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Chinese Culture and Mythology in Pokémon

What Pokémon are inspired by Chinese culture and mythology. In this flex course, we'll examine the merits (and drawbacks) of these theories, while learning a bit about the history of China. This is a four lesson self-paced course.
Lauren James
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:
(3,161)
Class

What's included

4 pre-recorded lessons
4 weeks
of teacher support
1 year access
to the content
Mastery Evaluation
1 hour per week. Students can post their answers to any "Expand Your Knowledge" challenge to receive feedback from the teacher.

Class Experience

US Grade 3 - 12
This course explores more than 35 Pokémon and their possible connections to Chinese mythology and culture. We will examine popular fan theories about the origins of these Pokémon, and weigh the merits in these ideas. Students will learn about cultural traditions that may have inspired Pokémon, and also several Chinese myths and legends that could have been the basis for many popular Pokémon. Other perspectives and theories are also included in order to provide a balanced approach and encourage reflective reasoning. This critical thinking approach allows learners to decide for themselves whether those fan theories have any credibility, now that they have a greater understanding of the cultural context.  While the focus of this class is the culture/mythology of China, it is through the narrow lens of the Pokémon world, and thus is not a comprehensive review of the entirety of Chinese culture, folklore, or mythology. 

Please note that three of my Pokémon Social Studies courses are formatted differently than the others. These courses are the ones covering China, India, and the Middle East. These three courses DO NOT have one long video lecture; instead, the Pokémon are explored individually via written passages. This way, learners can explore as many or as few topics as they wish, and come back to the materials when they are ready. Please keep in mind the different format before enrolling.

This is a self-paced course; there is no live component. Instead, students study 7-15 Pokémon per lesson for four lessons, using videos, descriptions, comparisons, and extension activities to expand their learning beyond the basic course content. All extension activities are optional and at the discretion of the parent. Depending on the number of extension activities a student chooses to complete, each lesson can be as short as 30 minutes, or take several hours to complete. 

Need a discount? Sure thing! All of my self-paced courses are "pay what you can afford." To get the discount you need, sign up for the course first, then message me with the discount you would like, and I will apply a partial refund.

Syllabus

4 Lessons
over 4 Weeks
Lesson 1:
Culture and History
 Pokémon covered in this lesson: Golett, Golurk, Growlithe, Arcanine, Entei, Kubfu, Urshifu, Mienfoo, Mienshao, Jangmo-o, Hakamo-o, Kommo-o, Stakataka, Pancham, Pangoro 
Lesson 2:
Religion
 Pokémon covered in this lesson: Arceus, Lucario, Reshiram, Zekrom, Kyurem, Hoopa, Gigantamax Urshifu 
Lesson 3:
Mythology and Stories, Part 1
 Pokémon covered in this lesson: Magikarp, Gyrados, Drampa, Tornadus, Thunderus, Landorus, Enamorus, Turtonator, Ninetales, Suicune, Cresselia, Sylveon 
Lesson 4:
Mythology and Stories, Part 2
 Pokémon covered in this lesson: Absol, Arcanine, Altaria, Spiritomb, Infernape, Emboar, Ting-Lu 

Other Details

External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Sources
Week 1: https://www.dkfindout.com/us/history/ancient-china/terra-cotta-army/ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/terra-cotta-soldiers-on-the-march-30942673/ https://books.google.com/books?id=PcvA373XEJwC&pg=PA109#v=onepage&q&f=false https://olympics.com/en/news/what-is-wushu-chinese-martial-arts-south-east-asian-games-sport https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Ming-period-evidence-of-shaolin-martial-practice-Shahar/6d92a4d3d76c49466371bb17d8d1617662d64851 Shaolin Kung Fu: The Original Training Techniques of the Shaolin Lohan Masters Paperback by Donn F. Draeger Historical Dictionary of Chinese Theater by Tan Ye. https://artsandculture.google.com/story/traditional-chinese-clothing-accessories-chester-beatty-library/fQUByRYSK_TPLg?hl=en Week 2: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-asia/beginners-guide-asian-culture/buddhist-art-culture/a/bodhisattva-avalokitesvara-guanyin https://oxfordre.com/religion/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780199340378.001.0001/acrefore-9780199340378-e-167;jsessionid=30C89A17E0DCE7637043ED0F3A379F43 https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-asia/imperial-china/tang-dynasty/a/taoism-in-the-tang-and-song-dynasties https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/whp-origins/era-3-cities-societies-and-empires-6000-bce-to-700-c-e/35-development-of-belief-systems-betaa/a/read-daoism-beta Buddhism in Chinese History by Arthur F. Wright https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/taoism/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gPTOKcwp3c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cD3Tbsduk8o https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/south-east-se-asia/japan-art/a/todai-ji https://chinesemythologypodcast.wordpress.com/ Week 3: Chinese Fairy Tales and Legends by Frederick H. Martens Handbook of Chinese Mythology by Lihui Yang Legend of the Chinese Dragon by Marie Sellier, Catherine Louis and Wang Fei Stellarium.org (Chinese constellations) https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1125/the-dragon-in-ancient-china/ Far Eastern Fox Lore by T. W. Johnson (https://www.jstor.org/stable/1177503?seq=3) https://www.britannica.com/topic/qilin China Tales and Stories by Zhou Wenjing https://www.britannica.com/topic/Change-Chinese-deity https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/world-history/world-history-beginnings/shang-dynasty-china/v/shang-dynasty-in-ancient-china https://chinesemythologypodcast.wordpress.com/ Week 4: Chinese Fairy Tales and Legends by Frederick H. Martens Handbook of Chinese Mythology by Lihui Yang China Tales and Stories by Zhou Wenjing https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/world-history/ancient-medieval/zhou-qin-han-china/e/ap-ancient-and-imperial-china https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/world-history/ancient-medieval/zhou-qin-han-china/v/zhou-qin-and-han-dynasties A Chinese Demonography of the Third Century B. C. by Donald Harper (https://www.jstor.org/stable/2718970?origin=crossref) https://chinesemythologypodcast.wordpress.com/ http://www.outlawsofthemarsh.com/ The Four Chinese Classics: Tao Te Ching, Chuang Tzu, Analects, Mencius by David Hinton The Essential Chuang Tzu by Sam Hamill Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong and C. H. Brewitt-Taylor The Deer and the Cauldron” by Louis Cha The Water Margin: Outlaws of the Marsh: The Classic Chinese Novel by Shi Naian, J.H. Jackson The Journey to the West, Revised Edition, Volumes 1-3 by Anthony C. Yu The Deer and The Cauldron: The First Book by Louis Cha (Author) and John Minford (translator)
Joined September, 2017
4.9
3161reviews
Profile
Teacher expertise and credentials
Bachelor's Degree in Education from Brigham Young University
I have taught mythology class on Outschool since 2017. I was a certified middle school teacher in science, English, and social studies from 2005 to 2021. I now specialize in educational outreach at the University of Arizona, including giving planetarium shows that feature the mythology and astronomy of cultures throughout the world.

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Self-Paced Course
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$8

weekly or $30 for all content
4 pre-recorded lessons
4 weeks of teacher support
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1 year of access to the content

Completed by 23 learners
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