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.
The online seminar includes:
- Video presentations (1 hour/week) that you watch on your own schedule
- Background and primary source readings (1 hour/week)
- Mandatory online forum participation
- 5 Weekly live online discussion with the specialist for that topic
Benefits:
- 1 salary point for Los Angeles Unified School District.
- For all other districts, 3 Continuing Education Units (processing fee applicable)
- Online resources and materials
Schedule:
The seminar live discussions will be held virtually on Thursdays for the following dates (9/4, 9/11, 9/18, 9/25, 10/2, 10/9). Reading assignments and pre-recorded lectures for each week will be available in an online forum and are to be completed prior to the discussion sessions (approximately 2 hours of work per week). Access and log-in information will be provided upon acceptance into the course. Please refer to the Seminar Requirements Document for details on assignments and course completion.
Week 1: Epochs and Milestones
Explore the empire-builders and key socio-political figures—such as Emperor Wu, Tokugawa Ieyasu, and Mao Zedong—who shaped East Asian cities. We'll examine how trade, governance, and outside influences affected urban development across the region.
Week 2: Religious & Philosophical Currents in City Design
Discover how ideas from Buddhism, Daoism, and notable thinkers shaped architecture and urbanism in China, Japan, and Korea, creating distinct and hybrid forms of sacred space.
Week 3: Reading the Natural World
Investigate how East Asian cultures viewed ecology and landscape design—from Tokugawa-era sustainability to Chinese and Zen gardens—and how these ideas influenced urban form.
Week 4: Shaping the Built World
Trace the physical form of cities like Chang’an, Edo, and Seoul, and learn how monumental architecture and Western influence intersected to shape modern cityscapes.
Week 5: Artistic Expressions & Readings
View East Asian cities through the eyes of artists and filmmakers—examining scrolls, prints, and cinema to understand daily life and urban identity from past to present.
Instructor:
Vinayak Bharne is a practicing urban designer, city planner, professor, and author. As Associate Partner and Director of Urban Design & Planning at Gruen Associates, he leads the city design efforts of one of Los Angeles’s most respected legacy firms. His work ranges from satellite cities, new towns, campus plans, and housing for corporate, private, and institutional clients to urban policies and strategic advising for government and non-government agencies worldwide.
Bharne teaches in USC’s undergraduate and graduate architecture, landscape architecture, and heritage conservation programs. He conducts theory seminars on global architecture and urbanism and coordinates international studios on urban design and planning. A former adjunct faculty member at USC’s Sol Price School of Public Policy, he is now an affiliated faculty member at the university’s East Asian Studies Center, US-China Institute, and Shinso Ito Center for Japanese Religions and Culture.