Fall 2008 General/East Asia

EAST ASIA FOR TEACHERS

Newsletter of the Five College Center for East Asian Studies

Fall 2008

GENERAL/EAST ASIA

Home Page * Calendar * Focus on Japan * Focus on China and Korea

Reading Our Newsletter * NCTA Seminars
Conferences, Workshops, Lectures, and Discussions
Performances, Films, Exhibitions, and the Arts
Education & Travel * Announcements * Tips for Teachers

NOTES FROM THE CENTER

The opening of another school year brings several changes to the Five College Center for East Asian Studies.

Maureen (Mimi) Stephens, who has led seminars and study tours with the Center since 1999, recently joined the staff as Assistant Director. Many of you know Mimi through the Teachers Center for Global Studies at Clark University, where she continues to offer programs for teachers across the state of Massachusetts. We are delighted to have Mimi with us here on the Smith College campus, where she will work on our NCTA activities and others associated with the Massachusetts Geographic Alliance.

We bid a fond farewell to several people who have been important to the success of our NCTA project: Ryan Bradeen and Nan Ye (Maine), Tedd Levy (Connecticut), and Anne Petry (Rhode Island). For the names and contact information for the leaders of our 2008−2009 seminars—including four welcome additions—click here.

The Center’s resource library, which has served thousands of area teachers since the 1970s, will continue to be open to visitors on weekdays—except on Wednesday afternoons. However, we can no longer respond to requests for mailing resources—the exceptions are requests from teachers enrolled in our 2008−2009 NCTA seminars. We encourage everyone to come in to the Center, browse, and borrow!

We are grateful to the many foundations and institutions that have funded the Center over the years. Those who have generously supported this issue of East Asia for Teachers are acknowledged below.

This newsletter is supported by:

United States-Japan Foundation
The Freeman Foundation
American Institute for Foreign Study Foundation
Konica Minolta Colorful Tomorrow Foundation
Five Colleges, Incorporated

reading our newsletter

The current and two previous issues of the newsletter can be downloaded from the Center’s website at www.smith.edu/fcceas/newsletter.html.

     East Asia for Teachers is designed to help teachers and students learn more about China, Korea, and Japan. It includes descriptions of East Asia-related events, opportunities for travel in and study of East Asia, and resources for teaching about East Asia.
    The newsletter offers a calendar that covers all dated events listed in the body of the newsletter. By scanning the calendar, a reader can focus on types of events or geographic locations.

       Please note that the purpose of this newsletter is to provide information about East Asia. Inclusion of any listing should not be construed as an endorsement of any service, group, or individual. Also, dates and times may be subject to change, and there may be a charge for some events. Please contact the appropriate organization for details.

     Readers who want more information about the Center or have comments on our newsletter can contact us at: Tel 413-585-3751; Fax 413-585-3748; Email fcceas@email.smith.edu ; web www.smith.edu/fcceas . We look forward to hearing from you.

FIVE COLLEGE CENTER FOR EAST ASIAN STUDIES

Director: Kathleen Woods Masalski

Assistant Director: Maureen Stephens

Administrative Assistant and Newsletter Editor: Anita Finnell

Administrative Assistant: Sandra Di Carlo

The Five College Center for East Asian Studies, as a national site of the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia (NCTA), invites grades K−12 educators interested in improving their knowledge and teaching about China, Japan, and Korea to enroll in an NCTA seminar in one of the New England states and upstate New York. The consortium is a multiyear initiative to foster a permanent place for Asia in the precollege curriculum. Seminars are designed to support teachers’ efforts to integrate East Asia into the school curriculum. They offer 30 hours of instruction in the history, geography, cultures, arts, and literatures of East Asia. Most seminars also offer graduate credit to participating teachers.

Successful completion of these requirements makes seminar “graduates” eligible to apply for a Center-sponsored study tour in East Asia in summer 2010. In addition, enrichment activities are provided for seminar alumni.

Massachusetts:
(Dalton and Central Berkshire area) Arlene Kowal. Tel 413-584-8258; Email arlnkoala@aol.com.

New York:
           (Schenectady) Catherine Snyder. Tel 518-388-6361; Email snyderc@uniongraduatecollege.edu.
           (Syracuse) Theresa Noonan. Tel 585-442-6296; Email tcnoonan@frontiernet.net.
           (Buffalo) Bruce Acker. Tel 716-645-3474, x1465; Email backer@buffalo.edu.

Rhode Island:
(Middletown) Christopher Walsh. Tel 401-423-0902; Email walshcm@gmail.com.

Vermont:
(Chittenden County) Brian Nelligan. Tel 802-879-7614; Email nelligan@verizon.net.

§*FCCEAS, CONCORD, MA
“Through Their Eyes” for the Classroom is held Sat, Nov 8, 8:30am-12:30pm, at the Colonial Inn. The authors/editors of the ‘Eyes’ books discuss sections of their work for applications in the classroom. Presenters are Richard H. Minear, Through Japanese Eyes; Peter J. Seybolt and Edward Vernoff, Through Chinese Eyes; and Donald J. and Jean E. Johnson, Through Indian Eyes. NCTA alums especially are encouraged to attend.For more information, contact: Arlene Kowal. Tel 413-250-1424; Email arlnkoala@aol.com.

§*NHCSS, MANCHESTER, NH
The New Hampshire Council for Social Studies Annual Conference is scheduled for Thu, Oct 30, at the Center of New Hampshire/Radisson Hotel. The program offers 30 seminar/section meetings, a luncheon, a keynote speaker, and an exhibit of social studies materials for grades 1−12. Olivann Hobbie, a Five College Center for East Asian Studies/NCTA alumni, presents a workshop “Meiji Art and Architecture as Reflection of Japan’s Modernization.” For more information, contact: Patrick May, NHCSS. Tel 603-535-2501; Email pmay@oz.plymouth.edu; Web www.nhcss.org.

NEAAS, UMASS BOSTON
The New England Regional Conference for the Association for Asian Studies is held on Sat, Oct 18, at the University of Massachusetts Boston. In one panel, Bruce Baird (University of Massachusetts Amherst) speaks on “The Varieties of Theatrical Experience in 1960’s Avant-Garde Dance,” and Jina Kim (Smith College) talks about “Myths and Machines: The 1970’s Fiction of Cho Sehui and Nakagami Kenji.” In another panel, Amanda Seaman (University of Massachusetts Amherst) focuses on “Atopic Pregnancy: Childbearing and Female Identity in The Unfertilized Egg.” For more details about the conference, email neaas@umb.edu or visit www.umb.edu/academics/cla/dept/modlang/ neaas_conference08.html.

NYCAS, CLINTON, NY
The New York Conference on Asian Studies is held at Hamilton College on Fri, Sep 26, and Sat, Sep 27. The conference theme is “Cultural Connections, Convergences, and Collisions Past and Present.” Kristin Stapleton (University at Buffalo, SUNY) is participating in a round table. Her topic is “China and the World in the Wake of the Beijing Olympics.” For more information about the conference, contact: Steve Goldberg. Email sgoldber@hamilton.edu, or visit www.hamilton.edu/NYCAS.

§*CCSS, NEW BRITAIN, CT
The Connecticut Council for the Social Studies is holding its Annual Fall Conference on Fri, Nov 7, at Central Connecticut State University. The conference theme is “Choosing Our Future: Defining the Role of the Social Studies.” A representative of the Five College Center for East Asian Studies/NCTA staffs a display table. For more information about the conference, contact: Beth DeLuca. Email bethdeluca@sbcglobal.net, or visit www.ctsocialstudies.org.

MCSS, AUGUSTA, ME
The Maine Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference is scheduled for Mon, Nov 10, at the Augusta Civic Center. The conference theme is “Social Studies on the Front Burner: Resources and Instructional Strategies for the 21st Century.” Teachers are provided with instructional strategies and resources to help implement the 2007 Social Studies Learning Results. To learn more, visit www.memun.org/MCSS/.

§*AIC, CHAPEL HILL, NC
The 2008 Symposium on Asia in the Curriculum (AIC) is held at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, on Fri, Sep 26 and Sat, Sep 27. The Symposium is open to all educators working in the field of Asian studies. The program’s major focus is using technology to teach about Asia. Details are available at http://global.unc.edu/aic.

§*NEHTA, STORRS, CT
The New England History Teachers Association’s Annual Fall Conference is held Fri, Oct 10, at the Dodd Center, University of Connecticut. The conference theme is “Teaching the 1950s and the 1960s.” A representative of the Five College Center for East Asian Studies/NCTA staffs a display table. To learn more, contact: Stephen Armstrong. Email Steph17895@aol.com, or visit www.nehta.net.

§NCGE, DEARBORN, MI
The National Council for Geographic Education is holding a conference in Dearborn, MI, Thu, Oct 9 − Sun, Oct 12. The conference theme is “Bringing the World to You.” There is an NCTA exhibit booth at the conference. More information is at www.ncge.org.

PRIMARY SOURCE, WATERTOWN, MA
Modern Topics in Asia is a 4-part series geared to educators in grades 6−12. Sessions are held at Primary Source, 4:30-7pm, on Wed, Nov 12; Tue, Dec 2; Tue, Jan 13; and Mon, Feb 2. The Great Travelers of Medieval Asia takes place at Primary Source on Tue, Oct 28, 9am-3pm. The program focuses on the travels of traders, holy people, and adventurers. To learn more, contact: Abby Detweiler. Tel 617-923-9933 x 20; Email abby@primarysource.org; Web www.primarysource.org.

§NCTE, SAN ANTONIO, TX
The 2008 National Council of Teachers of English Convention is held in San Antonio Thu, Nov 20 − Sun, Nov 23. This year’s theme is “Because Shift Happens: Teaching in the Twenty-First Century.” There is an NCTA exhibit booth at the conference. For more information and to register, visit www.ncte.org/profdev/conv/annual.

HARVARD U, CAMBRIDGE, MA
Teaching about Religion Using the Cultural Studies Method is a workshop for K−12 educators offered through the Center of Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University. It is held on Sat, Oct 25, 9:15am-3pm, in the Harvard Center for Government and Int’l Studies South Building 050. For more details, visit http://cmes.hmdc.harvard.edu/ outreach/events/teaching_religion or email cmesoc@fas.harvard.edu.

YALE U, NEW HAVEN, CT
The Olympics in East Asia: Nationalism, Regionalism, and Globalism on the Center Stage of World Sports is a 2-day conference at Yale University Thu, Oct 2 − Fri, Oct 3. This international symposium is the second gathering of a group of Asian, American, and European scholars. The registration deadline is Mon, Sep 29. Contact: Anne Letterman. Email anne.letterman@yale.edu.

SMITH COLLEGE, NORTHAMPTON, MA
Celebrating Asian Culture in Flower, Fabric, and Flavor is the theme of this year’s Fall Chrysanthemum Show at Smith College. The show is on view Sat, Nov 1 − Sun, Nov 16, in the Lyman Plant House. One of the offerings is a lecture, Camellia Sinensis and Chrysanthemum: A Delight for the Eyes and the Palate, presented by authors Mary Lou Heiss and Robert J. Heiss on Fri, Oct 31, 7pm, in Seelye Hall, Rm 106. For more information, visit www.smith.edu/garden/Home/events.html.

HARVARD U, CAMBRIDGE, MA
Re-View, a major survey of the Harvard Art Museum Collections, opens Sat, Sep 13, at the Sackler Museum, 485 Broadway. The second floor galleries contain the collection of Asian and Islamic Art from 5000 BC to the present. The collection includes East Asian painting, Chinese and Korean ceramics, archaic jades, and ritual bronze vessels. This long-term exhibition also examines the evolution of Buddhist sculpture across China, Korea, Japan, India, and the Himalayas. Contact the Museum. Tel 617-495-9400; Web www.harvardartmuseum.org.

FITCHBURG ART MUSEUM, MA
Asia Unearthed is on long-term loan to the Fitchburg Art Museum, 185 Elm St. Guided tours are available for this exhibition that includes ceramics, metalwork, ritual bronzes, and sculpture from Ancient China, Southeast Asia, Eurasia, and Japan. To learn more, contact: Fitchburg Art Museum. Tel 978-345-4207; Web www.fitchburgartmuseum.org.

GARDNER MUSEUM, BOSTON, MA
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum presents Luisa Rabbia’s Asia-inspired video exhibition, Travels with Isabella, Travel Scrapbooks 1883/2008, through Sun, Sep 28. Rabbia, an Artist-in-Residence at the Gardner in 2007, was inspired by photographs Isabella Stewart Gardner collected while traveling in China in 1883. On Thu, Sep 25, 6:30pm, Alan Chong, curator of the collection, gives a talk entitled Memory and Invention and Personal Travel Scrapbooks. A special Asia-inspired menu is being offered at the Gardner Café in conjunction with the exhibition. To learn more, contact the Museum. Tel 617-566-1401; Web www.gardnermuseum.org.

YALE U, NEW HAVEN, CT
In the Footsteps of the Buddha is a gallery talk by David Ake Sensabaugh, Curator of Asian Art. The lecture is held on Wed, Nov 19, at 12:20pm, at the Yale University Art Gallery. Contact: Ana Davis. Tel 203-432-0611; Email ana.davis@yale.edu.

GLOBAL CONNECT FORUM, MA
The Global Connect Forum, 394 W Main St, Northborough, offers Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese language and culture programs. The Forum has a flexible class schedule, with new classes opening every month. To learn more, contact: Xin Xin. Tel 508-466-8274; Email Info@GlobalConnectForum.com; Web www.globalconnectforum.com.

ASIANETWORK
The Student-Faculty Fellows Program is offered through ASIANetwork. This program enables individual faculty members at liberal arts colleges to take up to five students to East and Southeast Asia to conduct undergraduate research. Faculty mentors and students apply as a team. Application deadline is Mon, Dec 1, with award notification by February. For additional information, contact: Teddy Amoloza. Tel 309-556-3405; Email tamoloza@iwu.edu; Web www.asianetwork.org.

BUCHANAN PRIZE
The Association for Asian Studies (AAS) invites submissions for the Franklin R. Buchanan Prize, which is awarded annually to recognize an outstanding curriculum publication on Asia designed for any educational level, elementary through university. The prize includes a $1,000 monetary award and a one-year membership to AAS. The deadline for submissions for the 2009 Buchanan Prize is Sat, Nov 1. Submissions must have been published after Jan 1, 2007. For more information and a submission form, contact: Kathleen Woods Masalski, Chair of the Committee. Tel 413-585-3751; Email kmasalsk@smith.edu. Past awards are noted at www.aasianst.org/publication/bookprizes.htm. The 2008 Buchanan Prize was awarded to Waka Takahashi Brown and Selena Lai for Chinese Dynasties: Parts I and II, published by the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE).

EDUCATION ABOUT ASIA SUBMISSIONS
Education about Asia, published 3 times a year by the Association for Asian Studies, is designed to assist secondary and university-level instructors in teaching about Asia. The application deadline to submit manuscripts for the special section of the Spring 2009 issue, “History, Literature, and the Construction of ‘Memory’ in Asia,” is Sat, Dec 20. Author guidelines can be found at www.aasianst.org/EAA/authors.htm. For more information, contact: Lucien Ellington, Education About Asia Editorial Office, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Tel 423-425-2118; Fax 423-425-5441; Email Lucien-Ellington@utc.edu; Web www.aasianst.org/eaa-toc.htm.

FULBRIGHT SCHOLAR IN RESIDENCE
The Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence Program brings visiting scholars and professionals from abroad to lecture at U.S. Liberal Arts colleges, community colleges, and other teaching centered institutions. Proposal guidelines and application forms may be downloaded from www.cies.org/sir. Application deadline is Wed, Oct 15. For more information, contact: Alma Ford, Council for International Exchange of Scholars. Tel 202-686-6252; Email Aford@cies.iie.org.

UVM CALL FOR HOSTS FOR ASIAN TEACHERS
The Asian Studies Outreach Program at the University of Vermont is working to place visiting teachers from China, Thailand, and Japan in Vermont schools for the 2008−2009 school year. Educators who believe their schools would be interested in hosting a teacher can contact: Bill Williams. Email William.H.Williams @uvm.edu or yunnanvt@comcast.net.

HOSTING YFU EXCHANGE STUDENTS
Youth for Understanding USA offers opportunities to host English-speaking exchange students selected from countries around the world. YFU provides professional orientations for students and families. To learn more, contact: Youth For Understanding USA, Bethesda, MD. Tel 1-866-493-8872; Web www.yfu-usa.org.

PRIMARY SOURCE BAZAAR
Primary Source is hosting its 2nd Annual Holiday Bazaar and Trivia Night on Fri, Dec 5, 3-9pm, at the Hellenic Cultural Center, 25 Bigelow Ave, Watertown. The event is open to the public and features gifts from around the world, raffle prizes, international dance, and more. Contact: Julie Newport. Tel 617-923-9933 x 18; Email Julie@primarysource.org; Web www.primarysource.org.

WELCOME TO FIVE COLLEGE FACULTY
The Center welcomes the following faculty in the Five College community:

CALL FOR PAPERS, WHA
The World History Association (WHA) invites proposals for panels, papers, and roundtables on topics related to the 2009 conference theme “Merchants and Missionaries: Trade and Religion in World History.” The conference is to be held at Salem State College, in Salem, MA, Thu, Jun 25 − Sun, Jun 28. Proposals are due by Thu, Jan 15. More information and proposal forms are available on the WHA Web site at www.thewha.org.

-->National History Day, a program that engages students in grades 6−12 in research and reporting through exhibits, performances, documentaries, historical papers and/or web sites. This year’s theme is “The Individual in History.” For more information about National History Day and for state contact persons, visit www.nhd.org.

-->Youth for Understanding USA, which offers opportunities to study abroad in more than 40 countries, through 3 different types of programs: academic year, academic semester, or summer. High school students interested in studying abroad can find program information, country options, application materials, and scholarship opportunities at www.yfu-usa.org, or by calling 1-800-TEENAGE.

When teaching about Asia, teachers at the middle and high school levels face various challenges. What textbook to choose? What supplementary materials to select? What topics to cover?

For good reason, teachers today are encouraged to use primary sources in their classrooms. For those who teach about other cultures in their history and social studies classes, an excellent resource serving that purpose is known as the “Eyes Books” series. Each Eyes book can be used in its entirety as a textbook, or—because the readings are so flexible—in smaller parts along with other materials.

The series of books, introduced by Leon Clark in the 1970s, incorporates perspectives from people of the cultures being studied by representing them with their own words—both written and spoken. As Clark explained in the 1994 edition of Through Japanese Eyes, “People—and nations—have a tendency to look at the outside world from their own perspectives. This is natural and perhaps necessary, for we are all prisoners of a particular space and time. But how limited and biased our information would be if we listened only to ourselves.”

Three books in the series useful for teaching about Asia were reviewed in the Spring 2008 issue of Education About Asia (pp. 69–71). Following are some (favorable) excerpts from the reviews that offer insights into the contents of the books:

On Through Chinese Eyes: Tradition, Revolution, and Transformation (3rd Edition), Edward Vernoff and Peter J. Seybolt, 2007, 381 pages:

In sum, secondary high school or survey-level college instructors will find the selections useful and the introductions helpful. The tone is that of critical sympathy, not advocacy, so there is plenty of room for additional readings. Teachers can ask students to contrast the picture of revolution in Parts I and IV with the problems reported in Part V—were the problems inevitable, given China’s size and nature, or would they have been avoidable under different leadership?

The editor’s introductions are sophisticated and, given the excellent questions raised about how to use documents and literature, useful even for teachers who have no intention of using the reading selections….The analytical and critical thinking skills taught in this reader make it a valuable resource, even for teachers not teaching about Japan… Paired with a good textbook about Japan, students and teachers will finish this book not just more knowledgeable about Japan, but better equipped to learn about “foreign” cultures in the future.

On Through Indian Eyes (5th Edition), Donald J. Johnson and Jean E. Johnson, 2008, 352 pages:

Through Indian Eyes has for many years been a valued tool for approaching Indian civilization. In the past, it provided an intimate, as well as coherent, portrait of traditional and contemporary society on the Indian subcontinent. It still does. However, the fifth edition’s fresh material on developments in India since 2000, including fuller discussion of India’s adoption of neo-liberal economic principles and treatment of India’s accelerating role in the world economy, has raised its status from timeless treasure to timely resource.

The “Eyes Books: World Culture Series” is a project of the Center for International Training and Education (CITE), published by The Apex Press. The Web site www.eyesbooks.org contains additional information about the series, including how to order the books for schools. The authors/editors of all three Eyes books will offer, on the Web site, teaching strategies for these latest editions (strategies that were offered as companion paperback books for the earlier editions).