Collective Behavior
Examines the emergence of collective behavior from social interactions, covering game theory, social networks, information cascades, epidemics, and social movements.
Summary
Past student reviews · Chaeyoon Lim
Exams were difficult, but students found success by completing the reading and understanding the core concepts.
What you’ll be able to do
Analyze the emergence of collective behavior such as fads, panics, riots, and social movements.
Apply social science concepts and tools to understand how individual actions are shaped by social structures and relationships.
Evaluate classical and contemporary theories of collective behavior.
Interpret empirical research and case studies involving collective behavior by synthesizing theoretical insights with real-world observations.
Critically assess the role of micro-level motives (e.g., emotions, social comparison, influence, and habits) in producing macro-level outcomes in collective behavior.
Explain the role of social capital, social influence, and organizational dynamics in facilitating or constraining collective action.
Construct sociological analyses of contemporary or historical episodes of collective behavior.
Source: UW Guide
Grade history
↗All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors
Prerequisites
Course mapJunior standing or (SOC 181,SOC/C&E SOC 140, 210, or 211)
- Junior standing
- take one
This is a best-effort interpretation; check the catalog requirements above.
Prerequisite text tree
- Any of
- Junior standing
- Any of
Professors
Spring 2027No instructors recorded for this selection.
Historical instructors & teaching patterns
CHAEYOON LIM is recorded teaching in Spring 2010, Fall 2012, Fall 2013, Fall 2019, Spring 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
No records available.
Student experience
the class
Past student reviews · Chaeyoon Lim
Students described Chaeyoon Lim’s Collective Behavior course as enthusiastic and engaging, using timely, provocative examples to apply theory to current social issues.
Recent recorded grades — Fall 2013: 3.28 GPA, 55.3% A/AB (n=47 letter grades); Fall 2019: 3.70 GPA, 85.0% A/AB (n=20 letter grades); Spring 2025: 3.35 GPA, 65.2% A/AB (n=23 letter grades).
difficulty & workload
Past student reviews · Chaeyoon Lim
Exams were difficult, but students found success by completing the reading and understanding the core concepts.
Past student reviews · Chaeyoon Lim
Reviewers highlighted the instructor’s humor and clear passion for the subject, noting the class was highly enjoyable despite being hard to get into.
Topics
- Emergence of collective behavior from social interactions
- Game theory and prospect theory
- Social networks, network effects, information cascades, and increasing returns
- Epidemics, social movements, and mass media
Skills
- Analyze the emergence of collective behavior including fads, panics, riots, and social movements.
- Apply social science concepts and tools to understand how individual actions are shaped by social structures and relationships.
- Construct sociological analyses of contemporary or historical episodes of collective behavior.
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
No offering records for the selected term.
Raw records
[]
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
{
"model": "Qwen/Qwen3.8-27B",
"model_revision": "1d4bf0f2ff6012fd82039f2fa52739d0dd7c60c0",
"task_version": "17",
"output_id": "5cc245644dadd82854312688641f883870ab78f88a36c619d9915e53cd25f735",
"requirements_status": "needs_review",
"dataset_revision": "fc1811fa52e581ea57a35c0cf3343f8740a8ffbf",
"observed_at": "2026-10-14 17:50:09.728220+00:00"
}