Kie is hands down my favorite professor at UCLA. She's an engaging lecturer, very detailed, and highly knowledgeable about both linguistics and teaching in general. She is very accomplished in Phonology (just look at her website). I consider it a privilege to have taken two of her classes while at UCLA.

About grading: Kie used skills-based grading in this class-- which means you gain skill points that add up to your final grade. Depending on your performance in homework and quizzes, you might not have to take the final, or can just do parts of it based on which skills you need to demonstrate. I really liked this method because it takes the stress off the student while still allowing you to show your understanding of the class material.

I was fortunate to have taken both 103 and 165A with Kie. Like the poster below me, I completely agree--Kie is THE BEST PROFESSOR EVER. She's passionate about what she teaches and it really comes across during lecture. She's also very approachable for questions at any time. She's also very organized with everything--her handouts are extremely detailed, lectures MAKE SENSE, etc. If you ever get a chance to take a class with her, DO IT!