Professor

David Kim

AD
3.3
Overall Ratings
Based on 17 Users
Easiness 3.0 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Workload 3.1 / 5 How light the workload is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Clarity 3.0 / 5 How clear the professor is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Helpfulness 3.6 / 5 How helpful the professor is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

Reviews (17)

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March 10, 2016
Quarter: Winter 2016
Grade: N/A

Professor Kim took a really interesting concept and completely ruined it. He is easily the worst lecturer I've had. Everything he says sounds like he's trying so hard to make things as complex and philosophical as possible. He doesn't curve and he doesn't give extra credit. Your grade is made up of 3 multiple choice quizzes, participation, two essays and one final. You have to get a natural 95 in the class to receive a solid A, which just became discouraging throughout the quarter. DO NOT take this class if you are looking for a GE. You will regret it.

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GERMAN 56
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
June 14, 2020
Quarter: Spring 2020
Grade: B+

Professor Kim's lecture is interesting but difficult to understand because he makes everything so much harder than it needs to be. His responses are very convoluted. You really have to put in the work to get an A for this class. I would recommend another class if you're just trying to get the credit and to also look at his other class reviews to gauge what he's actually like. Most of the reviews here are misleading. He said that he didn't want this quarter to be stressful but he wasn't lenient on the grading and only accommodated after a student brought it up. Professor Kim's a nice and intelligent guy but be prepared to put in the work and be disappointed by your grade.

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1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
April 13, 2016
Quarter: Winter 2016
Grade: B+

I was really looking forward to taking a fairly easy GE and this class seemed like it would be very interesting, but I was disappointed. Kim gives unclear, boring lectures. Quiz questions are not straightforward or based directly off of the reading or work you complete. Although there are many intriguing books and films out there on the Holocaust, the ones selected to be analyzed in this class are extremely boring and difficult to get through. Do not recommend this class.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Dec. 19, 2017
Quarter: Fall 2017
Grade: B+

This class was a scam. The grade distribution is a scam. My TA said during her section that this would be an easy A and that she was the easiest grader. Completely deceiving. I worked my butt off for the final paper and still couldn't get an A on it. Save yourself the stress and take truly easy GE's such as American Indian Studies M10 or Ethnomusicology 50A, where you can put in 0 effort and still get an A.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
March 13, 2016
Quarter: Winter 2016
Grade: B

This was the least enjoyable class I have taken at UCLA. I am interested in the time period of World War II, and also interested in literature and filmmaking. Instead of looking at how specific books or films reimagined the Holocaust, Professor Kim spent a majority of the time on high level philosophical analysis of the Holocaust and its place in history. Obviously the biggest issue was that the course description was totally misleading. The class consists of 3 section quizzes (Not hard material just very poorly worded and ambiguous multiple choice questions), 2 papers (got a 95 on the first one and an 85 on the second) with multiple options to choose from, and a final exam. On the topic of the papers; The only reason I received such a good grade on the first one was because I had a lot of experience in film analysis. Overall, they gave little to no guidance on the papers. The lectures were really difficult to follow as professor kim is not a very good speaker. He tends to talk in circles and unless you write down everything he says than decipher it later you're completely lost when it comes to what to take notes on. His slides are useless too so you're kind of stuck.

Helpful?

1 1 Please log in to provide feedback.
March 28, 2016
Quarter: Winter 2015
Grade: A-

Avoid this class at all costs. The professor is extremely anal and demands a straight scale 95 in order to get an A, and yet at the same time is ridiculous and very quick to take off points on your tests and essays. My TA was exceptional and was clearly trying to digest the class to make it as enjoyable as possible without being too much of a burden and stress on grades, and yet the professor seemed to be completely against this mission (which is ironic since he said many times he didn't want us to worry about grades in his class). Perhaps German 59 is an easy and interesting GE normally, but avoid it at all costs when he's lecturing it. Worst professor I've had during my entire time at UCLA.

Helpful?

1 1 Please log in to provide feedback.
Feb. 18, 2018
Quarter: Fall 2017
Grade: A

Go to class, and take notes and you will definitely do great in this class!
the class consists of two papers and a project, the project is an easy A! For the papers you'll have to try a little harder of course but they are doable. Definitely, recommend this class, Kim is very clear and loves what he teaches

Helpful?

0 1 Please log in to provide feedback.
GERMAN 56
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
July 1, 2020
Quarter: Spring 2020
Grade: A

I learned a lot. This professor is awesome. This is the second class I have taken with him and I don't regret it. He really cares about the students. He actually makes what could be boring material very interesting. I never thought I would be interested in the subject, but he relates it to real world current events. The project we did at the end was to show how it related to UCLA and that was interesting. He discussed the Black Lives Matters protested and got our feedback as to what we thought and what we were feeling. He also talked about COVID - and he related his teachings to these things that were important to us and going on in our world. The midterm and final were take home, the project was fun to do, and participation was important. Great class - you will enjoy it if you take Dr. Kim. He is super down-to-earth too.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
March 12, 2016
Quarter: Winter 2016
Grade: N/A

I took this class as a GE outside my major and found it to be the most challenging of all my courses this quarter. Professor Kim's lectures were very boring, but you can't afford to miss them because his lecture slides have little detail. The quiz questions were often based on very specific facts, which made it hard to get good grades. I was very interested in the subject matter before the course, but he hasn't made it very interesting to learn more about.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
GERMAN 56
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Aug. 14, 2020
Quarter: Spring 2020
Grade: A

Dr. Kim is one of the best professors at UCLA. He engages the students in the discussion, is easily available to students, particularly the days before an exam, and he cares about the students' learning. He is passionate about what he is teaching. I never would have thought I would find the subject interesting, but he made it interesting and very understandable. If I were in this major, I would definitely take other classes with him. If you do the reading and attend the lectures (in this quarter it was zoom), you will do fine in the class. Open book midterm and final, and the papers weren't hard. The final project was fun because that is how he related the class to current events and UCLA, so it brought it all together in a way that we really understood. I would definitely recommend Dr. Kim. If you go to him during office hours, he will help you as e wants the students to learn and be passionate about what he is teaching.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
GERMAN 59
Quarter: Winter 2016
Grade: N/A
March 10, 2016

Professor Kim took a really interesting concept and completely ruined it. He is easily the worst lecturer I've had. Everything he says sounds like he's trying so hard to make things as complex and philosophical as possible. He doesn't curve and he doesn't give extra credit. Your grade is made up of 3 multiple choice quizzes, participation, two essays and one final. You have to get a natural 95 in the class to receive a solid A, which just became discouraging throughout the quarter. DO NOT take this class if you are looking for a GE. You will regret it.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
GERMAN 56
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Quarter: Spring 2020
Grade: B+
June 14, 2020

Professor Kim's lecture is interesting but difficult to understand because he makes everything so much harder than it needs to be. His responses are very convoluted. You really have to put in the work to get an A for this class. I would recommend another class if you're just trying to get the credit and to also look at his other class reviews to gauge what he's actually like. Most of the reviews here are misleading. He said that he didn't want this quarter to be stressful but he wasn't lenient on the grading and only accommodated after a student brought it up. Professor Kim's a nice and intelligent guy but be prepared to put in the work and be disappointed by your grade.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
GERMAN 59
Quarter: Winter 2016
Grade: B+
April 13, 2016

I was really looking forward to taking a fairly easy GE and this class seemed like it would be very interesting, but I was disappointed. Kim gives unclear, boring lectures. Quiz questions are not straightforward or based directly off of the reading or work you complete. Although there are many intriguing books and films out there on the Holocaust, the ones selected to be analyzed in this class are extremely boring and difficult to get through. Do not recommend this class.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
GERMAN 56
Quarter: Fall 2017
Grade: B+
Dec. 19, 2017

This class was a scam. The grade distribution is a scam. My TA said during her section that this would be an easy A and that she was the easiest grader. Completely deceiving. I worked my butt off for the final paper and still couldn't get an A on it. Save yourself the stress and take truly easy GE's such as American Indian Studies M10 or Ethnomusicology 50A, where you can put in 0 effort and still get an A.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
GERMAN 59
Quarter: Winter 2016
Grade: B
March 13, 2016

This was the least enjoyable class I have taken at UCLA. I am interested in the time period of World War II, and also interested in literature and filmmaking. Instead of looking at how specific books or films reimagined the Holocaust, Professor Kim spent a majority of the time on high level philosophical analysis of the Holocaust and its place in history. Obviously the biggest issue was that the course description was totally misleading. The class consists of 3 section quizzes (Not hard material just very poorly worded and ambiguous multiple choice questions), 2 papers (got a 95 on the first one and an 85 on the second) with multiple options to choose from, and a final exam. On the topic of the papers; The only reason I received such a good grade on the first one was because I had a lot of experience in film analysis. Overall, they gave little to no guidance on the papers. The lectures were really difficult to follow as professor kim is not a very good speaker. He tends to talk in circles and unless you write down everything he says than decipher it later you're completely lost when it comes to what to take notes on. His slides are useless too so you're kind of stuck.

Helpful?

1 1 Please log in to provide feedback.
GERMAN 59
Quarter: Winter 2015
Grade: A-
March 28, 2016

Avoid this class at all costs. The professor is extremely anal and demands a straight scale 95 in order to get an A, and yet at the same time is ridiculous and very quick to take off points on your tests and essays. My TA was exceptional and was clearly trying to digest the class to make it as enjoyable as possible without being too much of a burden and stress on grades, and yet the professor seemed to be completely against this mission (which is ironic since he said many times he didn't want us to worry about grades in his class). Perhaps German 59 is an easy and interesting GE normally, but avoid it at all costs when he's lecturing it. Worst professor I've had during my entire time at UCLA.

Helpful?

1 1 Please log in to provide feedback.
GERMAN 56
Quarter: Fall 2017
Grade: A
Feb. 18, 2018

Go to class, and take notes and you will definitely do great in this class!
the class consists of two papers and a project, the project is an easy A! For the papers you'll have to try a little harder of course but they are doable. Definitely, recommend this class, Kim is very clear and loves what he teaches

Helpful?

0 1 Please log in to provide feedback.
GERMAN 56
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Quarter: Spring 2020
Grade: A
July 1, 2020

I learned a lot. This professor is awesome. This is the second class I have taken with him and I don't regret it. He really cares about the students. He actually makes what could be boring material very interesting. I never thought I would be interested in the subject, but he relates it to real world current events. The project we did at the end was to show how it related to UCLA and that was interesting. He discussed the Black Lives Matters protested and got our feedback as to what we thought and what we were feeling. He also talked about COVID - and he related his teachings to these things that were important to us and going on in our world. The midterm and final were take home, the project was fun to do, and participation was important. Great class - you will enjoy it if you take Dr. Kim. He is super down-to-earth too.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
GERMAN 59
Quarter: Winter 2016
Grade: N/A
March 12, 2016

I took this class as a GE outside my major and found it to be the most challenging of all my courses this quarter. Professor Kim's lectures were very boring, but you can't afford to miss them because his lecture slides have little detail. The quiz questions were often based on very specific facts, which made it hard to get good grades. I was very interested in the subject matter before the course, but he hasn't made it very interesting to learn more about.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
GERMAN 56
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Quarter: Spring 2020
Grade: A
Aug. 14, 2020

Dr. Kim is one of the best professors at UCLA. He engages the students in the discussion, is easily available to students, particularly the days before an exam, and he cares about the students' learning. He is passionate about what he is teaching. I never would have thought I would find the subject interesting, but he made it interesting and very understandable. If I were in this major, I would definitely take other classes with him. If you do the reading and attend the lectures (in this quarter it was zoom), you will do fine in the class. Open book midterm and final, and the papers weren't hard. The final project was fun because that is how he related the class to current events and UCLA, so it brought it all together in a way that we really understood. I would definitely recommend Dr. Kim. If you go to him during office hours, he will help you as e wants the students to learn and be passionate about what he is teaching.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
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