While there are some negative reviews for Professor Kim, I think that he is actually a solid professor. The class is well-organized and has clear expectations, grading is fair (not an "easy A" but definitely feasible with hard work and engagement), and the lectures are interesting (you definitely will learn something of value). Overall, I would recommend the class for anyone passionate about US diplomatic history and wants to improve their historical analysis and writing skills.

For more nitty-gritty details, class participation was 10% (in-person attendance required plus occasional asking/answering questions which felt very manageable), two response papers were 15% each, and in-person, handwritten final (like classic bluebook set-up) were each 20% of the final grade. There were a decent amount of readings but nothing above what would be expected of an upper-div history class. Also, study guides (which were actually insanely helpful) were provided a week before both the midterm and the final.

enjoyed the class overall and not too bad for a GE. would recommend, especially if you like US history or have taken APUSH since it is semi-similar. also, prof kim is very chill and understanding.
grading scheme:
midterm (in-person exam, short answer and essay questions, not open note)
final (in-person-exam, short answer and essay question, not cumulative, not open note)
paper (5 pages double spaced, topic of choosing as long as it is discussed in class)
section participation (come to section and talk about readings)
section "quizzes" (write a little paragraph about something in class, answering a prompt)

Professor Kim is a gem in the history department. He is incredibly intelligent, caring, and willing to help. I took this class during COVID so it may have had a reduced workload but for a 187 course it was not particularly difficult, though the weekly required discussion posts were not ideal. Overall it was a great course with a great professor, I highly reccomend