Is It Teachable?

In this episode, we discuss the 5 paragraph essay model, which is...not our favorite. Zack provides some background research, and I provide...something about furniture. Music: @Mythos2 Twitter: @isitteachable Image: Freepik

In this episode, we tackle the incredibly broad "personal narrative," talk about beating meat, and wonder how many beans can fit into the Chicago Bean. Music: @Mythos2 Twitter: @isitteachable Image: Freepik

In this episode, we talk about two of our favorite comics (Through the Woods by Emily Carroll and Bill Waterson's Calvin and Hobbes series), the word "girthy" (?), and how time isn't real anymore. Music: @Mythos2 Twitter: @isitteachable Image: Freepik

In this episode, we rise from the ashes like a quarantined phoenix and discuss how lockdown teaching has gone so far, as well as a slight update in the podcast format. Music: Mythos26 Image: Freepik Twitter: @isitteachable

In this episode, we discuss transitioning to all online delivery for the rest of the semester, potential concerns, and trying to remain positive. Music: Mythos26 Image: Freepik Twitter: @isitteachable

In this episode, we talk about the trash heap that was this previous season of The Bachelor and wonder how we might ever make it useful for more than just, you know, yelling at the screen and tweeting memes (not that those aren't great). Music: Mythos26 Image: Freepik Twitter: @isitteachable

In this episode, we discuss Re:Zero - Starting Life in Another World and its potential merits in the classroom! Think of this episode as, like, an inverse of the previous episode, both in content and text. Music: Mythos26 Image: Freepik Twitter: @isitteachable

In this episode, we discuss Konosuba: God's Blessing on this Wonderful World, how it subverts traditional tropes, and how it may or may not have been a catalyst for a larger conversation about what is and isn't accessible in all classrooms. Music: Mythos26 Image: Freepik Twitter: @isitteachable

In this episode, we talk about Bong Joon Ho's phenomenal Parasite, which won Best Picture at the Academy Awards, along with Best Original Screenplay, Best International Film, and Best Director. An incredibly relevant film with an unflinching take on class, Parasite can be taught in a multitude of ways, and we explore a few here! Music: Mythos26 Image: Freepik Twitter: @isitteachable

In this episode, we talk about some of the worst Valentine's Day gifts ever and attempt to kind of relate them to teaching. Y'all, they're so bad. We might have our first "no." Music: Mythos2 Image: Freepik Twitter: @isitteachable

In this episode, we bring back a childhood tradition, get sick tats, and get surprisingly sincere about using valentine's cards in the classroom. Music: Mythos2 Image: Freepik Twitter: @isitteachable

In this episode, we talk about Makoto Shinkai's Weathering with You! This hit film can be used in a myriad of ways in the classroom, ranging from ecocriticism to rhetorical analysis and creative writing workshops. Go see this movie, then come back here and hang with us as we break down what makes it great (and teachable!). Music: Mythos2 Image: Freepik Twitter: @isitteachable

In this episode, we discuss our excitement for the new semester, new teaching challenges, and provide a sort of instructors' guide for Spring 2020. Make sure to take notes (and practice self care) this semester! Assignment Calculator Link: https://www.lib.umn.edu/ac Music: Mythos2 Image: Freepik Twitter: @isitteachable

In this episode, we talk New Year's resolutions, Baby New Year, Planet Fitness Dude Soup, and end (or beginning) of semester writing reflection activities. Oh, and how could we not talk about the very real thing, the peacock vow? Or the very real god Orbulan? Music: Mythos2 Image: Freepik Twitter: @isitteachable

In this episode, we discuss the Rankin/Bass TV Special Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and the 1998 Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer: The Movie, examining adaptations throughout the decades, and just, you know, wondering about mall Santa(s). The link to the Lindsay Ellis video mentioned in the episode can be found below: Lindsay Ellis video essay link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU1ffHa47YY Image: Freepik Music: Mythos2 Twitter: @isitteachable

In this episode, we discuss Netflix's The Knight Before Christmas as a means of teaching rhetorical strategies, audience evaluation, and potential historical fiction projects! Oh, and we talk about fun holiday traditions. And talking food. Because of course. Image: Freepik Music: Mythos2 Twitter: @isitteachable

In this episode, we walk you through the process of making our food monstrosities, finally taste them (with some truly terrible audio!), and assess them using our Thanksgiving Foobrics. Remember, all teaching is trial and error, and that includes the creation and use of rubrics. Music: Mythos2 Image: Freepik

In this episode, we decide on our Thanksgiving Food Canon and spin the Food Wheel to determine the dish that we will create and then probably regret deeply. Music: Mythos2 Image: Freepik

In this lesson, we begin a three-part series centered around everyone's favorite two activities: eating and grading! Join us as we decide on our grading requirements for this 2k19 Thanksgiving Foobric and prepare for the next few weeks of food madness! Music: @Mythos2 Image: Freepik

Scaring students can be just as fun as scaring yourself! In this episode, we tell spooky stories, discuss teaching with definitions, and unearth some bad advertisement-based childhood trauma. And Lelouch attempts to open the door to the office on his own. Music: Mythos2 Image: Freepik Twitter: @isitteachable

In this week's episode, we talk about getting spooky with close-reading, the tedious, impenetrable Monster Hunter World interface (for students, probably), and perform the worst ASMR you've ever heard. Music: @Mythos2 Image: Freepik

In this episode, we raise hell with Clive Barker's Hellraiser (1987). Let's talk about genre conventions, showing and not telling, and demon qualifications! Music: @Mythos2 Image: Freepik

In this episode, we talk about Fruits Basket, its veritable cornucopia of theoretical discussion points, and the pitfalls of our own Zodiac signs! Music: @Mythos2 Images: Freepik

In this episode, we discuss Studio TRIGGER's first feature film, Promare, as well as its potential in the classroom in relation to film courses and rhetorical analysis. And some Pokemon soundtrack B-sides. The usual. Music: "Small Balloon" by Mythos2 Images: Freepik

In this episode, we talk about some of our favorite foods, bringing them into the classroom, and our seemingly consistent theme of "hmm, you can but maybe you shouldn't." Music: "Small Balloon" by Mythos2 Images: Freepik

In this episode, we review our current textbooks for our remedial and ground level English courses and create our own ideal English textbooks on the fly. Oh, and did we mention there's some Garfield in there? For some reason? Our intro and outro music is "Small Balloon (Instrumental)" by Mythos2. The rest of his work is equally fantastic! You can find it and the rest of his music here: @mythos2 Logo images credited to Freepik

In this episode, we take stock of our first week teaching at new institutions for the fall semester. Unsurprisingly, English composition is very teachable, since we're doing the dang thing. We talk shop about the assignments we're teaching, reminisce about the joys and pains that come from a fresh new semester, and, uh, extensively discuss jeans and bad anime. Our intro and outro music is "Small Balloon (Instrumental)" by Mythos2. The rest of his work is equally fantastic! You can find it and the rest of his music here: @mythos2 Logo images credited to Freepik

In this episode, we talk about Meatloaf and Jim Steinman's Bat Out of Hell, the iconic concept album. How might concept albums be of use in the English class? We pitch some ideas (and try to figure out why specific mugs/cups seem to define an instructor's personality). Music: @Mythos2 Image: Freepik

In this episode, we talk about the concept of beach reads, its inherent faultiness, and our vacation prose picks! Oh. And death. Lots of it. Boston Globe Article: https://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2012/08/11/how-america-learned-love-summer-reading/CEOArfbYLK8X16l6w6rt4O/story.html The Guardian Article: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/jun/02/beach-read-summer-books-holiday-vacation Electric Lit: https://electricliterature.com/what-the-fk-is-a-beach-read-anyway/ Music: @Mythos2 Image: Freepik

We picked apart the ins and outs of the mermaid subculture, guided by Carolyn Turgeon's The Mermaid Handbook! Full of information from folklore to where to buy your own fin, we break down our favorite parts of this must-have text to discuss its applicability in the classroom. It also gives Morgan an excuse to talk about her favorite creature ever. Image: Freepik Music: @Mythos2

We tackle Anthony Bourdain's Get Jiro, along with our own personal food factions, idol feet (??), and the pursuit of ethical and inexpensive healthy food for all. Music: @Mythos2 Images: Freepik Twitter: @isitteachable

In this episode, we discuss Dave Holmes' memoir Party of One: A Memoir in 21 Songs, treading through past and present assignments, teaching narratives, and the role that music has to play in the classroom (and, of course, our lives). Cover Images: Freepik Music: @Mythos2 Twitter: @isitteachable

As the spring anime season has finally drawn to a close, we take a look at one of the fan favorites of the year so far--Ikuhara's Sarazanmai--and break down some of the mythology and symbolism in the show. How might we bring these delightful yokai into our own courses? Oh, and why the f*ck isn't anyone else talking about Midnight Occult Civil Servants? Music: @Mythos2 Images: Freepik Follow us on Twitter: @isitteachable

In this week's lesson, Morgan and Zack discuss Ana Lily Amirpour's A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, an Iranian Vampire Spaghetti Western. Let's talk about (Eco)Feminism and flipping traditional horror/gender roles! Music by: @Mythos2 Cover Images: Freepik Vice Behind the Scenes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nCARJM7EUA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCoLFR_1BwA

In this week's lesson, we tackle some of our favorite creepypastas in order to figure out how we could possibly teach them in an English classroom. #gottabeafortnitepark Music: @Mythos2 Cover Images: Freepik Sources: http://sayainunderworld.blogspot.com/2008/09/one-man-hide-and-seek.html?m=1 http://www.creepypasta.org/creepypasta/abandoned-by-disney-2 http://www.the13thfloor.tv/2016/06/27/exploring-two-of-disneys-most-nightmarish-abandoned-parks/ https://www.creepypasta.com/the-russian-sleep-experiment/

In this episode, we talk our way through one of our favorite series, Bungo Stray Dogs (Literary Stray Dogs), and discuss how it might be a bit more relevant to traditional English courses (especially in high school) than Department of Education stipulations ("literary" text) lead us to believe. Also, there's Fitzgerald and his weird money-skin. Intro and Outro Music: @Mythos2 - "Small Balloon (Instrumental)" Cover Images: Freepik