# Hardest courses in Journalism and Mass Communication | UW–Madison [View on UW Courses](https://uwcourses.com/departments/JOURN/hardest?term=1274) ## Dataset ### search projection #### version 1 #### terms * 1274 * 1272 * 1264 * 1262 * 1254 * 1252 * 1244 * 1242 * 1234 * 1232 * 1224 * 1222 * 1212 * 1204 * 1202 * 1194 * 1192 * 1184 * 1182 * 1174 * 1172 * 1164 * 1162 * 1154 * 1152 * 1144 * 1142 * 1134 * 1132 * 1124 * 1122 * 1114 * 1112 * 1104 * 1102 * 1094 * 1092 * 1084 * 1082 * 1074 * 1072 ### revision fc1811fa52e581ea57a35c0cf3343f8740a8ffbf ### repository twangodev/uwcourses ### schema version 6 ### importer version 10 ### projection id 25a5e1495a940a130efa223858e76f52294bba73a112cecf25208173491bd201 ### observed at 2026-10-14T17:50:09.728220+00:00 ### built at 2026-10-19T18:58:33.786556+00:00 ### courses 8929 ### current instructors 3758 ### limited false ### terms * 1274 * 1272 * 1264 * 1262 * 1254 * 1252 * 1244 * 1242 * 1234 * 1232 * 1224 * 1222 * 1212 * 1204 * 1202 * 1194 * 1192 * 1184 * 1182 * 1174 * 1172 * 1164 * 1162 * 1154 * 1152 * 1144 * 1142 * 1134 * 1132 * 1124 * 1122 * 1114 * 1112 * 1104 * 1102 * 1094 * 1092 * 1084 * 1082 * 1074 * 1072 ### term 1274 ### departments | subject | count | | --------- | ----- | | AAE | 90 | | ABT | 20 | | ACCTIS | 36 | | ACTSCI | 14 | | AFAERO | 10 | | AFRICAN | 87 | | AFROAMER | 70 | | AGROECOL | 21 | | AMERIND | 54 | | ANAT\&PHY | 7 | | ANATOMY | 2 | | ANESTHES | 8 | | ANSCI | 53 | | ANTHRO | 93 | | ART | 124 | | ARTED | 10 | | ARTHIST | 121 | | ASIALANG | 129 | | ASIAN | 109 | | ASIANAM | 28 | | ASTRON | 38 | | ATMOCN | 70 | | BIOCHEM | 52 | | BIOCORE | 10 | | BIOLOGY | 14 | | BIOMDSCI | 18 | | BME | 66 | | BMI | 41 | | BMOLCHEM | 10 | | BOTANY | 68 | | BSE | 44 | | C\&ESOC | 73 | | CBE | 48 | | CHEM | 101 | | CHICLA | 51 | | CIVENGR | 131 | | CLASSICS | 47 | | CNP | 11 | | CNSRSCI | 49 | | COMARTS | 137 | | COMPBIO | 15 | | COMPLIT | 10 | | COMPSCI | 138 | | COUNPSY | 78 | | CRB | 14 | | CS\&D | 71 | | CSCS | 39 | | CURRIC | 193 | | DANCE | 93 | | DERM | 8 | | DS | 88 | | DYSCI | 33 | | ECE | 155 | | ECON | 144 | | EDPOL | 115 | | EDPSYCH | 97 | | ELPA | 71 | | EMA | 52 | | EMERMED | 17 | | ENGL | 205 | | ENTOM | 39 | | ENVIRST | 149 | | EP | 15 | | EPD | 65 | | ESL | 15 | | F\&WECOL | 60 | | FAMMED | 21 | | FINANCE | 50 | | FOLKLORE | 38 | | FOODSCI | 43 | | FRENCH | 62 | | GEN\&WS | 144 | | GENBUS | 72 | | GENECSLR | 17 | | GENETICS | 60 | | GEOG | 112 | | GEOSCI | 83 | | GERMAN | 84 | | GLE | 47 | | GNS | 39 | | GREEK | 27 | | HDFS | 43 | | HEBR-BIB | 13 | | HEBR-MOD | 10 | | HISTORY | 232 | | HISTSCI | 54 | | HONCOL | 13 | | ILS | 43 | | INFOSYS | 9 | | INTEGART | 7 | | INTEGSCI | 22 | | INTER-AG | 18 | | INTER-HE | 11 | | INTER-LS | 21 | | INTEREGR | 16 | | INTLBUS | 21 | | INTLST | 52 | | ISYE | 82 | | ITALIAN | 55 | | JEWISH | 56 | | JOURN | 87 | | KINES | 127 | | LACIS | 26 | | LANDARC | 61 | | LATIN | 24 | | LAW | 118 | | LEGALST | 48 | | LINGUIS | 35 | | LIS | 90 | | LITTRANS | 79 | | LSC | 52 | | M\&ENVTOX | 7 | | MARKETNG | 65 | | MATH | 152 | | MDGENET | 8 | | ME | 132 | | MEDHIST | 41 | | MEDICINE | 59 | | MEDIEVAL | 32 | | MEDPHYS | 39 | | MEDSC-M | 29 | | MEDSC-V | 45 | | MHR | 68 | | MICROBIO | 45 | | MILSCI | 16 | | MM\&I | 22 | | MOLBIOL | 6 | | MS\&E | 60 | | MUSIC | 164 | | MUSPERF | 125 | | NAVSCI | 20 | | NE | 44 | | NEURODPT | 11 | | NEUROL | 7 | | NEURSURG | 5 | | NTP | 11 | | NURSING | 112 | | NUTRSCI | 64 | | OBS\&GYN | 18 | | OCCTHER | 39 | | ONCOLOGY | 13 | | OPHTHALM | 5 | | OTM | 44 | | PATH | 34 | | PATH-BIO | 29 | | PEDIAT | 27 | | PHARMACY | 36 | | PHILOS | 76 | | PHMCOL-M | 10 | | PHMPRAC | 41 | | PHMSCI | 58 | | PHYASST | 38 | | PHYSICS | 88 | | PHYSIOL | 3 | | PHYTHER | 37 | | PLANTSCI | 53 | | PLPATH | 37 | | POLISCI | 197 | | POPHLTH | 54 | | PORTUG | 33 | | PSYCH | 102 | | PSYCHIAT | 21 | | PUBAFFR | 54 | | PUBLHLTH | 23 | | RADIOL | 11 | | REALEST | 41 | | RELIGST | 90 | | RHABMED | 9 | | RMI | 24 | | RP\&SE | 101 | | S\&APHM | 16 | | SCANDST | 73 | | SLAVIC | 90 | | SOC | 145 | | SOCWORK | 87 | | SOILSCI | 46 | | SPANISH | 81 | | SRMED | 21 | | STAT | 91 | | STDYABRD | 52 | | STS | 8 | | SURGERY | 24 | | SURGSCI | 33 | | THEATRE | 88 | | URBRPL | 60 | | UROLOGY | 6 | | ZOOLOGY | 90 | ### designations | family | value | label | | ---------------------- | -------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ | | breadth | biological-science | Breadth - Biological Science | | breadth | biological-science-or-social-science | Breadth - Biological Science or Social Science | | breadth | humanities | Breadth - Humanities | | breadth | humanities-or-natural-science | Breadth - Humanities or Natural Science | | breadth | humanities-or-social-science | Breadth - Humanities or Social Science | | breadth | literature | Breadth - Literature | | breadth | natural-science | Breadth - Natural Science | | breadth | physical-science | Breadth - Physical Science | | breadth | social-science | Breadth - Social Science | | breadth | social-science-or-natural-science | Breadth - Social Science or Natural Science | | catalog-level | advanced | Level - Advanced | | catalog-level | elementary | Level - Elementary | | catalog-level | intermediate | Level - Intermediate | | communication | a | Comm QR - Communication A | | communication | b | Comm QR - Communication B | | core-gened | civics-and-perspectives | Core GenEd - Civics & Perspectives | | core-gened | communication-and-literacy | Core GenEd - Communication & Literacy | | core-gened | humanities-and-arts | Core GenEd - Humanities & Arts | | core-gened | mathematics-and-quantitative-reasoning | Core GenEd - Mathematics & Quantitative Reasoning | | core-gened | natural-science-and-wellness | Core GenEd - Natural Science & Wellness | | core-gened | natural-science-and-wellness-lab | Core GenEd - Natural Science & Wellness + Lab | | core-gened | social-and-behavioral-science | Core GenEd - Social & Behavioral Science | | ethnic-studies | yes | Ethnic St - Ethnic Studies | | frgn-lang | 1st-semester-language | Frgn Lang - 1st semester language | | frgn-lang | 2nd-semester-language | Frgn Lang - 2nd semester language | | frgn-lang | 3rd-semester-language | Frgn Lang - 3rd semester language | | frgn-lang | 4th-semester-language | Frgn Lang - 4th semester language | | frgn-lang | 5th-semester-language | Frgn Lang - 5th + semester language | | graduate-credit | yes | Grad 50% - Counts toward 50% graduate coursework requirement | | honors | accelerated-honors | Honors - Accelerated Honors (!) | | honors | honors-only-courses-h | Honors - Honors Only Courses (H) | | honors | honors-optional | Honors - Honors Optional (%) | | liberal-arts | l-and-s-liberal-arts-and-science | L\&S Credit - L\&S Liberal Arts and Science | | quantitative-reasoning | a | Comm QR - Quantitative Reasoning A | | quantitative-reasoning | b | Comm QR - Quantitative Reasoning B | | workplace | workplace-experience | Workplace - Workplace Experience | ### deployed at 2026-10-21T15:26:46.388253+00:00 ### site commit daa1fadde432744ba417ff2b9999b11224ddd967 ## subject JOURN ## collection hardest ## results ### total 20 ### page 1 ### q ### term 1274 ### availability offered ### filters #### term 1274 #### ranking hardest #### subject JOURN ### kind course ### items ```json [ { "course_uid": "course_56139ddba2b122fd80b45543", "course_id": "JOURN 563", "title": "LAW OF MASS COMMUNICATION", "credits_min": 4, "credits_max": 4, "gpa": 3.503, "badges": [ { "id": "grade-outcomes", "tag": "lower-grades", "label": "Lower grades", "tone": "negative", "evidence": "Spring 2026 · latest released grades before Spring 2027: 3.50 GPA across 72 letter grades, versus 3.71 for Journalism and Mass Communication (18 courses). Requires a difference of at least 0.20 and 30 letter grades. Historical outcomes, not predicted difficulty.", "sources": [ { "label": "Grade history and sources", "href": "/courses/JOURN_563#grades" } ] } ], "description": "Law of Mass Communication covers freedom of speech and press, focusing on legal issues for media practitioners including censorship, libel, privacy, and media regulation.", "discovery": { "term": "1274", "offered": true, "history": { "counts": [ 127, 121, 87, 15, 7, 1, 0 ], "count": 358, "gpa": 3.477653631284916, "topShare": 69.27374301675978, "firstTerm": "1234", "lastTerm": "1264" }, "instructors": [ { "course_uid": "course_56139ddba2b122fd80b45543", "uid": "instructor_877c8b442262775d7a9bc32c", "name": "Kathleen Culver", "quality": 3.58018436237759, "quality_count": 1, "instructor_url": "/instructors/KATHLEEN_CULVER" } ], "instructorHistory": null, "courseComparison": null, "claim": null, "reviewFiles": [] } }, { "course_uid": "course_4ca97ba9e84ff8975e9c8755", "course_id": "JOURN 651", "title": "COMMUNICATING SPORTS CONTROVERSIES", "credits_min": 3, "credits_max": 3, "gpa": 3.612, "badges": [], "description": "Explores prominent sports controversies affecting sports communication professionals like journalists, broadcasters, marketers, and PR specialists, focusing on how these issues impinge on professional practices.", "discovery": { "term": "1274", "offered": true, "history": { "counts": [ 44, 82, 11, 1, 0, 0, 0 ], "count": 138, "gpa": 3.61231884057971, "topShare": 91.30434782608695, "firstTerm": "1242", "lastTerm": "1264" }, "instructors": [ { "course_uid": "course_4ca97ba9e84ff8975e9c8755", "uid": "instructor_37e55e2187ce648cb2a1cd59", "name": "Matt Hermann", "quality": 3.553812345905882, "quality_count": 2, "instructor_url": "/instructors/MATT_HERMANN" } ], "instructorHistory": null, "courseComparison": null, "claim": { "text": "The course centered on a semester-long group project with subjective grading, meaning individual performance could be significantly impacted by other group members.", "evidence_scope": "past_student_reviews", "citations": [ { "type": "review", "source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2966958", "source_review_id": "UmF0aW5nLTQwNDI0NjM5", "instructor_name": "Matt Hermann", "review_date": "2024-12-23 19:50:17 +0000 UTC", "review_id": "9c98dc662bc69c087e00ef12", "run_id": "20261014T203208-0851c9a1", "source_instructor_id": "rmp:2966958" } ] }, "reviewFiles": [ "/data/fc1811fa52e581ea57a35c0cf3343f8740a8ffbf/reviews/course_4ca97ba9e84ff8975e9c8755-0.json" ] } }, { "course_uid": "course_8c415c48c30aa3c408c52e59", "course_id": "JOURN 202", "title": "MASS COMMUNICATION PRACTICES", "credits_min": 6, "credits_max": 6, "gpa": 3.467, "badges": [], "description": "Mass Communication Practices builds communication skills like writing, editing, and data work for media careers in journalism and strategic communication.", "discovery": { "term": "1274", "offered": true, "history": { "counts": [ 327, 505, 99, 3, 0, 0, 0 ], "count": 934, "gpa": 3.6188436830835116, "topShare": 89.07922912205566, "firstTerm": "1232", "lastTerm": "1264" }, "instructors": [ { "course_uid": "course_8c415c48c30aa3c408c52e59", "uid": "instructor_7378c8dfed15a3eb67fdc496", "name": "Stacy Forster Benedict", "quality": null, "quality_count": 0, "instructor_url": "/instructors/STACY_FORSTER_BENEDICT" } ], "instructorHistory": null, "courseComparison": null, "claim": { "text": "The course involved many deadlines and assignments to track, though the learning management system was well-maintained to help manage this volume.", "evidence_scope": "past_student_reviews", "citations": [ { "type": "review", "source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2062370", "source_review_id": "UmF0aW5nLTM0MTY4NzAy", "instructor_name": "Lucas Graves", "review_date": "2020-12-21 21:44:24 +0000 UTC", "review_id": "9a20172da6a078b6643b6d25", "run_id": "20261014T203208-0851c9a1", "source_instructor_id": "rmp:2062370" } ] }, "reviewFiles": [ "/data/fc1811fa52e581ea57a35c0cf3343f8740a8ffbf/reviews/course_8c415c48c30aa3c408c52e59-0.json" ] } }, { "course_uid": "course_9d08a792baf89b742debeb00", "course_id": "JOURN 175", "title": "MEDIA FLUENCY FOR THE DIGITAL AGE", "credits_min": 3, "credits_max": 3, "gpa": 3.619, "badges": [], "description": "Introduction to digital media and its influence on society, culture, politics, and economy; 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