CHINESE-456

CHINESE CULTURE AND SOCIETY

Not in Fall 2026

AMES · Taught by Jiang, Linshan · Last offered Spring 2024

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. The sample is still thin, so treat this as directional rather than definitive.

DepartmentAMES

Terms offeredSpring

Typical enrollment21–21

Semesters of data1

3.1

Hrs / week

Responses

Enrollment

76%

Response Rate

Evaluation Scores

Overall quality

Teaching, content, and experience combined.

4.6

12345

Intellectually stimulating

Challenges students to think deeply.

4.6

12345

Instructor effectiveness

Explains concepts and facilitates learning.

4.7

12345

Difficulty

Higher means harder.

2.9

12345

Feedback Analysis

Feedback Analysislow

Analysis based on student evaluations

Based on 33 comments across 1 sections

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.

• Students repeatedly say the course teaches something concrete, whether that is content mastery, research skill, or a strong foundation.

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

• Most of the signal comes from a limited sample, so be careful about over-generalizing.

• A large share of the evidence comes from one instructor's version of the course, so this may not generalize cleanly.

Student Responses

1. The literary nature of traditional mythology 2. Characteristics of narrative in Chinese fantasy films 3. The distinction between fantasy and magical realism

Spring 2024 · Jiang, Linshan

I learned to talk more in Chinese and the professor is intentional with her selection of topic

Spring 2024 · Jiang, Linshan

Chinese myths and legends and their connections to contemporary artworks. The ability to conduct academic presentations in Chinese. The ability to critically analyze mythological works.

Spring 2024 · Jiang, Linshan

I learned lots of different topics such as Classic of Mountains and Seas/Creation Myth and Renovation through Computer Games/Time Tracking: Dragon Star/Divinity: Nüwa and so on, which are all very interesting and thought-provoking.

Spring 2024 · Jiang, Linshan

I particularly appreciate the critical thinking aspect of this class. The readings that Dr. Jiang selected for the class are very relevant to the topic and thought-provoking. Dr. Jiang never restrained us to follow the "popular comments" of those classic literature, but to think in-depth of people, gender, relationship, and philosophy inside the texts.

Spring 2024 · Jiang, Linshan

Rating History

Rating history

Error bars show \u00B11 std dev

Term	Instructor	Overall	Difficulty	Hrs/wk	Enrolled
Spring 2024	Jiang, Linshan 4.2Rate My ProfessorsQuality4.2Difficulty3.8Would retake73%Based on 49 ratingsClick to view on RMP →	4.6	2.9	3.1	21

Instructor

Jiang, LinshanAMES

Also teaches

AMES-690S SPECIAL TOPICS4.4