Reviews of professor Christopher Smith

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 2.0/5
Hands down, favorite honors class of the semester. We watch anime and read philosophical text, then write our opinions about it and connections we saw. There is a final essay; and the midterm and final aren't hard so long as you took notes every class
Professor and TA are kind, and want you to succeed while improving yourself. I recommend. 10/10

Rating: 1.0/5, difficulty: 4.0/5
Christopher Smith although he is a good lecturer makes so much of the grade based off random pop quizzes where he shows no mercy if you were late. Readings are confusing and questions are niche. Exams are overall fine but you are expected to memorize 500 terms, if you want a GPA boost or for Japanese minor take a different class.

Rating: 3.0/5, difficulty: 4.0/5
Audio record the lectures, otherwise you will miss all the definitions you need for the exams. He doesn't do PPT and moves very quickly past terms you'll need for the midterm and final. Pop quiz questions are so specific that even when you do the reading you won't get full points. Cool guy, nice, just info dumps. Essay grades depend on your grader.

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 2.0/5
Probably one of the easiest Quest 1 classes. Before every class you have to watch 4-5 anime episodes and sometimes 1 reading + a 300 word blog post about them (participation), but there are 2 tests and 1 essay that are actually graded. In case you didn't read or watch, he explains everything you need during class time so you don't miss anything.

Rating: 1.0/5, difficulty: 4.0/5
Very confusing lectures with unnecessary information. I am in my senior year and this class is by far the most frustrating and confusing. I definitely don't recommend this professor.

Rating: 3.0/5, difficulty: 5.0/5
DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS IF YOU WANT A GPA BOOST OR THINK IT IS EASY!! There are 1-2 modules a week. Each module takes 3-4 HOURS of lectures and note taking!! Quizzes on each module are 10 Qs in 5-7 min. No class has ever been so work heavy. YET, super educational IF you are somehow majoring in Japanese culture or really like Japan.

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 3.0/5
I very much enjoy his in-person lectures much more than his online classes, as he can be much more passionate and intense in person (and he is VERY passionate about his lessons which is fantastic) He is very strict about being in class, so don't miss any lectures! (You don't want to miss any because they're so engaging and often student-lead)