My first quarter at UCLA was made that much better by taking a class with Professor Hanscom. Not only is he passionate about what he teaches, but extremely friendly and approachable. Going to his office hours is suggested, as he's willing to look over the group project or final paper before either are due. He'll happily let you know if you're headed in the right direction and offer advice/tips for proceeding. There's a decent amount of reading for this class, but you know what you're getting into by enrolling in any literature-based course. There are written assignments that coincide with each reading, along with presentations (at least once per quarter) and a final paper. You're made aware of this at the beginning and given ample time to prepare. English majors taking this as a "foreign literature in translation" course will likely find this to be light work!

Taking this class was totally worth it. I initially took this class while feeling a little nervous about whether this class would be difficult or if the professor would be very strict, however, after experiencing the class and meeting the professor in person, all of my concerns were for nothing. The lectures were engaging and fun and one could tell how enthusiastic the professor is when he talks about Korean literature. From my experience when talking to him in person, he was nice, fair, and helpful when asking for help or advice. He also replies back very quickly with helpful feedback through email after class. One should also keep in mind that this class also consists of weekly presentations until the end of the quarter and every student will have to do one at least once. There were also weekly discussions that must be done before that week's first or second lecture begins, depending on the amount of reading that is required. There was also a seminar paper (10~12 pages) that is half of your entire total grades but it has to be submitted by the end of the quarter. I had a great and fun time and experience while taking this class and would take another class with this professor when given the chance.

This class was definitely a lot of readings, but they were very interesting. Before coming into this class, I really hated readings. But the readings in this class made me think more deeply and I now have the desire to read more. Professor Hanscom is also very very knowledgable, nice and approachable. His language ability impressed me.
In terms of the class itself, you write weekly posts answering one question regarding the readings you did. Have one midterm on materials covered roughly in week 1-5 and a final paper. As long as you do the readings and listen in class, the midterm was not that tough. I really liked this class despite the amount of readings assigned and I would definitely try to take more classes with this professor in the future.

Prof. Hanscom is by far the best professor that I have at UCLA .

His Korea C151 class is FANTASTIC. The class materials, readings, and powerpoint slides are splendid.

If you read all required readings before each class, you will learn that it is a blessing to be able to go to a class taught by someone who masters the subject and cares about the materials in great details.

Prof. Hanscom is very approachable, extremely smart, funny, and willing to help students.
This class will offer you an invaluable chance to develop a sophisticated taste for Modern Korean Fiction from authors such as Yi Kwangsu, Hwang Sok-yong, Cho Se-hui, Kim Yong-ha, Pak Mingyu, and many more.

The class ends a while ago, but I often think of T. H. White's passage " still the light of memory weaves" that Prof. Hanscom introduced during one of the classes.
Highly recommend this class to anyone who loves literature or cares to "learn from one of the best UCLA professors" before graduation.