Teaching East Asian Literature Summer Workshop

The East Asian Studies Center hosts an annual week-long, intensive summer workshop for K-12 educators interested in incorporating Chinese, Japanese, and Korean literature into their curriculum. Priority admission for the workshop is reserved for high school and middle school educators but all interested educators are encouraged to apply.

Following the workshop, each participant develops a complete lesson plan for at least one of the pieces covered in the workshop. Those who turn in their lesson plan by the deadline are eligible to recieve a classroom development grant.

This free workshop - supported by generous funding from the Freeman Foundation - focuses on the remarkable literary productions of China, Japan, and Korea. The workshop starts July 13 through Friday July 17 at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana.

Expanding Worldviews

The geo-strategic importance of East Asia—defined here as China and Taiwan, North and South Korea, and Japan—has compelled Americans to look at these cultures with new eyes. While there has been an increase in the teaching of East Asia in the national social studies curriculum, there has yet to be a similar effort in the language arts.

Literature opens a window on the inner life of a culture, offering readers a glimpse of how another culture understands and represents itself. Studying East Asian literature helps students to develop an appreciation of other cultures, allowing them to participate more fully as informed members of the world community.

Participation Benefits:

• Free copies of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean literary works (in translation) covered in the workshop.
• A certificate of completion for 36 professional development hours.
• A $150 classroom development award for creation of an approved lesson plan following the workshop.

Workshop Format

Each day, content area specialists will lead lectures and discussions on specific facets of China, Japan, and Korea that are pertinent to the literary works covered. Topics discussed include history, religion, culture, family and gender, and language.

Alongside history, literature specialists discuss the short stories, novels, and poetry that participants have read prior to arrival at the workshop, focusing on universal as well as culture-specific aspects of the works.

Throughout the workshop an experienced teacher will act as curriculum consultant, leading strategy sessions on how to teach the works at the high school and middle school level.

While the workshop is geared to high school and middle school teachers and librarians. Applicants who teach in K-5 classrooms or are K-12 administrators are also considered for admittance, but may be placed on the waitlist to give priporty to the above mentioned educators.  

Participants also have the opportunity to attend Chinese, Japanese, and Korean cultural activities in the evenings.

Participant’s Responsibilities

• Read all works (reader and individual books) to be covered at workshop prior to attending.
• Attend all required sessions (In-person Monday through Friday).
• Work on lesson plan building during designated workshop times.
• Submit one lesson plan on a specific work within one week of close of workshop. Those who turn in a lesson plan by the deadline are eligible to receive a classroom development award.

Participation is limited to 20 teachers.

Previous Workshop Lesson Plan Archives