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Teaching About Asia - May 2010

USCI's monthly e-newsletter on news and resources for teaching about Asia
May 15, 2010
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USC U.S.-China Institute

Teaching About Asia Newsletter

May 2010

 

USCI/NCTA Summer Residential Seminar participants (2009) duing a tour at the Huntington Library, Arts Collections,and Botanical Gardens


Summer is just around the corner, and it is that time of year where educators and teachers can begin to prepare for the upcoming academic school year. What better way to prepare for the school year, than by enrolling in the USCI/NCTA 2010 Summer Residential Seminar? This program is aimed at California teachers who live and work at least 30 miles from USC. This nine-day summer residential program "East Asia Since 1800" is for teachers seeking to learn how to implement East Asian studies throughout K-12 curriculum.  The seminar offers resources and materials for teachers to use in their classrooms.  Other learning opportunities for teachers included in this newsletter is the Heritage Language Workshop for K-16 Teachers of Less Commonly Taught Languages, a five-day workshop focusing on heritage language instruction. A one-day workshop on Controversial Issues in the Secondary Classroom is also offered by the Los Angeles County Office of Education.

Our May newsletter also brings various East Asia-focused lectures, exhibitions, and performance events in the Los Angeles area.  UCLA will also host a conference focused on China in the 21st Century on May 24, 2010. A free lecture on China`s International Influence: Strength and Weakness is also offered by the Institute for Taiwanese Studies on May 15, 2010.  

Also included are free resources available to K-12 educators offered by the Asian Art Museum and the Getty Museum. Global Exploration for Educators Organization also provides learning opportunities for teachers by encouraging and helping them to travel abroad. The organization provides resources to help teachers use their travel learning experiences and incorporate them in the classroom.

Please share this newsletter with your colleagues and encourage them to subscribe by visiting the USCI website`s newsletter subscription page and selecting the "K-12 Education" subscriber category.


In this issue:

USCI/NCTA 2010 Summer Residential Seminar- "East Asia Since 1800"
Asia in Los Angeles - Citywide events
Learning Opportunities  and Resources for Teachers
Museum Exhibitions on Asia
Teachers on Asia


USCI/NCTA 2010 Summer Residential Seminar - "East Asia Since 1800"

⇒ USCI-Summer Residential Seminar: East Asia Since 1800

APPLICATION DEADLINE: FRIDAY, JULY 9, 2010, or until seminar is full

The USC U.S. – China Institute (USCI) and the National Consortium for Teaching About Asia (NCTA) are offering a nine-day residential summer seminar for educators employed outside of the greater Los Angeles area. The seminar will be held at USC and participants housed at the USC Radisson Hotel. Enrollment is limited to 24 participants and priority will be given to high school world history and language arts teachers, though all K-12 educators are invited to apply.  Sessions will meet at the USC Davidson Conference Center from 9 am to 3 pm from Monday, August 2 to Friday, August 6 and Monday, August 9 to Thursday, August 12, 2010. For these meeting days, participants will be provided with housing and parking at the USC Radisson Hotel, as well as breakfast and refreshments. One seminar meeting day (TBD) will be devoted to an all-expenses-paid field trip to Asia-specific cultural sites around Los Angeles.

Seminar Benefits include:

                            -$200 in East Asian reference and teaching materials 
                            -$200 East Asia-focused resource materials for use in the classroom
                            -$500 Stipend 
                            -Six USC Rossier School of Education Continuing Education Units (CEUs), processing fee applicable

To Apply: http://china.usc.edu/ShowArticle.aspx?articleID=2045

 


♦  Asia in Los Angeles - Citywide events

⇒  UCLA Conference: Responsible Stakeholder or Revisionist Superpower? China and the World in the 21st Century

Date: May 24, 2010
Time: 8:30 am to 5:00 pm
Location: James West Alumni Center
Address: UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1487
Cost: $25 - general admission; $10 - students with ID

An all-day conference sponsored by the UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations, the UCLA Center for Chinese Studies, UCLA International Institute, and the Center for American Progress. For more infornation please visit:  http://www.international.ucla.edu/china/events/showevent.asp?eventid=8059

⇒  The Institute for Taiwanese Studies Lecture - China’s International Influence — Strength & Weakness

Date: May 15, 2010
Time: 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Location: 225 West Valley Boulevard, San Gabriel, CA 91776
Cost: Free

The China’s global influence has risen substantially in the past several years. China acted tough on many US-China relations related issues. As a result, the tension between US and China was up recently.  There are some concerns about whether China miscalculated Obama’s China policy. One year ago, the Gallup Poll issued a two-part series on the race for global influence between China and US. One Russian commentator said “China ought to be feared because of its weakness, not strength”.   EU-China relations also went through trouble times and one EU scholar called China “Red Dragon”, not gentle panda.  A timely discussion of China’s global influence by four experts from Southern California will provide fair and interesting assessments of this vital issue.

 ⇒  The Chinese Cultural Arts Council Performance - Performance: 108

Date: May 15, 2010
Time: 1pm
Location: Bowers Museum, 2002 N. Main Street, Santa Ana, CA (714) 567-3600
Cost: Members $7; General $10

Kojiro Umezaki, member of the Silk Road Ensemble and Assistant Professor of Music, UCI, presents a musical, interactive performance on the shakuhachi interpretation of ‘108’ – the number of: names for each Hindu deity, sins in Tibetan Buddhism, sacred stars in Taoist philosophy, poses in Shiva’s dance, times the temple bells ring on Japanese New Year, and the number’s Silk Road connection.

 ⇒  The Music of China Ensemble Concert - Mucis of China Ensemble

Date: May 15, 2010
Time: 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Location: Schoenberg Music Building , UCLA
Cost: Free

The Music of China Ensemble performs arias from Kun opera of the 16th century, "silk-and-bamboo" wind and string music from the Shanghai area, folk dances for festive celebration, zheng zither music in the Keijia style from Canton Province, music for large percussion ensembles, and modern compositions for traditional Chinese wind and string ensembles..


  ♦  Learning Opportunities and Resources for Teachers

⇒  Controversial Issues and the Secondary Classroom: One-Day Workshop for Secondary Teachers

Date: May 15, 2010
Time: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Location: Los Angeles County Office of Education
Address:12830 Clark Avenue, Room 606A Downey, CA 90242
Cost: Free; Register at Herczog_Michelle@lacoe.edu

As a form of democratic education, teaching young people how to deliberate highly controversial political issues is frequently recommended as a particularly potent form of democracy education. Yet, we know that it is extremely challenging to teach young people how to engage effectively in such discussions, and some educators question whether the undertaking is worth the effort.This workshop is Day Three of a Three-Day Symposium. 
Even if you have not attended Days One and Two, you are invited to join us this Saturday, free of charge, to learn about Socratic Seminars, Public Issues Discussions, and the question of whether teachers should disclose their own views to their students during controversial issues discussions.

⇒  Heritage Language Workshop for K-16 Teachers of Less Commonly Taught Languages

Date: July 19-23, 2010
Location: Center for World Languages
Address:1333 Rolfe Hall, Box 951411, Los Angeles, CA 90095
Cost: Free, Apply by May 14, 2010

This  five-day workshop is designed to address issues at the heart of heritage language teaching, including the differences between teaching L2 and HL learners, differentiated instruction, learner strategies, assessment, using the 5 Cs in heritage instruction, and more. Workshop participants will create and present a final group project for their language. There is no charge for the workshop. A limited number of stipends will be available to cover travel and accommodations for out-of-state participants.

STARTALK sponsored languages are: Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Persian, Russian, Swahili, Turkish and Urdu. Additional spaces are available for other less commonly taught languages. Instructors from K-16 programs and community schools are invited to apply.For more information contact:  cwl@international.ucla.edu

To apply: fill out the online form at www.nhlrc.ucla.edu  by May 14, 2010.

⇒  Powerful and Authentic Social Studies (PASS): A Teacher Training Institute

Date: July 26-30, 2010
Location: Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA

The PASS Teacher Training Institute will describe PASS criteria and standards for curriculum design, assessment construction, and effective instruction and will provide participants with the materials and expertise necessary to lead their own PASS training workshops in their schools and school districts. In small learning communities, participants will examine videotaped K-12 vignettes of teaching and create examples of curriculum units and assessment tasks to share with their learning community. This institute will interest social studies professionals at all educational levels. Workshop fee, which includes snacks and lunch during the institute, PASS training materials, and continuing education credit, is $695.00 for NCSS members and $725 for non-members.

For more information or to register, please visit www.socialstudies.org/workshops

⇒  Global Exploration for Educators Organization (GEEO)

Global Exploration for Educators Organization (GEEO) is a 501c3 non-profit organization that helps and encourages educators to travel abroad. GEEO hopes to make America more outward-looking by helping teachers travel and then giving them an effective way to share these experiences in their classrooms. GEEO is now taking reservations for summer travel programs to India, Panama, Peru, Tunisia, Southern Africa (South Africa, Mozambique, Botswana and Zimbabwe) and China.

Educators can earn graduate school credit and professional development credit while seeing the world. Trips are designed for teachers and include activities such as school visits and homestays that give participants authentic exposure to local culture. Trips are also deeply discounted so as to be affordable to teachers. GEEO also helps teachers find funding to subsidize the cost of the trips.

Additional information can be found here: http://www.geeo.org

⇒  Asian Art Museum- Educator Resources

The Asian Art Museum offers a variety of resources for teachers to use in the classroom. The museum’s resource collection includes resource packets, curriculum books, children’s literature, Asian art history books and educational videos. The museum has several packets prepared for teachers. Hard copy versions are available for purchase, but pdf downloads are free.

For more information about Asian Art Museum resources, please call (415) 581-3663 or email resourcecenter@asianart.org.

 
 

The Getty offers curriculum that addresses the science of art production, conservation, and scholarship using the Getty`s artworks and conservation practices.  Teachers have access to lessons that are divided into beginning, intermediate, and advanced-level activities that act as scaffolds for step-by-step learning. Middle and high school teachers can use less advanced activities to review student understanding of basic principles required for the more complex activities. Grade-specific connections to national and California state content standards are applicable. Science and art teachers can collaborate when implementing these lessons to share resources and expertise.  The resources provided by the Getty allow for a range of lesson plans for teachers to implement in the classroom.

For a listing of lesson plans visit: Art and Science: A curriculum for K-12 Teachers

  

♦  Museum Exhibitions on Asia

⇒  Bowers Museum - Secrets of the Silk Road

Dates: Through July 25, 2010

Location: 2002 North Main St., Santa Ana, CA 92706
Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm; open late the fourth Thursday of every month until 8:00 pm
Admission: Adults $18; seniors (62+), students and children (6-17) $16; children under 6 free
Education coordinator: Linda Kahn, 714-567-3679

This landmark exhibition features more than 150 objects relating to all aspects of the people and cultures of the Silk Road during its early period. The legendary trade route linked Xian, the then-capitol of China in the East, to major Mediterranean cities in the West such as Rome and Baghdad.  For more on the exhibit, log on to www.bowers.org.

⇒  Santa Barbara Museum of Art - From India and Beyond: Gifts from Stephen Huyler and the Pal Family Collection

Date: March 6 to June 6, 2010

Location: 1130 State Street, Santa Barbara CA 93101
Hours: Tuesday - Sunday 11 am to 5 pm, Closed Mondays
Admission: Adults $9, Seniors (age 65+) $6, Students with ID $6, Ages 6-17 $6, Under 6 free

The Museum`s Indian collection includes gifts from two prominent scholars of Indian art: Dr. Stephen Huyler and Dr. Pratapaditya Pal. This exhibition, covering a span of 4,000 years, celebrates diversity in Indian art, highlighting sculptures made of clay, stone, and bronze, and paintings of various schools.  Hindu and Buddhist works of art from Kashmir, Nepal, and Tibet are also included. 
 

⇒  Pacific Asia Museum - China Modern: Designing Popular Culture 1910-1970

Dates: August 5, 2010 to February 6, 2011

Location: 46 North Los Robles Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91101
Hours: Wednesday to Sunday, 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
Admission: General $9; students/seniors $7; free every 4th Friday of the month

China Modern: Designing Popular Culture 1910-1970 demonstrates how political ideologies and cultural values are transmitted via everyday objects, with a selection of over 100 iconic pieces. The exhibition focuses on the creation of advertising images, along with commodities, and things made for the modern home in two main periods: `Cosmopolitan Capitalism: Shanghai Under the Republic, 1910-1949` and `A Revolution in Culture: Designing the People’s Republic, 1949-1970`.

⇒  Pacific Asia Museum- Silk Road Storytime  

Dates: May 1, 2010 ( Or first Saturday of every month)

Location: 46 North Los Robles Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91101
Hours: Wednesday to Sunday, 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
Admission: General $9; students/seniors $7; free every 4th Friday of the month

This family event takes place the first Saturday of every month at 10:30 am, held about three times a year. For this one of a kind, exclusive event, gather in the travelers’ tent for fabulous tales from along the Silk Road. Family events are some of the most popular at Pacific Asia Museum.Event is included with admission.

 


♦  Teachers on Asia

Teachers of all levels and subjects are invited to join our "Asia in My Classroom" web forum. To become a registered user (enabling you to post to the board), please e-mail us your request along with your name, school, and the grades and subjects you teach. What teachers have been talking about:

⇒  On PBS documentary "Buddha": "The PBS documentary “Buddha” was a good introduction for those who know very little about Buddhism. The first hour was the story of Siddhartha Gautama, including a brief explanation of the Vedic world he was born into. The second hour gave an overview of some Buddhist philosophy. It was narrated by the actor Richard Gere and included a few interesting talking heads such as the Dalai Lama, Tenzen Gyatso, and Zen Buddhist poets Jane Hirshfield and W.S. Merwin. Despite the fact that the documentary was overlong and, in my opinion, a little indulgent of the film-maker’s artistic sensibilities, I enjoyed it."

- Nancy Stansbury, Manhattan Beach Middle School

⇒  On benefits of this seminar: "It was great to have the opportunity to hear about everyone taking the course. I find it very exciting that there are so many teachers from disciplines other than the social sciences who are participating. I think this provides us all with an opportunity for interdisciplinary collaboration, and I am very open to developing lessons with members of the seminar."

- Jill Botelho, Mission Vista High School

⇒  On my class experience: "I feel like I am just soaking everything up like a sponge. My imagination runs free during class. I`m a Mongol on horseback flying over hill and dale (do they have those in Mongolia?), plundering and pillaging (but in a relatively harmless way). I`m an idealistic, anti-intellectual Maoist bringing my country a great leap forward... I`m a hyper-urban/urbane city kid of 2009 hanging out with my friends at internet cafes in Beijing, feeling invincible and super modern-smart... I may incorporate it into my classes later, but for now, I treat it like its all about me! I want to just enjoy the whole experience! I read and read and imagine...Then I come to class and let it wash over me like good tv! If I make my learning meld into myself, it will eventually overflow into the classroom in a most naturalistic way."

- Patricia J. Rice, Gardena High Schoo


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 USC U.S. - China Institute
南加州大学美中学院

3535 S. Figueroa Street, FIG 202
Los Angeles, CA 90089-1262
United States of America

web: http://china.usc.edu/
e-mail: uschina@usc.edu
phone: 213-821-4382
fax: 213-821-2382

 

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