← Community and Environmental Sociology (C&ESOC)

Hardest courses in Community and Environmental Sociology

Plan ahead for courses where students have earned lower grades.

Lowest historical GPA first. At least 100 letter grades over the five years through the selected term. Grades reflect past outcomes, not workload or a guaranteed result.

Find your fit

13 courses

Ranked courses have at least 100 recorded letter grades.

Classical Sociological Theory covers Marx, Durkheim, Weber, and other important classical theorists and schools of thought.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Anna Paretskaya

The reviewer reported a ton of difficult readings that were hard to understand, making the course feel very challenging.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Statistics for Sociologists I covers presentation of sociological data, descriptive statistics, probability, inference, hypothesis testing, regression, correlation, and contingency tables.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Laura Heideman

The class required weekly homework, which one student found manageable by attending class and doing all assignments. They noted that hard work led to an A.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Survey of Sociology introduces the field of American sociology, covering its subfields, theoretical traditions, and research methods.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Chad Goldberg

As a Comm B class, the course required significant writing, with the amount of work varying depending on the quality of the teaching assistant assigned.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Introduction to agroecology as a science, practice, and movement, analyzing agricultural and food systems through social and ecological lenses.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Fall 2025

Introduction to Latin American culture and society from an interdisciplinary perspective, covering historical developments from pre-Columbian times to the present.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Kathryn Sanchez

Lectures delivered a lot of information quickly, requiring diligent note-taking to succeed on tests. One student noted that multiple-choice questions often targeted small details mentioned only once during class.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2026

Methods of Sociological Inquiry covers scientific methods for studying society, including testing theory, hypothesis construction, data evaluation, and practical small research projects.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Max Besbris, Jane Piliavin

The workload typically included weekly quizzes on lectures and readings, along with two larger group research projects. Some sections moved fast with many assignments, though others were manageable.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Introduction to Community and Environmental Sociology examines linkages between social and biophysical environmental dimensions, covering community organizing, food systems, and sustainability.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Sarah Rios, Jane Collins

Sarah Rios assigned 2-3 difficult readings weekly and relied on big tests and book reports. Jane Collins used exams based on slides and required several short essays, which one student found strictly graded.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

The Sociological Enterprise covers basic principles of sociology, including perspectives, individual and society, groups, stratification, organizations, power, demography, and social change through readings and discussion.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Natalia Savelyeva

The class was lecture and reading-heavy, requiring students to take notes because some test material came from the instructor's spoken words rather than slides.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Introductory course covering public health principles, epidemiology, evidence-based practice, and major subject domains like infectious disease and health care systems.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Malia Jones

Lectures were notably long and accompanied by a significant amount of reading.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2026

Sociology of Health and Medicine examines social, cultural, and structural factors shaping health definitions, disparate outcomes, and healthcare organization.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Frankie Frank

The review did not provide specific details regarding workload or exam difficulty, only noting that the instructor was hard-working and cared about student well-being.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

SPECIAL TOPICS covers advanced topics in sociology, with specific subjects varying by offering.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Interdisciplinary training workshop on current research in population science featuring scholars from research and teaching institutions worldwide.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

A graduate-level workshop titled RESEARCH: METHODOLOGY TRAINEES focusing on social science research methods, professional development, ethics, communication, and data management.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026