Happy Lunar New Year from the USC US-China Institute!
Learning and Teaching About the Japanese American Incarceration (October 26, 2024)
Session(s) date
Session(s) date:
Saturday, October 26, 2024 - 10:00am
Japan Society, the USC U.S.-China Institute and the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE) are excited to offer a professional development workshop for K-12 educators. It is offered in partnership with the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia and with support from the Freeman Foundation. It is offered in partnership with the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia and with support from the Freeman Foundation. This is a unique opportunity to gain insights from leading experts and explore educational resources that bring history to life.
Prof. Susan Kamei will delve into the historical context and constitutional challenges surrounding the forced incarceration of more than 125,000 individuals of Japanese ancestry. She will explore the profound and lasting impacts of these events, both on the incarcerees and on subsequent generations. Additionally, Susan will discuss the contemporary relevance of these civil liberties violations, drawing connections to current issues and debates.
Rylan Sekiguchi, the recipient of the Franklin Buchanan Prize of the acclaimed online curriculum, What Does It Mean to Be an American? Rylan will provide a virtual tour of this free educational resource, which offers a comprehensive look at the experiences of Japanese Americans during World War II. The curriculum is designed to engage students in critical thinking about identity, citizenship, and civil rights, making it an invaluable tool for educators and learners alike.
Overview:
Recognized as one of our country’s most prominent scholars on the Japanese American incarceration, Susan H. Kamei is the author of the award-winning book When Can We Go Back to America? Voices of Japanese American Incarceration during World War II, published by Simon & Schuster. She has appeared in broadcasts on outlets such as NPR, C-SPAN, BBC, France 24, and NBC, her articles have been published in newspapers in syndication across the country, and she is regularly featured as a speaker in events such as the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. She created and teaches a popular undergraduate course on the relevance of the incarceration today at USC, where she is adjunct professor (teaching) of history, affiliated faculty with the USC Shinso Ito Center for Japanese Religions and Culture, and the managing director of the USC Spatial Sciences Institute.
Professor Kamei's talk covers:
- why and how the incarceration of more than 125,000 persons of Japanese ancestry took place during World War II
- the difficult considerations that incarcerees faced during and after the war, including the intergenerational impact that has continued
- the constitutional and political relevance today of this abridgement of civil liberties
- resources for teaching about the Japanese American incarceration
Rylan Sekiguchi is the Manager of Curriculum and Instructional Design at the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE), where he develops globally themed teaching materials for K–12 and community college classrooms. His publications include 15 curriculum units, two documentary films, and several online resources. The Association for Asian Studies has recognized him on three occasions with the Franklin Buchanan Prize, an award given annually to an outstanding curriculum publication on Asia for any grade level. He is also the instructor of Stanford e-Hiroshima, an online course for high school students in Hiroshima Prefecture, and the manager of Stanford SEAS Hawaii, a professional development program for teachers in Hawaii. He is a graduate of Stanford University.
Rylan's talk covers:
- “What Does It Mean to Be an American?” a free web-based curriculum toolkit that tackles this central question using powerful imagery, compelling video, and diverse voices ranging from students to national leaders. Developed by SPICE and the Mineta Legacy Project.
- Several activities and online resources for teaching about the Japanese American incarceration and redress movement.
- Teaching resources from two lessons: “Civil Liberties & Equity” and “Justice & Reconciliation.”
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