JAPN 1010

Kawai Sensei is the BEST! Japanese 1010 is the hardest and most fast-paced 1010 language course I've taken at UVa, but it's definitely worth the blood, sweat and tears. I would say that one of the down-sides of the class is the group work. There are group projects about every other week starting halfway through the semester, which can be time-consuming and inconvenient for coordinating schedules with everyone (like all group projects -_-).

BUT Sensei is the best part of this class! She is the cutest professor I've ever had, and is such an amazing teacher! She loves her students so much, and she is always willing to help you at office hours. She is always energetic in class and her laugh is probably her best feature :) She can definitely be strict at times, but as long as you work hard and put in the effort, you can get a good grade.

TAKE THIS CLASS!!!

JAPN 1010 was a good introduction to the Japanese language and culture. I came into the class with no knowledge of the Japanese language, and I was so pleased at how much I was able to achieve in one semester. However, I had to put in many hours a week completing worksheets and studying for vocabulary/kanji quizzes. This class is definitely one where your grade reflects the effort you put in. Basically, if you want the A, you have to come to class every day, and come prepared (homework completed and eager to engage in conversation practice).

I have mixed feelings about Kawai-sensei. She is a good Japanese teacher, and her English is better than the other senseis which makes her lectures easier to understand. She is also enthusiastic about getting students more engaged in Japanese culture, and always advertises events or programming relating to Japan to students (and offers +1% extra credit to your final course grade if you attend at least 3 different events). However, she is also intimidating and (imo) grades on how much she likes you or how hard she thinks you work. My best advice is just to do your work and stay on her good side so she won't zone in on you and give you a hard time (and trust me, you'll know if you're on her bad side, she will make it very clear in her interactions with you).

A lot of students signed up for my class b/c they watched anime or whatever before, and thought this class would be a piece of cake. However, the workload of the first two weeks is huge, and a lot of people who weren't serious about the language dropped. However, if you get past the learning curve, you will do great in the class!

This may be an intro level course, but it is very fast paced and is difficult. After the intro level it only gets harder so unless you are committed to and/or love Japanese I would recommend a different language. If you are willing to put in the time this is an absolutely fantastic course. The course emphasizes a little of everything and you should plan on spending about an hour studying/completing homework every night. Sometimes it will be longer, sometimes it will be shorter. You will cover 6 lessons and take 3 tests. So each test will cover two lessons and take place every four weeks. There is not a cumulative final but there is a cumulative "review test" which was not bad at all. I found it easier than the regular tests.

Kawai-sensei is amazing. She genuinely wants everyone to succeed and tries very hard to support her students in any way she can. She can come off as a little intimidating, not because she is a mean person but because you want to please her. Go to her office hours whenever you have questions, to get advice, or just to get to know her. It will really help you and having a relationship with a teacher outside of the classroom, no matter how brief, shows her that you care. Keep up with the homework and don't be stupid like me and put off learning the Kanji. Kawai-sensei provides the schedule far in advance so take advantage of that! The course is a lot of fun and you will have a blast, even if you decide not to continue. I highly recommend it to those who are interested!

First off, I really did learn a lot in this class. You learn to speak very well, with better accents. Kawai really helps you to understand the nuances of the language. However, it was incredibly time consuming. You spend hours studying every night and much of the time, your efforts aren't reflected in your grade. After the intro level it only gets harder. So, unless you want to major in a field in which Japanese would greatly help, I wouldn't recommend it.

Kawai is really a nice lady, she's patient and enthusiastic and friendly. She always makes herself available after classes so you can find her in her office almost anytime you want. She would love to help you understand and glad you ask questions. She's sweet that we all got candies and snacks in the end of the semester, and I love my classmates and all the activities in class. I would definitely recommend this class. Take it!

You work hard in this class, but you really learn the language

fast paced but great class, you learn a lot and kawai-sensei is a great teacher

Kawai sensei wa kawaii da to omou! toranakuchaikenaino!

This is not a hard class, but it's definitely time consuming! The workload can become pretty heavy sometimes. But if you are willing to put in the time and effort to learn the language, you will sure get a lot out of it. The projects were enjoyable to do as well! Class participation turned out to be more important than expected. Kawai Sensei is a great teacher who really pushes you to try your best. If not for the large amount of works, my Japanese would never reach its current level after only one semester!

This class is a blast: absolutely hilarious. The reviews below are spot-on as well. Kawai-sensei is very helpful and really wants her students to learn the subtleties of the language. You learn a massive amount of material (the first two weeks are tougher than the rest), but you need to do your homework every night (and learn the lessons' vocab quick) to get a good grade and in order to participate (participation is 25% of your grade). Tests can be tricky and are graded pretty strictly. It's tough to manage a class that meets every day, but I loved it. Tough if you can't devote a lot of time to it though.

Kawai-sensei is a really great teacher. Japanese is a very intense language but she made learning it more interactive so that it was fun and not just endless drilling. Although everyday was a challenge for me, I really enjoyed taking her class and am excited about taking Japanese 1020 next semester. Kawai-sensei is truly a delight. If you keep up with the vocabulary and grammar for each lesson you will get the most out of this class.

This is a very comprehensive course, and I would recommend to anyone who wants a thorough understanding of Japanese. Class material is beyond that of any textbook; Professor Kawai really helps you understand the nuances of the language.