| Information | Review |
|---|---|
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Mari Prendergast
Expecting an A- Anonymous 09/20/2023 |
My favorite and one of the best professors at UMD. I feel it is evident that if you put in enough work for the class, you will be able to achieve equivalent results in your grade. Hamada sensei is very sweet and cares about all her students, and even regularly brings in snacks and gifts on holidays. She is very patient with most of her students and goes over every homework assignment and exam. The reason that no old exams were posted is that 2022-2023 was her first time teaching using a new textbook/curriculum, but I still feel that she did the best that she could and I definitely learned a lot from this class. All the exam content is based on materials we have covered in classes and in the textbook. While this was definitely one of my most difficult classes, I looked forward to this class every day because I felt that the class itself was like a tight-knit community. I definitely recommend Hamada sensei if you are a hardworking student who is passionate about learning the language. |
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Mari Prendergast
JAPN302 Expecting a C+ ReakatheGOAT 05/15/2023 |
Dear incoming 301/302 students: do not take 302 with this instructor. First let’s start with course content. It is well known that UMD offers Japanese courses as 6 credit courses which results in there being a large workload. However, I do not feel that this instructor provided appropriate resources for success. No study guides were given for exams. No old exams were posted. Not even lecture slides were provided to students after they were presented. It was never clear what was on exams and for that reason most people did not do well. Now, onto teaching style. Dr. Hamada was very snappy. If students made mistakes or even just had their own way of doing things she would immediately shut it down. It was very frustrating because it created an environment where no one felt comfortable asking questions or going to office hours. As the semester draws to a close, the class average is a low B to C with no curve. Everyone in this humanities class will now be taking a major hit to their GPA. This is particularly pertinent if Japanese is not your major. If you are thinking about 301 or 302 as an elective next year, please consider JAWSDC instead. This class may teach you skills but it will be at the expense of your GPA and mental health. |