Just like other Korean classes, if you are not interested in Korean literature and movies, this class can be painful. However, if interest, this class will be very enjoyable. The professor goes over multiple literature and movies that have common themes or contrasting themes. She specifically picks literary works and movies closely related to significant historical events in Korea, making these more engaging and fun. This class does have quite a lot of readings, but it is very manageable if you are on top of work. There is no exam, and the grade is heavily based on weakly reflection postings on readings and movies, which are 300 and 200 words each. There is no midterm, and the final is a 7-page essay, which is not so hard to get good marks on.

That said, if you are thinking of taking this course just for GE req, it may be a great idea to look for other courses.

This was one of the best class that I've taken in this entire spring quarter! The overall class itself was interesting as we sit and listen to the professor's lectures which she teaches us many historical facts about Korea. She does have a strict stance towards the usage of cellphones and laptops during class as she prefers not to see them being used during her lectures which was reasonable and she was a very fair professor. Her workload was mostly to write two short response papers (200 and 300 words) every week based on a film and book that we viewed that week, however, the professors and TA were fair graders and as long as you showed efforts in your assignments, you will not be graded harshly, based on my experience. There is also presentations during discussion classes and every student has to do it once, so it is best to keep that in mind. There was also a final paper. Overall, the professor was a wonderful person and will offer great advice for your finals during office hours. I had such a great experience and would totally take another class with this professor again when given the chance!

One of the best classes I've taken so far during my time at UCLA. The class was fun and engaging and the atmosphere in the class was relaxing and great too. The professor was kind and offered great and helpful advice during office hours and in class. There were also group conversations for 15 minutes and I had a nice time talking with the other students. This class did not have midterms or final exams and the class was once a week. The grading varies but 15% is based on attendance, 5% on participation in class, and everyone has to take part in one group presentation which would be also 5% of your total grades. There is also weekly discussion based on the readings for that week but they are reasonable as the professors give students a full week to prepare and it is also 35% of the total grades. The professor also requires us to watch 5 movies and write a discussion as well and 15% of our grade. For the finals, it will be based on a final paper between 8 to 10 pages and will be 30% of your total grades. The class reading was engaging and fun and students will also be able to learn a lot about classical Korean Literature for those that are interested in this class. While it is up to everyone's personal choice whether to decide to take this class or not I would recommend it as I had one of the best experiences in this class and would take another class with this professor again if given the opportunity.

From our understanding, the school tried to combine this class into a history + literature class but Professor Park placed more emphasis on the literature aspect, as most of the readings were short stories from certain areas of premodern/modern/contemporary Korea. During lecture, her slides did include historical background for the readings she assigned but that's pretty much the only "history" talked about in class.

Her class is broken down into: reading reviews, film reviews, participation/attendance, and two essays. Her class does not have midterm or final exams; there is one midterm essay and one final essay, all turned in online. I think she switches up the topic each quarter but they are essentially critical analysis essays where you choose one reading (or film) and write a seven page essay.
Almost all of the readings are posted in PDF format on CCLE, I think there's only like one or two readings from books you have to purchase. There is no textbook but towards the end of the course, there are two books you need to purchase (or at least get a hold of) but they're not super expensive (one book has three assigned reading chapters and the other book, you have to read in its entirety but it's not a thick book and the story is very interesting).
She tries to assign films that relate to the readings and she uploads those movies onto CCLE as well.
Every week, you write a review for the reading and also for the movies; not hard, just a paragraph of what you liked/disliked/any questions you had.

All in all, the course isn't that bad. She's not too keen on using laptops/tablets/phones in class so you have to get her permission beforehand to use them. Just take notes of her lectures because she puts questions you can use for your essays on the slides and gives lots of background info regarding the topic of the questions!