This is the most useful class I ever took at UCLA. If you want to go into technology with your linguistics degree, especially something in the engineering, data science, or acoustic realm, this class will teach you things about the science of phonetics that will almost certainly come in handy (they did for me in the workplace in several ways). If you truly love performing scientific experiments, and you love acoustics or the acoustics of phonetics, Sun-Ah is the best professor for you. It is a demanding course, but you can get by without the textbook because the packets Sun-Ah provides are very thorough. Just make sure to go to lecture always and pay attention! You'll know if you have grasped the material or not, and as long as you stay engaged you should be fine. The exams don't pull any surprises; it's all material covered in lecture and written in the packets. You will have to perform a couple of phonetic experiments, learn to synthesize speech, and learn how to segment waveforms and read spectrograms, but these should be fun for anyone interested in the subject. Fantastically interesting science too.

One of the best professors I've had at UCLA. Truly cares about her students, patient, kind, understanding about deadlines on the final project, makes the material interesting

her 103 was fun. everything is explained in lecture, barely had to touch the book except for the homework. prof. jun brings in a laptop sometimes to demonstrate spectogram and waveform analysis. pretty easy to grasp. on top of everything prof. jun has a scintillating personality and a great smile that make it really easy to make it to lecture on time <grin>

very difficult grader. the type of prof. whose list of requirements for a paper or a project are only the requirements for a B....

The course was not all that difficult, though the professor is really really dry. She managed to make one of the most interesting aspects of linguistics into a boring shoot-myself lecture. So yah, if you never have trouble falling asleep in class, go for it.

Professor Jun is excellent. Her presentations and explanations of difficult material are accessible and engaging. She is very skilled at making even the most daunting material seem clear and coherent. Her assignments are excellent. She always designs them to be challenging, but they are well worth the effort because you learn a great deal doing them. They are never merely busy work. She is also very fair in her evaluation of students' work, and she is very supportive and enthusiastic when discussing students' ideas with them. She makes an excellent mentor/advisor.

Nicest, sweetest lady ever! I went in at a bit of a disadvantage cause I had a bad time in Ling 20 (eg, i didnt get ANYthing) so at first I was completely overwhelmed. i talked to her and told her i didn't get it and even that i really didnt like phonetics, and she was so nice about it and just kept reassuring me and was really encouraging. by the time the class ended i actually understood the material, and thats sayin a lot cause i was pretty hopeless in the beginning.
she grades fairly (generously, even) and her tests aren't too bad- you get study guides which pretty much tell you everything you need to study. she responds to emails in record time and her replies were always very thoughtful and helpful. pretty much she really cares about her students and will go to great lengths to help them.
one caveat, tho- the final project is pretty difficult. start early and ask lots of questions! it seemed simple enough at first but seemed to take FOREVER.
as for the prof herself tho, i can't say enough good things!

Besides being such a sweet and humble lady, Professor Jun is an incredible professor. She puts her heart into teaching and makes sure everyone understands the material. If you go into her office hours, she'll give you good advice regarding the production exam. I was really impressed that she actually took the time to learn everyone's (well, almost everyone) name--this in a class of 40+ people. There are two homeworks for this class, which are relatively fair & simple. The other portion of your grade comes from a midterm, a final, a final paper (30%), and a production exam. I think this class should be a treat for those who love phonetics as much as I do and even for those who don't. Good luck.

When I came into Linguistics 103, I was dreading the class like none other as I was taking it to fill a Communications requirement. But I was pleasantly suprised as the class is definitely quite interesting. It could totally be SO BORING, but she makes it fun. I won't lie. There were days, when I was like, "please let me out of the class, i don't care about how my tongue is shaped to make the "f" sound. The final project is HARD!!!!!!! It is very time consuming although definitely interesting. Her lectures are a bit confusing as she often assumes that the class knows more about the field of linguistics than introduction class requires, but her hand outs are excellent and if you study those and go to section to practice your pronunciation skills, you will be fine. If you are a communications major, you might have to work a bit harder as most people in the class have taken Linguistics 20 and Comm Majors don't have to take it. Just be prepared for an intensive course!!!

Not only is Professor Jun extremely qualified, she is also a fun instructor. She explains concepts clearly - in her lecture notes and in the lecture itself - and always uses appropriate examples. I agree about the homework assignments - although they take a lot of time and can be difficult, they have proven to be the most effective way for me to learn the material. By simply doing the homework and reviewing the lecture notes, I feel prepared for the exams. Also, she's not a difficult grader if you are willing to put in some time on your work. All in all, she's a fun, extremely capable professor. I've taken her twice - and I would take any other class she teaches!