The best parts of this course were the interesting material and readings, as well as the professor. Students said the professor was a great lecturer, very knowledgeable, and passionate about the subject. The negative aspects of the course were that the lectures were disorganized and sometimes hard to follow. The lengthy readings were not always referred to in class, the instructions for assignments were somewhat unclear, and there was no study guide for the final exam. Students suggested restructuring the grading, integrating the readings into lectures, and offering more guidance for the writing assignments and final exam. Students should know that this class covers a lot of material and it helps to have some knowledge of Chinese history. The readings are not absolutely necessary, but it is essential go to class and take good notes.

Students praised this course for having engaging lectures and a reasonable workload. Some students felt the there was too much material that was fair game for the final making it hard to prepare for. Others felt there was little correlation between the courses required readings and lectures. Suggestions for improvement included tying the class’ assigned reading more firmly into lectures and doing away with the class’ book critiques. Prospective students should know the course doesn’t require a background in Chinese history or culture although some familiarity will help.

Students praised this course for having an enthusiastic instructor who integrated cultural, economic and political perspectives into lessons. Perceived issues with the course included a widespread feeling that the course lacked a bit of structure as some students complained the instructor would go off on tangents and that the instructor’s expectations on assignments were unclear. Suggestions for improvement largely centered on a desire by many students that the instructor focus the course so lectures stayed on course and students had a better understanding of what was expected of them. Prospective students should know that students found that despite the general lack of organization, the course was highly enjoyable.