Professor
Valerie Matsumoto
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Most Helpful Review
LECTURES: Professor Matsumoto is very organized and clear in her lectures, but I think she's just reading off a paper most of the time. She doesn't take questions from the class - I always saw one girl in the front raising her hand for the first few weeks, but she stopped because she was never called on even though the professor saw her. Everyone thinks you can skip her lectures, but her lectures are a bit different from the readings, AND if you use info from the lectures in your midterms, you get credit. HOMEWORK: You write a journal entry about what you learned in your readings, show some thought/analysis in them, and relate to them somehow. MIDTERMS: The midterms required you to know SPECIFIC facts, anecdotes, numbers, laws, places, people. SPECIFIC and from ALL of your readings. She gives out 6 questions a week before the midterm. A few of these questions are chosen to be on the midterm. I recommend forming a study group, assigning a person to each question and basically WRITING the whole essay with SPECIFIC and RELEVANT info from ALL of the readings.
LECTURES: Professor Matsumoto is very organized and clear in her lectures, but I think she's just reading off a paper most of the time. She doesn't take questions from the class - I always saw one girl in the front raising her hand for the first few weeks, but she stopped because she was never called on even though the professor saw her. Everyone thinks you can skip her lectures, but her lectures are a bit different from the readings, AND if you use info from the lectures in your midterms, you get credit. HOMEWORK: You write a journal entry about what you learned in your readings, show some thought/analysis in them, and relate to them somehow. MIDTERMS: The midterms required you to know SPECIFIC facts, anecdotes, numbers, laws, places, people. SPECIFIC and from ALL of your readings. She gives out 6 questions a week before the midterm. A few of these questions are chosen to be on the midterm. I recommend forming a study group, assigning a person to each question and basically WRITING the whole essay with SPECIFIC and RELEVANT info from ALL of the readings.
Most Helpful Review
Had Professor Matsumoto for AAS10. I thought she was a fairly good lecturer and articulated her thoughts and ideas well. The lectures on plantations and agriculture got a little dry but overall I enjoyed the class. My TA Jane was pretty awesome and I actually decided to become an Asian American Studies Minor after taking the class. The class isn't too difficult as long as you go to lectures and discussions. The readings aren't extremely difficult and are usually narratives so it's not too dull. There is a midterm and a final. Professor Matsumoto gives you a study guide with about 6 or so questions and she chooses 2 or 3 of them to put on the test so you get to prepare before hand. There's no reason you shouldn't get an A!
Had Professor Matsumoto for AAS10. I thought she was a fairly good lecturer and articulated her thoughts and ideas well. The lectures on plantations and agriculture got a little dry but overall I enjoyed the class. My TA Jane was pretty awesome and I actually decided to become an Asian American Studies Minor after taking the class. The class isn't too difficult as long as you go to lectures and discussions. The readings aren't extremely difficult and are usually narratives so it's not too dull. There is a midterm and a final. Professor Matsumoto gives you a study guide with about 6 or so questions and she chooses 2 or 3 of them to put on the test so you get to prepare before hand. There's no reason you shouldn't get an A!
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Most Helpful Review
I had Professor Matsumoto for Interracial Dynamics (freshman cluster course) and she was my favorite lecturer of the 4 professors who taught the course. Professor Matsumoto is very articulate, and she explains the concepts in depth and very well. At times she would go kind of quickly through the lecture slides and I would miss notes, and she tends to provide a LOT of extra information that's not on the powerpoint slides, so you have to take good notes and take a lot. Professor Matsumoto is very kind and approachable! She is very intelligent and knows her history well, and is always willing to answer questions. She always held my interest and I enjoyed her lectures in this class.
I had Professor Matsumoto for Interracial Dynamics (freshman cluster course) and she was my favorite lecturer of the 4 professors who taught the course. Professor Matsumoto is very articulate, and she explains the concepts in depth and very well. At times she would go kind of quickly through the lecture slides and I would miss notes, and she tends to provide a LOT of extra information that's not on the powerpoint slides, so you have to take good notes and take a lot. Professor Matsumoto is very kind and approachable! She is very intelligent and knows her history well, and is always willing to answer questions. She always held my interest and I enjoyed her lectures in this class.
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Most Helpful Review
Prof. Matsumoto is dope. She's very kind and always gives a friendly smile. This class is pretty much very similar to Asian American Studies 10/10W. It's basically an AAS class. It's fairly easy and the readings are interesting. The midterm and final are really easy - two essays in each. She gives you the questions beforehand and picks two. As long as you prep from the study guide, you'll be fine. I got an A- in the class. Go to the lectures and esp. SEE THE MOVIE SCREENINGS. I'm really into film but I love some of the documentaries/short films we got to see - especaily when the filmmakers would come and do a brief QA session. The films kind of tie in to the class but for me, its a nice break from lectures. The paper she assigns is actually quite different and interesting than most history papers as you relate your own personal or someone else's history to the larger scope of Asian history in the U.S. Take Matsumoto. She's great. She's nice. She references other scholars/readings quite frequently in her lectures which I admire - giving much credit to her peers.
Prof. Matsumoto is dope. She's very kind and always gives a friendly smile. This class is pretty much very similar to Asian American Studies 10/10W. It's basically an AAS class. It's fairly easy and the readings are interesting. The midterm and final are really easy - two essays in each. She gives you the questions beforehand and picks two. As long as you prep from the study guide, you'll be fine. I got an A- in the class. Go to the lectures and esp. SEE THE MOVIE SCREENINGS. I'm really into film but I love some of the documentaries/short films we got to see - especaily when the filmmakers would come and do a brief QA session. The films kind of tie in to the class but for me, its a nice break from lectures. The paper she assigns is actually quite different and interesting than most history papers as you relate your own personal or someone else's history to the larger scope of Asian history in the U.S. Take Matsumoto. She's great. She's nice. She references other scholars/readings quite frequently in her lectures which I admire - giving much credit to her peers.
Most Helpful Review
I really enjoyed Professor Matsumoto's Asians in American History class. She is extremely knowledgeable, well-organized, intellgent, and caring. I've found myself considering a minor in Asian American studies because of this class. There are two exams (two midterms - one of which is the final, or "second midterm"), and she gives us a study guide a week before. She'll choose three out of the 6 questions on the day of the exams, and out of the three, you have to write 2 essays. Essays are not so hard. Make sure you pay attention to the lectures and do the readings, and you should be fine. If there are any classes offered by Prof. Matsumoto in the coming quarters, I would definitely take her again. Highly recommended!! :)
I really enjoyed Professor Matsumoto's Asians in American History class. She is extremely knowledgeable, well-organized, intellgent, and caring. I've found myself considering a minor in Asian American studies because of this class. There are two exams (two midterms - one of which is the final, or "second midterm"), and she gives us a study guide a week before. She'll choose three out of the 6 questions on the day of the exams, and out of the three, you have to write 2 essays. Essays are not so hard. Make sure you pay attention to the lectures and do the readings, and you should be fine. If there are any classes offered by Prof. Matsumoto in the coming quarters, I would definitely take her again. Highly recommended!! :)
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