K-12 Seminars

Examine the Korean War as both a civil conflict and a Cold War flashpoint. Join Jennifer Jung-Kim for a look at the war's origins, the roles of the United States, China, the Soviet Union, and the United Nations, and the war's human cost for Korean civilians.

Join us for a Freeman Book Talk featuring Dragonfly Eyes by acclaimed Chinese author Cao Wenxuan.

Explore Japan’s transformation from the Edo period to the present in this three-part online seminar series for educators. Through sessions on Edo society, the Meiji era, and contemporary Japan, participants will examine how education, modernization, social change, and regional relationships have shaped Japan over time. Educators may register for one, two, or all three sessions based on their interests and schedules.

Explore how Japan redefined its role in East Asia after World War II in this online seminar for educators. From postwar reconstruction and the U.S.–Japan alliance to relations with China, Korea, and Southeast Asia, participants will examine Japan’s economic rise, evolving security policy, and contemporary place in the Indo-Pacific.

Join us for this five-week complimentary online seminar that invites teachers to explore Japanese history through objects, rituals, and material culture. The seminar examines how objects from art, industry, technology, and war reveal the richness of Japan’s past, from prehistoric ritual and imperial court life to samurai practices, early modern displays of power, and the construction of traditional culture in modern Japan. Alongside building historical knowledge, teachers will consider how Japanese communities have used material objects and ritual practices to express dreams, fears, power, imagination, and social values over time. Teacher participants will walk away with fresh perspectives and practical examples for bringing Japan’s history and material culture into the classroom in clear, engaging, and meaningful ways.

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.