EASIA 203RJapanese Culture and Society
- Units
- 0.50
- Faculty
- Arts
- Subject
- East Asian Studies
When it runs
- F24
- W25
- S25
- F25
- W26
- S26
- F26
- W27
- S27
Ran in 4 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: not on the schedule. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.
The course explores the interface of tradition and modernity in Japanese life. Topics include traditional and modern Japanese culture, language, education, art, technology, and business.
Prerequisites
None listed.
Antirequisites
None listed.
Leads to
No course lists it as a requisite.
Fall 2026 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 6943 | 40 / 40 | W 14:30–17:20 |
Reviewed on UW Flow
78% liked it88% easy57% useful
From 18 ratings and 4 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.
Really straightforward course. Felt like a high school class pretty much. The prof kind of just talks about Japanese culture. The assignments are basic written assignments or group presentations. Though the presentations are kind of lengthy (25 mins+) so they usually end up taking up 1.5 classes to finish. You get marked on attendance as well. Honestly pretty chill course, though you won't learn much from it if you're already familiar with Japan.
Prof will bring snacks and stuff for certain lessons, and set up an end of term bento dinner, so that's nice.Aug 2019 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
Super easy class. Hardest part is just showing up to class for the attendance mark. Dr. Uchida is a great Professor. She likes to engage with the class a lot. No tests. Basically just a presentation and some assignments.
Apr 2025 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
This course is said to be a bird course, but it was one of my lowest grades. It's pretty easy to get an 80 minimum, but the lecturer is consistently unclear about what resources you can utilize for a quiz or assignment and went so far as to include quiz questions whose answers could not be found within the material, and then argued that we were supposed to have looked it up, without ever saying that we needed to use the internet during our quiz to be successful.
Jun 2022 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this
I absolutely hated this course lolll. I guess it's a bird course in the sense you can finish with 80s if you put in minimal effort but the prof marks so inconsistently and uselessly hard. To put it in comparison, I did better in a cs course than this one. Office hours were also completely useless where she would just reiterate the 2 bullet point prompts for assignments written on powerpoints and talk over you :) Needless to say, this course was basically useless. I guess the content was somewhat interesting but you'd probably learn more through youtube videos.
Apr 2021 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
20 posts and comments in 19 threads mention EASIA 203R, October 2017 to December 2024. Quoted word for word, newest first; each reply sits under the post and the comment that started its branch. Search r/uwaterloo for newer posts.
Fall 2024
Fall 2024 Good Prof Appreciation Thread 69 points, 58 comments
u/ItsAroundYou: “Michiyo Uchida teaching EASIA 203R. Super fun course and she made sure we all had a good time every week”
Spring 2023
Easy electives? 1 point, 4 comments
“First year life sci student here. I was just wondering what the easiest/ most fun elective courses are. I was thinking of taking German possibly? Or maybe another language.”
u/Great-Error5707: “EASIA 203R”
Easy Electives 1 point, 2 comments
“Hello, I will be attending Waterloo this September for Honours Science. I was just wondering what are some easy electives that I can take that could possible boost my GPA. Thank you”
u/Great-Error5707: “LS 271, ENGL 109, ENGL 210C,EASIA 203R, SCI 206, GEO 225 and 219, ENGL 335, HRM 200 etc”
Winter 2023
EASIA 203R Japanese Culture 2 points, 6 comments
u/Mind-Bender1976: “Spring is my last term at UW (thank god). I still require a language/culture course. Has anyone completed the Japanese Culture & Society course? It’s being taught by Michiyo Uchida? Thanks.”
Winter 2022
Some “useful” arts or STEM faculty courses to take? 6 points, 12 comments
u/howmanyfathoms: “… EASIA 203R was bare bones in content and difficult in grading, PSYCH 207 was interestingish but overall I learned nothing of value IMO, etc. I’ve also only ever taken classes online. …”
help w breadth requirement courses 0 points, 3 comments
“hi. i have two questions. 1. which course is easier? engl 100a OR engl 108x? 2. what language courses are the easiest (i need 2)? i have no prior experience learning french. …”
u/Artistic_Feed4200: “take culture classes instead of language, fulfils requirements without having to learn a language”
u/Artistic_Feed4200: “EASIA 203R I spent like 30 mins a week on it”
Spring 2020
EASIA 203R vs 277R? 2 points, 0 comments
Winter 2020
How is EASIA 203R? 2 points, 1 comment
u/isjdijjd: “I can't find much information on this course. Anyone who's taken it in the past, can you tell me the level of easiness? I have a busy term so I just want something light and fun. Thanks!”
Fall 2019
How is EASIA 203R? 3 points, 0 comments
u/blopp199: “The course sounds really interesting, how much work do you have to put in to do well?”
Spring 2019
Thoughts on EASIA 100/203R/204R? 2 points, 1 comment
u/kuroturtlez: “I know these are bird courses but how easy is it to get a high mark in these courses (90%+)? I took 202R in the winter and did very well in it. I am not sure how lenient the profs in the other courses mark especially in the essay assignments. …”
Interesting and easy electives 2 points, 7 comments
u/uwmemeteam: “hello does anyone have suggestions for good electives this term, or have taken the following courses: EASIA 100R EASIA 202R/203R SPAN 101 I've considered HRM 200 and CS100 and the HP course, and CLAS104 isn't quite up my alley. Currently taking REC 280.”
Fall 2018
EASIA 203R 3 points, 3 comments
u/blopp199: “Is it a good bird course? It seems really fun and interesting.”
Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026
- Undergraduate Calendar, 2026–27The official entry
- Requirements for Fall 2026Waterloo’s requisite checker
- Schedule of Classes, Fall 2026Instructors, rooms, live seats
- Quest Class SearchWhere you enrol
- Course outlinesSyllabi from past terms (UW login)
- UW FlowStudent ratings and reviews
- WClassesPast sections back to 2004, and who taught them