Announcing 2012 Summer Institutes on China and Japan at the University of Colorado Boulder. Applications Now Available.

The National Consortium for Teaching about Asia (NCTA) and Program for Teaching East Asia (TEA) at the University of Colorado invite applications to two national summer institutes. The 2012 institutes are open to secondary teachers nationwide who teach about Asia; the institutes are also designed to provide enrichment for teachers who have previously completed an NCTA seminar. Both courses are offered as residential programs on the University of Colorado Boulder campus. Teachers selected to participate receive a travel stipend to defray transportation costs, a full housing/meal package, institute texts, and teaching resources. Brief overviews of the two programs are provided below. Each program is limited to 20 teachers; applications are reviewed by a selection panel. Application deadline is March 16, 2012; notification date is April 4, 2012.

China: Environmental Issues and Challenges. June 25-29, 2012.

China faces a multitude of environmental challenges and opportunities. In China and around the world, observers are concerned about the effects of that country’s rapid economic development on the air, water, land, and energy resources, as well as the ways that China’s complex bureaucratic system may impact environmental policy implementation. At the same time, China is recognized as a world leader in green technologies. This institute will examine environmental issues within the context of China’s economic development, social and political evolution, and global responsibility. Participants will have the opportunity to consider general issues and analyze several case studies appropriate for classroom use. Among the questions guiding the four-day program are the following:
How do environmental issues and solutions provide a window into the broader changes and challenges facing contemporary China?
Who are the stakeholders in specific environmental issues? How are different groups affecting and being affected by specific problems and policies?
What advances has China made in developing and applying green technologies as solutions to its environmental challenges?
How do environmental protection efforts provide case studies in the emerging role of civil society in China?
What responsibilities will China shoulder to protect global resources?
Complete information and application package are available at http://www.colorado.edu/cas/tea/programs/downloads/2012ChinaSummerInstAppfillable.pdf.
Questions? Contact [email protected].

21st-Century Japan: Global Issues, Classroom Applications. July 8-13, 2012.

In spring 2011, all eyes focused on Japan as that nation was hit with a “triple tragedy”—a devastating earthquake and tsunami, as well as the dangers of nuclear contamination from power plants compromised by the natural disasters. The Japanese government’s and people’s responses to these challenges directed new and heightened interest toward this critically important nation. The global spotlight focused not only on Japan’s responses to disaster, it also brought attention to broader issues, from social and economic policy and reform to Japan’s roles in the global economy and global culture.

This institute offers resources and materials to bring teachers’ instruction on Japan up to the present. Institute participants will explore contemporary Japan through current issues including Japan in the global economy, political reforms, social trends, and recovery and change in the wake of Japan’s 2011 “triple tragedy.” The institute also will explore the Japanese cultural scene, as expressed in popular art and literature, providing a rich picture of Japan today.

Complete information and application package are available at http://www.colorado.edu/cas/tea/programs/downloads/2012JapanSummerInstAppfillable.pdf.
Questions? Contact [email protected].