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.
28 courses
Ranked courses have at least 100 recorded letter grades.
Examines the day-to-day functioning of the U.S. criminal justice system, focusing on the sociology of police, lawyers, courts, and corrections, as well as the nature, causes, and solutions of crime.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Irene Katele
The class was not easy but manageable if students attended every lecture, completed all readings, and studied regularly.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Classical 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 2026Explores theoretical explanations of criminal behavior, measurement of crime, evaluation of criminological research, and current issues in crime-related public policy.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Jason Nolen
The class involved four exams with a focus on memorization, though one student noted that exams sometimes covered material found only in readings rather than lectures.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Statistics 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 2026Survey 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 2026Sociology of Race & Ethnicity in the US covering inter-group relations, racism, white privilege, and historical backgrounds of major racial and ethnic minorities including their societal challenges.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Jason Nolen
The course included three exams and several papers, with no cumulative final. Exams were straightforward if students attended class and did the readings, though some found them harder than they seemed because they pulled questions from the texts.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Statistics for Sociologists III covers generalized linear models, panel data, and instrumental variables applied to social science data.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Felix Elwert
The workload was reported as 20 to 30 hours per week, with exams described as complex and difficult to navigate.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026Multidisciplinary introduction to LGBTQ+ studies covering identity formation, societal interactions, historical cultures, and contemporary legal/political issues, exploring intersections with race, ethnicity, religion, and disability.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Cabell Gathman
Weekly quizzes were described as difficult because they covered material absent from lecture slides, while take-home exams were extremely long and harshly graded.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Sociological analysis of ethnic/racial conflict and movements in the U.S., covering relations among major groups and others.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Natalia Savelyeva
A student noted that there were a lot of assignments and writing tasks in the class.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Intensive study of selected topics in sociology, focusing on analyzing social phenomena, reviewing literature, and constructing arguments.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Martin Eiermann
The course requires a reasonable amount of reading, with texts discussed in detail during class sessions.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026An introduction to the sociology of the family, covering demographic, economic, and historical aspects of union formation, childrearing, stratification, and intergenerational support.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Elena Hight
A previous student reported that grading was lenient and the professor worked with students, though lectures were sometimes long.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2025Explores the intersection of gender, crime, and justice from a cross-cultural perspective, examining women's experiences in the criminal justice system and theoretical implications.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Frankie Frank
Students described the class as extremely hard, with tough grading and difficult tests. One student noted that assignment descriptions often arrived only 3-5 days before due dates.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2025Introductory survey of African society, culture, polity, and economy from prehistory to contemporary developments, covering nationalism and social change.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · James Delehanty
The workload included a heavy reading load, but exams and a five-page paper were considered manageable if students completed the assigned work.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Introduction 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 2026Methods 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 2026Sociological examination of gender roles, status, and societal patterns, covering marriage, employment, socialization, and cultural reinforcement, with attention to existing patterns and change.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Chloe Hart
The course is generally easy, requiring you to take notes, attend class, and complete readings. There are three midterms, but no final exam, and exams cover only material presented in lecture.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Studies immigration, crime, and border enforcement through historical and present-day debates, focusing on Latinx/e immigration and the U.S.-Mexico border.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Michael Light
Lectures moved quickly, requiring familiarity with numbers and prior stats knowledge. Exams were detailed and demanded precise recall of graphs, while written assignments received mixed feedback on their difficulty.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026Examines social, economic, and political problems affected by birth/death rates, population size, distribution, and migration. Covers world ecology, limits to growth, development, conflict, and policies on reproduction and mortality.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Monica Grant
Exams included specific questions from readings, and students found the tests difficult. Two writing assignments were graded intently, with one student noting their TA was a harsh grader.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026Examines legal and social implications of laws governing sexual behavior, reproduction, media, and privacy, focusing on US systems and global institutions.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Frankie Frank
Students had to pay close attention in class because slides were not posted, and they were encouraged to attend office hours for support.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2025–Spring 2026Introduction 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 2026The 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 2026An elementary course introducing sociology concepts and methods within special topics in sociology.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Fabien Accominotti
Students reported a significant amount of reading for each class, though the material was understandable and covered in discussion.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2024–Spring 2026Sociology 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 2026An Honors introductory seminar introducing the paradigms, methods, and substance of sociology, focusing on applying concepts and evaluating research.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Mustafa Emirbayer
The course was rated as moderately difficult, with a difficulty rating of 2 out of 5.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Criminal Justice Field Observation combines field placements in criminal justice agencies with seminars to develop a sociological understanding of criminal justice processes by applying concepts and theories to field experience.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026SPECIAL TOPICS covers advanced topics in sociology, with specific subjects varying by offering.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Interdisciplinary 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 2026A 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