Top Ten Reasons For Taking ATH 327
It's About Pokemon
It's About Pokemon! From a global perspective, Pokemon was the fastest growing most successful game franchise in history. In one form or another, digital games, cards, television, movies, clothes, toys, stickers, it has touched the lives of over a billion people worldwide. And although its influence isn't as strong as it always was it remains one of the most popular children's franchises on the planet. With the advent of Pokemon GO, a whole new generation of people around the world is experiencing Pokemon in completely new ways.
It's Not Only About Pokemon
It's Not Only About Pokemon. We also look at Godzilla movies, Hello Kitty, popular anime series like Sword Art Online, Sailor Moon and Voltron, manga, games, and even a Japanese soap opera (Oshin). There are also a few non-Japanese cultural texts, like Zorro and the Hunger Games. If you are a fan of Japanese games, manga or anime, you can even bring your favorites into the class to help complete some of the exercises.
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Pop Culture, High Theory
Pop Culture, High Theory. In ATH 327 we use popular culture to understand complex concepts. Godzilla will teach us about how movies reflect the politics of their times, Hello Kitty will teach us about the polyvalent nature of symbols and what that means for international marketing. The Hunger Games will teach us world systems theory. Pokemon will teach us about simulacra, virtuality, and post-modern culture. Learning contemporary social theory was never so fun.
It's Gamified
It's Gamified. This is a class you play like a game. Choose a character, and start working through the activities. As you advance, you will earn points, badges and trophies, and collect treasures that link to resources to help you do better in higher levels.
There are multiple learning paths
There Are Multiple Learning Paths. When you choose your character, you will be choosing which set of learning modules you'll be completing. If you want to learn globalization concepts that you can use in your other social sciences classes you'll pick wizard. Choose the kenshusei and learn about Japanese culture at home and abroad. Those who choose the gamer path will learn a lot about what games can teach us about social theory, and how games intersect with everyday life.
It fulfills the Miami Global Plan
It fulfills the Miami Global Plan. This course is a Miami Plan G-Course. G-Courses are specially designed to have a global perspective and help students develop the ability to communicate and act respectfully across linguistic and cultural differences. Students who don't study abroad are required to have 6 credits of G-courses; ATH 327 fulfills 3 credits of that requirement.
It's an intercultural course
It Fulfills The Intercultural Perspectives Requirement. Intercultural Perspectives courses at Miami prepare students for effective citizenship in a diverse multicultural society in the U.S. or beyond. Students taking ATH 327 will recognize new perspectives about their own cultural rules and biases by demonstrating an understanding of some of the ways marginalized and dominant groups define and express themselves, and the contexts in which these definitions are constructed; describe some of the ways such global forces as imperialism, colonialism, religion, globalization, capitalism, and socialism have shaped ideas, groups, institutions, and/or the natural environment; and express an understanding of some of the theories theories addressing notions of race, gender, sexuality, class, disability, ethnicity, nationalism, and/or other socially constructed categories.
Learn how globalization works
Learn How Globalization Works. Everybody talks about globalization but what does that term really mean? In this class, you'll see first hand how cultural forms are created, how they travel across political, economic, and cultural boundaries, and how they are appropriated, transformed, and localized.
You can go at your own speed
You Can Go At Your Own Speed. It's a six-week course divided into 12 modules, a book review and a final project, all of which you do on your own. There are no formal due dates until the last day of the course. You can watch lectures at night in your pajamas, work through several modules in spurts, then take time off, or set yourself a cautious pace. Whatever suits your style of thinking and working.
Your friends will be jealous
Your Friends Will Be Jealous. While they're slogging through their on-line courses in "Principles of Microeconomics" or "Chemistry in Modern Society," you are looking at Pokemon in global and local contexts. Point that out to them. Frequently.