I went into this class interested in the Chinese political system and atmosphere and left satisfied. While there are lots of readings, the readings aren't as dense as those in other humanities classes and somewhat interesting all the way through.

The class itself is organized very straightforwardly and doesn't give you a headache trying to figure out the schedule. The weekly questions can be a lot if you're taking 16+ units for the quarter but by doing them, I didn't have to prepare much for the midterm/final papers because of how comprehensive they were.

In regards to the papers, a choice of two prompts were given for each and they were all reasonable. From my experience, she focuses on forming a line of reasoning and sticking to/supporting said thesis statement.

Thankfully, the lectures go over the readings due before class and help clarify and focus in on key concepts/themes. The professor is always willing to answer questions during class, with question-driven discussions making up a large chunk of every lecture. She's focused on making sure students understand the concept and I really believe that the class is set up in a way that you'll do well if you simply put in the effort.

I took this class in winter 2019. I was looking for an opportunity to learn about international relations of China. And this class gave me exactly what I wanted.

Throughout this course, you can learn about China's diplomatic stances towards its neighboring states, Africa, Europe, and the US. Some of them are brief information from which you can get generic ideas how China approaches other regions, and some others will require you more insights into their relations.

Lectures are well-organized. Like mathematics, you will learn from the basic to more difficult topics. You will also need to participate in class discussions. I know it is kinda difficult to talk how you think about certain topics in front of your classmates. But you don't have to give a presentation or something difficult. Professor Lee asks some questions, and you just need to answer the questions or give some your thoughts. As time goes by, you will feel like it becomes easier to engage in the class since everyone participates in. You will have plenty of opportunities to engage in class discussions. Professor knows how to carry out her lectures and will balance students' participation so that everyone can have fair chances. (btw, she will remember your name once you engage in class discussions. Literally she memorized almost 150 students' names by mid-term)

There were reading assignments. But, they were not heavy stuff as long as you do your weekly reading. The reading materials were super clear. If you have any question or issue with the reading assignments, you can ask professor. She will give you helpful advices.

Also, there would be mid-term and final exams. Before covid, my mid-term and final exams were in class essay format. (for the other class I took during the covid pandemic in 2020, both exams were take-home essays)
The exams were straightforward, and if you study the course materials and things professor discussed in class, you can write a decent essay.

If you are poli-sci major with IR concentration, I strongly recommend this class. I don't think I need to explain how important Asia and China are in IR. If you take this class, you'll definitely learn enough about China and its relations with other states. This class is not an easy A I'd say, but it is a reasonable class. Attend lectures, participate in class discussions, and study what you learned from the lectures, then you will see a good grade on your transcript.

Perhaps the only difficult part of this course was the mandatory attendance, especially because lectures were not recorded. However, because of security reasons, the inability to record lectures was perfectly understandable. In fact, going to lecture every time and paying close attention was actually super helpful in gathering info for the midterm and final. Both the midterm and final were 5-6 page take-home essays that posed questions about major themes in the class.

Overall, Professor Lee and this course was amazing! Her discussion-style lectures felt really engaging, and we were able to learn a wide range of different opinions from other students. I believe that the assigned readings (there is no textbook) did a fantastic and thorough job of explaining the materials to us. Through her lectures and communication with the class, I can tell that Professor Lee truly cares about her students and is passionate about teaching us. Honestly, my experience with this class has led me to walk away with a deeper interest in Chinese politics.

International Relations of East and Southeast Asia.
The class material was super interesting, the professor not so much. I definitely learned a ton about East Asian international relations because the readings she assigned were engaging and super informative. She structured the class well so that each week we focused on one particular issue. But she wasn't a very engaging lecturer. Especially when the first part of the class was on Zoom, it was basically run as a discussion section with 120 students. Her analyses and insights in lecture on the readings and subjects were pretty surface-level. But the class was easy. Midterm and final were each 4 page essays. When she releases the prompt you have like a day or two to work on it. Quizzes were super easy if you did the readings. Typically there were 2 or 3 readings per lecture and each reading probably averaged out to be like 20 pages.

Take this if the subject interests you and you're looking for a fairly easy class but be ready to learn mostly from the readings.