The only word to describe this class is subjective. Your TA grades virtually everything, and my TA was a pretty hard grader, taking off points here and there for no reason. A couple kids went to go ask for points back and the TA realized their mistakes, but the system can really be in or out of your favor. The grading is not objective at all, and even if you deserve a 100 you can get a B because the TA doesn't like how you described things. On the other hand, it was clear that other TAs were much more lenient, and other sections got easier As. The class was interesting but the grading system is completely subjective and does not necessarily award hard work and comprehension of the course material (but hey it could be in your favor too).

I would say take another class unless you want to risk the chance here of getting a bad TA.

I went to every lecture of this class and I love it.
The professor's voice is not loud so I often sit in the front rows. Make sure you have a nice TA because for different discussion section the score and the criteria for the weekly discussion post is a little bit different. There are weekly response essay, two midterms and one final. The midterms are not hard as long as you can memorize the materials in class and the readings assigned. It is a old-school history class and would make you clear about most of the big pictures of Japanese history.
Overall the class is not hard , but make sure you put effort in it. If you attend class and finish all the reading and memorize most of the materials, you will be fine with the exams.

I would highly recommend this class for the literature/culture GE. The professor is very clear and engaging. He often incorporates visuals and interesting videos into the lectures and is pretty funny.

The midterm and final are very straightforward. They are mostly memorization of the information presented in the class, with some light analysis. Old tests are available in the test bank and the format and material covered is mostly the same.

Discussion involved reading a work from the time period then writing a short response. Some of the readings were long and boring but they were mostly ok/good. To me, these were helpful for remembering the cultural aspects of the different time periods.

Overall, 10/10 would recommend.

Japan 50 is an excellent class to take as a GE and also if you're interested in Japan in general. The professor is very approachable and organizes his lectures very well. He includes videos in lecture, so it's not just him talking the whole time. The workload is very manageable, with just a couple readings and a short 500 word written response a week. Discussion sections are mostly spent going over the weekly assigned readings and responses, and attendance is mandatory. The exams were mostly memorization and were not too difficult--there weren't any twists or surprises. I ended up taking an upper division Japanese poetry course with Professor Duthie because I liked his class and teaching style. I'd definitely recommend him for J50 and other courses as well!

This class was very interesting and I'm really glad I took it. Professor Duthie is awesome and since he translates all of the readings for the class himself, you're able to really get perspective behind the actual meaning of the works.

When I took the class, we had weekly assigned readings which we had to write 700-1000 word essays on. The class was a weekly three hour seminar in which we discussed the readings and each person in the class had to present on a reading once during the quarter (very casual presentation). Participation is very, very important, so you need to come to class prepared and ready to discuss the readings. The final was an 8-10 page paper on a topic of your choice.

I would recommend this class for Japanese majors, minors, and other Asian humanities majors/minors. It is helpful if you have some general knowledge of Japanese history or have taken Duthie's Japan 50 course (he referenced it a lot in class).

This class was pretty easy; as long as you pay attention during every lecture/discussion and write your weekly 250-word paragraph, you should get a good grade.

Duthie is an above-average lecturer who explains information clearly and makes you feel like you were very productive during the time you were in lecture. He throws in jokes occasionally and dresses snazzily. His exams are fair and reasonable with very little unexpected content. Make sure you participate in discussion sections, as that's the most volatile part of your grade depending on your TA.

The class is overall easy. Attending lectures and sections is helpful.

Easy class that just requires a lot of memorization. Go to test bank to look at previous midterms -- it's almost the same midterm every year.

My favorite class I've taken at UCLA! Duthie is a great lecturer and very understanding professor I hurt my hand near finals and he let me take an incomplete. I learned so much and even considered an Asian minor after this course even though I'm a stem major. The course load isn't bad at all: weekly 250 write ups on the weekly readings (which aren't bad and super interesting), one midterm (I remember it had ID sections and a section in which you were given a text excerpt and you had to give the title, author, year, and brief significance), and one non-cumulative final (same length/format as midterm). Section attendance is mandatory and worth it because you learn the significance of the readings you will be tested on, lecture wasn't mandatory but interesting and helpful for ID (Duthie is a great lecturer and I loved his accent), reading/ buying the book wasn't useful. In conclusion, 10/10 class very doable but memorization heavy which I personally like.

Taking this class in Fall 2020 during the infamous COVID-19 pandemic, this class is one of the easiest GE classes to take! Seriously, ALL you have to do is write one essay per week (500-700 word) for a total of 10 essays per semester and that's it! You even get to rewrite essays for a better grade (and the better grade will always be chosen, so there is no harm in resubmitting it). The remote lectures are very interesting because of the professor's clarity and occasional humor/sidenotes, especially if you have any interest in Japanese history (I mean, aren't you curious about why samurais came into rise of society, why did Japanese literary culture like mange or anime became popular worldwide, and such?)! As long as you can write fairly decent essays and you understand what the professor is saying, then you're 80% golden (just make sure you learn how to weave lecture information into essays, which the TAs will help guide you). Speaking of TAs, they are very helpful if you don't know where to get started, since they hint to you ideas that need to be discussed (and the deadline of the essays are about 9-12 hours after your Friday TA discussion, so you can technically go to Discussion section and then start writing the essay and still turn it in time). Overall, this class was very enjoyable, low-stressed (even though I am actually a terrible writer), and easy class. Also big thank you to my TA Thai (she was an amazing person :) ) You can essentially earn 5 unit credits for a relatively low-workload environment, so take it if you care about Japanese civilization or to get it for your GE.