Illinois 2026
Summer Foundational Residential Seminar
Monday, July 20 — Friday, July 24, 2026
A free In-Person residential seminar at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign seminar for K-12 Educators
Presented by The Center for East Asian & Pacific Studies at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and the National Consortium for Teaching About Asia at the University of Pittsburgh
Offered to all K-12 Educators in our 11 State Region of Alabama, Delaware, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia
ALL K-12 educators are welcome to apply! This free, one-week, in-person NCTA foundational seminar offers an arts integrated approach to learning and teaching about East Asian history and culture. Through explorations in Chinese calligraphy and visual culture, Japanese arts, anime, and manga, and Korean music and popular culture, participants will examine how artistic forms reflect social values, political change, and cross-cultural exchange, while building interdisciplinary strategies that connect history, art, and cultural identity. Participants learn how to locate resources and design lessons that speak to students’ growing interests in East Asian history and culture.
Seminar Dates & Tentative Schedule
- Kick-off Orientation: May 12 (Tues), Evening over Zoom
- Full Week Seminar: July 20 (Mon) to June 24 (Fri), in person (U of I campus)
- Six-Hour Follow-up Session: Fall 2026, in person or Zoom, exact date TBD
Location: The University of Illinois in Champaign, IL. Spend a week of your summer on our beautiful, green campus! We have funds to subsidize residence for teachers coming from more than 50 miles away (including out of state). Lunch provided most days.
Application Deadline: April 13, 2026 or until course fills
Benefits for Participants
Each participant who completes the course and course requirements will receive:
- $230 worth of teaching materials for your classroom, including the course textbook, additional educational materials, and a $100 mini-grant for purchase of approved materials for your classroom. (The purpose of the mini-grant is to get teaching materials into “brick and mortar” schools. Due to the increasing variety of our seminar participants, not all participants may be able to receive a mini-grant. Please consult with us about this early in the course.)
- $300 stipend at the completion of all requirements including attendance at the follow up classes.
- 30 IEIN hours (for Illinois teachers).
- Certificate of Completion (36 hours) K-12 educators will receive a Certificate of Completion for 36 hours of professional development after completing all requirements of the seminar.
- NCTA alumni are eligible to apply for other national NCTA programs as well as NCTA Summer Institutes. Alumni are also eligible for small grants, travel subsidies for conferences, and other benefits that we offer from time to time; NCTA alumni are also often given priority preference in competitive applications for summer institutes and other programs. Our office also writes letters of recommendations for alumni who apply to competitive programs and summer institutes. All alumni will receive a weekly NCTA email newsletter with information about free professional development programs and teaching resources.
Seminar Requirements
- Expressed commitment to integrating East Asia into your curriculum.
- Attend and participate in all sessions (36 contact hours), including the follow up classes.
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In addition, to complete the seminar and receive the benefits, you must fulfill the following requirements: Attend and participate in all sessions (36 contact hours, with 30 hours in the fall/winter and 6 hours in the spring) Complete all assignments and requirements, including designing a lesson plan that incorporates East Asian material into your curriculum, writing a “reflection paper” and completing a mini-grant form for your teaching materials. (A full list of assignments will be posted on our website.)
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Each participant is expected to come to class prepared to participate in class discussions.
Application Deadline: April 13, 2026 or until course fills
Be sure to also check out our upcoming Teacher Workshops and Book Groups to further enrich your curriculum and teaching.