Program Start Date: Oct 7 2017
Waterscapes: Imagery and Environment in Asia”. Participants dipped “into a variety of waterscapes -past and present- as speakers explored complex meanings, cultural traditions, and contemporary environmental issues.
Program Start Date: Jul 24 2017
East Asian Philosophies and Religions: A Visual and Literary Introduction explored the key philosophical and religious traditions that underlie East Asian belief systems, historically as well as in the present. Our course of study focused on the emergence of Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism, and Shinto within their original contexts, but also considered how these traditions evolved as they moved across space and time. We examined art and literature to familiarize ourselves with each tradition’s associated doctrines, objects and places of worship, and practices. As we analyzed these sources, we paid special attention to the impacts of cultural transmission, both on the traditions themselves and East Asian cultures they influenced.
Program Start Date: Jul 10 2017
Neighborhoods in Japan used stories, videos, and images to build an understanding of community life in contemporary Japan. The seminar’s guiding question was be “How can we introduce our students to diverse stories of life in Japan?” In addition to exploring a rich variety of resources, the week focused on adapting content and materials for use in grade 2-8 classrooms.
Program Start Date: Jun 1 2017
With China’s rapid economic development since Mao’s death in 1976, China has become an increasingly complex and dynamic society. How can we integrate China into our teaching and situate China in a global context? This course explored political, economic, social, and cultural themes in China’s recent past and present (1949-today) with an emphasis on pedagogical approaches for the classroom.
Program Start Date: Apr 29 2017
This one-day workshop gave teachers the opportunity to think deeply about “picture telling” in the art forms of the picture book, manga/graphic literature, and anime. Mary Roberts demonstrated ways to evaluate materials for accurate content and cultural authenticity. Then, participants had a chance to practice these skills and discuss the implications of “picture telling” with other teachers.
Program Start Date: Apr 26 2017
Participants explored the one-of-a-kind Terracotta Warriors of the First Emperor exhibit and then joined EARC and the World Affairs Council Global Classroom for a conversation with John Pomfret, former Washington post bureau chief in Beijing, and the author of “The Beautiful Country and the Middle Kingdom.”
Program Start Date: Mar 20 2017
Teachers met with China specialist Tese Wintz Neighbor to discuss the recently published “Street of Eternal Happiness: Big City Dreams Along a Shanghai Road” by Rob Schmitz. Schmitz is the China correspondent for American Public Media’s Marketplace show and a longtime resident of Shanghai. In this, his first book, he “chronicles his interviews and friendships with several of the shop owners on the street where he has lived for some years, plumbing their dreams and capitalist motivations.”
Program Start Date: Jan 28 2017
The Winter 2017 series was titled “Islam Across Asia: Art Practices/Cultural Politics” and is inspired by the fact that a majority of the world’s Muslim population lives in Asia. “This is an opportune time to explore diversity among their communities. Our series provides historical, cultural, and contemporary perspectives on Islam and the arts, from Central Asia to Indonesia” (description excerpted from the Gardner Center Website).
Program Start Date: Jan 23 2017
Between 1949 and 1976 the Chinese experienced unprecedented joys and sorrows. Many of these experiences were rooted in the policies and personality of one man—Mao Zedong. This seminar invited Boise-area teachers to carefully examine the secondary and primary sources related to Mao’s rule over China with the guidance of Professor Shelton Woods.
Program Start Date: Jan 19 2017
Since Mao’s death and Deng Xiaoping’s nationwide experiment with “socialism with Chinese characteristics,” Chinese society has gone through dramatic changes. How can we wrap our heads around these ongoing changes, and then convey the pace, scale and implications to our students? How can we explore global themes such as nationalism, migration, urbanization, economic development, civil society, and sustainability, using China as an example?