I really enjoyed this class. I didn't know what to expect going into it as it was one of my first upper division courses. I was pleasantly surprised with the result. She has good well organized lectures and she can draw from personal experiences in China. The tests are extremely fair both content and grading wise. The research paper is very open ended, choose something your interested in and you can get a lot out of it, plus it's graded relatively easily. I would highly recommend this class if you want to learn more about China.

Overall Great Professor!! I took Geog. 186 in Fall 08, and it ended up being an easy, interesting course. The course reader was less than twenty dollars, consisting of newspaper and relevant mag. articles. There is a textbook, which honestly, I at best only skimmed a chapter of it and never read a full page thoroughly. So, honestly, you do not need to textbook. The midterms and final are easy, both consisting of multiple choice, a few short answers, and one essay. Graded fairly, and everything is taken from the lecture notes, nothing specific from the textbook, and only asks general questions from the course reader. Professor Fan's lectures were great. Has powerpoints, mostly filled with pictures from recent trips, and important dates and events to supplement what she's teaching about. Her lectures are well-organized, willing to take questions, and makes sure that everyone's clear on the topic. This class isn't just about mountains and rivers; Professor Fan covers the impact on the Chinese people, by using documentaries and current news. The paper is graded, pretty easily, as long as you do thorough research. I ended up with an A- in the class with a new interest in China and the geography department. As long as you go to class, take notes, skim over the course reader, the class will be easy and interesting.

I love professor Fan. Even if you don\355t know anything about China, she makes sure that you don\355t feel out of place. She assigns lots of readings, but they are interesting and easy to read. If you go to class and take good notes, you will do well. She is always available to answer questions. She is one of the best!

I enjoyed and learned a lot about China from Professor Fan. There were a lot of readings but they're all covered in lectures. If you take good notes and you will be fine. She is a fair grader. Exams were straight forward and all drawn from lecture notes. I strongly recommend taking a class taught by Professor Fan if you want to learn something interesting about China.

Positive: Prof Fan is extremely knowledgable in what she is lecturing on, and the field work she has done is amazing. She is always willing to answer questions, and takes the time to find additional information on the questions asked in class. She is a fair grader and her midterm and final weren't that hard, as long as you paid attention in lecture. She goes over almost all of the reading in class, so reading isn't of the utmost importance.

Negative: Her voice is kind of soft and not the most exciting.

Overall: I would recommend taking a class with her.

Professor Fan is great. She is very knowledgeable and a good lecturer. If you want a straightforward class to learn about Chinese history, politics, and some geography issues, take Geography 186. There is some work required (midterm, research paper on basically any topic you want, and final) but nothing unexpected. There is a lot of reading but you can skim a lot of it, just take good notes in lecture to know what to focus on. Good class, good professor!