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The East Asia Resource Center invites K-12 educators to explore the wealth of opportunities available to them to deepen their knowledge of East Asia. 

K-12 teachers in all stages of their careers will find that the East Asia Resource Center is a great place to learn more about China, Japan, and Korea. Year-round programming includes: one-day workshops on East Asian art, culture, and history; the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia (NCTA) seminars; intensive summer institutes in Seattle; and more. The EARC cosponsors a lecture series on timely international topics with other outreach centers at the Jackson School of International Studies. The UW East Asia Center also provides a wide array of lectures for the general public on China, Japan, and Korea.

Please use the links to the left to learn more about our programs or visit our Calendar page to see what is coming up next.


What's New

 

NATIONAL CONSORTIUM FOR TEACHING ABOUT ASIA (NCTA) Seminars
in Anchorage, Alaska, and Ashland, Oregon. Applications are available now!

 

Teaching Japan Since 1945
Anchorage, Alaska

Class Meetings: May 31-June 1, 2012. 5 hours of additional online work.

Middle and high school teachers are invited to join seminar instructors Professor Paul Dunscomb, University of Alaska Anchorage, and Anchorage School District high school teacher Mischell Anderson on May 31 and June 1, 2012, for the NCTA seminar: Teaching Japan Since 1945. The seminar is part of the annual Anchorage School District Summer Academy (ASDSA). This 1-credit seminar (UAA HIST 590) explores the major events and accomplishments of Japan's postwar history as well as the problem of the legacies of Japan's wartime actions and its relationship with the United States, which continues to frustrate efforts to transcend the postwar. Can Japan only be defined in reference to prewar and wartime Japan? Is it possible to achieve the state which allows the adjective "postwar" to be finally
retired. The ASDSA course registration fee will be reimbursed upon completion.

For more information and to apply, please visit the ASDSA website.

 

East Asia: Great Traditions and Modern Transformations
Ashland, Oregon

Class meetings: Monday – Thursday, 1pm - 3:50 pm, June 25–28 and July 2–5. Online component: 9 clock hours of additional online work.

The seminar offers upper elementary through high school teachers a 30-hour seminar on the history and cultures of East Asia (traditional and modern) plus demonstrations of nationally-recognized curriculum resources for teaching about China, Japan, and Korea. This East Asia seminar, open to pre-service and in-service educators, is taught by Steve Thorpe from Southern Oregon University (SOU) and Steve Kohl from the University of Oregon together with a panel of excellent guest presenters. Three university credits or professional development credits are available for a fee. A collection of course books and curricular materials are provided to participants in the seminar free of charge.

For more information and to apply, click here.

 

 

JAPANESE ART AND LITERATURE
SEMINAR FOR K–12 TEACHERS
July 30-August 3, 2012

University of Washington Seattle Campus

Taught by Art Historian Melanie King


Applications available now!

 

Priority application deadline for out-of-town applicants extended to Wed, May 16.

 

Put primary sources at the heart of your teaching about Japanese culture and history, and experience art and literature in times of peace and war from Japan’s Heian Era through the Middle Ages. As Japan focused inward during the Heian Era, the arts, literature, and religious practices reflected the vibrancy of court life. They were at once decadent, highly decorative, and indulgent, yet also thoughtful, intimate, and, in many ways, contemporary. In part, we connect with art from the Heian, Japan’s Golden Era, because its influence pervades our images of Japan today. At the same time, the pieces still in existence speak to us on a more intimate level as they convey people whose thoughts and interests mirror our own.

As we move into the Medieval Era, we see the arts and religious practices of that period in contrast to the previous one. In Medieval times we observe an orientation outward as people look to China for inspiration, distinguishing themselves and their artistic pursuits from the decadence of the Heian period. In this period, the prominence of the ruling military class is reflected in the warrior-oriented arts, the rise of Zen Buddhism, and a culture focused on cultivating oneself through the arts.

Taught by Seattle Central Community College art history instructor Melanie King, the seminar will be an experience in deep looking and close reading of key pieces of art and literature emblematic of these periods, and the close connection between the two. K–12 educators who have the opportunity to apply course content to their history, social studies, art, and other relevant courses are invited to join the EARC for this 2012 seminar. This program is offered free of charge thanks to the Freeman Foundation.

Educators must commit to attending all sessions of this grant-funded course in order to participate. Teachers will be asked to do readings and short written assignments. Washington State clock hours are available upon successful completion of all assignments. 

 

East Asia Resource Center
University of Washington
Box 353650
302 Thomson Hall
Seattle, WA 98195
206.543.1921 phone
206.685.0668 fax
earc@uw.edu

Mary Bernson
Director

Mary Cingcade
Associate Director