# RUTH OLSON — Courses & Reviews | UW–Madison [View on UW Courses](https://uwcourses.com/instructors/RUTH_OLSON) ## Dataset ### revision e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349 ### repository twangodev/uwcourses ### schema version 6 ### importer version 7 ### projection id 85abe9ff8837c2c5a134368dcc4cfc85eb723524b21ddeb3d2e953887d2f0c8f ### observed at 2026-09-07T15:55:43.033547+00:00 ### built at 2026-09-11T07:45:51.576183+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 | ## instructor ### instructor uid instructor\_f69ceb118997dbd2bb388c1c ### source madgrades ### source instructor id 2601314 ### identity basis source\_id ### identity status source\_identified ### name RUTH OLSON ### first observed at 2026-09-06 23:14:58.172943+00:00 ### last observed at 2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00 ### ratings #### review count 14 #### quality 3.64 #### difficulty 2.79 #### quality count 14 #### difficulty count 14 #### profile id rmp:661007 #### source url #### match basis exact\_name #### observed at 2026-09-07 16:08:47.731579+00:00 #### courses ##### course 0aeb345f1851f603827b7a43 ###### review count 4 ###### quality 3.5 ###### difficulty 2.75 ###### quality count 4 ###### difficulty count 4 #### bayesian quality 3.651579872674468 #### prior mean 3.6596857835465957 #### prior weight 20 ### grade statistics #### gpa 3.493 #### graded 942 #### counts * 380 * 326 * 161 * 40 * 20 * 6 * 9 #### sections 25 ### current false ### courses None recorded. ### revision e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349 ### instructor url /instructors/RUTH\_OLSON ## history | term | course\_uid | course\_id | title | | ---- | -------------------------------- | ------------ | ----------------------------------------------- | | 1182 | course\_11d0d8e1ca5196c056ce8aea | FOLKLORE 540 | LOCAL CULTURE AND IDENTITY IN THE UPPER MIDWEST | | 1174 | course\_7878cb097aa4566a31a6e5dc | FOLKLORE 699 | INDEPENDENT STUDY IN FOLKLORE (GRADUATE) | | 1172 | course\_0aeb345f1851f603827b7a43 | FOLKLORE 100 | INTRODUCTION TO FOLKLORE | | 1164 | course\_34e05ff6fc3098fb71b48d90 | FOLKLORE 230 | INTRODUCTION TO AMERICAN FOLKLORE | | 1162 | course\_75b42fedea8d5b81a832ee2b | FOLKLORE 320 | FOLKLORE OF WISCONSIN | | 1152 | course\_0aeb345f1851f603827b7a43 | FOLKLORE 100 | INTRODUCTION TO FOLKLORE | | 1144 | course\_34e05ff6fc3098fb71b48d90 | FOLKLORE 230 | INTRODUCTION TO AMERICAN FOLKLORE | | 1144 | course\_c83e607450a919f614ef307e | FOLKLORE 399 | DIRECTED STUDY IN FOLKLORE FOR UNDERGRADUATES | | 1142 | course\_11d0d8e1ca5196c056ce8aea | FOLKLORE 540 | LOCAL CULTURE AND IDENTITY IN THE UPPER MIDWEST | | 1134 | course\_0aeb345f1851f603827b7a43 | FOLKLORE 100 | INTRODUCTION TO FOLKLORE | | 1134 | course\_7878cb097aa4566a31a6e5dc | FOLKLORE 699 | INDEPENDENT STUDY IN FOLKLORE (GRADUATE) | | 1132 | course\_ae3420c7581a66df67d3002b | FOLKLORE 530 | TOPICS IN FOLKLORE | | 1122 | course\_0aeb345f1851f603827b7a43 | FOLKLORE 100 | INTRODUCTION TO FOLKLORE | | 1122 | course\_7878cb097aa4566a31a6e5dc | FOLKLORE 699 | INDEPENDENT STUDY IN FOLKLORE (GRADUATE) | | 1114 | course\_11d0d8e1ca5196c056ce8aea | FOLKLORE 540 | LOCAL CULTURE AND IDENTITY IN THE UPPER MIDWEST | | 1112 | course\_0aeb345f1851f603827b7a43 | FOLKLORE 100 | INTRODUCTION TO FOLKLORE | | 1104 | course\_11d0d8e1ca5196c056ce8aea | FOLKLORE 540 | LOCAL CULTURE AND IDENTITY IN THE UPPER MIDWEST | | 1102 | course\_0aeb345f1851f603827b7a43 | FOLKLORE 100 | INTRODUCTION TO FOLKLORE | | 1102 | course\_7878cb097aa4566a31a6e5dc | FOLKLORE 699 | INDEPENDENT STUDY IN FOLKLORE (GRADUATE) | | 1092 | course\_f4231025a0ef0f96b76a3184 | AMERIND 100 | INTRODUCTION TO AMERICAN INDIAN STUDIES | | 1092 | course\_0aeb345f1851f603827b7a43 | FOLKLORE 100 | INTRODUCTION TO FOLKLORE | | 1074 | course\_11d0d8e1ca5196c056ce8aea | FOLKLORE 540 | LOCAL CULTURE AND IDENTITY IN THE UPPER MIDWEST | | 1074 | course\_7878cb097aa4566a31a6e5dc | FOLKLORE 699 | INDEPENDENT STUDY IN FOLKLORE (GRADUATE) | | 1072 | course\_513140271c2bc82fd7180414 | FOLKLORE 460 | FOLK EPICS | | 1072 | course\_11d0d8e1ca5196c056ce8aea | FOLKLORE 540 | LOCAL CULTURE AND IDENTITY IN THE UPPER MIDWEST | ## timeline | term | courses | | ---- | ------- | | 1072 | 2 | | 1074 | 2 | | 1092 | 2 | | 1102 | 2 | | 1104 | 1 | | 1112 | 1 | | 1114 | 1 | | 1122 | 2 | | 1132 | 1 | | 1134 | 2 | | 1142 | 1 | | 1144 | 2 | | 1152 | 1 | | 1162 | 1 | | 1164 | 1 | | 1172 | 1 | | 1174 | 1 | | 1182 | 1 | ## term 1272 ## courses None recorded. ## reviews ### items ```json [ { "observed_at": "2026-09-07 16:08:47.731579+00:00", "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4", "source_review_id": "UmF0aW5nLTI3MTg1NDcz", "source_instructor_id": "rmp:661007", "instructor_name": "Ruth Olson", "course_label": "FOLKLORE100", "course_id": "FOLKLORE 100", "course_uid": "course_0aeb345f1851f603827b7a43", "review_date": "2016-11-14 20:52:36 +0000 UTC", "comment": "Dr. Olson is a fantastic professor! She is passionate about the subject and she conveys her passion really well. She also loves to read interesting papers and is very helpful. She has participation activities almost every lecture, so don't skip. Her lectures are fun anyway. All the tangents that she goes on are usually relevant or informative.", "source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/661007", "quality_rating": 5, "difficulty_rating": 3 }, { "observed_at": "2026-09-07 16:08:47.731579+00:00", "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4", "source_review_id": "UmF0aW5nLTI0ODI4NDQ4", "source_instructor_id": "rmp:661007", "instructor_name": "Ruth Olson", "course_label": "FOLK100", "course_id": null, "course_uid": null, "review_date": "2015-05-14 10:29:16 +0000 UTC", "comment": "She was an interesting lecturer. Prepare to write papers on unique subjects. There is only a midterm and a few pop quizzes. All the other grades are from discussion participation, papers and the BIG final project. Hope that you get a good group, it could make or break your grade.", "source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/661007", "quality_rating": 4, "difficulty_rating": 2 }, { "observed_at": "2026-09-07 16:08:47.731579+00:00", "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4", "source_review_id": "UmF0aW5nLTI0MzQxMjg2", "source_instructor_id": "rmp:661007", "instructor_name": "Ruth Olson", "course_label": "FOLK100", "course_id": null, "course_uid": null, "review_date": "2015-01-28 20:41:01 +0000 UTC", "comment": "Dr. Olson is funny and goofy, and knows the material really well, but she tends to go off on tangents in lecture. Additionally, this class has a huge amount of essays and projects for a 3-credit class, and the parameters aren't always very clear. If you're prepared to work your butt off, it's still a fun time though.", "source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/661007", "quality_rating": 3, "difficulty_rating": 5 }, { "observed_at": "2026-09-07 16:08:47.731579+00:00", "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4", "source_review_id": "UmF0aW5nLTI0MjE1NDk3", "source_instructor_id": "rmp:661007", "instructor_name": "Ruth Olson", "course_label": "FOLKLORE100", "course_id": "FOLKLORE 100", "course_uid": "course_0aeb345f1851f603827b7a43", "review_date": "2015-01-02 09:09:56 +0000 UTC", "comment": "The lectures seemed pointless, it seemed like we really didn't actually learn anything. Most of the grading is based off of 3 papers, an online midterm, and a huge group project which takes a lot of effort. There is a ton of reading every week. The grading of assignments seemed random. You also need a 95% to get an A which is ridiculous. ", "source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/661007", "quality_rating": 3, "difficulty_rating": 4 }, { "observed_at": "2026-09-07 16:08:47.731579+00:00", "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4", "source_review_id": "UmF0aW5nLTIzOTEyOTIz", "source_instructor_id": "rmp:661007", "instructor_name": "Ruth Olson", "course_label": "100", "course_id": null, "course_uid": null, "review_date": "2014-12-01 12:19:21 +0000 UTC", "comment": "She gets off track easily, assigns roughly 70 pages of reading each week, and the lectures are basically pointless. The guidelines are not very clear. The expectations are higher than what the paperproject guidelines suggest, and you need a 95% to get an A in the class (Which is completely crazy). Would not take again. ", "source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/661007", "quality_rating": 2, "difficulty_rating": 2 }, { "observed_at": "2026-09-07 16:08:47.731579+00:00", "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4", "source_review_id": "UmF0aW5nLTIzNjc1MTA0", "source_instructor_id": "rmp:661007", "instructor_name": "Ruth Olson", "course_label": "FOLKLORE100", "course_id": "FOLKLORE 100", "course_uid": "course_0aeb345f1851f603827b7a43", "review_date": "2014-10-20 22:52:26 +0000 UTC", "comment": "She's a sweet person, and she likes to have a laugh. She'll throw pop quizzes at you to make sure you did the readings (super long). Approachable. She genuinely wants to see her students take an interest in the subject, and do well. There is a big group project instead of a final. Lectures seem random, but if you pay attention, they come together.", "source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/661007", "quality_rating": 3, "difficulty_rating": 2 } ] ``` ### total 14 ### page 1 ### courses | course\_uid | course\_id | | -------------------------------- | ------------ | | course\_0aeb345f1851f603827b7a43 | FOLKLORE 100 | ### matched true ## social Image false