Professor Li was one of my favorite psych teachers at UW Madison. The course requires effort, but as long as you do the readings and attend lecture it is manageable. He is very caring towards his students and is quick to respond to any questions. Learned a lot out of this class and was super interesting/engaging. Highly recommend!Rate My Professors ↗
Current instructor
James Li
What students say
Original student reviews · all captured dates
Professor Li was OK, but I didn't care for his grade cutoffs. They were unnecessarily high and the coursework and tests were made harder than they needed to be. The overall vibe was not as pleasant as other classes.Rate My Professors ↗
Reading the reviews of Dr. Li I was a bit skeptical going into his class. However, despite being a bit fast, I found his lectures to be incredibly interesting. They introduced a lot of new topics but in a way that made them easy to understand and learn. I can see where people think tests are hard but Id you study appropriately youll be fine.Rate My Professors ↗
Li was a great lecturer and really helped me get a better understanding of behavioral genetics. All homework facilitates a better understanding of the material. One group project for a "completed vs no completed" grade. 2 oral pre… Read full reviewShow less
Li was a great lecturer and really helped me get a better understanding of behavioral genetics. All homework facilitates a better understanding of the material. One group project for a "completed vs no completed" grade. 2 oral presentations are required at the end of the semester, so if you don't like public speaking, I'd avoid this class.
Very cynical about the field. Bad aspect: Discourages career pursuit by relating his story of dropping out of med school. Good aspect: worthy psychological critiques. Tough tests, papers. Doesn't seem interested in you as much as his research. Lectures are fascinating. Learned a lot. Put more time in term paper than any paper in college, got a C.Rate My Professors ↗
I loved this class with Professor Li! His lectures take textbook information and apply it to real life, questioning how things are and how they can be better. Exams are tough but lecture and discussions give you all the materials you need to do well (short answer is based on discussion activities). Not an easy A class but definitely worth taking.Rate My Professors ↗
Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.
Classes with James Li
Registration for Ph.D. students who have defended their dissertation and are completing the required predoctoral internship.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
No recorded grade history
Mentored Research and Seminar
1–6 creditsPSYCH 621 is a mentored research and seminar course where students design and conduct research to extend current understanding in a topic area.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Recent recorded grades — Fall 2023: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=7 letter grades); Spring 2024: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=6 letter grades); Fall 2024: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=8 letter grades).
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026Senior Honors Thesis
3 creditsPSYCH 681 is an individual study course for students completing senior honors theses under faculty supervision.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
No recorded grade history
Undergraduate Thesis
2–3 creditsPSYCH 691 is an undergraduate thesis course focused on conducting research and completing a thesis, recommended for students intending to pursue graduate work in psychology.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
No recorded grade history
Directed Study
1–3 creditsPSYCH 699 is a directed study course involving independent mentored study with a faculty member.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026A graduate proseminar discussing current topics in clinical psychology through the lens of ongoing faculty and student research and recent journal articles.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2025Research
1–12 creditsPSYCH 990 is an independent research course involving experimental, observational, or statistical investigation under faculty supervision.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
No recorded grade history
Recorded teaching history
Explore courses taught by this instructor →Browse recorded courses
| Term | Course | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Fall 2026 | COUNPSY/EDPSYCH/PSYCH 995 | Predoctoral Internship |
| Fall 2026 | PSYCH 621 | Mentored Research and Seminar |
| Fall 2026 | PSYCH 681 | Senior Honors Thesis |
| Fall 2026 | PSYCH 691 | Undergraduate Thesis |
| Fall 2026 | PSYCH 699 | Directed Study |
| Fall 2026 | PSYCH 704 | Proseminar in Clinical Psychology |
| Fall 2026 | PSYCH 990 | Research |
Teaching history may be incomplete. Course pages contain course-specific feedback and citations.
Instructor identity & provenance
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