NCTA Summer Literature Workshop

The East Asian Studies Center hosts an annual week-long, intensive summer workshop for K-12 English and world literature teachers who are interested in incorporating Chinese, Japanese, and Korean literature into their curriculum. Priority admission is reserved for high school and middle school educators.

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 receive a generous book-buying 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 14 through Friday July 18 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 Includes:

• Access to Chinese, Japanese, and Korean literary works (in translation) covered in the workshop.
• A certificate of completion.
• A classroom development award for creation of an approved lesson plan following the workshop.

Workshop Format

The workshop kicks off on Monday July 14 and runs until Friday July 18. 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 to be covered at workshop prior to attending.
• Attend all required sessions.
• 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 25 teachers.

Previous Workshop Lesson Plan Archives