Kumiko Akikawa

This professor has taught: JAPN101, JAPN102, JAPN201, JAPN202, JAPN301, JAPN302, SLLC199J
Information Review
Kumiko Akikawa
JAPN202

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
06/07/2023
She's an absolute gem. She can seem a little intimidating but she's incredibly nice and wants her students to do well. This is by no means and easy B or A course, but it you work for it she'll reward you for your hard work. The biggest grades are the ACT classes, for those of you continuing Japanese at UMD you're probably already aware of these, but do not skip class. I missed maybe three classes, max, and it caused me to drop from the A- to A that I would've ended up with to the B+ I received. Homework's are really straight forward and used for practice for the chapter test, which follow the exact same structure. Overall if you like Japanese, and are willing to put in a lot of effort(these darn Japanese courses are 6 credits), then you'll find that not only your Japanese improves a ton, but your grade will reflect your effort as well.
Kumiko Akikawa
JAPN102

Anonymous
09/30/2011
I had her for JAPN102, and she was cool. Her personality is a bit serious, so you may not have as much fun as in other Japanese classes, but her grading is *very very* reasonable! She's also very cool if you talk to her outside of class. You may feel a bit pressured in her ACT classes, because she usually makes you(and your partner) perform in front of the whole class instead of being able to do it from your seat. She will also cut you off if you didn't memorize the CC well enough, or get nervous, but she will give you a chance to re-do it usually. Like I said though, her grading is very reasonable, so you most likely won't have to worry if you take some time to prepare. You can tell she tries to make things fun sometimes, but she's very serious about her work so she can come off as a bit strict/serious compared to Seya or Inoue. Overall she's cool, and definitely fun to talk to outside of class. If your class is lively and energetic, she'll loosen up a bit as well.