Past K-12 Seminars

Explore Chinese women’s history through clothing and textiles, from the late Qing dynasty through the mid-twentieth century. Drawing on LACMA’s Fashioning Chinese Women, this webinar examines how changing styles, including the rise of the qipao (cheongsam), reflect shifting social roles, cultural exchange, and ideas of modern womanhood. Educators will discover how material culture can bring social change and the lived experience of the past into the classroom.

This 90-minute author book talk with Ian will explore two complementary dimensions of Taiwan’s modern experience: historical memory and environmental/cultural identity. Drawing from Transitions in Taiwan: Stories of the White Terror (2021) and A Taiwanese Ecoliterature Reader (2025), the session will introduce educators to the ways literature can help students examine Taiwan’s political history, collective memory, place, environment, and cultural identity.

This seminar is designed to introduce K-12 educators across all subject areas to Taiwan’s rich history and cultural diversity. Created with educators in mind, participants will explore ways to integrate Taiwan’s unique cultural, political, and ecological narratives into their curriculum, enriching student engagement and promoting global awareness in subjects like history, literature, art, social studies, and science. This experience will include contact hours and provide a comprehensive resource package to help educators bring Taiwan’s stories and innovations to life in the classroom.

Join us for a dynamic 10-week online seminar series exploring the major historical, cultural, and political developments in East Asia from 1800 to the present. Led by expert scholars from USC and UCLA, this program offers a rich, in-depth journey through key topics including early modern transformations, imperial encounters, revolutions, and the reshaping of East Asia in the modern world.

Join us for this five-week complimentary online seminar that offers teachers an engaging introduction to Japanese religions in historical and cultural context. The seminar explores major traditions and themes such as Shinto, the transmission of Buddhism to Japan, monastic culture, Pure Land Buddhism, women and Buddhism, Zen, and contemporary Japanese Buddhism. Alongside building a strong foundation of knowledge, teachers will consider how religious ideas, rituals, institutions, and practices have shaped Japanese society, culture, identity, and everyday life over time. Teacher participants will walk away with fresh perspectives and practical examples to incorporate Japanese religious traditions into the curriculum in clear, nuanced, and meaningful ways.

Join us for an engaging exploration of Washoku, Japan’s traditional food culture, through a curator-led exhibition tour and collaborative discussion. Designed for K-12 educators, this onsite workshop will examine how foodways can be used to teach geography, sustainability, cultural identity, human-environment interaction, and everyday life in Japan.

Join us for an immersive professional development workshop exploring how contemporary art and traditional cultural practices can enrich the teaching of Japan. Through guided exhibition tours, a curator presentation, and collaborative discussion, K-12 educators will gain practical classroom ideas, interdisciplinary resources, and fresh perspectives for teaching Japanese history, culture, and society through art.

Join our special educator visit to LACMA’s exhibition Fashioning Chinese Women: Empire to Modernity. Through garments from the Qing Dynasty through the 1960s, teachers will explore Chinese women’s history, identity, fashion, and social change through a guided museum tour, lunch, and group discussion.

Join us for a fascinating five-week course that explores the key cultural moments, movements, and individuals who have shaped the urban and artistic landscapes of East Asia. Designed especially for middle school educators in history, art, geography, and cultural studies, this course invites participants to expand their global curriculum with compelling stories and case studies from China, Japan, and Korea.

This webinar explores how Korean shamanism (Musok) shapes the symbolism, performance aesthetics, and spiritual themes found in K-pop Demon Hunters and contemporary Korean popular culture. Through visual examples and cultural analysis, participants will examine how rituals (gut), talismans, music, dance, costume symbolism, and spirit mediation are reinterpreted within modern entertainment and global media. Using K-pop Demon Hunters as a case study, the session connects popular culture with broader conversations about globalization, identity, cultural continuity, and intangible cultural heritage in East Asia. Teachers and participants will leave with a deeper understanding of Korean shamanic traditions and practical ideas for incorporating contemporary Korean media and visual culture into classroom discussions.