To nurture a sense of wonder about and a sense of connectedness with the past and the diverse tapestry of humanity.

To help students grasp the historian’s craft to critically approach historical questions or contemporary challenges.

2024 Winter, East Asian Civilization II, 1600–1895, Co-lectured with Graeme R. Reynolds (In-Person, the Core Curriculum)

The second quarter of the East Asian civilization sequence covers what are now China, Japan, and Korea from roughly 1600 to 1895. 

Major themes include demographic and economic change; the social and cultural effects of widespread but uneven commercialization; state formation, rebellion, and political change; migration, urbanization, and territorial expansion; changes in family and gender roles; changes in the "natural" environment, particularly as related to agricultural expansion; changes in religion, ideology, and relationships between "elite" and "popular" culture; and increasingly consequential encounters with Western Europeans, Russians, and Americans, especially in the nineteenth century. 

The course aims to treat East Asia as a single interacting region, rather than as three (or more) sharply separated proto-nations; however, it will also call attention to the enormous diversity both among and within China, Japan, and Korea, treating those differences as constantly evolving and as something to be explained rather than assumed.

2022 Spring, To Be Or Not To Be ... A Man: Masculinities and Sexualities in Early Modern and Modern China (In-Person, Core Course for LGBTQ Studies Minor)

2021 Spring, Manipulating (or…being manipulated by) Environments: A Chinese Perspective (1000-1980) (Remote, History Major, Writing Intensive)

2021 Winter, Village Life in China: Men, Women, and Landscapes (1600-1950) (Remote, History Major, Writing Intensive)

2020 Fall, Rural China and Its Global Connections: “Peasants,” Environment, and Technology in the Early Modern World (Remote, History Major, Writing Intensive)

New Perspectives of History and China

After taking this class, I think that my former understanding of early modern China has been largely uprooted. For years, I believed in the textbook interpretation of early modern Chinese countryside: isolated, backwards, and ultimately crushed by a deluge of imported goods. My understanding now is very different. Will I take another Chinese history class in the future? I think I might; after all, to say one is a "Chinese historian" is like saying one is an "European historian"; there is too much to be learned. (2020 Fall)

I honestly had very little idea of what this class was going to be about going in and I must say that I very much enjoyed the knowledge that I took out. I had never paid so much attention to the relationship between environment and history than before this class and I think this connection will shape my outlook going forward in my history studies.  (2021 Spring)

This class provided a wide range of information about Imperial China and it covered many important aspects of Chinese History. My instructor's knowledge of the class and the confidence that You had given me real fulfillments and increased my ability to analyze complex historical events. I appreciate all the reading materials You provided and I am confident that my research skills improved a lot after this class. (2021 Winter)

The course material was really interesting. I always enjoyed the way we discussed the reading in class and how we had an opportunity to engage with our peers in a discussion with guided questions. That really helped with my understanding of the material. You was really informed and passionate about the subject which made learning and discussions really interesting. You was also very approachable and made it easy for us to ask for help both in and out of class. (2021 Winter)

I have learned an incredible amount of knowledge on Chinese agriculture and social systems that directly affect American history, and really makes me think about how we were taught American and World History in high school. (2020 Fall)

I feel like students will benefit from the open-ended class discussions, which forced us to think deeper into the content itself and provide our own take on things. This class helped raise awareness to environmental issues seen today and what we can learn from the past in China. (2021 Spring)

Analytical, Research, and Writing Skills

I have learned how more deeply engage in discussion with secondary sources, and formulate my own well organized argument by extending from these sources and formulating my own views by evaluating primary sources. (2020 Fall)

I liked that we covered a broad range of topics, while still being able to go into each with a high level of focus and detail. I also appreciated that we could tailor our discussion towards what interested us most about the texts. The final project encouraged me to pursue a research topic in a way that I hadn't done before and that I found both challenging and very interesting. (2021 Winter)

The instructor was very dedicated to ensuring student learning of the material and encouraging deeper thought and engagement with sources.  (2021 Spring)

I appreciated the structure of the class in that the assignments were part of one larger project that resulted in a final paper. I felt this was very successful compared to having disjointed assignments. The work throughout the quarter allowed for progression towards a final idea and more complete topic. I appreciated the structure of the class in that the assignments were part of one larger project that resulted in a final paper. I felt this was very successful compared to having disjointed assignments. The work throughout the quarter allowed for progression towards a final idea and more complete topic. (2020 Fall)

The real strengths were utilizing all the resources we have on campus, from all of the articles we can access online through the library. (2022 Spring)

I liked how we worked up to the research paper in many different steps throughout the weeks as it kept me on top of the work and made the process much more manageable. As much as I disliked the actual writing of the research paper (because I have never enjoyed writing essays), I did learn a lot about the process through this course. One of the biggest takeaways I took was just how many rewrites and revisions of the paper are necessary for a proper finished product rather than finishing with the first draft and a bit of edits like I usually would do.  (2021 Winter)

I feel that this class truly engaged with primary sources and secondary sources in a way that none of my previous history courses had. Where before, the primary and secondary sources were simply tools to gain information from, this class explored them as providing information in themselves. I was fascinated by class debates about the differences in historical consensus on certain topics and why certain authors can hold conflicting viewpoints without one side being entirely wrong or the other being entirely right. (2021 Spring)

Not only do I feel like I have become a much better writer, but I feel as though I have gained solid research and source analysis skills. (2020 Fall)

Collaboration and A Sense of Community (even over Zoom)

I will remember the small number of students in this class and the interactiveness we have developed over the course of the quarter. Despite the small class and the initial awkwardness and hesitancy in the start of the quarter, I will remember how each of us warmed up after the middle of the quarter and felt comfortable bouncing ideas off each other and providing feedback for each other. (2021 Spring)

For me, the parts of this class that were the most helpful was the collaborative portion of this class. I really enjoyed my small group meetings the day before seminar, as it allowed me to see other perspectives than my own for the readings and answers to the weekly questions. These small groups were also a great way to create a sense of a supportive community without ever meeting in person. Furthermore, I think it was really helpful to start off with smaller, easier writing assignments and slowly build up to the final paper because I was able to gain skills throughout the writing process and apply it to my final paper. (2020 Fall)

I found myself genuinely being drawn to readings. I thought that the small group projects each week were a fun and creative way to learn while meeting peers.  (2021 Winter)

I think Yōu did a great job of organizing this course and facilitating student interaction and engagement. The small-group meetings were extremely helpful, as were the presentations and breakout rooms during seminars. Yōu was extremely friendly and approachable during and outside of class during OH's and I really saw her genuine concern for her students' learning and their well-being.  (2020 Fall)

Course Experiences and Mentorship

I enjoyed learning from my peers and Professor You! The assignments were not too stressful and pushed us to do the weekly readings (which were all very interesting). I especially liked preparing for the class presentations because I got to focus on some topics I'm interested in -- even for group presentations, each individual had the freedom to choose their own article/theme. The final project is also quite creative and engaging; as someone who wants to work in the education field, I really enjoy creating lessons plans! The class was always welcome to ask Professor You for help and to attend office hours. I like that she met with us each to help prepare for our presentations/final projects. (2022 Spring)

You organized this class very well; the combination of small group discussion and weekly seminar wherein one member of each group would present the small group's collaborative research questions pertaining to the readings for the week was a great way to better immerse us in the content of the literature and relate it to the weekly theme.  (2020 Fall)

The office hours were very helpful to my success in the class whether they were required for a meeting or if I decided to go to seek further support. (2021 Spring)

Very understanding of the accommodations that I needed, this was definitely one of You's greatest strengths. I think their approachability makes them easy to talk to about issues or problems in class. (2022 Spring)

I went to two non-mandatory office hours for my final paper. I thought that it was very helpful. Since it was a big project, the office hours helped steer me in the right direction so that I don't go off topic. (2021 Winter)

The cumulative nature of assignments working towards our final paper was also beneficial and took some pressure off as well. You was very concerned for student learning and made sure to extend her full attention and help to students in class and in office hours as well. (2020 Fall)

They allowed for alot of felxibility. She required students to come to an office hour to discuss their topic at one point, which made the office hours more approachable in general. (2022 Spring)

Office hours and individual conversations with the professor also shaped my experience in making things more personal. I felt more comfortable discussing my thoughts and questions one-on-one with the professor who was very caring for her students and was very helpful in guiding each student towards success! (2021 Spring)

I really enjoyed this class, and I'm glad UCLA offered this course in this quarter. I hope I can take more class like this in the future. (2022 Spring)