Program Start Date: May 24 2016
K12 teachers participated in an evening of discussion and conversation with author and translator Jay Rubin. As one of the foremost English-language translators of Japanese literature, he is best known for his numerous translations of novels by Haruki Murakami including ‘The Wind Up Bird Chronicle’ and the first two books of ‘1Q84.’ He published his novel ‘The Sun Gods’ last year…
Program Start Date: May 5 2016
In films and animated movies, ninjas are invested with superhuman powers and exhibit impressive skills, but what about the ninjas who actually existed? K-12 teachers participated in a workshop in conjunction with the Gardner Center for Asian Art and Ideas’ “Skills of the Ninja” lecture-presentation by Professor Yuji Yamada of Mie University.
Program Start Date: Mar 26 2016
In this three part workshop, teachers examined East Asia through the prism of children’s and young adult literature, both fiction and non-fiction. Using a cross section of literary genres within a range of historical periods and cultural contexts, teachers accomplished the following:
Program Start Date: Feb 25 2016
Aside from being the most populated country in the world, China is a manufacturing and exporting powerhouse of machinery and technology. Despite China’s GDP—which has been growing an average of 10% each year—China has come to the forefront of global politics for both its deteriorating manufacturing sector and its urgent environmental crisis. Why is China’s manufacturing sector so crucial to the global economy?
Program Start Date: Jan 30 2016
“Sites of Meaning: Caring for Asia’s Cultural Heritage” investigated current conservation work at important architectural, art, and historical sites in Asia, and how these projects include new technologies, sustainability, and community development. Preserving exceptional architectural, historic and art sites of the past is ever more complex, with pressures from rapid urban development, environmental considerations, and more.
Program Start Date: Jan 25 2016
This course explored the religious foundations of much of Asia’s cultures and societies. It looked at the doctrinal foundations (including sacred texts) and societal implications for indigenous religions (such as Shinto and Folk Religions) as well as the world religions (Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity) that came to profoundly affect East Asia.
Program Start Date: Jan 20 2016
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? In order to tackle this enormous topic, this seminar zoomed in on the changing role, behavior and expectations of the millennial generation in both urban and rural China.
Program Start Date: Nov 19 2015
This workshop utilized the four-part Newspapers in Education series Global Asia: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, produced in conjunction with The Seattle Times. The series includes articles on the vast empires that ruled Asia, the growing economies of the region and insights into what the future holds for this area of the world.
Program Start Date: Oct 3 2015
‘Japan and the West’ focused on points of intersection between Japan, Europe, and America from their first encounters to the present. It wove together visual art with primary and secondary source texts in order to explore historical change and continuity from multiple perspectives. Several connections to US History were drawn.
Program Start Date: Sep 26 2015
‘Focus on Asia: Photography Past and Present’ explored how photography in Asia encompasses memory and identity; distance and intimacy; reportage, advocacy, and aesthetics. Educators attended public lectures and then met for a writing workshop with Mary Barber Roberts. During the workshop, time was given to solitary writing in the art galleries in response to the morning lecture. The group then reconvened to share working drafts.