James K. Okutsu

You know, this class was acutally not bad. The lectures in class were pretty interesting and you have to admit, J. Okutsu does know what he is talking about. The only problem with him though is his personality. He this he is the SHIT, he knows it all, which he doesn't. I actually enjoyed the lecture in his class but when it comes down to grades, this guy is as stingy as it gets. When he says 20% of your grade is from partcipation, he means it!

His class wouldn't be so bad if it was for the fact the he acts like a prick. I mean he is a decent professor but the way he acts and the way he grades......man.....tells a lot about him. The reviews about this professor are not a lie, they are true. He is a decent professor, just that he grades weird and don't expect a high passing grade. I don't recommend him nor his class, there are better options out there in the AAS dept.

He is definitely a racist with no tolerance for opposing opinions. He is a total hypocrite, he preaches tolerance and yet has none himself. He is extremely arrogant and unorganized and you learn virtually nothing about the subject of the class. Even the Japanese students didn't know what the hell he was talking about. What does this say when people can't pass a class about their own culture?

The class is structured in groups for the entire semester. He emphisizes that everything from homework and exams plus projects be done in groups of three to six people. This class is not for anyone who does not like to work in groups and to have to meet outside of class. The class had two major projects, which had to be very creative. You will have to present it to the class as well. The midterm was very tricky and not straight forward. This was done individually however the grade that you receive is the class average not your individual score. The final and the midterm are both essays in which you will have to apply all the reading done in the semester. Prof. Okutsu puts down and criticizes the class when the class does not perform well on essays or exams. All the time that this happened it was because he did not explain the instructions clearly. since the class is structured as a group he tells the class not to contact him for help but to contact each other for help. he is a poor and lazy teacher who does not want to be bothered outside of class.

Prof. Okustu is a interesting teacher. He doesn't follow a regular class format, he makes his class different. He believes in group grades, not individual ones. So, our midterm was a average of the class. So, that means you could get an on the midterm, but get a C if that's the class grade. At first he seems angry and spitful, but as time progresses he becomes closer to the students and takes interest in them. I don't know if he ever cares about his students, but he does know a lot about JA history. I recommend him, if you want to take a different kind of class. But if you need the security of knowing your grade through the semester don't because you never know where you stand.

James seems to be racist. He always shows cares to students who are the same racial group and students who can speak fluent English. His lecture style is useless and students who took his class learn nothing about Japanese personality. In addition, he always "picks on" someone which he doesn't like much. If someone who wants to be insulted by him, please take his class. Otherwise, please choose other alternatives.

Prof. Okutsu lacks the ability to teach. In the time before he dropped me (because I missed more than the limit of 3 classes), I found his class to be boring and really a waste of time. If you like to sit in class and hear a professor mumble his way through an unstructured lecture, choose this class! If you don't want to deal with absences and constant pressure, don't take this class.