Learn Japanese Through Culture V: Enjoying Media in Japan
In this 8-week class, students learn about Japanese entertainment in Japan while also learning how to use Japanese vocabulary and grammar to express themselves and their opinions about anime, manga, music, movies, books, etc.
Jennifer M. Yoo
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:(95)
What's included
8 live meetings
10 in-class hoursClass Experience
As a language is so heavily informed by that country's culture, the goal of this class is to provide cultural context that is both interesting and helpful to students developing a better understanding of Japanese. Being able to read/write Hiragana/Katakana/Kanji characters is not required but an understanding of at least a basic level of Japanese grammar and/or vocabulary is recommended in order to get the most out of this class.
As the theme of this 8-week course is popular culture in Japan, each class will include a short presentation on cultural topics related to some aspect of Japanese media entertainment with images and video clips (when appropriate). Aside from learning about Japanese culture, these presentations are also for practicing listening comprehension and will be given partially in Japanese by the teacher (with keywords translated into English to aid in comprehension). A short check for student understanding and a chance for students to ask questions (in English or Japanese) will be done throughout each presentation.
In addition, each class will also focus on learning key vocabulary and practicing grammar patterns related to the cultural topic introduced in the presentation. This will be done in the form of games or activities such as roleplaying and the focus will be on learning and practicing how to use them in conversation.
Week 1: Music in Japan - Genres & Instruments - Starting with Expressing Opinions ("I Think/Feel...") & Desire ("I Want...")
Week 2: Cinema in Japan - Genres, Terms & People - Expressing Opinions & Comparisons ("I Think/Feel... is the Most...") & Talking About Who Made It & Who's In It
Week 3: Television in Japan - Genres, People & Characters/Roles - Talking About "If I Were..."
Week 4: Anime/Manga in Japan - Genres, Terms & People - Expressing Reactions ("When I Watch/Read... I Feel/Want...")
Week 5: Literature in Japan - Talking About What's the Story ("It's About...")
Week 6: Fun & Games in Japan - Talking About Past Experiences & Giving Reasons for Your Opinion
Week 7: Building Your Review in Japanese - Making Suggestions & Talking About Likes/Dislikes & Favorites
Week 8: Enjoying (More) Media in Japan - Student Presentations of Final Projects, Quiz Game & Wrap-Up
**Please note that this 8-week class is the fifth part of the "Learn Japanese Through Culture" series. Each part is organized around a certain theme and is designed to be more or less independent so that students do not have to take all of the parts , nor do they have to take them in order to benefit. Some parts may have similar topics within them, but the way in which the related grammar, vocabulary, etc. is implemented in each part is informed by the theme.Learning Goals
Upon completing this class, students will have:
- Learned more about popular entertainment in Japan, what TV, movies, music is like, etc.
- Learned vocabulary related to Japanese popular culture, and its meaning.
- Practiced listening and speaking of Japanese in situational conversations (talking about one's likes/dislikes/favorites and why, talking about what something is about, describing/giving impressions using adjectives, giving suggestions/recommendations, etc.).
- Practiced expressing their opinions in Japanese, why they recommend and why, presenting their review of a chosen title/work in Japanese.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
When talking about genre for movies/film and TV, we will end up talking a little about action/violence, as it relates to genres such as samurai/historical/war, horror, etc., however nothing graphic will be shown in class.
Supply List
All audiovisual material for class (sound/video/image) will be provided as part of PowerPoint presentations (or similar) displayed for students through use of screen share on Zoom. Students may want to have a notebook and pen/pencil to take notes in class. All "follow-up worksheets" and class supporting materials (i.e. vocabulary lists) will be provided to students by the teacher in the Classroom. For their final project, students will be asked to provide some visuals to show to the class while they present their review. This can be drawn, made digitally on the computer using pictures found on the internet, etc. however the supplies needed to complete the visual part of this final project will vary accordingly.
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Joined April, 2020
4.9
95reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
Doctoral Degree in Music or Theatre or Arts from University of Hawaii at Manoa
I have studied Japanese for more than 12 years and am fluent in the language. I also am experienced in tutoring middle school, high school, as well as college students in Japanese and I have lived accumulatively in Japan for about 5 years.
In terms of knowledge of Japanese entertainment, aside from what I have l learned simply from living in the country itself, going to movies and watching TV, etc. I have been a longtime fan of Japanese entertainment, especially anime and Japanese movies/TV, for more than 15 years.Reviews
Live Group Class
$80
for 8 classes1x per week, 8 weeks
75 min
Completed by 13 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 13-18
2-6 learners per class
