I loved this class. Reed is a funny and sarcastic professor. His lectures are really informative and the class themes are made clear. The readings, although hefty, will give you everything you need for the paper, and some of the primary sources are actually really interesting to read.

I took this course for non-western/historical credit, and I honestly liked it more than I was expecting to. Although the material wasn't terribly interesting to me, the class itself wasn't too bad - you have three lectures a week for 50 minutes each, and no homework other than to study for the midterm/final exam and to write one paper. There are lots of readings listed for the course, but I was kinda sad because I bough the $35 course packet along with the other books and only read a few pages of one book throughout the entire semester. They're definitely not required but I guess they could be interesting if you're really invested in the topic. You get a study guide for the exams with all the possible essay topics as well as a bunch of possible terms to identify, so they're not too hard as long as you prepare beforehand. Professor Reed himself is nice and very knowledgeable about Chinese history. Definitely go to his lectures as he gives you all the information you could need. His lectures aren't too fast-paced and he gives you an outline before he begins, but I personally struggled to write down everything he said. Overall, not a hard class to get a B or B+ in, but you do need to put in some extra work for an A or A-, like another review said. I'd recommend it if you're looking for a decently interesting East Asian history course for some kind of requirement or for interest, but not if you're looking for an easy A.

Overall, I thought this class was ok. It's definitely not an easy A or A-, but B+/B is pretty easy to get. It wasn't the most exciting material like I expected it to be, but it was a pretty lax class. The only grades are a midterm (30%), 5-7 page paper (30%), and a final (40%). Prof. Reed gave us a study sheet for the midterm and final with IDs and some prompts, so those help a bit. In terms of readings, I didn't do any of the readings, and he never checks if you actually read them. There are some scheduled discussion dates in class, but class is optional as well. He doesn't post his notes online, so it would be in your best interest to go to class. If you are really interested in Late Chinese History or have taken Modern China, this might be the class for you.

Honestly this is a pretty easy A- class. You'll need to put in a little more effort to get an A. As a STEM major i was daunted by a history class and having to write a history paper but it wasn't that hard if you go to office hours and talk with him. He is a sweet old man and really cares about his students. 1 midterm, 1 5-8 pg paper and 1 final. so there arent many grades but pretty doable. Would highly recommend!

I really enjoyed this class, and it is definitely one of the easier history classes I've taken (as a history major). Professor Reed is a great professor, very friendly and approachable, and gives very clear and interesting lectures. The grade comes from the midterm, final, and a short paper, so the workload isn't too bad. A fair amount of reading is assigned but you can get away without doing most of it. I would very much recommend this course to anyone.

A good class to take for history and non-history majors. Reed is a really nice guy - he makes an effort to know all the students' names in 3112. He is very approachable and a fair grader. Most of his research is in the legal tradition of Late Imperial China, so it's cool to learn from someone who knows so much about a unique topic.

Professor Reed is one of the best professor's I've had while at UVa. He makes the material interesting and accessible, I highly recommend this class. There was one short paper, one midterm, one final - both were identification and free response.

Professor Bradly is a very good lecturer and he made history very interesting. The readings were interesting as well; they were mainly used in occasional whole-class discussions (~3 / semester) and in writing the paper. This is definitely one of the easier 3000 level history classes you can take.