University Center for International Studies |  Asian Studies Center | NCTA National

Online Special Topics Course

Japan: The Constitution at 80 - An NCTA Special Topics Short Course for Middle and High School Educators

 

 
October 31- December 6, 2026
 
A three-unit course with asynchronous discussion and synchronous webinars
Two webinar sessions on November 18 and December 2. 

Webinar Time: 7:00pm - 8:15pm (Eastern Time)

 

The Japanese Postwar Constitution, promulgated during the US Occupation of Japan, was once understood to have been written entirely by a US committee. Scholarship in the past 35 years has complicated that narrative, revealing a complex negotiation with significant input from Japanese stakeholders. Since 1947, the constitution has been a source of ongoing discourse, with the possibility of constitutional revision always on the horizon. Now, at the 80th anniversary of the 1947 "Peace" Constitution, debate and pressure for revision have taken on new momentum under current Prime Minister Sanai Takaichi.

What's the story of this constitution that was widely predicted to fail? How does the 1947 constitution offer windows into Japan's post-1945 history, national identity, economic development, war memory and responsibility, and global relations? What's at stake as the constitution turns 80?

Course schedule and topics:

October 31-November 7: Intro/Reading Week.

November 7-14: Re-examining the origins of the 1947 Constitution 

November 14-21:Revision contests in the post Showa-era

Thanksgiving break

November 28-December 6: Revision at 80? Why now?

In this free 3-unit special-topics course for Middle and High School educators, each week features a required recorded or live webinar with a specialist, a modest reading assignment, and an asynchronous discussion forum. Participants have access to a collection of course materials including primary source documents and secondary readings. Full participation in all three units of the course is required to receive a completion certificate for 12 PD hours and a relevant book. Pennsylvania teachers are eligible for Act 48 hours.

Course Limited to 25 Educators & Selection will be made on a rolling basis

Application Deadline: Monday, October 26, 2026

 

 
Japan: The Constitution at 80 - An NCTA Short Course for Middle and High School Educators
Wednesday, October 28, 2026 - 23:59
Online Special Topics Course
Event Location: 
Online via Moodle

Japan: The Constitution at 80 - An NCTA Special Topics Short Course for Middle and High School Educators

 

 

 
October 31- December 6, 2026
 
A three-unit course with asynchronous discussion and synchronous webinars
Two webinar sessions on November 18 and December 2. 

Webinar Time: 7:00pm - 8:15pm (Eastern Time)

 

The Japanese Postwar Constitution, promulgated during the US Occupation of Japan, was once understood to have been written entirely by a US committee. Scholarship in the past 35 years has complicated that narrative, revealing a complex negotiation with significant input from Japanese stakeholders. Since 1947, the constitution has been a source of ongoing discourse, with the possibility of constitutional revision always on the horizon. Now, at the 80th anniversary of the 1947 "Peace" Constitution, debate and pressure for revision have taken on new momentum under current Prime Minister Sanai Takaichi.

What's the story of this constitution that was widely predicted to fail? How does the 1947 constitution offer windows into Japan's post-1945 history, national identity, economic development, war memory and responsibility, and global relations? What's at stake as the constitution turns 80?

Course schedule and topics:

October 31-November 7: Intro/Reading Week.

November 7-14: Re-examining the origins of the 1947 Constitution 

November 14-21:Revision contests in the post Showa-era

Thanksgiving break

November 28-December 6: Revision at 80? Why now?

In this free 3-unit special-topics course for Middle and High School educators, each week features a required recorded or live webinar with a specialist, a modest reading assignment, and an asynchronous discussion forum. Participants have access to a collection of course materials including primary source documents and secondary readings. Full participation in all three units of the course is required to receive a completion certificate for 12 PD hours and a relevant book. Pennsylvania teachers are eligible for Act 48 hours.

Course Limited to 25 Educators & Selection will be made on a rolling basis

Application Deadline: Monday, October 26, 2026

 

 
 
Event/Opportunity Type: 
Teacher Programs
Type: 
Online Special Topics Course

NCTA Special Topics Course: National Narratives, Personal Memories: Ai Weiwei’s 1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows

 

Register for the

NCTA Special Topics Course:

National Narratives, Personal Memories: Ai Weiwei’s 1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows

October 4 -December 5, 2023   

Online asynchronous

Ai Weiwei's 2020 memoir 1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows  pays homage to his father Ai Qing, one of China's leading 20th century poets, at the same time providing critical social and historical context for both his father's and his careers as artists and sociopolitical commentators. The memoir is a fascinating and complex intertwining of narratives and perspectives on China from the early Mao years to the Xi Jinping Era, offering windows for instruction in social studies, art history, and world literature.

This 5-week asynchronous special topics course will focus on selected chapters in Ai Weiwei's memoir, combined with supplemental readings, to explore the political and social context of the father's and son's roles as voices of conscience for their generations.

Participants will receive a complimentary copy Ai Weiwei's memoir and China in the 21st Century: What Everyone Needs to Know by Jeffrey Wasserstrom and Maura Cunningham, and upon successful completion of the course, an additional book on China. Participants will be expected to submit a short reflection paper on how this course can be incorporated into their own teaching.  

Special Topics Course Module Dates:

Introduction week October 4-15

Module 1: October 16-22

Module 2: October 23-29

Module 3: October 30- Nov 5

Module 4: November 6 – Nov 12

Module 5: November 13 - 19

Submission of reflection paper by December  5.

Pennsylvania teachers who complete the workshop will receive Act 48 hours.

For teachers in other states, we can provide you with a Certificate of Completion.

 

This course is recommended for educators working in grades 9-12.

Registration deadline: September 13, 2023 or until special topics course fills

 

 

NCTA Special Topics Course: National Narratives, Personal Memories: Ai Weiwei’s 1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows
Wednesday, September 13, 2023 - 23:59
Online Special Topics Course
Event Location: 
Online via Moodle
Event Topic: 
Contemporary China

China and Japan in Wartime, 1936-1945: War Experiences Through Literature

 

China and Japan in Wartime, 1936-1945: War Experiences Through Literature

An Asynchronous Special Topics Course

February 5-April 4, 2023

 

This free asynchronous seven-week special topics course for K-12 educators will consider a sampling of short stories and poetry written during and in the aftermath of WWII by Chinese and Japanese writers capturing experiences and memories of war in each country. The course consists of three two-week modules: war on the battlefield, war on the home front, and women’s experiences of WWII. All selections are in English translation and most appropriate for high school use; middle and high school educators welcome to apply, however. The course will take place asynchronously via the Proboards discussion board platform.  

 

Participants will be given access to all of the course materials and will also receive a complimentary copy of Modern Chinese History by David Kenley and Japan and Imperialism, 1853-1945 by James L. Huffman. 

 

Pennsylvania teachers, upon completion of this course, will be awarded Act 48 hours.  For teachers in other states, we can provide you with a certificate of completion and/or a letter from the instructors. Those who complete the course will also receive extra teaching materials. 

 

Course Instructors: Cindy McNulty and Lynn Parisi

  

 

 

Registration Deadline is January 27, 2023 or until course fills.

 

 

 

 

Learn more about our Special Topics Course Instructors

 

Cindy McNulty is an alum of Pittsburgh's first NCTA seminar in 2000 and since then, she has been an active participant, presenter, and online instructor. Her 44 years of high school teaching experience was in both History and Literature, ranging from World History, Global Studies, and Human Geography to World Literature and AP Language and Composition. 

 

Lynn Parisi is currently the director of the Program for Teaching East Asia and NCTA national coordinating site at the University of Colorado. In this role, Lynn develops secondary instructional materials and leads professional development courses for K-12 teachers, specializing in Japan studies. Prior to her work at the University of Colorado, Lynn was a high school social studies teacher.

 

 

China and Japan in Wartime, 1936-1945: War Experiences Through Literature
Friday, January 27, 2023 - 23:59
Online Special Topics Course
Event Location: 
Online via Proboards