Korean Culture and Language Immersion through Gaming and Storytelling
Course Description
This course is offered under the auspices of Startalk Korean Culture and Language Immersion through Gaming and Storytelling program. STARTALK offers students (K–16) and teachers of these languages creative and engaging online learning and summer experiences that exemplify best practices in language education and in language teacher development.
The programs use the themes of storytelling and gaming to engage students in a highly motivated learning experience. The programs allow students to explore their own interests and self-understandings within a framework of cultural comparison and deepening cross-cultural competence while completing a series of exciting, creative projects.
Course Objectives
The goal of the program is to enable students at a low-intermediate level to progress to intermediate-high or higher in a single year. It is perfect for anyone taking intermediate level courses in college or is a heritage speaker with basic reading and writing skills. The program will focus especially on areas that students typically struggle to master. It will also concentrate on the different needs of heritage speakers and those learning the language for the first time by individual coaching and small-group enrichment, especially during the summer portion of the program. By the end of this program, students should consolidate a very solid base as they transition to more advanced content-oriented classes in literature, culture, and media (typically the equivalent of minor- and major-level courses) or other advanced language acquisition opportunities including study abroad.
Materials
Instructor-made materials, supplied by online videos and shows, and real-world materials, such as menus, newspapers, magazines or level-appropriate books.
The program is divided into three modules, each of which is built around storytelling and gaming themes that connect one to each other.
Module 1 (Spring 2024):
Identity; One credit (entirely online, in a hybrid modality that meets Saturdays for 1 hour of synchronous learning until mid March and then every other week; also include 1 to 2 hours of online activities/project building per week).
Module 2 (Summer 2024):
Two-week residential summer program, from June 23 to July 6, 2024, Summer 2024: Chinese Gaming and Storytelling: Heroes and Legends. Students will create a game design template based on a hero or legend of their choice or imagination, develop their own story-worlds, avatars, and game rules even as they explore the styles and roles of gaming and storytelling in Chinese culture.
Module 3 (Fall 2024):
Digital storytelling; Two credits (entirely online). Students apply the techniques of digital storytelling as they create their own documentary, podcast series, extension of the gaming project, or works of short fiction (1 hour synchronous contact, plus 1-2 hours of individual project work).
Spring 2024 Tentative Schedule
Week 1: Orientation and getting to know each other
Weeks 2-5: Heroes and Legends, History and Myth
Weeks 6-9: New Heroes and Legends
Weeks 10-14: Fame and Pop Culture
Summer 2024 Tentative Schedule
Coming Soon
Fall 2024 Tentative schedule
Students create their own documentary, podcast series, extension of the gaming project, or works of short fiction and meet with instructors twice a week.
Learn about Student Eligibility