I think this class has a lot of busy work. There are weekly papers but they are ungraded. You revise two of them (3-4 pages each) and there's also a take-home final (7-8 pages). Only three assignments are graded, but you must do the busy work every week. The lectures were recorded and the first half shows the movie in class. I skipped most of the lectures and I did fine. Also, Tatiana was my TA and she is the GOAT. Both the Prof. and TA were incredibly understanding and kind. I just wasn't a huge fan of how the class was structured. Also, there is triggering content in the movies. If you like films and are interested in Japanese history, take this class! If not, maybe find a different upper div. But the class is definitely doable.

the "lectures" are just movies in class. make sure you do the readings, you need to cite them in the essays. but overall, its not hard. all the movies are very engaging. but it has a lot to do with triggering content so email the professor first to see if this class is for you.

Professor Marotti was very helpful and this class was very interesting. I am a STEM major and this was one of the two history classes I have taken and it was actually really great. I was nervous based on the grade distribution initially but if you dedicate yourself to writing your papers and using the writing center you will be fine. There were only three graded assignments. Two of which were rewritten homework assignments. These each were four pages and there was a final paper which was 8 pages. Overall a great class and super interesting.

This was one of my favorite courses at UCLA. Professor Marotti was captivating and interested in equipping students with unique modes of thought through which to tackle historical and contemporary issues.