EAST ASIA INSTITUTE
Faculty Development for Elementary and Secondary Teachers

Richard J. Smith
June 8-June 17, 2009
Rice University

Description

This Institute has been designed for Houston-area high school, middle school and elementary teachers who plan to incorporate more East Asian cultural content into their courses. The Institute presentations, powerpoints, texts, and images that we provide are designed primarily for high school teachers who teach courses in art, literature, history and the social sciences, but these curricular materials can easily be adapted to a wide variety of teaching needs and interests. This Summer we are especially fortunate to have as one of our instructors Professor Nanxiu Qian, a literary historian at Rice with a deep interest in Chinese poetry and prose as well as comparative issues. We therefore especially encourage the participation of teachers whose classroom responsibilities include literature.

Our Institute for 2009 will focus on two major themes: (1) "ways of world-making"--that is, the process by which culture groups (in this case, the major civilizations of East Asia) arrange "things," ideas and activities into coherent systems of meaning; and (2) the complex historical interaction between China, Korea, Japan and Vietnam from neolithic times to the present.  The particular emphasis of this Institute will be on China, which influenced the other civilizations of East Asia in roughly the same way that the cultures of Greece, Rome and the Middle East influenced Europe over time. We will also give some attention to the process by which China has emerged as a global power in the 21st century, and the implications of this development for the rest of Asia and the world.

Benefits

Twenty-five secondary teachers will be selected for this Institute.  Each will receive a stipend of $500 upon successful completion of the program ($250 after the regular Institute sessions and $250 six months later, upon submission of a report on classroom implementation).  Also, participants will receive $200 worth of books and resources at no cost, including a free subscription to the journal Education about Asia. Compact discs of translations, articles, images (including power point presentations) and other relevant materials will also be provided free of charge.  In addition, the library of each participating school will receive a grant of $300 for curricular materials per teacher (with a $1,200 maximum per school.)

Finally, depending on available financing, each teacher completing the Institute will be eligible to apply later for an expenses-paid study trip to East Asia. In the past, these study tours have been administered by Rice University and funded by The Freeman Foundation.

Institute Sessions 2009*

Each session will begin at 9:00 a.m. and end at 4:00 p.m. with an hour for lunch.

Monday, June 8
Wednesday, June 10
Friday, June 12
Monday, June 15
Wednesday, June 17.

*There will also be a three-hour "follow-up" session in spring, 2010

Requirements

Institute participants must teach a course in which there is, or will be, a substantial East Asian component. To learn more and to apply, see the links at bottom of this page.

Institute Leader

The 2009 Institute will be conducted by Dr. Richard J. Smith, George and Nancy Rupp Professor of Humanities and Professor of History at Rice. A specialist in Chinese history and culture, Professor Smith has written, co-written or co-edited ten books, including one of the texts for this Institute, China's Cultural Heritage (1994). He has also won twelve teaching prizes, including the "Texas Professor of the Year" Award, given by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

Contact

The contact person is Ms. Dee Garza, Institute Coordinator. You may reach her at the following address: 
Asian Studies asia@rice.edu. (Most if not all of your questions will be answered by reading the FAQs and the application instructions.  Links below.)

***Each participant must have an e-mail account and regular access to the Internet. Click on the links below for the application, instructions, and frequently asked questions:

FAQs
1. APPLICATION  for Secondary School Teachers
2. APPLICATION ELEMENTARY for Elementary School Teachers 
3. INSTRUCTIONS FOR ALL APPLICANTS