This class was overall a really good intro to GE here at UCLA and I would def recommend to other incoming freshmen. There is only 2 papers and a quiz every unit. I would say that the quizzes were very stupid because it was basically quoting his lectures. He said this was to counteract Chat GBT, but a lot of the students did not like this (including me) as it felt like it wasn't really testing your knowledge on the material. Overall, the professor was really nice and approachable. One thing I didn't like was that his office hours were all held on Zoom which was hella awkard. But he was cool. I feel I didn't learn anything though, but I got through it. You will know the names of random Japanese periods which is nice. I was watching the Studio Ghibli movie and it referenced an era and I was like omg! i know that! but yeah that's about it.

I took this class during remote learning so the structure could be different from the class in real time. All I have to say is please take this GE!! It's literally amazing. Professor Duthie is a great lecturer with good humor and clear presentation structure. He expanded the content on the textbook and I've learned so much about Japan and its history in this class. The assignments are fairly graded, and you will get a good score as long as you write them carefully and integrate the class materials. Huge shoutout to my TA Kristin for teaching us how to write effective responses!!

This is one of the most interesting and easiest GEs that I've taken at ucla. Professor Duthie is incredibly knowledgeable and understanding about student stress, especially during online learning. There were no exams, just weekly writing assignments (500-700 words). The TAs help you with what to include in the weekly assignments, and you have a chance to rewrite all of them for a better grade.

This class was a really nice GE to take during COVID since there were no tests just an assignment once a week. I pretty much waited until after the discussion to write the paper since my TA went through the prompt and what we should write about. I would say the class took me around 2 hours a week (minus the lectures) so I would def recommend if you are looking for an easy class. The content itself was also pretty interesting and lectures were a little long but prof duthie made it go by pretty fast :)

Professor Duthie is an excellent professor. His lectures are quite interesting and engaging. The structure of the class is very simple: 10 weekly papers/essays, 500-700 words. Moreover, Professor Duthie gives you the opportunity to resubmit all of the assignments, which helps you to do well in the class. Attending the discussion is not mandatory, but I would really encourage everyone to go, since the TA's discuss how to approach the essay prompt. Overall, a really fun class and would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to satisfy the GE requirement or is interested in learning about Japanese history and its civilization.

As an incoming freshman to UCLA, I can say that this class with Professor Duthie was both interesting and a very good introductory to GE's. He is compassionate and displays clear care for his students mental wellbeing and academic success. If you take this course, I highly recommend TA Julia Clark as she was extremely helpful in writing the papers and overall very kind!

Professor Duthie is a great lecturer. He goes through a lot of material while being interesting, in-depth, and paced very well.

However, this quarter he used quizzes as a large portion of the grade (60%), while discussion participation (10%), a presentation (10%), and 2 essays (1 essay based on presentation, total 20%) comprised the rest of the grade.

These quizzes were initially very difficult (as evident with low averages even with 3 attempts and being allowed to use any resource at your disposal such as notes, lectures, textbook, etc.) but were given curves and later on were made much easier. As a result, I believe that the next classes should have much more reasonable quizzes and an overall much more enjoyable time. The other portions of the grade will be given as long as you make the effort to do them.

In regard to the content, it is very interesting and well-paced, and the textbook is completely not necessary to proceed with the course. Overall, a great GE and a great professor.

WARNING: he changed the structure of his class for our semester because he wanted to try something different. We had quizzes every 2 weeks, and 2 essays (one for the final and one for the midterm). No tests. He mentioned in class how he might change it back to his old structure because it was too much stress and time for him to do all the quizzes.

- Quizzes were relatively hard at first, but then it was really easy once you got used to it
1. You get three attempts
2. Answers are in paragraph forms
3. Tests more on how you can take a test rather then the content
4. Multiple choice answers are insanely specific
5. All the answers seem right but one is more like his lecture

- All the answers to his quizzes are straight from his lecture (so you just have to pay attention to that)
- He opened quizzes up for another attempt/would do the quiz with you so you could succeed in the class
- Essays were graded easy

Love professor duthie. Content was lengthy, but relatively interesting. He wanted all his students to succeed, so he purposely will go out of his way to help you with the quizzes and try to help you get an A in his class. Def recommend.

This class is not like previous years like writing 1000 words essay every week. Instead you take a very tricky test every 2 weeks (4 in total). You have to read primary reading every and eventually present on one which is pretty easy. You just talk for 5 minutes with your interpretation. You then have to write an essay about your source which I wrote a pretty bad essay but I got a 9/10. The lectures are very jam packed full of dates and full of information. Personally I did not attend any classes expect one. I simply watched the recording and watched it at my own pace because he can load a lot in. The discussion is mandatory and participation is a grade. There is also a textbook he tells you to read every week but I haven't really found any use for it (personally). My biggest gripe with this class is the quizzes. You get 3 attempts, 1 hour, and open everything (including internet). However he made it anti-cheat meaning he may put wiki answers in and it would be wrong. That's the thing with his quizzes, they ask you a very simple question like "who is __". Then give you 3 large paragraphs for possible answers and there all technically right (unless it has a small date , or piece of information wrong). It's tough because all the answers could possibly be correct. It was only after quiz 2 did the professor make it a bit more obvious but people would still argue otherwise. However the professor is very kind and sympathizes. he has open the quizzes again and given us a curve twice. If you really struggle he is even willing to do the quiz with you in office hours. He's very nice and soft spoken. Overall, the class can be hard at first but if you figure out a system to beat the quizzes you're golden. You could always ask for help, and the professor will be more than glad to help you.

This class was a great GE. The lectures were generally very interesting and Duthie is quite engaging. If you make notes of the key points from each of his lectures and from each period, the midterm and final should be fine. His past papers are a good representation of what you'll get on the final and midterm.

Each week you have one paragraph to write on readings which aren't too hard.

Reading the textbook is useful for getting a good understanding of each period and for studying but it is quite expensive and very hard to find pdf version. If you need one however, contact ********** for cheaper price.