CHINESE-408S
CHIN LANG & CULT THRU FILM
Not in Fall 2026
Term
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 offeredSpring
Typical enrollment13–13
Semesters of data2
4.2
Hrs / week
25
Responses
26
Enrollment
96%
Response Rate
Evaluation Scores
Overall quality
Teaching, content, and experience combined.
4.6
Intellectually stimulating
Challenges students to think deeply.
4.4
Instructor effectiveness
Explains concepts and facilitates learning.
4.8
Difficulty
Higher means harder.
3.2
Feedback Analysis
Feedback Analysismedium
Analysis based on student evaluations
Based on 92 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.
Watch out for
• A large share of the evidence comes from one instructor's version of the course, so this may not generalize cleanly.
Student Responses
film techniques, writing essays, new vocabulary
Spring 2024 · Zhang, Shu
Learned how to analyze film in Chinese, watched lots of relevant Chinese films, worked on being able to discuss these movies with classmates and present abou tthem
Spring 2024 · Zhang, Shu
I learned new vocabulary words and grammar in Chinese, learned how to analyze film elements (camera, lighting, story), and how to analyze films and critically evaluate them.
Spring 2024 · Zhang, Shu
Film vocabulary in mandarin; how to discuss social issues; presentation skills
Spring 2024 · Zhang, Shu
I developed my critical thinking skills and speaking skills in this course. I also learned a lot more about the Chinese culture throughout this course.
Spring 2024 · Zhang, Shu
Rating History
Rating history
Error bars show \u00B11 std dev
| Term | Instructor | Overall | Difficulty | Hrs/wk | Enrolled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring 2025 | Zhang, Shu 5.0Rate My ProfessorsQuality5.0Difficulty2.7Would retake100%Based on 3 ratingsClick to view on RMP → | 4.5 | 3.2 | 4.2 | 13 |
| Spring 2024 | Zhang, Shu 5.0Rate My ProfessorsQuality5.0Difficulty2.7Would retake100%Based on 3 ratingsClick to view on RMP → | 4.7 | 3.3 | — | 13 |
Instructor
Zhang, ShuAMES
Also teaches
CHINESE-102 FIRST-YEAR CHINESE II4.7CHINESE-203 INTERMEDIATE CHINESE4.4CHINESE-204 INTERMEDIATE CHINESE4.6CHINESE-305 PRE-ADVANCED CHINESE4.6CHINESE-305D PRE-ADVANCED CHINESE4.1