Past K-12 Seminars

Join us for this five-week online seminar tracing the spread of Buddhism from India across the Silk Road into China, Korea, and Japan. Focusing on religious migration and cross-cultural exchange, participants will explore how trade networks, diplomacy, and pilgrimage carried Buddhist ideas, art, and practices across Asia. The seminar highlights how Buddhism adapted to local cultures while shaping political life, visual traditions, and philosophical thought. Teacher participants will walk away with accessible readings and classroom-ready resources for teaching Buddhism’s global influence in world history, social studies, humanities, and art history.

Join us on February 18, 2026, for a journey where travel, folklore, and art collide in a book talk on Onibi: Diary of a Yokai Ghost Hunter, a visually stunning graphic novel by French creators Cécile Brun and Olivier Pichard (Atelier Sentô), translated by Marie Velde. Register to receive updates, exclusive readings, and a chance to explore the spirit side of Japan like never before.

Join us for this five-week online seminar exploring major social and cultural transformations in contemporary Korea. The seminar course examines shifting family structures, changing gender expectations, intergenerational differences, and the impact of Korea’s declining birth rate, including how demographic change is shaping conversations about immigration. Teachers will walk away with real-world examples, current case studies, and an engaging look at how Korean society is responding to rapid social, economic, and cultural change.

Join us for this 10-week online seminar to explore the history and cultures of East Asia from the neolithic past to 1800. The course includes an overview of the region’s geography and demography, early ideologies as well as links between China, Korea and Japan. Teacher participants will walk away with real-world examples, current case studies, and an engaging look at social hierarchies and expectations through literature and art, and explore the technological breakthroughs, economic rise and political systems of the region. Teachers from all subjects are encouraged. The first part of this seminar covers the topics include Geography and Demography Early Chinese History and Thought, Hundred Schools Debate, Cosmopolitan China, Classical Japan, Warrior Japan. The second part of this seminar covers the topics include Japanese Literature, Buddhism, Patterns of the Korean Past, Mongols - Ming, Qing - East Asia at 1800.

The Chinese Language Teachers Association of Southern California (CLTA-SC), in partnership with Global Asian Women Artists (GAWA), the USC U.S.-China Institute, and the USC Chinese Program, invites Chinese language educators to a hybrid professional development workshop connecting Chinese intangible cultural heritage with classroom-ready instruction.

Organized by the 1990 Institute and co-sponsored by the USC U.S.–China Institute, this seminar brings together educators and experts to explore how AI is reshaping global power, especially in the U.S.–China context. The session will examine the social, ethical, and geopolitical impacts of technology and offer strategies to promote digital literacy in a rapidly evolving world.

Join us at The Huntington Library on November 9, 2025, for a free one-day educator workshop examining Japan’s wartime history, diplomacy, and cultural influence. Featuring a keynote by Professor Tosh Minohara on World War II and U.S.–Japan relations, a session with Professor Miya Elise Desjardins on Japanese aesthetics and gardens in Southern California, and a guided tour of The Huntington’s Japanese Garden, this program offers educators fresh perspectives and classroom-ready insights on Japan’s global and local legacies.

China’s rise has already reshaped our world and its influence continues to grow. Many welcome this. Some worry about it. K-12 educators are encouraged to learn more about China and its global reach in this five week online course. It is aimed at equipping teachers to bring more about these vital developments into their own classrooms.

Join us for a morning of tranquility and cultural discovery. Learn the art of chanoyu and explore the rich material culture behind it—from teabowls and utensils to subtle aesthetics. This immersive experience is designed for educators to inspire new ideas and deepen cultural understanding in your classrooms.