Background
Leonard, Todd Jay was born on November 16, 1961 in Shelbyville, Indiana, United States.
(Since the summer of 1979 when Todd Jay Leonard first visi...)
Since the summer of 1979 when Todd Jay Leonard first visited Japan as a summer exchange student, he has had an on going relationship with this fascinating country and its people. Writing from the perspective of someone living and working in Japan, he delivers a firsthand account of daily Japanese life through this collection of short essays written in the style of personal letters. Each composition offers commentary on a wide range of topics and issues including the culture, history, education, language, society, and religion of modern Japan.How do Japanese people celebrate holidays? What are the educational and political systems like? What types of festivals are there in Japan? What are some of the customs and traditions of the the Japanese people?An Indiana Hoosier in Lord Tsugaru's Court answers these and many other questions through engaging and humorous illustrations that transport the reader to modern Japan. The author's friendly, down-to-earth (yet authoritative) style is informative and educational allowing anyone who has an interest in learning about Japan and its people to enjoy its subject matter.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1440121648/?tag=2022091-20
(What types of holidays do Japanese people celebrate? What...)
What types of holidays do Japanese people celebrate? What is the educational system like in Japan? What are Japanese festivals like? What are some of the customs and traditions of the Japanese people? Professor Todd Jay Leonard, writing from the perspective of living and working in Japan, provides in this fascinating book the answers to these and many other questions. Letters Home: Musings of an American Expatriate Living in Japan delivers a firsthand account of daily Japanese life through the eyes and personal experiences of Professor Leonard who has enjoyed an ongoing relationship with Japan and the Japanese people for nearly twenty-five years. This anecdotal book of essays, written in the style of personal letters, offers commentary on a wide range of topics and issues including culture, history, education, language, society, and religion of modern Japan from the point-of-view of an American expatriate who has made Japan his home. The author's friendly, down-to-earth, yet authoritative, style of writing will transport you to modern Japan, where you will learn about the customs and traditions of this most fascinating country. This book can be enjoyed by anyone who has an interest in learning about Japan and its people.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0595283098/?tag=2022091-20
(Since its birth in 1848, Spiritualism as a religion, scie...)
Since its birth in 1848, Spiritualism as a religion, science, and philosophy has experienced great highs and lows. At the center of this purely American-made modern-religious movement are "mediums"-the people who are able to communicate, in some way, with spirit entities that are no longer on the earth plane.Based on three years of on-site investigation, and a plethora of data and research collected on the modern Spiritualist movement in America, Talking to the Other Side focuses upon the ethno-religious aspects of the religion, mediumship, and the mediums themselves.The first four chapters offer an expansive review of the history of religion in America, mediumship, and the Spiritualist movement. Chapters 5?7 comprise the research and data that were compiled and analyzed based on fieldwork analysis, a comprehensive questionnaire, personal interviews, and published literature on the topic of Spiritualism and mediumship.According to Spiritualist mediums, "people don't die, bodies do." Talking to the Other Side offers a contemporary look into the lives and backgrounds of the mediums who bridge this world and the Spirit world, connecting those who have passed over with those they left behind.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0595363539/?tag=2022091-20
historian language educator writer
Leonard, Todd Jay was born on November 16, 1961 in Shelbyville, Indiana, United States.
Bachelor with honor and distinction, Purdue University, 1985. Master of Arts, Purdue University, 1987.
Course coordinator department foreign languages Spanish Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, 1988—1989. Assistant language teacher Japan Exchange and Teaching Program, Hirosaki-shi, Japan, 1989—1992. Associate professor English Hirosaki Gakuin University, Japan, 1992—2010.
Associate professor international culture and language Fukuoka University Education, Munakata-shi, Japan, since 2010. Visiting lecturer department foreign languages Spanish Purdue University, West Lafayette, 1988. Visiting professor La University de las Americans, San Jose, Costa Rica, 1987.
Chairperson academy affairs Universal Spiritualist Association College of Religious Education, Muncie, Indiana, 2001—2005, regent, Indiana, 2001—2005. Coordinator English as a foreign language Hirosaki Gakuin University, Hirosaki-shi, Japan, 1998—2010. Trustee Aomori Foundation for International Relations, Aomori-shi, Japan, 1991—1992.
Visiting scholar University Wisconsin, LaCrosse, 2005. Board directors Southwest Commission Religious Studies, since 2006.
(What types of holidays do Japanese people celebrate? What...)
(Since the summer of 1979 when Todd Jay Leonard first visi...)
(Since its birth in 1848, Spiritualism as a religion, scie...)
Member of Association Science Study Religion (secretary since 2006), Indiana Association Historians, Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Japan Association for Language Teachers, Association for Japan Exchange and Teaching (prefectural representative, Tohoku-Hokkaido block representative 1990-1992), Indiana Association Spiritualists (education committee, library committee), Shelbyville High School Alumni Association (life), Purdue University Alumni Association (life).
Son of Dwane Edward Leonard and Vera Joan Leonard-Brees, John Leslie Brees (Stepfather).