# Hardest courses in Linguistics | UW–Madison [View on UW Courses](https://uwcourses.com/departments/LINGUIS/hardest) ## Dataset ### revision e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349 ### repository twangodev/uwcourses ### schema version 6 ### importer version 7 ### projection id 52a78527ff09011d88cb04c7d43867d9fbfec2930bf1dd2ec359ebd2844e0b07 ### observed at 2026-09-07T15:55:43.033547+00:00 ### built at 2026-09-10T19:50:42.743001+00:00 ### courses 8951 ### current instructors 5754 ### limited false ### terms * 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 1272 ### departments | subject | count | | --------- | ----- | | AAE | 90 | | ABT | 20 | | ACCTIS | 36 | | ACTSCI | 14 | | AFAERO | 10 | | AFRICAN | 87 | | AFROAMER | 71 | | AGROECOL | 21 | | AMERIND | 53 | | ANAT\&PHY | 7 | | ANATOMY | 2 | | ANESTHES | 8 | | ANSCI | 57 | | ANTHRO | 95 | | ART | 125 | | ARTED | 10 | | ARTHIST | 121 | | ASIALANG | 129 | | ASIAN | 109 | | ASIANAM | 28 | | ASTRON | 38 | | ATMOCN | 69 | | BIOCHEM | 51 | | BIOCORE | 10 | | BIOLOGY | 14 | | BIOMDSCI | 18 | | BME | 66 | | BMI | 41 | | BMOLCHEM | 10 | | BOTANY | 69 | | BSE | 44 | | C\&ESOC | 73 | | CBE | 48 | | CHEM | 101 | | CHICLA | 52 | | CIVENGR | 133 | | CLASSICS | 47 | | CNP | 10 | | CNSRSCI | 50 | | COMARTS | 137 | | COMPBIO | 15 | | COMPLIT | 11 | | COMPSCI | 138 | | COUNPSY | 78 | | CRB | 19 | | CS\&D | 71 | | CSCS | 40 | | CURRIC | 193 | | DANCE | 93 | | DERM | 8 | | DS | 88 | | DYSCI | 35 | | ECE | 155 | | ECON | 145 | | EDPOL | 114 | | EDPSYCH | 97 | | ELPA | 70 | | EMA | 53 | | EMERMED | 17 | | ENGL | 206 | | ENTOM | 40 | | ENVIRST | 148 | | EP | 15 | | EPD | 67 | | ESL | 16 | | F\&WECOL | 60 | | FAMMED | 22 | | FINANCE | 50 | | FOLKLORE | 40 | | FOODSCI | 43 | | FRENCH | 63 | | GEN\&WS | 145 | | GENBUS | 72 | | GENECSLR | 17 | | GENETICS | 60 | | GEOG | 113 | | GEOSCI | 83 | | GERMAN | 82 | | GLE | 48 | | GNS | 38 | | GREEK | 27 | | HDFS | 41 | | HEBR-BIB | 13 | | HEBR-MOD | 10 | | HISTORY | 233 | | HISTSCI | 56 | | HONCOL | 13 | | ILS | 43 | | INFOSYS | 9 | | INTEGART | 7 | | INTEGSCI | 22 | | INTER-AG | 18 | | INTER-HE | 11 | | INTER-LS | 22 | | INTEREGR | 16 | | INTLBUS | 21 | | INTLST | 50 | | ISYE | 83 | | ITALIAN | 53 | | JEWISH | 56 | | JOURN | 88 | | KINES | 128 | | LACIS | 26 | | LANDARC | 61 | | LATIN | 24 | | LAW | 120 | | LEGALST | 48 | | LINGUIS | 35 | | LIS | 89 | | LITTRANS | 78 | | LSC | 52 | | M\&ENVTOX | 7 | | MARKETNG | 62 | | MATH | 153 | | MDGENET | 8 | | ME | 130 | | MEDHIST | 43 | | MEDICINE | 60 | | MEDIEVAL | 32 | | MEDPHYS | 39 | | MEDSC-M | 29 | | MEDSC-V | 41 | | MHR | 68 | | MICROBIO | 45 | | MILSCI | 16 | | MM\&I | 22 | | MOLBIOL | 6 | | MS\&E | 59 | | MUSIC | 165 | | MUSPERF | 126 | | NAVSCI | 20 | | NE | 44 | | NEURODPT | 11 | | NEUROL | 7 | | NEURSURG | 4 | | NTP | 11 | | NURSING | 111 | | NUTRSCI | 65 | | OBS\&GYN | 18 | | OCCTHER | 39 | | ONCOLOGY | 14 | | OPHTHALM | 5 | | OTM | 43 | | PATH | 34 | | PATH-BIO | 29 | | PEDIAT | 26 | | PHARMACY | 31 | | PHILOS | 77 | | PHMCOL-M | 11 | | PHMPRAC | 45 | | PHMSCI | 60 | | PHYASST | 37 | | PHYSICS | 88 | | PHYSIOL | 3 | | PHYTHER | 37 | | PLANTSCI | 52 | | PLPATH | 35 | | POLISCI | 192 | | POPHLTH | 58 | | PORTUG | 33 | | PSYCH | 101 | | PSYCHIAT | 22 | | PUBAFFR | 54 | | PUBLHLTH | 23 | | RADIOL | 11 | | REALEST | 41 | | RELIGST | 90 | | RHABMED | 9 | | RMI | 24 | | RP\&SE | 102 | | S\&APHM | 17 | | SCANDST | 73 | | SLAVIC | 89 | | SOC | 149 | | SOCWORK | 87 | | SOILSCI | 46 | | SPANISH | 83 | | SRMED | 21 | | STAT | 94 | | STDYABRD | 52 | | STS | 8 | | SURGERY | 25 | | SURGSCI | 33 | | THEATRE | 91 | | URBRPL | 60 | | UROLOGY | 5 | | ZOOLOGY | 89 | ## subject LINGUIS ## collection hardest ## results ### items ```json [ { "course_uid": "course_80aa68c5bbb39adf2901aadd", "course_id": "LINGUIS 330", "title": "SYNTAX", "credits_min": 3, "credits_max": 3, "gpa": 3.279, "badges": [ { "id": "lecture-size", "label": "Small lectures", "tone": "neutral", "evidence": "Fall 2026: median 22 enrolled students across 1 recorded lecture section. Small means 30 or fewer; large means 100 or more. Enrollment at scan time, not capacity or typical historical attendance.", "sources": [ { "label": "Sections and enrollment", "href": "/courses/LINGUIS_330#schedule" } ] } ], "description": "Teaches grammatical theory and elements for syntactic description.", "discovery": { "term": "1272", "offered": true, "history": { "counts": [ 78, 19, 53, 13, 16, 6, 3 ], "count": 188, "gpa": 3.234042553191489, "topShare": 51.59574468085106, "firstTerm": "1232", "lastTerm": "1264" }, "instructors": [ { "course_uid": "course_80aa68c5bbb39adf2901aadd", "uid": "instructor_27ce2ff2ba65d0a34cc9e332", "name": "Wesley Nascimento dos Santos", "quality": null, "quality_count": null, "instructor_url": "/instructors/WESLEY_NASCIMENTO_DOS_SANTOS" } ], "instructorHistory": null, "courseComparison": null, "claim": null, "reviewFiles": [] } }, { "course_uid": "course_97c2ccf8d6ed1c7d34040f07", "course_id": "LINGUIS 101", "title": "HUMAN LANGUAGE", "credits_min": 3, "credits_max": 3, "gpa": 3.335, "badges": [ { "id": "rated-teacher", "label": "Highly rated instructor", "tone": "positive", "evidence": "Fall 2026: Rebecca Shields (4.26/5 adjusted; 72 ratings). At least one assigned instructor qualifies. This describes instructor reviews across courses, not a course rating.", "sources": [ { "label": "Rebecca Shields", "href": "/instructors/REBECCA_SHIELDS" } ] }, { "id": "lecture-size", "label": "Large lectures", "tone": "neutral", "evidence": "Fall 2026: median 224 enrolled students across 1 recorded lecture section. Small means 30 or fewer; large means 100 or more. Enrollment at scan time, not capacity or typical historical attendance.", "sources": [ { "label": "Sections and enrollment", "href": "/courses/LINGUIS_101#schedule" } ] } ], "description": "LINGUIS 101 introduces elementary theory and practical work in phonetics, phonology, morphology, and syntax with attention to formal grammar.", "discovery": { "term": "1272", "offered": true, "history": { "counts": [ 1155, 421, 288, 150, 123, 51, 35 ], "count": 2223, "gpa": 3.4320737741790373, "topShare": 70.89518668466037, "firstTerm": "1224", "lastTerm": "1264" }, "instructors": [ { "course_uid": "course_97c2ccf8d6ed1c7d34040f07", "uid": "instructor_92beb575c017a014a2e9b14a", "name": "Rebecca Shields", "quality": 4.262540387727521, "quality_count": 72, "instructor_url": "/instructors/REBECCA_SHIELDS" }, { "course_uid": "course_97c2ccf8d6ed1c7d34040f07", "uid": "instructor_f9792adca448cc175dde185d", "name": "Calvin Kosmatka", "quality": null, "quality_count": null, "instructor_url": "/instructors/CALVIN_KOSMATKA" }, { "course_uid": "course_97c2ccf8d6ed1c7d34040f07", "uid": "instructor_b49aeea19af3271302c9cbf7", "name": "Kayla Morey", "quality": null, "quality_count": null, "instructor_url": "/instructors/KAYLA_MOREY" }, { "course_uid": "course_97c2ccf8d6ed1c7d34040f07", "uid": "instructor_f6201162c942c90001b7ad40", "name": "Kelly Hall", "quality": null, "quality_count": null, "instructor_url": "/instructors/KELLY_HALL" } ], "instructorHistory": null, "courseComparison": null, "claim": { "citations": [ { "instructor_name": "Rebecca Shields", "review_date": "2015-09-10 01:18:26 +0000 UTC", "review_id": "f67d026a9c371fd74954c9e0", "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4", "source_instructor_id": "rmp:1398622", "source_review_id": "UmF0aW5nLTI1MTgxNDY0", "source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1398622", "type": "review" }, { "instructor_name": "Rebecca Shields", "review_date": "2017-01-06 17:02:31 +0000 UTC", "review_id": "adcd43262dce93efde09d057", "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4", "source_instructor_id": "rmp:1398622", "source_review_id": "UmF0aW5nLTI3Njg1NzUy", "source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1398622", "type": "review" }, { "instructor_name": "Rebecca Shields", "review_date": "2018-05-05 13:31:56 +0000 UTC", "review_id": "edb2b4e24196802691e8f2c5", "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4", "source_instructor_id": "rmp:1398622", "source_review_id": "UmF0aW5nLTI5OTk1MzI3", "source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1398622", "type": "review" } ], "text": "The course requires weekly online quizzes and assignments, often tied to discussion attendance or worksheets. The final exam is significant, worth 40% of the grade, and success depends on attending lectures and completing the provided materials." }, "reviewFiles": [ "/data/e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349/reviews/course_97c2ccf8d6ed1c7d34040f07-0.json" ] } }, { "course_uid": "course_26a7931c5f4183abaa8eaad7", "course_id": "LINGUIS 322", "title": "MORPHOLOGY", "credits_min": 3, "credits_max": 3, "gpa": 3.395, "badges": [ { "id": "rated-teacher", "label": "Highly rated instructor", "tone": "positive", "evidence": "Fall 2026: Ryan Henke (4.22/5 adjusted; 23 ratings). At least one assigned instructor qualifies. This describes instructor reviews across courses, not a course rating.", "sources": [ { "label": "Ryan Henke", "href": "/instructors/RYAN_HENKE" } ] }, { "id": "lecture-size", "label": "Small lectures", "tone": "neutral", "evidence": "Fall 2026: median 20 enrolled students across 1 recorded lecture section. Small means 30 or fewer; large means 100 or more. Enrollment at scan time, not capacity or typical historical attendance.", "sources": [ { "label": "Sections and enrollment", "href": "/courses/LINGUIS_322#schedule" } ] } ], "description": "LINGUIS 322 teaches morphological characteristics of world languages, theoretical approaches to morphology, and its interactions with syntax and phonology.", "discovery": { "term": "1272", "offered": true, "history": { "counts": [ 116, 51, 17, 19, 14, 4, 4 ], "count": 225, "gpa": 3.4355555555555557, "topShare": 74.22222222222223, "firstTerm": "1224", "lastTerm": "1264" }, "instructors": [ { "course_uid": "course_26a7931c5f4183abaa8eaad7", "uid": "instructor_ffd8edbe432e4a11bddcae32", "name": "Ryan Henke", "quality": 4.2161329225798125, "quality_count": 23, "instructor_url": "/instructors/RYAN_HENKE" } ], "instructorHistory": null, "courseComparison": null, "claim": { "citations": [ { "instructor_name": "Ryan Henke", "review_date": "2024-11-15 03:58:48 +0000 UTC", "review_id": "91d1351b267ab042e7b6f6a7", "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4", "source_instructor_id": "rmp:2790649", "source_review_id": "UmF0aW5nLTM5OTU1MDY2", "source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2790649", "type": "review" }, { "instructor_name": "Ryan Henke", "review_date": "2026-05-06 02:32:13 +0000 UTC", "review_id": "de19bb5b4da6d6fa4516a402", "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4", "source_instructor_id": "rmp:2790649", "source_review_id": "UmF0aW5nLTQzMDQwODMz", "source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2790649", "type": "review" }, { "instructor_name": "Ryan Henke", "review_date": "2026-05-06 21:07:54 +0000 UTC", "review_id": "d466950dbd57dc4e2988fa13", "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4", "source_instructor_id": "rmp:2790649", "source_review_id": "UmF0aW5nLTQzMDUwNjY0", "source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2790649", "type": "review" } ], "text": "The course is rated as easy with a difficulty of 2. Reviewers note that Henke provides plenty of practice material and clear testing criteria to help students succeed." }, "reviewFiles": [ "/data/e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349/reviews/course_26a7931c5f4183abaa8eaad7-0.json" ] } }, { "course_uid": "course_4af786f7a5d601340de8aa21", "course_id": "LINGUIS 310", "title": "PHONOLOGY", "credits_min": 3, "credits_max": 3, "gpa": 3.475, "badges": [ { "id": "lecture-size", "label": "Small lectures", "tone": "neutral", "evidence": "Fall 2026: median 30 enrolled students across 1 recorded lecture section. Small means 30 or fewer; large means 100 or more. Enrollment at scan time, not capacity or typical historical attendance.", "sources": [ { "label": "Sections and enrollment", "href": "/courses/LINGUIS_310#schedule" } ] } ], "description": "Covers the analysis and formal statement of phonological systems, addressing problems and methods of phonological theory.", "discovery": { "term": "1272", "offered": true, "history": { "counts": [ 66, 40, 33, 6, 4, 4, 1 ], "count": 154, "gpa": 3.4415584415584415, "topShare": 68.83116883116884, "firstTerm": "1232", "lastTerm": "1262" }, "instructors": [ { "course_uid": "course_4af786f7a5d601340de8aa21", "uid": "instructor_6a04b0e84a55ca75693c3886", "name": "Eric Raimy", "quality": 3.5820825704651535, "quality_count": 25, "instructor_url": "/instructors/ERIC_RAIMY" } ], "instructorHistory": null, "courseComparison": null, "claim": { "citations": [ { "instructor_name": "Marlys Macken", "review_date": "2015-02-24 00:07:46 +0000 UTC", "review_id": "57be9b261ab2c43cbddfa3a4", "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4", "source_instructor_id": "rmp:831175", "source_review_id": "UmF0aW5nLTI0NDA3MDU4", "source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/831175", "type": "review" } ], "text": "Historical reviews of Marlys Macken: Students report needing to read difficult texts to prepare and understand the material." }, "reviewFiles": [ "/data/e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349/reviews/course_4af786f7a5d601340de8aa21-0.json" ] } }, { "course_uid": "course_69c67873b07541f8d0cace82", "course_id": "LINGUIS 690", "title": "CAPSTONE IN LINGUISTICS", "credits_min": 3, "credits_max": 3, "gpa": 3.856, "badges": [ { "id": "lecture-size", "label": "Small lectures", "tone": "neutral", "evidence": "Fall 2026: median 6 enrolled students across 1 recorded lecture section. Small means 30 or fewer; large means 100 or more. Enrollment at scan time, not capacity or typical historical attendance.", "sources": [ { "label": "Sections and enrollment", "href": "/courses/LINGUIS_690#schedule" } ] } ], "description": "A capstone course involving in-depth exploration of a linguistics topic and supervised research.", "discovery": { "term": "1272", "offered": true, "history": { "counts": [ 96, 5, 8, 1, 0, 0, 1 ], "count": 111, "gpa": 3.855855855855856, "topShare": 90.990990990991, "firstTerm": "1232", "lastTerm": "1264" }, "instructors": [ { "course_uid": "course_69c67873b07541f8d0cace82", "uid": "instructor_e77e6f13342bf0d8e0ed95f3", "name": "Yafei Li", "quality": 3.0049726738496156, "quality_count": 27, "instructor_url": "/instructors/YAFEI_LI" } ], "instructorHistory": null, "courseComparison": null, "claim": null, "reviewFiles": [] } }, { "course_uid": "course_063659e5b5fc5376ee6ff946", "course_id": "LINGUIS 351", "title": "AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE 1", "credits_min": 4, "credits_max": 4, "gpa": 3.877, "badges": [ { "id": "lecture-size", "label": "Small lectures", "tone": "neutral", "evidence": "Fall 2026: median 20.5 enrolled students across 2 recorded lecture sections. Small means 30 or fewer; large means 100 or more. Enrollment at scan time, not capacity or typical historical attendance.", "sources": [ { "label": "Sections and enrollment", "href": "/courses/LINGUIS_351#schedule" } ] } ], "description": "AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE 1 introduces elementary ASL production, comprehension, and Deaf culture.", "discovery": { "term": "1272", "offered": true, "history": { "counts": [ 185, 10, 9, 1, 0, 2, 1 ], "count": 208, "gpa": 3.8774038461538463, "topShare": 93.75, "firstTerm": "1242", "lastTerm": "1264" }, "instructors": [ { "course_uid": "course_063659e5b5fc5376ee6ff946", "uid": "instructor_3a7cdbffe776bf8460b155a3", "name": "Justin Vollmar", "quality": 3.7997381529554963, "quality_count": 4, "instructor_url": "/instructors/JUSTIN_VOLLMAR" }, { "course_uid": "course_063659e5b5fc5376ee6ff946", "uid": "instructor_59c834e1291d0c57386d7463", "name": "Joel Mankowski", "quality": null, "quality_count": null, "instructor_url": "/instructors/JOEL_MANKOWSKI" } ], "instructorHistory": null, "courseComparison": null, "claim": null, "reviewFiles": [] } }, { "course_uid": "course_d356983e0d3ee540cf35746f", "course_id": "LINGUIS 213", "title": "TOPICS IN SOCIOLINGUISTICS", "credits_min": 3, "credits_max": 3, "gpa": 3.885, "badges": [ { "id": "lecture-size", "label": "Small lectures", "tone": "neutral", "evidence": "Fall 2026: median 14 enrolled students across 1 recorded lecture section. Small means 30 or fewer; large means 100 or more. Enrollment at scan time, not capacity or typical historical attendance.", "sources": [ { "label": "Sections and enrollment", "href": "/courses/LINGUIS_213#schedule" } ] } ], "description": "An introduction to sociolinguistics exploring how social factors shape language.", "discovery": { "term": "1272", "offered": true, "history": { "counts": [ 176, 20, 3, 3, 1, 0, 1 ], "count": 204, "gpa": 3.8848039215686274, "topShare": 96.07843137254902, "firstTerm": "1244", "lastTerm": "1264" }, "instructors": [ { "course_uid": "course_d356983e0d3ee540cf35746f", "uid": "instructor_d3be59ace743acbf692753ed", "name": "Laura Horton", "quality": null, "quality_count": null, "instructor_url": "/instructors/LAURA_HORTON" } ], "instructorHistory": null, "courseComparison": null, "claim": { "citations": [ { "instructor_name": "Kelly Wright", "review_date": "2026-05-01 21:18:48 +0000 UTC", "review_id": "b5984bf6052b40f226f19831", "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4", "source_instructor_id": "rmp:3100806", "source_review_id": "UmF0aW5nLTQyOTk4OTcw", "source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/3100806", "type": "review" }, { "instructor_name": "Kelly Wright", "review_date": "2026-05-06 19:19:51 +0000 UTC", "review_id": "72ccd8782a903c6c39732411", "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4", "source_instructor_id": "rmp:3100806", "source_review_id": "UmF0aW5nLTQzMDQ4ODkw", "source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/3100806", "type": "review" } ], "text": "Historical reviews of Kelly Wright: Kelly Wright assigns long, repetitive Sunday deadlines and a tedious final exam requiring specific quote retrieval from presentations or a book." }, "reviewFiles": [ "/data/e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349/reviews/course_d356983e0d3ee540cf35746f-0.json" ] } } ] ``` ### total 7 ### page 1 ### kind course ### q ### term 1272 ### availability offered ### filters #### ranking hardest #### subject LINGUIS