I have never done one of these reviews, but felt compelled to do so after taking Pr. Ooms class. Unless you are a fan of Japanese Religions or have real interest in the subject, do not take this class. He lectures are a bit dry and boring. His midterm and finals are a bit ridiculous. I ended up getting a C- on the first midterm when I got a score of B-/C+ on the essay. The essay was worth 80% of the test. In fairness, he gives you an essay every week, but expects you to "know" which terms are important. He does highlight a few, but not all. Overall I would rate the Professor as B- and the Class as B-. Not horrible, but avoid unless truly interested in the subject.

Have taken both his Tokugawa and Japanese History of Religion classes. He is somewhat quiet and well, professorial in his delivery, but the information is very interesting - and so is he if you take the time to drop by office hours. A very nice guy. . Also, it turns out he's a major scholar with like five important books to his credit, so for history and Asian Studies majors, he's extra interesting.