Past programs

Behind the Headlines – 2026 NCTA Online Series

Program Start Date: Oct 28 2026

Location: Online program

  Staying informed about global events, especially in East Asia, can be overwhelming with the constant flood of news. With this in mind, we offered Behind the Headlines, an online series designed specifically for teachers. The series provided a clear and insightful overview of recent developments in Japan, China, North and South Korea, Taiwan, Xinjiang,

Inside the Conservation Lab: Examining and Caring for Works of Art – NCTA Online Program

Program Start Date: Oct 13 2026

Location: Online program

Image: Detail, Spring Morning in the Han Palace, China, Qing dynasty, Kangxi reign, 1672, twelve-panel kuancai lacquer screen; black lacquer on wood core with carved and pigment and gold filled (kuancai) decoration, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, Freer Gallery of Art, F1906.42a–l. Image by Colleen Dugan Educators joined us for this unique opportunity to learn

Global Asia(s) – Online Summer Book Study

Program Start Date: Aug 12 2026

Location: Online program

The East Asia Resource Center invited middle and high school educators to join the Global Asia(s) Summer Book Club from June to August 2026, an opportunity to partake in an online professional development reading series built around contemporary novels that trace the movement of people, ideas, and stories across place and time. Designed for educators

Exploring East Asian Artistic Expressions: Format, Function, and Conservation – NCTA 2026 Summer Program in Seattle, WA

Program Start Date: Aug 3 2026

Location: Online program

Application for this program has now closed. Program Details Educators joined the East Asia Resource Center and the Seattle Asian Art Museum’s Atsuhiko and Ina Goodwin Tateuchi Conservation Center for an up-close and in-depth exploration of East Asian paintings. Over the course of this five-day institute we studied East Asian painting formats, functions, and the ways

Write About Asia: 2025 Freeman Award Winners Writer’s Workshop

Program Start Date: Jul 28 2026

Location: Online program

  Educators joined us for our annual Write About Asia: Freeman Award Winners Writer’s Workshop, an online professional development series centered on award-winning children’s and young adult literature from East and Southeast Asia. Facilitated by Lyn Jackson and Nora Douglass, the workshop gave participants the opportunity to read and write about selected 2025 Freeman Award

Modern Chinese History: From May Fourth to June Fourth – Online NCTA Seminar

Program Start Date: Jun 16 2026

Location: Online program

This online seminar was an introductory overview of modern Chinese history. Class meetings included a lecture component that provided a “lightning round” survey of major events in the twentieth century as well as a discussion component during which participants were invited to share their questions and reflections. In addition to the textbook (David Kenley’s Modern

Movie and Book Study: “Rental Family” and “Rental Person Who Does Nothing” – Online NCTA Program

Program Start Date: May 28 2026

Location: Online program

This program is now full and registration has closed. Educators joined us for a movie and book club and stepped into Shoji Morimoto’s life “as a rental person who does nothing.” His short memoir (by the same name) chronicles his adventures providing a service to “the lonely and social anxious.” We also focused on Rental Family,

Write About Asia: in-person Program at SAAM Winter 2025/Spring 2026

Program Start Date: May 9 2026

Location: Seattle, WA

Write About Asia is a recurring, annual writing workshop offered by the East Asia Resource Center at the University of Washington in conjunction with the Seattle Asian Art Museum’s (SAAM) Gardner Center for Asian Art and Ideas and its seasonal Saturday University Lecture Series, during which participants delve into new themes with a different speaker each week.

The Wall Dancers: Searching for Freedom and Connection on the Chinese Internet – NCTA Online Book Study

Program Start Date: Apr 22 2026

Location: Online program

  China is home to one of the world’s most iconic architectural feats, the ancient Great Wall, built to guard its borders. Today, it is also known for the “Great Firewall,” the vast digital system that regulates and restricts online activity within the country. This modern wall limits access to many social media platforms and

An Exploration of East Asian Visual Narratives – NCTA Online Program

Program Start Date: Mar 24 2026

Location: Online program

  Educators joined us for a discussion of the narratives contained within and beyond a painting, sculpture, or larger artistic program. In this series we explored artistic objects and religious sites by considering the iconographic details, historical context, and larger story told when we examine the function and purpose of each object. These sessions were