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 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 preparation starts online July 14, followed by the in person intensive workshop Tuesday, July 16 through Friday July 19 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.
• Certificate of completion
• Stipend for creation of an approved teaching implementation plan following the workshop

Workshop Format

The workshop kicks off asynchronously on Monday, July 15 and picks up in person on Tuesday, July 16 in Bloomington Indiana. Each morning, history professors 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.

Each day, 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.

After the literature discussions, a high school world literature teacher with experience teaching East Asian literature acts as curriculum consultant, leading strategy sessions on how to teach the works at the high school level.

While the workshop is geared to high school literature teachers, applicants who are librarians, as well as teachers of art, music, social studies, and history, at high school or middle school level, are also considered for admittance.  

Participants also have the opportunity to attend Chinese, Japanese, and Korean cultural activities in the evenings. For more details, see the flyer below; application link above.

Participant’s Responsibilities

• $80 non-refundable registration fee upon acceptance of application, travel expenses to and from Bloomington, up to two meals a day
• Read all works to be covered at workshop prior to attending.
• Participate in online discussions on the workshop’s Google Groups Web site prior to the workshop.
• Attend all required sessions
• Submit one lesson plan on a specific work within five weeks of close of workshop. Those who turn in a lesson plan by the deadline are eligible to receive a book-buying grant.

Participation is limited to 25 teachers.

Previous Workshop Lesson Plan Archives