[panc2]

The course I took was taught by Dr. Rowe and I thought it was a really interesting course. Since I'm a Biology major, I found it refreshing to have a break from the regular textbook-lecture format of teaching. The prof is really funny and makes the classes extremely entertaining.

Content:

2 in class tests - 40%

Reading response papers (2 times)- 20%

Online Assignment - 5%

Final Exam - 35%


The online assignment was basically free marks-- all we had to do was submit a paragraph about something Japanese (be it manga, sushi, kimonos, etc). The reading response papers are basically critiques based on the weekly readings. For these, I suggest to definitely be on good terms with your TA and to attend weekly tutorials, as they are the ones who will mark your papers. The tests are fair, with definitions (given beforehand), timelines, and 1 (or 2?) short essays to write. I found the content of the tests fairly reasonable.


Cautions:
- this class involves you to memorize a LOT of japanese words.. which is not that hard.. but you definitely have to put in some effort.
- I made a study buddy in that class and we would each do 1/2 of the definitions he posted.. because doing them alone is insane and requires too much time

Tips:
- if you don't do all the readings (which isn't that much), make sure you attend the lectures
- I've spent the $$ to get the custom courseware for this course, but Dr. Rowe keeps a copy of it reserved at Mills~~ **hint hint**
- make a study buddy (or group) because the definitions can get overwhelming if you study them by yourself.


Overall:

I would definitely recommend this course to other people. I didnt complete a lot of the readings but I made sure to attend each class (which wasnt a chore because the prof is a great lecturer and storyteller), and by no means am I good at writing essays, but I still came away with a great mark.

Hey!

To anyone who's recently taken this course, what do the tutorials entail?