Contemporary Sociological Theory
The course surveys contemporary sociological theories of norms, preferences, rationality, collective behavior, interaction, and influence.
Summary
Past student reviews · Ivan Ermakoff
The course consisted of three exams and had no homework assignments. Lectures included a 10-minute break, and students signed up to bring snacks to share.
Grade history
↗All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors
Prerequisites
Course mapJunior standing
- Junior standing
This is a best-effort interpretation; check the catalog requirements above.
Prerequisite text tree
- Junior standing
Professors
Spring 2027No instructors recorded for this selection.
Historical instructors & teaching patterns
IVAN ERMAKOFF is recorded teaching in Spring 2007, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Fall 2017, Fall 2018, Fall 2019, Fall 2020, Fall 2022, 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
Spring 2027Schedule loads here as you scroll.
| Section | Mode | Enrolled / capacity | Waitlist |
|---|
Times are Central. Select a meeting for details; export includes recorded dates for the selected sections.
Meeting source records
Student experience
the class
Past student reviews · Ivan Ermakoff
Students described Prof. Ermakoff as kind and engaging, with lectures that flow well and include a mid-class break. He encouraged a positive environment by having students bring snacks to share.
Recent recorded grades — Fall 2020: 3.43 GPA, 71.4% A/AB (n=7 letter grades); Fall 2022: 2.77 GPA, 27.3% A/AB (n=11 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.50 GPA, 83.3% A/AB (n=12 letter grades).
difficulty & workload
Past student reviews · Ivan Ermakoff
The course consisted of three exams and had no homework assignments. Lectures included a 10-minute break, and students signed up to bring snacks to share.
Past student reviews · Ivan Ermakoff
Lectures were long and could use more structure, but the instructor was very helpful during office hours. One student encouraged others to take the class.
Topics
- Norms, preferences, and ideology
- Rationality, decision-making, and framing
- Collective behavior, interaction, and communication
- Game theory and social influence
Skills
- Apply contemporary sociological theories such as bounded rationality, rational choice, prospect theory, and game theory to social behavior.
- Analyze collective behavior, interaction, communication, and social influence through competing theoretical frameworks.
Grades
Latest available · Fall 2025— not enough history to project Spring 2027.
Grade distribution · % of letter grades
Grades over time
Through Fall 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
No offering records for the selected term.
Raw records
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Student reviews
Original comments behind the course and instructor summaries.
Read original reviews
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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"requirements_status": "valid",
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"observed_at": "2026-10-14 17:50:09.728220+00:00"
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