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- Shoichi Iwasaki
- ASIAN 30
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Based on 18 Users
TOP TAGS
- Uses Slides
- Has Group Projects
- Needs Textbook
- Appropriately Priced Materials
- Participation Matters
- Engaging Lectures
- Useful Textbooks
- Tolerates Tardiness
Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.
Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.
Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.
Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.
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Sensei Iwasaki is my favorite, he's so cute and sweet and helpful in office hours. Literally a gem. You can read the other reviews for the class breakdown, but I would take this class just for Sensei. Love him.
TAKE THIS CLASS. Professor Iwasaki is an amazing professor and lecturer. He's extremely knowledgeable about Asian languages and linguistics and his passion for the subject made it easy and enjoyable to learn. I'm a bio major and took this class as an easy GE, but I truly learned a lot.
*disclaimer, I took this class during distance learning, so some aspects of the class were modified to be easier
-- The hw (30% of grade) is really straightforward, a worksheet every week or two which is just looking up definitions in the textbook and some questions after watching youtube videos.
--There are two midterms (each 5%) and one final (10%). They were all on CCLE and consisted of a bunch of multiple-choice questions with some free-response, pretty much all based on the lecture slides which are posted before each class. A bunch of my classmates were complaining about how "hard" the tests are, but as long as you take lecture notes and do the hw, tests are not difficult. Seriously.
--There is a group project (30%) on an underdocumented Asian language of your choice, which I found to be pretty fun. It's three small papers, a group PowerPoint and presentation, and a final write-up. As long as your group is competent, this project should not be an issue.
--There is a participation grade in this class (20%), which is mainly achieved from writing forum posts. 4-5 times throughout the quarter, Professor Iwasaki will post linguistics or language-related questions to respond to. Participation credit can also be gained by going to office hours.
Overall, Professor Iwasaki is approachable, accomodating, and knows the material like the back of his hand. If you have any interest in Asian languages or linguistics or even no experience at all, you should definitely take this class.
Honest to god, entered this class hating it. I only had taken it because I was looking up 'easy GE's' and when I started I hated the class. But honestly, I'm astounded by how genuine Professor Iwasaki was and my TA (Jaehyun Jo), and they were always available to help. I didn't even need to attend office hours because my TA covered everything I needed to know in section. Throughout the quarter, I started getting more interested in the class and even sharing knowledge I learned about Asian languages to my friends (who are asian ofc lol) and by the end of the quarter I was sad to leave the course. The workload is not that heavy (apparently there used to be much more and they lowered the workload this quarter) and the professor is very lenient/receptive to suggestions, and the midterms/exam is easy if you just pay attention to the slides (which are posted!) and the review that he gives you. I met a lot of great people in this class (and some koreaboos whom I'm scared of now) and I would totally recommend this class to an Asian friend (if you don't know an asian language/tonal language then maybe don't take the class because the listening part might be a little hard)
I really loved this class! Took it as a GE when it was offered online, so some things may be different in person, but I didn't find it too difficult. I would say definitely be prepared to put time into the class but I think an A is doable. The midterm and final both use questions from previous quizzes (these were everyday in lecture, but only used to check attendance). Also there was a large group project, that needed several writing projects and a presentation, but it isn't too bad if you have good group members. I would seriously recommend this as a GE, I had little to no interest in the course matter before and I actually found it really engaging and wanted to learn in class. However, as a warning, attendance was required and participation was a part of your grade. It's only like 3% of the grade or something, but contribution during lecture/discussion is necessary... I felt like I spoke up pretty often but got a low grade on this. However, I would still recommend, Professor Iwasaki was really nice and knowledgeable and my TA Ariel was amazing.
DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS UNLESS YOU HAVE A LINGUISTICS BACKGROUND. I came into this class with an open mind but the class pace during lecture is extremely fast. I felt often confused and would go to office hours and the TA would be so unhelpful. Luckily, the majority of the grade is a group project so I managed to get an A-, however my highest test grade was an 81.
I took this class mainly to figure out what I wanted to minor in and a lot of people recommended it to me. Best decision ever! I love Sensei and all the TAs and they were super helpful. As a STEM major, this was definitely something different and if you like learning about languages and cultures, this is a great class to take.
HW: So, for the most part it was one homework assignment per week (maybe once in a while two were due in the same week). The homework consisted of textbook questions and questions for YouTube videos. They did not take a lot of time to complete (like you could do it in a couple hours if you focus) and the TAs were pretty lenient with grading.
Tests: So with distance learning, the format might have been a little different this year but the midterms were open note and open book. For the first one, we were given a study guide which the short answer questions came from. The second midterm were questions from the in class quizzes and was also open note and open book. The midterms were fairly simple if you attend lecture. The final also had a study guide where the short answers and MC questions came from. All the tests are simple IF you pay attention during lecture and take some time to review the slides before the test.
Discussion: My TA was extremely helpful and often time I would rely on the discussion to clarify anything I didn't understand or to give a refresher of the week. During discussion, we would do review slides and maybe a group activity which were also fairly simple.
Group Project: There is a final project for this class which is basically to research an Asian language which was not as common and write a paper and give a presentation on. You are given adequate time to complete all of this and Sensei and the TAs are always willing to help and clarify any questions or concerns.
Overall, this class was one of my favorites and I'm truly going to miss it.
The class runs like any other linguistics class, so if that’s your major or you find linguistics interesting, then you should be fine. In terms of the class concepts, they were pretty straightforward and Professor Iwaskai didn’t give us any false expectations as to what was going to be on the midterm and final. It’d be helpful if you had prior knowledge of an Asian language (Japanese, Vietnamese, Mandarin, etc.), but as long as you study the slides and review sheets you’ll be fine for the midterms and final. However, Professor Iwasaki is critical about participation, so make sure to attend office hours so he can remember your name and answer on the discussion board (I think 10 times to get full credit). Overall, a pretty solid class with a nice professor and TAs.
I took this class cuz my genius friend told me it would be ez, so my expectations of the class were that it would be way easier than it actually was. My grade died cuz even though class was at 12:30, I for some stupid reason couldn't wake up for class SPECIFICALLY on the days I had to turn in HW which is worth 30% of your grade (you also need to turn in HW at the beginning of lecture, so I got half credit on basically half the homework assignments). Midterms were fairly ez cuz my godly TA with a godly body, JAEHYUN JO, told us a lot of what was gonna be on the midterms. Final was ok other than the essay that you have to write. They gave us the prompt like a week before the final, so you have time to prepare and memorize what you gonna write but my dumb butt didn't do that until like 2 AM the day of the final. Is all good though cuz I somehow got an 87 on the final and clutched a B in the class lmao. Also s/o to my group for basically doing the entire group project for me. Y'all are homies :)
Not a hard class, but it does take some effort. You’ll be told what will be on the tests and it’s pretty straight forward. For the participation I only went to two office hours and did all the discussion boards with a reply on one response each and got full credit.
The subject itself was pretty interesting and the professor was very helpful and detailed in his lectures, so my main criticism of the course is probably just the workload and the participation. Although the workload itself is pretty easy and mainly consists of homework and short reports that contribute towards the group project, it will be somewhat time consuming and tedious. This is especially true for the homework assignments (another reviewer similarly states) which the answers come directly from the textbook but you are expected to write lengthy responses to each question. In addition, participation points are not only from attendance but are also based on lectures/discussions as well as discussion board posts so be sure to actively take part in this course and respond to every post.
Some final notes: it is pretty helpful to have knowledge of an East/Southeast Asian language, but it's not necessary and this is not an "easy" GE. Office hours are very helpful , and the two TAs for my quarter were both very approachable and knowledgeable about the subject and also offer valuable insight into their own languages which are discussed in the course. Also, be sure to carefully review the study guides because they really do contain everything you need to know before exams.
Sensei Iwasaki is my favorite, he's so cute and sweet and helpful in office hours. Literally a gem. You can read the other reviews for the class breakdown, but I would take this class just for Sensei. Love him.
TAKE THIS CLASS. Professor Iwasaki is an amazing professor and lecturer. He's extremely knowledgeable about Asian languages and linguistics and his passion for the subject made it easy and enjoyable to learn. I'm a bio major and took this class as an easy GE, but I truly learned a lot.
*disclaimer, I took this class during distance learning, so some aspects of the class were modified to be easier
-- The hw (30% of grade) is really straightforward, a worksheet every week or two which is just looking up definitions in the textbook and some questions after watching youtube videos.
--There are two midterms (each 5%) and one final (10%). They were all on CCLE and consisted of a bunch of multiple-choice questions with some free-response, pretty much all based on the lecture slides which are posted before each class. A bunch of my classmates were complaining about how "hard" the tests are, but as long as you take lecture notes and do the hw, tests are not difficult. Seriously.
--There is a group project (30%) on an underdocumented Asian language of your choice, which I found to be pretty fun. It's three small papers, a group PowerPoint and presentation, and a final write-up. As long as your group is competent, this project should not be an issue.
--There is a participation grade in this class (20%), which is mainly achieved from writing forum posts. 4-5 times throughout the quarter, Professor Iwasaki will post linguistics or language-related questions to respond to. Participation credit can also be gained by going to office hours.
Overall, Professor Iwasaki is approachable, accomodating, and knows the material like the back of his hand. If you have any interest in Asian languages or linguistics or even no experience at all, you should definitely take this class.
Honest to god, entered this class hating it. I only had taken it because I was looking up 'easy GE's' and when I started I hated the class. But honestly, I'm astounded by how genuine Professor Iwasaki was and my TA (Jaehyun Jo), and they were always available to help. I didn't even need to attend office hours because my TA covered everything I needed to know in section. Throughout the quarter, I started getting more interested in the class and even sharing knowledge I learned about Asian languages to my friends (who are asian ofc lol) and by the end of the quarter I was sad to leave the course. The workload is not that heavy (apparently there used to be much more and they lowered the workload this quarter) and the professor is very lenient/receptive to suggestions, and the midterms/exam is easy if you just pay attention to the slides (which are posted!) and the review that he gives you. I met a lot of great people in this class (and some koreaboos whom I'm scared of now) and I would totally recommend this class to an Asian friend (if you don't know an asian language/tonal language then maybe don't take the class because the listening part might be a little hard)
I really loved this class! Took it as a GE when it was offered online, so some things may be different in person, but I didn't find it too difficult. I would say definitely be prepared to put time into the class but I think an A is doable. The midterm and final both use questions from previous quizzes (these were everyday in lecture, but only used to check attendance). Also there was a large group project, that needed several writing projects and a presentation, but it isn't too bad if you have good group members. I would seriously recommend this as a GE, I had little to no interest in the course matter before and I actually found it really engaging and wanted to learn in class. However, as a warning, attendance was required and participation was a part of your grade. It's only like 3% of the grade or something, but contribution during lecture/discussion is necessary... I felt like I spoke up pretty often but got a low grade on this. However, I would still recommend, Professor Iwasaki was really nice and knowledgeable and my TA Ariel was amazing.
DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS UNLESS YOU HAVE A LINGUISTICS BACKGROUND. I came into this class with an open mind but the class pace during lecture is extremely fast. I felt often confused and would go to office hours and the TA would be so unhelpful. Luckily, the majority of the grade is a group project so I managed to get an A-, however my highest test grade was an 81.
I took this class mainly to figure out what I wanted to minor in and a lot of people recommended it to me. Best decision ever! I love Sensei and all the TAs and they were super helpful. As a STEM major, this was definitely something different and if you like learning about languages and cultures, this is a great class to take.
HW: So, for the most part it was one homework assignment per week (maybe once in a while two were due in the same week). The homework consisted of textbook questions and questions for YouTube videos. They did not take a lot of time to complete (like you could do it in a couple hours if you focus) and the TAs were pretty lenient with grading.
Tests: So with distance learning, the format might have been a little different this year but the midterms were open note and open book. For the first one, we were given a study guide which the short answer questions came from. The second midterm were questions from the in class quizzes and was also open note and open book. The midterms were fairly simple if you attend lecture. The final also had a study guide where the short answers and MC questions came from. All the tests are simple IF you pay attention during lecture and take some time to review the slides before the test.
Discussion: My TA was extremely helpful and often time I would rely on the discussion to clarify anything I didn't understand or to give a refresher of the week. During discussion, we would do review slides and maybe a group activity which were also fairly simple.
Group Project: There is a final project for this class which is basically to research an Asian language which was not as common and write a paper and give a presentation on. You are given adequate time to complete all of this and Sensei and the TAs are always willing to help and clarify any questions or concerns.
Overall, this class was one of my favorites and I'm truly going to miss it.
The class runs like any other linguistics class, so if that’s your major or you find linguistics interesting, then you should be fine. In terms of the class concepts, they were pretty straightforward and Professor Iwaskai didn’t give us any false expectations as to what was going to be on the midterm and final. It’d be helpful if you had prior knowledge of an Asian language (Japanese, Vietnamese, Mandarin, etc.), but as long as you study the slides and review sheets you’ll be fine for the midterms and final. However, Professor Iwasaki is critical about participation, so make sure to attend office hours so he can remember your name and answer on the discussion board (I think 10 times to get full credit). Overall, a pretty solid class with a nice professor and TAs.
I took this class cuz my genius friend told me it would be ez, so my expectations of the class were that it would be way easier than it actually was. My grade died cuz even though class was at 12:30, I for some stupid reason couldn't wake up for class SPECIFICALLY on the days I had to turn in HW which is worth 30% of your grade (you also need to turn in HW at the beginning of lecture, so I got half credit on basically half the homework assignments). Midterms were fairly ez cuz my godly TA with a godly body, JAEHYUN JO, told us a lot of what was gonna be on the midterms. Final was ok other than the essay that you have to write. They gave us the prompt like a week before the final, so you have time to prepare and memorize what you gonna write but my dumb butt didn't do that until like 2 AM the day of the final. Is all good though cuz I somehow got an 87 on the final and clutched a B in the class lmao. Also s/o to my group for basically doing the entire group project for me. Y'all are homies :)
Not a hard class, but it does take some effort. You’ll be told what will be on the tests and it’s pretty straight forward. For the participation I only went to two office hours and did all the discussion boards with a reply on one response each and got full credit.
The subject itself was pretty interesting and the professor was very helpful and detailed in his lectures, so my main criticism of the course is probably just the workload and the participation. Although the workload itself is pretty easy and mainly consists of homework and short reports that contribute towards the group project, it will be somewhat time consuming and tedious. This is especially true for the homework assignments (another reviewer similarly states) which the answers come directly from the textbook but you are expected to write lengthy responses to each question. In addition, participation points are not only from attendance but are also based on lectures/discussions as well as discussion board posts so be sure to actively take part in this course and respond to every post.
Some final notes: it is pretty helpful to have knowledge of an East/Southeast Asian language, but it's not necessary and this is not an "easy" GE. Office hours are very helpful , and the two TAs for my quarter were both very approachable and knowledgeable about the subject and also offer valuable insight into their own languages which are discussed in the course. Also, be sure to carefully review the study guides because they really do contain everything you need to know before exams.
Based on 18 Users
TOP TAGS
- Uses Slides (14)
- Has Group Projects (14)
- Needs Textbook (11)
- Appropriately Priced Materials (9)
- Participation Matters (13)
- Engaging Lectures (9)
- Useful Textbooks (9)
- Tolerates Tardiness (6)