China's Past New Strategies for Teaching the Sources of Chinese Civilization

China’s Past: New Strategies for Teaching the Sources of Chinese Civilization will use primary sources, rich text, and images to build an understanding of selected topics in early Chinese history and civilization. The week will focus on adapting content and materials to one’s own classroom in grades 3-8.

Date and Time
July 25 - 29, 2016
8:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

Seminar leader
Patricia Burleson

Guest faculty
David Bachman, Henry M. Jackson Professor of International Studies, Jackson School of International Studies
Deborah Porter, Associate Professor, Jackson School of International Studies.

Location
University of Washington, Seattle

Fees
This program is offered free of charge thanks to a grant from the Freeman Foundation. However, there is a $100 registration fee for all participants, due upon acceptance, and an additional $50 housing fee for out-of-town dorm guests. Participants who successfully complete the seminar will receive a $100 stipend for the purchase of teaching materials related to East Asia.

Credit options
35 Washington State OSPI clock hours (free) OR two 400-level UW credits for a fee of approximately $230

Priority application deadline
11:59 pm PST on March 22, 2016

Applicants who submit their completed applications by the March 22 deadline will receive an application decision by April 5. Accepted applicants will be asked to confirm their attendance and pay the registration fee by May 5. Applications will be accepted after March 22 on a space-available basis.

**Please look at the requirements below to make sure you are eligible before you begin the application. If the program listed above is not the one you wish to apply for, please return to the EARC Website and select a different program.

Seminar description
China’s Past: New Strategies for Teaching the Sources of Chinese Civilization will use primary sources, rich text, and images to build an understanding of selected topics in early Chinese history and civilization.  The week will focus on adapting content and materials to one’s own classroom in grades 3-8.  

Topics will include:

• Foundations of Chinese culture in the Zhou Dynasty as revealed in archaeological discoveries
• The exchange of goods and ideas during the cosmopolitan Tang Dynasty
• Daily life in the prosperous, bustling cities of the Song Dynasty
• Confucius and the role of Confucian scholar-officials
• Chinese art forms as they cross space and time, touching on painting, gardens, porcelain and poetry
• A look at ways in which early Chinese history is understood in China today

Teachers will leave the seminar with:

• Academic background knowledge to support inclusion of Chinese culture and history in their curriculum
• Reliable resources to support their teaching
• Creative ideas, lessons and activities ready to use in their classrooms
• Enthusiasm for learning more about Chinese culture and history

Participants will be required to complete assigned readings before the seminar starts. During the seminar, participants must commit 1-2 hours per day outside of seminar sessions to writing about how they might apply that day’s content and activities to their teaching situation. These written descriptions will be submitted as a final project for the seminar.

Seminar benefits
Aside from the registration and housing fees, this seminar is offered free of charge thanks to the Freeman Foundation NCTA grant to the East Asia Resource Center. Seminar benefits include:

• 35 free Washington State OSPI clock hours (free) OR two 400-level UW credits for a fee of approximately $230
• A certificate of completion
• All course materials provided
• $100 for the purchase of additional teaching materials
• A 2016-17 subscription to Education about Asia
• Morning snacks and lunches
• Dormitory housing, meals, and partial travel stipends for a limited number of out-of-town participants

Seminar requirements
The above benefits are available to educators who attend all class sessions and complete all of the assignments. Participating teachers will be asked to do out-of-class preparation, including readings and viewing online resources, and complete a culminating assignment during the seminar week for use in their own classrooms.

Eligibility
The seminar application is open to all grade 3-8 educators who plan to apply the content in their classes. Preference will be given to educators who are currently employed full-time in a public or private school based in the United States. Pre-service educators must be currently enrolled in a teacher education program. Substitutes are not eligible to apply. Applications will be evaluated on potential classroom impact, which you will have a chance to discuss in your application.

Dormitory housing and travel stipends for out-of-town participants
UW dormitory housing and meals will be provided for a limited number of out-of-town participants. The fee for dorm guests is $50 (in addition to the $100 registration fee), due upon acceptance. Dormitory housing is limited to enrolled applicants only; no friends or family may stay in the dorm room with participants.

Participants accepted to stay in the dorm will receive a travel stipend of up to $300.

About NCTA and the East Asia Resource Center
The National Consortium for Teaching about Asia (NCTA) is a national initiative to encourage and facilitate teaching about East Asia in the subject areas of social studies, humanities, history, literature, media/arts and geography, funded through the generous support of the Freeman Foundation.  Seminars in the Northwest states are coordinated by the East Asia Resource Center at the University of Washington, one of seven NCTA national coordinating sites.