Hyunki Kim | PlanetTerp

Information	Review
Hyunki Kim GVPT200 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 12/16/2025	Kim definitely leaves something to be desired in terms of course structure and lecturing. A lot of the class is theory based, which is to be expected, but she just kind of describes the theories without giving many real-world examples and for some reason it is particularly hard to grasp which theories and scholars are saying what. I took IR in high school with an incredible teacher and did not have the same problem grasping the theories, but the structure of this class is just very disorganized in my opinion and the topics don't necessarily build on each other. The discussion sections were essentially useless- although my TAs were both very kind and helpful when asked, it just seemed like a smaller summary of lecture without additional help on studying or focusing on particularly complicated aspects of the material. The first midterm (there are two) was ridiculously hard and niche, and pretty much everyone including myself got a horrible grade because it was impossible to prepare for the actual questions. She fixed this problem somewhat, although I still struggled on the second exam even though I put even more time and effort into preparing. There is a lot of reading and specificity on the beliefs and philosophies of specific scholars, so definitely at least skim the readings and try to stay caught up. That is something I wish I had done more thoroughly. Overall, the class material definitely has the potential to be interesting and is definitely important in terms of understanding IR, but I found that Kim dropped the ball in this respect and wasn't very effective.
Hyunki Kim GVPT200 Expecting an A- Anonymous 12/09/2025	This class made me switch my major to IR. I think professor Kim was a fantastic lecturer who did not just speak directly from her slides. I was generally very engaged in the lessons and I like how she tied in a lot of real world examples into the theories she taught. I would not say the tests were easy, but she will give a very generous curve if the class does not perform well. There were 2 quizzes (one map quiz where you need to memorize countries in Asia and their capitals — don’t really know why this was necessary) and 3 tests (including the final). The only homework ever assigned was readings (she doesn’t say it but they really are optional). All the tests are based on the slides and not the readings. The TA sessions seemed like busy work a lot of the time. The TAs were pretty good but they just reviewed basic concepts from the lecture and I think they should have just been optional. It also did take a long time to get test grades back which was annoying. Also, attendance for lectures is optional (although definitely important). Professor Kim also did an IR career panel with Maryland alum that was great. Overall, I loved this class and professor and would definitely recommend if IR is something that interests you!
Hyunki Kim GVPT200 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/08/2025	Teaching style is a bit boring, but she always answers questions with very educated, easy-to-understand answers. The exam layout is a bit annoying and the way the questions are worded can be difficult, but there is no homework. Participation is also 25% of your grade, so for more introverted students, this can be tough.
Hyunki Kim GVPT200 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/01/2025	I started as an International Relations major so i was really excited to take this class. I changed my major to global policy. Overall, the first half of this class is focusing on theories of IR which I hated and thats what the IR major is which is why I switched to something more practical. The class has a decent amount of readings, less readings as the time went on. I definitely encourage you to skim a lot of readings and not read everything because it can be a lot. The lectures are just her talking so definitely take notes because that is where a majority of the test questions come from. The discussions were useless and very awkward. The tests were okay, the first one had a 30% curve because it was so hard, she made the second test easier and I thought it was at a reasonable difficulty level. If you study the terms and know the specific people of important terms than you should be good. The test has three parts, 10-15 multiple choice, 10-15 short answer (which is responding with a vocab word, everything from the slides), and true/false (which lowkey sucks). She posts the slides so I used those mainly to study and asked chatgtp to make me practice questions which I highly recommend with any class to study for. Overall, the topics that we learn about are very interesting if you like international relations but I wouldn't recommend as a gen ed just because of how much reading and its definitely easier to study something you actually enjoy. The second half of the class was much better, we talked about war and how they start, terrorism, gov intervention, climate change, etc.
Hyunki Kim GVPT200 Anonymous 11/10/2025	Told us several times things would not be on the exams which were. She told us we wouldn't have to know specific names of historical thinkers for the exams, and then of course there are questions like "what does x-person think about y". Doesn't record lectures because of "copyright reasons" as if anyone cares about that. Barely puts any information on ELMS and gives confusing analogies during class. She spent about 10 minutes one class talking about Game of Thrones.
Hyunki Kim GVPT200 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 04/23/2025	Interesting class, solid teacher who knows her stuff. She was given three stars because the exam layout, Friday discussion participation rules kept changing, and because I had a mid TA. Only take this class if you have a solid interest in international relations. Also, this class is a blend of current events with international relations philosophy, so keep that in mind.
Hyunki Kim GVPT200 Expecting an A Anonymous 01/27/2025	Do not take this class if you are not interested in gov. Trust me, take something else. I thought this woulod be a free A cus there was only 5 assignments, but out of those 3 were exams (2 midterms and 1 final) a "short" 5 page paper, and participation (which was a free 100). if you like gov you will prolly find the class inteeresting, but for those taking it just for a gen ed, don't even bother going to lecture she would only just read off slides the entire time. The grading at times also seemed rly harsh, like for exams they were mostly free response questions, and if I didn't have the exact correct answer it would be like 5/10.
Hyunki Kim GVPT200 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/24/2024	Dr. Kim is a good professor and very knowledgeable in this field and the class itself was very interesting. Her lectures are very fast and aren't recorded and she doesn't allow you to record either so make sure to attend every class session. The readings are "required" but unnecessary since she only tests on class slides. It may be difficult to maintain a high grade since there are only 4 assignments- 2 midterms, 1 final, and a research essay- which are all out of 15 points total (except for the essay), and no curve although partial credit is given. This class is mandatory for gvpt majors so if you have to take it just work hard and be on top of your studying throughout the semester.
Hyunki Kim GVPT200 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/17/2024	Professor Kim seemed to be very knowledgeable about the topics and honestly, just seemed super smart in general. I feel like this was very much the typical lecture class. Literally 5 assignments, no attendance required except for discussions, which really help to go to anyway. Currently studying for the final, and honestly, it's a lot of stuff. If you're not knowledgeable about politics, don't take this class. Unless you're the type to really buckle down and study ahead of time. It's a lot of material.
Hyunki Kim GVPT200 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/16/2024	bruh she just reads off slides dawg..... very dry
Hyunki Kim GVPT200 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/12/2024	Prof Kim is very engaging and knowledgable on the material. The lectures are material heavy but is to be expected from the topic area. Super interesting and engaging lectures. You will get an A if you attend lectures and take good notes, just a lot of stuff to remember for the tests, plus one paper that is very versatile in what you want to write about. Great class.
Hyunki Kim GVPT200 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 12/04/2024	As long as you take notes during class and make some sort of quizlet or study guide you will get an A. Midterms/Final are derived from information that comes directly off the slides. Theres only like 4 or 5 grades so each test/grade is important. Professor Kim is kind and knows what she is talking about. She is there for you if you reach out. The only reason i don't give 5 stars is because we were always behind schedule (like many classes behind) and in an effort to make up for that she rushed through the lectures. It made it harder to take notes and process information because there was no breathing room, it was one thing after another after another (and she doesn't talk slow). I started by handwriting notes but quickly switched to typing because there was no way to keep up if not. Even with that it was like I was working out my hands after every lecture. In my opinion it would have been better to just take out some information instead of trying to rush through and jam-pack everything. Nevertheless, GVPT200 is not too hard at all and professor Kim has interesting information to share. Worth taking the class.
Hyunki Kim GVPT200 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/03/2024	The course is hard if you don't pay attention or just don't like learning about international politics. But even then, everything you need to know is on her slides which are always posted on Canvas. The course's canvas page is also very organized and easy to navigate. Readings are placed in folders according to which week you need to read them. The only downside is that there are 3 exams weighing 25% of your grade, and one short paper (5 pages double space w/ bibliography) that is around 15% of your grade. Other than that, professor is very nice and so are the TAs. Definitely recommend!
Hyunki Kim GVPT200 Expecting an A- Anonymous 11/21/2024	Very knowledgeable, understands all concepts well, good lecturer. Very forgiving if you miss a lecture or two. Probably the best DVUP class you can take.
Hyunki Kim GVPT200 Expecting an A Anonymous 01/25/2022	I took GVPT200 with Hyunki over the winter term, so it was in three weeks. Because of the timeframe, this class is pretty heavy reading-wise in such a short period of time, but the assignments are straightforward. The entire thing was asynchronous, so I would simply watch the lectures on Panopto on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, after doing all the course readings for those days (none on Tuesdays and Thursdays). Overall, I'm glad I got this one done over the winter term. Hyunki is a grad student doing her Ph.D., so she is not a full professor, but she was clearly knowledgeable about the topics covered. Her lecturing is a bit slow, but this is not a problem because Panopto has the option to speed the lecture up to 1.25x, so it felt perfectly normal. I would recommend taking this class with her if you have the chance.

Hyunki Kim
GVPT200

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
12/16/2025

Kim definitely leaves something to be desired in terms of course structure and lecturing. A lot of the class is theory based, which is to be expected, but she just kind of describes the theories without giving many real-world examples and for some reason it is particularly hard to grasp which theories and scholars are saying what. I took IR in high school with an incredible teacher and did not have the same problem grasping the theories, but the structure of this class is just very disorganized in my opinion and the topics don't necessarily build on each other. The discussion sections were essentially useless- although my TAs were both very kind and helpful when asked, it just seemed like a smaller summary of lecture without additional help on studying or focusing on particularly complicated aspects of the material. The first midterm (there are two) was ridiculously hard and niche, and pretty much everyone including myself got a horrible grade because it was impossible to prepare for the actual questions. She fixed this problem somewhat, although I still struggled on the second exam even though I put even more time and effort into preparing. There is a lot of reading and specificity on the beliefs and philosophies of specific scholars, so definitely at least skim the readings and try to stay caught up. That is something I wish I had done more thoroughly. Overall, the class material definitely has the potential to be interesting and is definitely important in terms of understanding IR, but I found that Kim dropped the ball in this respect and wasn't very effective.

Hyunki Kim
GVPT200

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
12/09/2025

This class made me switch my major to IR. I think professor Kim was a fantastic lecturer who did not just speak directly from her slides. I was generally very engaged in the lessons and I like how she tied in a lot of real world examples into the theories she taught. I would not say the tests were easy, but she will give a very generous curve if the class does not perform well. There were 2 quizzes (one map quiz where you need to memorize countries in Asia and their capitals — don’t really know why this was necessary) and 3 tests (including the final). The only homework ever assigned was readings (she doesn’t say it but they really are optional). All the tests are based on the slides and not the readings. The TA sessions seemed like busy work a lot of the time. The TAs were pretty good but they just reviewed basic concepts from the lecture and I think they should have just been optional. It also did take a long time to get test grades back which was annoying. Also, attendance for lectures is optional (although definitely important). Professor Kim also did an IR career panel with Maryland alum that was great. Overall, I loved this class and professor and would definitely recommend if IR is something that interests you!

Hyunki Kim
GVPT200

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/08/2025

Teaching style is a bit boring, but she always answers questions with very educated, easy-to-understand answers. The exam layout is a bit annoying and the way the questions are worded can be difficult, but there is no homework. Participation is also 25% of your grade, so for more introverted students, this can be tough.

Hyunki Kim
GVPT200

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/01/2025

I started as an International Relations major so i was really excited to take this class. I changed my major to global policy. Overall, the first half of this class is focusing on theories of IR which I hated and thats what the IR major is which is why I switched to something more practical. The class has a decent amount of readings, less readings as the time went on. I definitely encourage you to skim a lot of readings and not read everything because it can be a lot. The lectures are just her talking so definitely take notes because that is where a majority of the test questions come from. The discussions were useless and very awkward. The tests were okay, the first one had a 30% curve because it was so hard, she made the second test easier and I thought it was at a reasonable difficulty level. If you study the terms and know the specific people of important terms than you should be good. The test has three parts, 10-15 multiple choice, 10-15 short answer (which is responding with a vocab word, everything from the slides), and true/false (which lowkey sucks). She posts the slides so I used those mainly to study and asked chatgtp to make me practice questions which I highly recommend with any class to study for. Overall, the topics that we learn about are very interesting if you like international relations but I wouldn't recommend as a gen ed just because of how much reading and its definitely easier to study something you actually enjoy. The second half of the class was much better, we talked about war and how they start, terrorism, gov intervention, climate change, etc.

Hyunki Kim
GVPT200

Anonymous
11/10/2025

Told us several times things would not be on the exams which were. She told us we wouldn't have to know specific names of historical thinkers for the exams, and then of course there are questions like "what does x-person think about y". Doesn't record lectures because of "copyright reasons" as if anyone cares about that. Barely puts any information on ELMS and gives confusing analogies during class. She spent about 10 minutes one class talking about Game of Thrones.

Hyunki Kim
GVPT200

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
04/23/2025

Interesting class, solid teacher who knows her stuff. She was given three stars because the exam layout, Friday discussion participation rules kept changing, and because I had a mid TA. Only take this class if you have a solid interest in international relations. Also, this class is a blend of current events with international relations philosophy, so keep that in mind.

Hyunki Kim
GVPT200

Expecting an A
Anonymous
01/27/2025

Do not take this class if you are not interested in gov. Trust me, take something else. I thought this woulod be a free A cus there was only 5 assignments, but out of those 3 were exams (2 midterms and 1 final) a "short" 5 page paper, and participation (which was a free 100). if you like gov you will prolly find the class inteeresting, but for those taking it just for a gen ed, don't even bother going to lecture she would only just read off slides the entire time. The grading at times also seemed rly harsh, like for exams they were mostly free response questions, and if I didn't have the exact correct answer it would be like 5/10.

Hyunki Kim
GVPT200

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/24/2024

Dr. Kim is a good professor and very knowledgeable in this field and the class itself was very interesting. Her lectures are very fast and aren't recorded and she doesn't allow you to record either so make sure to attend every class session. The readings are "required" but unnecessary since she only tests on class slides. It may be difficult to maintain a high grade since there are only 4 assignments- 2 midterms, 1 final, and a research essay- which are all out of 15 points total (except for the essay), and no curve although partial credit is given. This class is mandatory for gvpt majors so if you have to take it just work hard and be on top of your studying throughout the semester.

Hyunki Kim
GVPT200

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/17/2024

Professor Kim seemed to be very knowledgeable about the topics and honestly, just seemed super smart in general. I feel like this was very much the typical lecture class. Literally 5 assignments, no attendance required except for discussions, which really help to go to anyway. Currently studying for the final, and honestly, it's a lot of stuff. If you're not knowledgeable about politics, don't take this class. Unless you're the type to really buckle down and study ahead of time. It's a lot of material.

Hyunki Kim
GVPT200

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/16/2024

bruh she just reads off slides dawg..... very dry

Hyunki Kim
GVPT200

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/12/2024

Prof Kim is very engaging and knowledgable on the material. The lectures are material heavy but is to be expected from the topic area. Super interesting and engaging lectures. You will get an A if you attend lectures and take good notes, just a lot of stuff to remember for the tests, plus one paper that is very versatile in what you want to write about. Great class.

Hyunki Kim
GVPT200

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
12/04/2024

As long as you take notes during class and make some sort of quizlet or study guide you will get an A. Midterms/Final are derived from information that comes directly off the slides. Theres only like 4 or 5 grades so each test/grade is important. Professor Kim is kind and knows what she is talking about. She is there for you if you reach out. The only reason i don't give 5 stars is because we were always behind schedule (like many classes behind) and in an effort to make up for that she rushed through the lectures. It made it harder to take notes and process information because there was no breathing room, it was one thing after another after another (and she doesn't talk slow). I started by handwriting notes but quickly switched to typing because there was no way to keep up if not. Even with that it was like I was working out my hands after every lecture. In my opinion it would have been better to just take out some information instead of trying to rush through and jam-pack everything. Nevertheless, GVPT200 is not too hard at all and professor Kim has interesting information to share. Worth taking the class.

Hyunki Kim
GVPT200

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/03/2024

The course is hard if you don't pay attention or just don't like learning about international politics. But even then, everything you need to know is on her slides which are always posted on Canvas. The course's canvas page is also very organized and easy to navigate. Readings are placed in folders according to which week you need to read them. The only downside is that there are 3 exams weighing 25% of your grade, and one short paper (5 pages double space w/ bibliography) that is around 15% of your grade. Other than that, professor is very nice and so are the TAs. Definitely recommend!

Hyunki Kim
GVPT200

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
11/21/2024

Very knowledgeable, understands all concepts well, good lecturer. Very forgiving if you miss a lecture or two. Probably the best DVUP class you can take.

Hyunki Kim
GVPT200

Expecting an A
Anonymous
01/25/2022

I took GVPT200 with Hyunki over the winter term, so it was in three weeks. Because of the timeframe, this class is pretty heavy reading-wise in such a short period of time, but the assignments are straightforward. The entire thing was asynchronous, so I would simply watch the lectures on Panopto on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, after doing all the course readings for those days (none on Tuesdays and Thursdays). Overall, I'm glad I got this one done over the winter term. Hyunki is a grad student doing her Ph.D., so she is not a full professor, but she was clearly knowledgeable about the topics covered. Her lecturing is a bit slow, but this is not a problem because Panopto has the option to speed the lecture up to 1.25x, so it felt perfectly normal. I would recommend taking this class with her if you have the chance.