Current instructor

Jason Nolen

Adjusted rating
RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 4.70/5 from 86 quality ratings. The adjusted rating blends this with the UW review average (3.66/5), weighted as 20 additional ratings. Smaller samples stay closer to that average. Each captured review is counted once in the prior; this does not correct who chooses to leave a review.

RMP profile ↗ · All captured review dates; profile matched by name.

What students say

Original student reviews · all captured dates

SOC 134
Quality 4/5Difficulty 2/5
Overall good class and professor. Easy if you pay attention in lecture and have an understanding of the readings. Readings could be long and boring, but fine. I liked Jason, but sometimes lecture felt boring and unengaging.
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SOC 134
Quality 5/5Difficulty 2/5
Jason Nolen is the best. He is very respectful and I actually learned a lot! Very heavy readings though. Slides are great, but you should really go to class because he talks outside of the slides which is important. Discussion was fun- I loved my TA. Super easy class if you have a general idea what the readings are and go to class/read the slides.
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SOC 134
Quality 5/5Difficulty 1/5
I really enjoyed his lectures and found his exams super easy! Even though most of your final grade comes from the exams, you will do just fine in this class as long as you attend lecture. Overall, great guy and fun class for ethnic studies, I'd recommend!
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SOC 134
Quality 3/5Difficulty 2/5
The class itself may appear easy, but be careful, it is very exam-focused. Despite his lectures being interesting and him clearly being passionate about the topic, the tests are 80% of your grade, and the lectures are very general, while the tests are very specific.
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SOC 134
Quality 5/5Difficulty 1/5
Dr. Nolen gives great lectures, is fun to talk to and gives great answers to questions.
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Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.

Classes with Jason Nolen

Sociology 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

Jason Nolen taught the course with assessments ranging from three to four non-cumulative exams and papers, with no final. Students found his grading fair and lectures engaging, though some noted tests could be harder than expected due to reading-based questions. Mandatory discussions and optional lectures were part of the structure, with shared slides containing exam material.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026
SOC 441

Criminology

3–4 credits

Explores 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

Jason Nolen’s four-exam format was straightforward, with content relying on memorization and clear exam focus. Discussion sections were helpful for some students, though others found them unnecessary. While Nolen was described as fair and communicative, his lectures were considered dry or disorganized, and exams sometimes covered material only in the readings.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Intensive study of selected topics in sociology, focusing on analyzing social phenomena, reviewing literature, and constructing arguments.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 3.65 GPA, 75.0% A/AB (n=36 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.35 GPA, 60.0% A/AB (n=30 letter grades).

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Recorded teaching history

Distinct courses recorded per term

Explore courses taught by this instructor →
Browse recorded courses
TermCourseTitle
Spring 2027SOC 134Sociology of Race & Ethnicity in the United States
Spring 2027SOC 441Criminology
Spring 2027SOC 496Topics in Sociology
Fall 2026LEGALST 681Senior Honors Thesis
Fall 2026SOC 134Sociology of Race & Ethnicity in the United States
Fall 2026SOC 446Juvenile Delinquency

Teaching history may be incomplete. Course pages contain course-specific feedback and citations.

Instructor identity & provenance
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