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SUMMER INSTITUTES

Perspectives on East Asia for Teachers: Modern China

A Summer Course for K-12 Educators 2010

Course Information

• Schedule
• Description
• Cosponsors
• Credits, Cost, & Eligibility
• Application & Personal Statement

Schedule: 12:30–2:00 p.m., 2:20–4:30 p.m. Monday–Friday, July 22–August 20, 2010. Some early afternoon time slots will be designated for small group meetings or individual meetings with instructors; in other words, participants will have more free time than is currently reflected in the schedule.

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Description: For pre- and in-service K-12 educators with varying levels of background in China studies, Perspectives on East Asia for Teachers: Modern China is a month-long intensive course that will give educators an outstanding grounding in China studies and in curricular strategies for bringing China into the classroom.

UW China scholar Madeleine Dong, Asia outreach specialist Melanie King, and master-teacher consultants will teach the course. Professor Dong will lead daily lecture-discussion sessions, and Ms. King and master-teacher consultants will teach classroom application sessions that build on the material covered in the lectures and guide educators in creating a culminating project such as a CBA or unit. The lecture-discussion component surveys Chinese history from the end of the 19th century to the present. A chronological thread centering on the building of the modern Chinese nation state is enriched by experiences of different people as individuals and groups: farmers, workers, ethnic minorities, women, men, and children. Major topics of the course include the destruction of the imperial system and the establishment of the Chinese Republic; the social, cultural and intellectual transformations in the early twentieth century; the political struggles of the Nationalist and the Communist Parties; the stormy years of the People's Republic of China (PRC); and reforms of the past three decades. Please be aware that the lecture-discussion component is cross-listed with an undergraduate course, and teachers will attend afternoon lectures with the undergraduate students.

The lecture-discussion component connects with an equally compelling set of sessions on bringing China into K-12 classrooms. Asia outreach specialist Melanie King and master-teacher consultants will guide teachers in a series of sessions designed to put educators in the best position to teach about China. Practical, activity-based sessions will examine perspectives in K-12 teaching materials, survey primary source materials, connect to standards and assessments, and guide participants in creating curricular materials based on their classroom needs. As a final project, teachers will create a China portfolio to use in their teaching.

This is a graded course. Participants will be evaluated based on attendance, completion of daily homework, writing assignments, short assessments, and a final project.

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Cosponsors: This course is organized by the UW East Asia Resource Center (EARC) and cosponsored by the EARC, The Confucius Institute of the State of Washington, The UW East Asia Center, and the China Studies Program in the UW Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies. Offered in partnership with the UW College of Education.

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Credits: 6 credits or 60 clock hours are available. Educators will enroll directly through the EARC via UW Extension in SISEA 425 (International Studies–East Asia) or EDC&I 495 (Education–Curriculum & Instruction).

Cost: This course is offered at a reduced rate thanks to the generous support of the Freeman Foundation, the Confucius Institute of the State of Washington, and the UW East Asia Center. Books are provided and a limited number of housing scholarships are available for on-campus dorm housing. More information is available in the application form (below).

Eligibility: Pre-service teachers and in-service K-12 teachers in U.S. accredited schools who can include substantial China components in their curricula are eligible to apply. Substitute teachers, those on leave, and those currently teaching outside the U.S. are not eligible.

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Application: Please fill out an application form online that includes your personal statement in response to the questions below. Applications may be submitted any time. Applicants will hear back approximately two weeks after submitting the application. Accepted participants will be asked to fill out a UW Extension summer enrollment form and to complete a more detailed pre-course survey to assist instructors in planning.

Personal Statement:
In-service Teachers: Please submit a personal statement via the online application in answer to the following questions: How does modern China fit into your curriculum? What are your goals in taking this course? What topics about modern China are you most interested in exploring during the course? (Approximately three pages double-spaced maximum.)

Pre-service Teachers: What are your goals in taking this course? What topics about modern China are you most interested in exploring during the course? (Approximately three pages double-spaced maximum.)

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View information about the 2009 Summer Institute.