this was my favorite class this quarter! Professor Fong and all the TAs are very approachable, easy to talk to, and you can tell they're genuinely passionate about what they do. especially if you identify with being Asian American, you learn about your own history, and it's very interesting.

most of the homework was just readings, which are easily manageable. i recommending spreading them out over the week so that you're not reading everything last minute. over the quarter, you're working on a thesis paper that requires you to interview an Asian-American. there are deadlines for drafts and bibliographies, which were all very helpful and helped prevent procrastination for the most part. the midterm and final were all short answers and an essay (the final has 2 essays). these were also very manageable as long as you listen in lecture and discussions and study from your notes.

Professor Fong doesn't post the slides, but she goes over the material at a great pace and gives enough time for students to take notes. she doesn't allow people to use phones or take pictures (you WILL get called out if you do), but she does allow laptops.

the only issue i had with the class was that it was an 8am lecture but it be like that. also, since we're on the quarter system, we don't get to cover all the Asian-American history and groups in as much depth as I had hoped.

nonetheless, 10/10 recommend

Professor Fong was by far the best, most engaging, and most accommodating professor I've had thus far at UCLA! Despite the transition to online instruction being so sudden, her efforts in making her lectures and slides more accessible to us at home while also involving discussions regarding recent events such as the BLM movement and COVID-19 anti-Asian sentiment. Her lectures were engaging and packed with information, and her class readings were long but very interesting to read as an Asian-American myself. I will definitely look to take more classes taught by her in the future, and I 110% recommend taking Asian Am 10 even if you're not a North campus major.

This was one of the most engaging classes I've taken at UCLA. Professor Fong is an amazing lecturer. She transitioned very nicely to online and was able to adjust her class with the student's learning being her top priority. I would highly recommend taking this class if you are Asian American because it gives you major insight into your ethnic group's history with the US, something overlooked in normal history classes. There are a lot of readings but they give needed background for lecture.

I entered this class with little interest in the topic, because I heard it was an easy class. I genuinely feel interested in the topic now due to Dr Fong's enthusiasm for the topic. Lectures are well structured, and readings complement topics covered in lecture very well. There is adequate preparation for exams, and the requirements for the final paper are clearly laid out.

Grading in this class is also very lenient

Awesome and super engaging class! You spend most of the quarter working on group research projects, and the readings/discussions were all relevant to the project. Dr. Fong is an excellent professor and provides a lot of feedback throughout the quarter. Highly highly recommend taking AAS 103!

I absolutely loved this class! It may seem like a lot of work in the beginning, especially with the large group research paper due at the end of the term, but Dr. Fong breaks down projects and assignments into manageable parts. Dr. Fong is extremely intelligent and cares about her students' performance and well-being. She is always readily available to help and is very communicative. I took a lot away from this class and would most definitely take another class with Dr. Fong in the future!

Although this might get mixed reviews for this quarter I HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU TAKE THIS CLASS!! I am someone who is super interested in learning more about my culture so this class satisfied all of my academic needs. You will learn the background and history of the Asian American Social movement and the way that it came to be - which is knowledge relative to any race.

If you are wondering about the logistics of the class, here they are:

- weekly discussion posts (post your own thoughts and respond to two of your peers) - 15%
- participation in discussion section - 15%
- midterm (essay format, 48 hours) - 20%
- final - 20%
- community newspaper group project *DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND START EARLY - 20%
- journals (2) (papers about how you are feeling by learning the knowledge that the prof teaches) - 10%

Professor Fong was so cute and allowed. the class to still be online due to the varying COVID guidelines throughout the quarter. Also, she brought in guest speakers that were extremely intriguing to learn about as they were participating in the movements that we discussed in lecture so you can see your knowledge being applied to real life. Moreover, she would send out email blasts about internships to help out the local Asian American community which is something that truly everyone should consider.

Professor Fong is a great professor who really cares about her students and their wellbeing. At the start of the quarter, she sends out a wellness survey that she actually uses to change her teaching style for the quarter, and she makes the final optional (provided that you do well on the midterm). The class itself was quite interesting and made me want to learn more about the Asian American Movement even though I knew nothing about it before. It seems like it'd be even more fun in person due to Dr. Fong's lecture style. The midterm (and final if you take it) are pretty rough due to the length and quality required in such a short time; it's a 2 page short response and a 5 page analytical essay in 75 minutes (2 days for us since it was online).

Like other humanities classes, there is a good amount of reading every week (~80 pages), but the homework load is relatively light otherwise. She assigns weekly discussion posts and responses to your classmates' posts, as well as occasional projects. Your grade is determined by the midterm (20%), final (20%), discussion section (15%), Gidra Project (15%), and 2 Journal entries (10%). The Gidra Project is a group project where you make a newspaper, it's a bit of work and is really dependent on how your group works together. Thankfully, grading is quite generous in this class.

Overall, I'd recommend this class if you're looking for a fun and interesting GE with a bit of work.

Dr. Fong is an excellent, knowledgable, and conscientious teacher who pours incredible care into her teaching and her students. Although the course is rigorous, every material and assignment we engage with has been intentionally curated to challenge us to grow, think critically, and build confidence in ourselves. Dr. Fong provides adequate support through every step of the process and genuinely wants the best for her students. The course is centered around a group research project that is extremely transformative and impactful, allowing students to pursue a topic that is personal and meaningful to them. For this reason, I believe this particular class (103) should be offered at least once every year to allow students to experience this transformation. On top of this, Dr. Fong is the perfect teacher for this class because of her thoughtfulness in providing feedback (she spends time to leave comments for every assignment) and interdisciplinary approach to ethnic studies (readings draw from black and indigenous scholars).

For my research project, I collaborated with 2 other group members and we chose to focus our topic on Asian American immigrant stay-at-home mothers. It was honestly the most impactful project I've ever worked on in my life - I got to ask my mom very personal questions (which I might've never had the chance to without this project) and I cried during my interview while hearing about her recount her experiences. The process of synthesizing all our data and insights into a 20-page research paper was challenging, but it was so incredibly rewarding because we ended up creating something we were very proud of. The collaborative nature of the project was also so powerful in allowing us to lean on each other for emotional support and connect more deeply with one another. I'm happy to say that I got super close with my group members and we're still good friends even after leaving the class. If you're interested in reading my group's paper, feel free to reach me at cjleung[at]g.ucla.edu!

Keep in mind that course material can feel a little overwhelming at times with several deadlines a week and constant engagement in readings, especially while students are balancing a large research project. I think reducing the workload during certain weeks could be helpful in making the course more manageable and not as heavy. However, I recognize that there is a purpose in the workload for building discipline and knowledge, and Dr. Fong's support makes it very doable for students even if it is challenging.

All in all, I am super pleased with my experience in this course and commend Dr. Fong as a phenomenal instructor. :')

Very engaging and nice lecturer and interesting class. Would take again! I wish the lecture recordings and slides weren't deleted after a week though.