professor tamai is really sweet and you can tell she cares a lot about what she's teaching, but i wouldn't recommend taking this class if you're not an AAS major and/or if you're not that interested in the topic.

she assigns a lot of reading each week, you can probably get by if you skim them but it's still too much imo. no midterm or exams -- just a 6-8 page term paper (but she gives you plenty of time to do it) + a final that was set up the same as the paper, but you had 2-3 days to do it instead. honestly the paper and the final were what drained me the most, since you have to do the most work for them at the same time you would need to lock in for your other classes. attendance and participation also both matter. overall, not a bad class by any means, but definitely more than i thought it would be, and she can be a bit nit-picky about the assignments.

Professor Welty is so sweet and supportive! She actually tries to know everyone's name, and she gives almost everyone a PTE. I am not an AA major but this class was very manageable. The readings are very interesting and easy to skim through. Professor Welty's lectures are very engaging and interesting, and she is very helpful during office hours. She also lets her students decide which concepts to be on the finals. Professor Welty is one of the most approachable and sweet professor I ever had in UCLA. This class is also very interesting. Highly recommended!