AMES-165S
THE WORLD OF JAPANESE POP CULT
Offered Fall 2026
Term
Instructor
Overview
Feedback is mostly positive. The strongest signal is that the readings, films, or examples carry real weight. Best for students who will engage with the materials instead of skimming everything.
DepartmentAMES
Terms offeredFall
Typical enrollment17–18
Semesters of data2
4.0
Hrs / week
19
Responses
35
Enrollment
54%
Response Rate
Evaluation Scores
Overall quality
Teaching, content, and experience combined.
4.5
Intellectually stimulating
Challenges students to think deeply.
4.4
Instructor effectiveness
Explains concepts and facilitates learning.
4.6
Difficulty
Higher means harder.
2.6
Feedback Analysis
Feedback Analysismedium
Analysis based on student evaluations
Based on 64 comments across 2 sections
Feedback is mostly positive. The strongest signal is that the readings, films, or examples carry real weight. Best for students who will engage with the materials instead of skimming everything.
Student Reports
How hard is the A?
A is doable but not automatic
The signal here is more do-the-work-and-you-should-be-fine than easy-A chatter. Students do not describe the A as automatic, but the evidence also does not paint grading as punishing.
Homework Load
Moderate homework load
Homework load looks moderate. The recurring signal is steady weekly work, but not a course that turns every assignment into a grind.
Lecture Load
Lighter lecture burden
Student comments describe this as more discussion-, seminar-, or workshop-driven than lecture-dependent. The lecture burden itself does not sound like the main source of friction.
Strengths
• Readings, films, or outside materials come up repeatedly as a real strength rather than filler.
• Discussion is a clear strength; students repeatedly describe the class conversation as engaging and useful.
Tradeoffs
• There is no single dominant complaint theme, but the feedback is not uniformly glowing either.
Best fit for
Best for students who will engage with the materials instead of skimming everything.
Student Responses
Historical and cultural context of pop culture trends in Japan Important themes that are often discussed/portrayed in Japanese media Critical analysis and synthesis of anthropological works
Fall 2024 · Hassel, Kimberly
a lot about Japanese pop culture
Fall 2024 · Hassel, Kimberly
Analyzing sources that have deeper themes that underlie Japanese society Learned about cultural and historical context for how some media outlets have formed content
Fall 2024 · Hassel, Kimberly
Critical analysis skills in articles, creative writing skills in reflections, and scholarly writing in midterm essays.
Fall 2024 · Hassel, Kimberly
This course taught me so much about Japanese pop culture and how it works as a mix of anime, manga, toys, and more. I really enjoyed learning how these things reflect both global and local influences, which changed how I think about cultural exchange. Watching shows like Princess Mononoke and Your Name helped me see how anime tackles real-world issues like environmentalism and societal struggles. Plus, looking at how fan cultures and social media play into it all made me realize how adaptable and far-reaching Japanese pop culture really is. It was such a fun and eye-opening experience!
Fall 2024 · Hassel, Kimberly
Rating History
Rating history
Error bars show \u00B11 std dev
| Term | Instructor | Overall | Difficulty | Hrs/wk | Enrolled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2024 | Hassel, Kimberly 5.0Rate My ProfessorsQuality5.0Difficulty3.0Would retake100%Based on 2 ratingsClick to view on RMP → | 4.6 | 3.3 | 4.0 | 18 |
| Fall 2023 | Maude, Daryl | 4.4 | 1.9 | — | 17 |
Instructor
Hassel, KimberlyAMES
Also teaches
AMES-503S ASIAN & MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES4.6