This review is for her C159 course, Winter 2025. Half the class dropped, and now I understand why. As a Chinese student in the class, I never felt comfortable disagreeing with her. The few who did were immediately shot down.

In a course where she proclaims the importance of diversity in a country where 98.5% of the population is Japanese, serious questions must be asked. She tried to argue that diversity exists through small minority groups like Koreans slaves or a lone black samurai. But rather than stretching a truth that barely exists, she should recognize that the greatest diversity is simply humanity itself — we all differ in looks, thoughts, and interests. In her class, however, diversity is only valued when it aligns with her political views and focuses on peripheral aspects of Japan, such as its small minority groups, rather than reflecting the reality of the overwhelming majority.

As for the coursework, the good portion centered around museums, her area of expertise. I took the class to learn about late medieval Japan, not complete museum work where I ended up learning more about curating exhibits than about Japanese history.

I honestly can’t recommend her class at all. I felt uncomfortable the whole time and kept my mouth shut because I knew what would happen if I disagreed. I’ve taken handful of classes on Asia, and this was by far the worst. Everyone I talked to in the class felt the same way.