Introduction
This blog post is inspired by David Teather’s blog and serves as a record of my course summaries and evaluations during my studies at UW-Madison. The courses will be categorized into CS / Math / GeneralEd.
For a more detailed introduction to the learning content and assessment criteria of each course, please click on the relevant links in the course sections.
Since I am a transfer student, courses in Basic Calculus and some Basic Computer Science topics were not taken at UW-Madison and therefore will not be included here.
This post will be continuously updated until graduation.
Computer Science
Basic Computer Sciences
COMPSCI 400 Programming III
Taught in Fall 2024 by Professors Gary Dahl and Florian Heimerl, I attended Professor Gary Dahl’s section.
Course content and assessment details can be found here.
Personal Experience and Evaluation:
COMPSCI 400 is a well-supported course with plenty of teaching resources available—just dive in and learn. There are 4-5 hours of fixed-location office hours every weekday afternoon, with many TAs ready to assist you. There are also some morning Q&A sessions, and you can schedule one-on-one office hours with the professor. Additionally, the professor responds promptly to questions on Piazza. As long as you don’t leave your questions until the last minute before the deadline, these resources are sufficient to solve all your programming-related issues.
About my COMPSCI 400 professor: to summarize in one sentence—Gary is an exceptionally kind and approachable professor. In addition to actively helping students with questions after class, he initiated a “Bring Your Own (BYO) Lunch with Gary” questionnaire at the beginning of the semester. If you’re interested, you can sign up, bring your lunch, and chat with him and other students in his office. I participated once, and the atmosphere was very relaxed. Gary shared how he got into his current career path, which I found quite inspiring.
The only minor drawback of taking Gary’s section is that his slides and notes on algorithms, posted on Canvas, are not as clear and readable as Florian’s. However, this isn’t a big issue because no matter which section you choose, you have access to the materials and slides from both sections on Canvas. Florian’s algorithm notes were incredibly helpful during my exam preparation, so if you’re planning to take or are currently taking this course, make sure to review the materials from both sections—you might discover valuable insights.
COMPSCI 240 Introduction to Discrete Mathematics
Taken in Spring 2025, updates coming soon.
COMPSCI 354 Machine Organization and Programming
Taken in Spring 2025, updates coming soon.
Advanced Computer Science Courses
COMPSCI 435 Introduction to Cryptography
Taken in Spring 2025, updates coming soon.
Mathematics
MATH 340 Elementary Matrix and Linear Algebra
Taught in Fall 2024 by Professor Timur Yastrzhembskiy, with Amelia Stokolosa as the TA.
Course content and assessment details can be found here.
Personal Experience and Evaluation:
Timur’s lecture notes are incredibly detailed and easy to understand. You can absolutely rely on the notes he uploads to Canvas after each class for self-study—no exaggeration.
Amelia is a slightly strict (unfortunately, I ended up in the 7:45 AM discussion section… Once, I overslept and only made it in time for the quiz, missing the earlier part of the discussion. She didn’t allow me to take the quiz, explaining that quizzes partly serve as attendance checks for discussions, and allowing me to take it would be unfair to those who attended the entire session. Lesson learned: try not to enroll in a 7:45 AM discussion section, and if you do, don’t be late. (ノへ￣、)) but very responsible TA. Her discussion sections are extremely helpful for gaining a deeper understanding of the course material, with well-written and detailed exercises and solutions.
If you’re deciding between MATH 320 and MATH 340 to fulfill your linear algebra requirement, I recommend MATH 340. It offers abundant learning resources and excellent teaching support, so you won’t need to overexert yourself to get a good grade. (Also, from what I’ve heard from friends who are better than me at math, it’s quite challenging to took MATH 320. Having completed MATH 340, I found it relatively simple. So, you might want to evaluate which course suits you better base on this comparison……)
MATH 431 Introduction to Probability
Taken in Spring 2025, updates coming soon.
General Education
LITTRANS 201 Survey of 19th and 20th Century Russian Literature in Translation I
Taken in Fall 2024, taught by Professor Maksim Hanukai.
Course content and assessment details can be found here.
Personal Experience and Evaluation:
I chose this course mainly because I was deeply moved and inspired by The Brothers Karamazov when I read it in high school—it quickly became one of my all-time favorites. I had started reading Crime and Punishment before but didn’t finish it, so the opportunity to read it in this course was a major draw (of course, I’m also interested in other Russian literature).
Most of the reading materials in this course were quite enjoyable for me. My personal favorites were Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment, Lermontov’s A Hero of Our Time, and a few of Gogol’s short stories. However, during the final two weeks when we read Tolstoy’s works, I just couldn’t get through them—they felt incredibly dull to me. (While browsing online, That said, while browsing online, I found that many people share a similar opinion: they find Dostoevsky’s works captivating and can’t put them down, while Tolstoy’s feel bored by comparison. This might just be a matter of personal taste. I hope this doesn’t offend any Tolstoy fans! 🙏)
As for the midterm and final papers, I found them manageable—analyzing the text carefully was enough to achieve a good grade.
If you’re looking for a course to fulfill your Literature credit and are interested in or enjoy Russian literature, I highly recommend this one. You get to read great novels, write two essays, and there are no exams, making it an easy way to earn a good grade.
(Although the course is relatively easy, make sure to attend the classes! Attendance dropped significantly during the latter half of the semester, leaving the professor frustrated enough to revise the grading scheme, adding 7% for attendance. Needless to say, that quickly boosted attendance rates.)
ENTOM 201 Insects and Human Culture-a Survey Course in Entomology
Taken in Fall 2024, taught by Professors Sean Schoville and Russell L. Groves, with Ann Marsh as the TA.
Course content and assessment details can be found here.
Personal Experience and Evaluation:
This course covers a wide range of fascinating topics, and the materials provided are incredibly engaging—every link is worth exploring. My favorite session was the forensic entomology lecture. It was absolutely fascinating; the professors taught us how to estimate the time of death of a victim using larval types and formulas. (As someone who’s been obsessed with detective stories like Judge of Song Dynasty since elementary school, seeing a portrait of Song Ci (a figure in Chinese history, but not among the most renowned) appear on a slide in an entomology course halfway across the world was a moment of pure amazement щ(゜ロ゜щ) Perhaps the readers of the English version of this blog have not seen Judge of Song Dynasty, an excellent Chinese TV series. It tells the story of Song Ci, a righteous judge from the Song Dynasty, who uses forensic science to solve cases and catch criminals, while also authoring the world’s first ever written book in forensic science. If you’re interested, feel free to click the link and take a look!). Another memorable moment happened during the first or second in-person lecture, when the professors brought a box of insect-based snacks—fried grasshoppers, I think—and invited the class to try them (I couldn’t bring myself to try, though…).
The most unique assignment in this course is raising Manduca. It’s actually quite simple—just follow the instructions provided. Even if something goes wrong, there’s no need to worry. You can contact the professors, and they’ll help you figure out what’s wrong. Even if your Manduca die accidentally, it’s fine—you just need to document it, pick up a new one from the professor, and keep going.
The professors are incredibly friendly and always happy to talk with students before or after class. One of my most memorable experiences was when, before we started the insect microdocumentary project, they took the class on an outdoor walk in the Allen Centennial Garden. They armed with nets, and explored the grass and bushes with students, looking for insects while giving demonstrations and explanations. It was truly a fun and inspiring experience.
This is an absolutely lighthearted and enjoyable course. If you’re looking for a class to fulfill your Biological Science credit and don’t mind raising a little insect in a plastic container in your apartment, I highly recommend this course!
AFROAMER 156 Black Music and American Cultural History
Taken in Fall 2024, taught by Professor Alexander Shashko with TA Kris Adams.
Course content and assessment details can be found here.
Personal Experience and Evaluation:
This course is excellent, and you can find countless positive reviews about Professor Shashko’s class on Reddit. It’s widely recognized by past students as one of the best courses. If you’re looking for a class to fulfill both your Ethnic Studies and Humanities credit requirements, this is a fantastic choice.
That said, I found the class a bit challenging compared to my other Fall 2024 courses (though I still managed to get an A ( *｀ω´)).
The difficulty was primarily due to personal reasons. As a non-native English-speaking transfer student, my English listening skills aren’t strong. Professor Shashko speaks quite quickly during his 75-minute lectures, and with lecture notes being an important part of the grade—and no recordings available—keeping up with the lectures while taking detailed notes was especially tough for me.
Additionally, my limited understanding of American culture made the Discussion Section somewhat painful. Engaging in discussions with the TA and classmates was challenging because I lacked the cultural context needed for smooth conversations. The experience sometimes felt really awkward. If you’re an international student like me, this is something you might want to consider before enrolling.
Lastly, the requirements and grading criteria for the course papers felt overly detailed and, at times, even tedious. I sometimes struggled to identify the key points of focus. For example, in the first midterm paper, I didn’t fully understand the rubric and only analyzed the songs using the “three impulses,” neglecting the “five elements.” As a result, while the average score was 19/20, I ended up with a 17/20. If you’re interested in this course, I strongly recommend engaging with the TA and professor to clarify expectations and avoid similar issues.
ESL 118 Academic Writing II
Taken in Spring 2025, updates coming soon.
COMPSCI 502 Theory and Practice in Computer Science Education
Taken in Spring 2025, updates coming soon.
Conclusion
Thank you for reading! I hope this blog helps you choose courses that suit you best.
For the courses I have completed, I still have the notes I took during the course and exam preparation. However, I haven’t decided how to share them yet.
If you need them or have any suggestions, feel free to let me know through the comments or other means.