University of Pittsburgh
Shattering Myths:
Teaching About the Diversity of East Asia in the K-12 Classroom
A free in-person seminar for K-12 Educators
Funded by the Freeman Foundation and presented by the Asian Studies Center, University Center for International Studies, University of Pittsburgh and the National Consortium for Teaching About Asia
Why should you incorporate East Asia into your curriculum?
East Asia is a culturally diverse and historically rich region, with dominant economies and international influence. This seminar enhances your classroom’s curriculum by providing content and resources for teaching about cultural diversity through the window of China, Japan, Taiwan, the Koreas and Vietnam. The seminar is designed for all K-12 educators and will provide you with a foundational East Asia survey, with emphasis on the theme of cultural diversity. Sessions include presentations by scholars and master teachers, hands-on activities and games, use of primary sources, and discussions of resources and teaching strategies, including tools for online learning.
2024 SCHEDULE
All classes are held in 4130 Posvar Hall at University of Pittsburgh Oakland campus.
Parking stickers will be provided for free parking.
Seminar Location: Room 4130 Wesley Posvar Hall, University of Pittsburgh Main Campus, Pittsburgh, PA 15260.
Time: 5:30-8:30 p.m. (Dinner provided)
Dates and Class Session Topics:
- Monday, September 9, 2024 - What is East Asia?
- Monday, September 16 - Chinese Thought Systems and the Chinese Writing System
- Monday, September 30 - Buddhism for the Unenlightened and Dynasty Smackdown
- Monday, October 14 - The Shinto faith & The Art of Kamishibai
- Monday, October 28 - Religious Diversity on the Silk Roads & the Joy of Tangrams
- Monday, November 4 - An Introduction to the Japanese Language and Women Authors in the Japan
- Monday, November 18 - Cracking the Samurai Code
- Monday, December 2 - The Korean Language and Korean Popular Culture
- Monday, December 16 - East Asian Foodways
- Monday, January 6, 2025 - Vietnam: Shattering Stereotypes Past and Present and the Chinese Diaspora
An additional Follow-up Session(s) (6 hours total) required in the Spring of 2025. Possible dates are Monday, February 3 and 24, 2025
Benefits for Participants
Each participant who completes the course and course requirements will receive:
- $130 worth of teaching materials for your classroom, including the course textbook, additional materials such as a set of tangrams and a calligraphy set, 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.
- Certificate of Completion: Participants who complete all requirements and attend all sessions will receive 66 Act 48 hours and a Certificate of Completion.
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NCTA alumni are eligible to apply for NCTA GEEO study tours to East Asia and are also eligible for small grants such as the Marie Wanek Fund, 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, Fulbright-Hayes study tours to East Asia and other programs. Our office also writes letters of recommendations for alumni who apply to competitive study tours 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.
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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. Each week there will be a short writing assignment, or some other short assignment based on the readings for that class.
Learn more about Pitt's NCTA Seminar Instructors
Seminar Leaders
Dr. Brenda G. Jordan is a Japanese art historian specializing in Edo period (1603-1868) arts and culture, particularly paintings and woodblock prints. She is the co-author and editor of Copying the Master and Stealing His Secrets: Talent and Training in Japanese Painting (2003), “Potentially Disruptive: Censorship and the Painter Kawanabe Kyōsai” in Hiroshi Nara, ed., Inexorable Modernity, Japan’s grappling with modernity in the arts (2007) and “The Trickster in Japanese Art.” Education About Asia, Vol. 18, No. 1 (Spring 2013), 26-31, among other publications. Her current book project is a Key Issues in Asian Studies series book, The Arts of Japan: Creativity and Innovation (Prehistory to the Present). Formerly Assistant Professor, Department of Art History, Florida State University, she joined the Asian Studies Center in 2001, and has been Director of the University of Pittsburgh coordinating site for the National Consortium for Teaching About Asia (NCTA) since 2008. Pitt NCTA is one of seven national sites for the NCTA and oversees professional development programs, courses and curriculum development for an eleven state region.
Dr. Patrick Hughes is the Assistant Director of the University of Pittsburgh's National Consortium for Teaching About Asia (NCTA). He has lead and facilitated NCTA K-12 educator study tours to China, Tibet, Japan, and most recently Central Asia. Dr. Hughes holds a PhD in religious studies and has taught courses at the University of Pittsburgh and other local universities. He also teaches a first year programs course at Pitt, which focuses on Asian Studies.
Program Manager
Stephen Wludarski is the Program Manager for the NCTA at the University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center. He holds a Master of Library and Information Sciences (MLIS) degree with concentrations in the digital humanities, digital scholarship and applied data-driven methods from the University of Pittsburgh School of Computing and Information. Before joining the Asian Studies Center, he lived and worked in Kobe, Japan engaging in grassroots internationalization and English language education on the elementary and middle school levels.
