Students will learn about the role of samurai in Japanese society, their contributions to the modernization of Japan, how they came to an end, and their legacy after their end. Through this, they should gain a broad understanding of Japanese history on the whole, as the samurai play a major role in it. They should also gain historical skills such as how to examine documents and artwork. Finally, they will develop basic research and presentation skills through a guided research project.

I have a Bachelor's degree in history and graduated with high honors in 2018, having studied and researched a broad range of history. Japanese history is my specialty, particularly the time period we will be studying in this class. I wrote a 100 page thesis on Japanese history on the role of a group of samurai in Japan's modernization in the 1800s. I also minored in Japanese language and literature. As for teaching, I have worked in a variety of educational settings ranging from schools to museums for the past five years and have my CE in Social Studies Education K-12 from the State of NJ.

Homework Offered
Over the course of the class, students will conduct guided research on a famous samurai to share with the class in a presentation on the last day. I will help them with their research, teaching them the basics of research, breaking it down into simple weekly tasks, and checking in with them regularly. This should amount to a commitment of 1-2 hours a week outside of class.
1 - 2 hours per week outside of class
Assessments Offered
Assessment will be largely informal, but a written report of a learner's progress can be made upon request. Please reach out to me at any time if you are interested!
Grades Offered