K-12 Seminars

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.

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.