What's included
2 live meetings
2 hrs 30 mins in-class hoursHomework
1 hour per week. Students will be invited to search for and share examples of Japanese yо̄kai and the culture around them in relating them to the material we cover in Day 1 on Day 2.Class Experience
There's hardly anyone today who holds interest in Japanese culture or language but hasn't heard what yokai are. But what are they really? And why on Earth are there as many as 500 of them!? Through this two-day course, we will deep dive together into the strange, unnerving, brutal, and sometimes even grotesque nature of these Japanese monsters and ghouls that have inspired so many anime and manga characters alike. We'll also take a look at a few of their current depictions in modern-day media as well, from Studio Ghibli films to popular anime series. Here's what we will cover: Day One: 1. What are yokai? 2. Monster and ghoul yypes 3. Origins of yokai Day Two: 1. Show-and-tell your own yokai! 2. Five super-important yokai, plus others 3. Yokai in modern popular culture and media Note: A minimum of four (4) students must be enrolled for this class to be held as scheduled. Students who wish to remain enrolled even in the case of there not being a sufficient number of enrollees will be transferred to the next available scheduled day and time of the same class unless otherwise requested. Still got questions? Feel free to contact me for more information!
Other Details
Parental Guidance
Yokai come in all shapes, sizes, and temperaments. Some are seemingly benign enough but others can be fairly spooky or even downright gruesome. Tales and descriptions of carnage, death, revenge, and the like will occasionally be touched on and shown in archaic illustrations (e.g. scroll paintings from premodern Japan).
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Teacher expertise and credentials
Bachelor's Degree from Gustavus Adolphus College
I studied Japanese language, culture, history, and economics both at home (Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota) and a year abroad (Kansai Gaidai University in Osaka, Japan). I returned to Japan after graduating to live for another three years in Kagawa prefecture, Shikoku, where I worked in language instruction and Japanese-English translation. I attained certification in the 2nd highest level of the internationally recognized Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT), and twice sat in for the 1st level.
My teaching experience in language instruction (where I also often implement the Natural Approach and TPR) continues to this day in private lessons for both children and adults in ESL, Japanese language learning, and JLPT test prep. For Japanese, this includes literacy in kanji and the language's other character sets, as well as comprehension and production in both informal and business-level conversation. It also means a top-down approach to deconstructing, studying for, and tackling the JLPT for those students looking to take their Japanese to the next level and even get this important certification that can land them a job abroad. (Feel free to contact me for more information about the JLPT and suggestions on whether or not it may be right for your learner's language goals.)
Reviews
Live Group Class
$75
for 2 classes1x per week, 2 weeks
75 min
Completed by 7 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 11-16
4-8 learners per class