class, finding his teaching style highly recommended and thought-provoking.

Topics

  • Theoretical explanations of criminal behavior.
  • Measurement of crime.
  • Evaluation of criminological research.
  • Current issues in criminology and crime-related public policy.

Skills

  • Measuring crime.
  • Evaluating criminological research.

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 · 0.30 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.

Selected offering source records
SOC 441 · Fall 2026

Criminology

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": "1272:900:017582",
    "course_id": "SOC 441",
    "course_uid": "course_c5c70ab310ccd9fa991e83e6",
    "term_id": "1272",
    "source_course_id": "017582",
    "source_subject_id": "900",
    "title": "Criminology",
    "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
Madgrades

Grade history

Recorded grade distributions by term, section, and instructor.

Explore recorded grades
Model outputs & technical records
nvidia/Qwen3.6-35B-A3B-NVFP4
LLM outputs across runs
Full model traces

Recorded model configuration, reasoning, and tool conversations.

Model & dataset provenance
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  "model": "nvidia/Qwen3.6-35B-A3B-NVFP4",
  "model_revision": "1355db6a052410cfd62085d94b58866fd0f2c3c5",
  "task_version": "14",
  "output_id": "170e0a31033c90b11287300896d5d9cbd9c7a553d07d3626ee4f16233122f30c",
  "requirements_status": "valid",
  "dataset_revision": "e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349",
  "observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00"
}