The class was easy--only if you studied. The first 2 quizzes were easy as ever..the last 2 were kinda hard. I wouldve gotten an A if only he gave more time and if the class wasn't placed in a cramped lecture hall...it was inconvenient to take a test in that place. So i got an A-. A- is not bad--but i wish i had an A... go take him if you want.

Dont get the books...worthless...I read for the first quiz and nothing was on there from the book...Spent 3 hours for nothing...

Professor Plutschow is one of the easiest professor's I have had at UCLA. For his JAP50 class, don't read or even buy the books or course reader - they are useless. His quizzes only ask questions on stuff he talks about in class, and the quizzes are all multiple choice.

Lectures are also very interesting, and Professor Plutschow has many funny stories to tell.

i think he was a great professor. i definately got A LOT of help from him! he was very sincere in helping students (me) out... definately a rare type in a research university like UCLA. his class consists of 5 quizzes yes, but do not underestimate because the whole story line may be confusing and if you miss one point, you're F'd for the rest until the finale! OH is definately a must... because not only do you find out about THE MOST AMAZING collections of his japanese STUFF but also, you get to hear interesting stories of his trips to japan and switzerland and all over the world! i don't know what to tell you, but that he's just GREAT! i took him my first quarter @ UCLA and i plan to take as much japanese classes with him as possible for the rest of my academic career in UCLA =*) another words, I RECOMMEND PROFESSOR PLUTSCHOW!

First off, Herbert goes to Japan atleast twice a year...so he knows a lot of "stuff". Most of the lectures, have no particular agenda. It's basically him, telling you all that "stuff." He rarely writes stuff down on the board, but when he does he helps you to properly spell English words, not Japanese ones. He is particularly fond of slide shows. Using the overhead projector he puts up black and white pictures that don't look like anything. He also loves conspiracy theories, such as the sunken island of Austronesia and that the Japanese didn't bomb Pearl Harbor. Budget cuts really hurt this class because he was not allowed to photo copy anything for you, including the syllabus. If you try to leave early from a lecture, the TA will stop you and tell you to return to your seat. Now some advice: Sit in the back of the classroom. Bring a laptop so you'll fit in with the rest of the class. A palm pilot may also help. Try to leave early, make the 75 minute class, a mere 45 minutes. Or just sleep through the entire lecture. Go to section, it's far more useful than lecture.

I thought Prof. Plutschow was a very interesting man, its cool how he really gets into Japanese history and culture. I took it during the summer and it was really relaxed. His quizzes are easy if you just spend some time looking over your notes. Only thing i hated on those quizzes and the final was how detail he could be with certain things. Some lectures are boring but most I found interesting.

If you put in a decent amount of work into the class, there's no reason why you shouldn't get an A.

Definitely reccommend.

This class is amazing because i don't think there's any possible way a class could get more boring. Seriously, I know you've all had boring classes, but this is the absolute worst, it couldn't be more boring if he tried. I don't care how dedicated you are to school, you will not listen in lecture, and that makes the TA sections very important. The grading consists of 5 quizes with the lowest one dropped. The scores on the quizes are so high that the curve is ridiculous, so it is really hard to get a solid A... However, i think it would also be very hard to get below a B. Personally, I got an A- in this 5 unit class, I went to class maybe half the time (which i didn't have to do), i went to all my TA discussions, and i probably worked a total of 5 hours for this class. Lastly, here's a helpful warning... the "final" quiz cannot be dropped and it is much harder than the other quizes. Take this class, don't go to lecture, do minimal work, and get an A- in 5 units.

I was informed about how easy Japanese 50 was. It has definitely changed when compared to the class 2 years ago. It's not as easy, but there is only 3 short papers instead of one long essay. The quizzes are longer and more difficult. You have to pay close attention in class and write down every word the professor says otherwise you'll miss questions on the quizzes.