Dr. JP was genuinely a godsend during our tumultuous spring quarter. He taught our seminar "Buddhism and Intersectionality", and managed to make our 3 hour sessions fly by with his engaging lecture style and discussion-based lesson plans. Dr. JP was especially equipped to teach our seminar as he is the professor for "Intro to Asian American Studies", AND an ordained Buddhist priest. I came into the class knowing practically nothing about Buddhism, and only had entry-level knowledge of the Japanese experience post-Pearl Harbor, yet I managed to come out with a solid grasp of the interactions between both topics. I arrived at every class excited to learn and hopeful that we would be let out 30 minutes early (our norm). Dr. JP cultivated a community feel to our seminar and I really feel like I made 17 new friends after taking his class. Not only would I enroll in this class again, but I will be on the lookout for other classes that he may teach in the future. If you show up to class, skim the readings, and get the assignments in (no late policy), you'll get an A. 100% recommend.

Out of all of the seminar options for Cluster20: Race and Indigeneity, I highly recommend Cluster20CW: Buddhism and Intersectionality. Not only do I think the content is very interesting, but Dr. JP DeGuzman is single-handedly one of the kindest, smartest, and best professors at this school. This class is centered around 2 books mainly, along with a few assigned digital readings that are extremely manageable. There are also a few field trips to Buddhist temples and YRL along the way, which are really fun and a great way to apply what we read to real-life. The seminars are 2 hours and 50 minutes long, which are long but they go by extremely quickly in Dr. JP's class. As for graded material, participation really matters - as well as 2 essays in this course, which are really interesting and involve a deep analysis into Buddhism (in the media, and in archives). Dr. JP is extremely helpful and provides awesome constructive criticism on essays.