The workload for this class is minimal, but you have to study A LOT for the exams. You have to write 1 paragraph a week, but the paragraph has to be well written. 10s are rarely given out (the average is usually a 9 or high 8), so if you want an A in the class you have to put some thought into it. For the exams (midterm + final, noncumulative, weighted equally), you have to be able to regurgitate as much info from lecture as you can for each question/topic. There is no multiple choice, no fill-in-the blank. You have to know, at the very least, the date/dynasty, context, and significance for EVERY term that she puts on the study guide list. It is a LOT you have to memorize. I ended up making a 40 page study guide for the final. I memorized those 40 pages for the final and did well on it (>97%). So there is no going around it -- EVERYTHING that she puts on lecture related to a term on the study guide, you should have it memorized (thankfully her lectures were recorded). For her exams, focus on lecture material. You can succeed without doing all the readings thoroughly.

As to the class itself, it was well-structured. Professor Duthie's slides are well-organized, her expectations are clear, and the TA's are nice. The discussion sections were chill. (Attendance is worth credit.) We did so poorly on the midterm (the average was in the 60s) that she gave us partial credit and curved it so that average was in the 80s. She also gave out an extra credit assignment.

So most important thing: be prepared to memorize. You should be able to recall date/dynasty, context, significance for each term without any memory aids. It is a fair class, but you will have to work hard!

Prof Duthie is extremely kind and knowledgeable regarding classical Chinese, and does a really thorough job of breaking down the meanings/grammar found in our readings. Workload for class is basically just preparing translations which isn't too difficult because character definitions are all in the textbook, and she goes over all of the translations (i.e. the homework) in class.