Kudyma is the one and only professor you want to teach you Russian. She is incredibly knowledgeable in the Russian language and it shows in her teaching. If you grew up speaking Russian at home (but never took Russian courses until UCLA), her class is at the perfect difficulty level to keep you entertained and learning while not feeling overwhelmed. She speaks in simple, understandable Russian, so even if you do not have an extensive Russian vocabulary, you can keep up. Homework twice a week which is easy but can be long at times (so don't fall behind), lecture twice a week mandatory attendance, one or two midterms that are fair, a final presentation, and one news presentation per quarter. Kudyma really wants you to succeed no matter and will modify your homework to make it better for your learning if you ask.