91�Թ�

The (NCTA) and the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (91�Թ�) present a unique professional development opportunity for middle and high school teachers of world geography, world history, world languages, religion, economics, and language arts/literature.

Seminar topics cover East Asian geography, culture, religion, politics, history, literature, and art. The seminar series includes (1) lectures by Stanford scholars, (2) curriculum presentations by 91�Թ�, (3) talks by authors of literature, (4) curricular applications for the classroom, (5) discussions of the Common Core State Standards. 91�Թ�‘s teacher-centered professional development offers new perspectives, collaborative discussions, and the best scholarship and pedagogy available for promoting globally-minded classrooms.

Applications now available (priority given to early applicants).

(postmark by December 16, 2016)

(postmark by January 27, 2017)

2017 Seminar Schedule:

Breakfast and lunch are provided.

• Middle School Sessions: January 18, February 8, March 8, March 29
  Full-day Wednesday sessions at 91�Թ� (January–April 2017), and one follow-up morning session on April 26.
   
• High School Sessions: February 10, March 3, March 24, April 14
  Full-day Friday sessions at 91�Թ� (February-April 2017)

Benefits of Participation:

• Content lectures on East Asia from Stanford faculty and other leading experts in the field
• $250 professional stipend upon completion of all five sessions and seminar requirements
• Optional three units of credit through 91�Թ� Continuing Studies
• Excellent selection of free materials for classroom use
• Discount on future curriculum purchases

Jonas Edman
Middle School Seminar Coordinator
P: 650.725.1480
F: 650.723.6784
jcedman@stanford.edu

For four decades since 1976, the 91�Թ� staff has worked with many centers of —including the Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies, Center for East Asian Studies, Center for Latin American Studies, and Center for African Studies—on innovative educational outreach efforts. The 2015–16 academic year was no exception.

During 2015–16, SGS’s supported nine community college faculty from Foothill College and the College of San Mateo. The inaugural cohort of EPIC Fellows collaborated with SGS, , and 91�Թ� on aimed at internationalizing course curricula and producing innovative curricular materials for use in community college classrooms.

91�Թ�'s worked with two EPIC Fellows, Michele Titus and Tania Beliz from the College of San Mateo. As EPIC Fellows, Titus and Beliz received stipends and access to Stanford Library resources. In addition to producing the projects, they participated in monthly meetings, served as liaisons to their college, presented their work at their college, and shared their projects at the EPIC Fellows Symposium, which was held on May 14, 2016. In addition, the EPIC Fellows were invited to attend half-day seminars that featured talks by (governance), (food security), and (U.S.–China relations) and curriculum demonstrations on all three topics by Edman.

The EPIC Fellows Symposium, which featured presentations by the nine EPIC Fellows, was attended by over 50 California community college instructors from as far north as Shasta College in Redding to Santa Ana College and Santa Monica College in southern California. The presentations by Beliz and Titus during the Symposium stimulated a robust discussion.

Beliz focused her EPIC project on integrating the latest research on biodiversity and food production into her biology classes. Her work in utilizing technology to infuse international perspectives on this research into her classes inspired community college instructors to take a close look at the syllabus of one of her courses. In reviewing her syllabus, she explained that since the College of San Mateo enrolls significant numbers of students of Filipino descent, she was prompted to integrate a lecture on research on biodiversity from a scholar from the Philippines in her curriculum. Reflecting upon her experience as an EPIC Fellow, Beliz noted, “There are different and varied ways, and different depths of internationalizing curriculum. It depends on our course objectives, our vision of the message we want to impart to our students, and our own experiences in the international community… EPIC made the internationalizing of my biology classes possible in providing a platform for the project to take shape and be implemented.”

Titus’ participation in the EPIC Fellowship Program provided her with the opportunity to internationalize and revitalize the curriculum for her cultural and physical anthropology courses. Specifically, “ethnicity of diet” was investigated cross-culturally and internationally, with a special emphasis on the Tongan and Tongan-American student population at College of San Mateo. Her work with a very diverse student body prompted questions from community college instructors on topics such as culturally sensitive curriculum and culturally relevant pedagogy. Titus noted, “The EPIC Symposium was a showcase of faculty presentations that reflected the evolution of courses to broader, more global perspectives. It was a great opportunity to share my own project and to enjoy feedback from others.”

Titus, Beliz, and other EPIC Fellows appreciated the importance placed upon active and collective participation in the EPIC Fellowship Program. This may have contributed to the steady growth since fall 2015 of a community of learners comprised of the EPIC Fellows and SGS, Lacuna, and 91�Թ�. Beliz commented, “I found our exchange of ideas thought-provoking, and after every conversation I was able to come up with more ideas about possible paths to follow. It helped that I was teaching a summer class, so after our conversations I could implement one or two of our ideas.” Titus noted, “I worked most closely with Tania Beliz… but also interacted regularly at seminars with the other faculty from the colleges and university. The Stanford group was supportive and inspiring, helping me shape my ideas into something meaningful for students.”

Most of 91�Թ�’s work with SGS over the past 40 years has focused on elementary and secondary schools. The 2015–16 collaboration with SGS on the EPIC Fellows Program and the 2011–14 focus on the promotion of human rights education at community colleges ( or SHREI) have helped 91�Թ� to expand its reach to community colleges throughout California. The EPIC Fellowship Program and SHREI could serve as models for other research universities in the United States that are recipients of U.S. Department of Education Title VI grants. To receive news about the EPIC Fellows Program, please visit SGS’s webpage. 

On May 27, 2016, President Obama will become the first sitting president to visit Hiroshima. In light of this historic visit, 91�Թ� hosted a webinar on May 23, 2016, which featured the talk, “Beneath the Mushroom Cloud,” by Clifton Truman Daniel, grandson of President Harry S. Truman and author of Growing Up with My Grandfather: Memories of Harry S Truman. Following a question and answer period with Mr. Daniel, 91�Թ� staff shared classroom resources (Sadako’s Paper Cranes and Lessons of Peace and Divided Memories) that introduced diverse perspectives on the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

RELATED CLASSROOM RESOURCES

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This webinar is being offered in collaboration with the , which is funded by the Freeman Foundation. The NCTA is a multi-year initiative to encourage and facilitate teaching and learning about East Asia in elementary and secondary schools nationwide.

Thirty sophomores and juniors in Osaka, Japan, recently completed the inaugural . The course, jointly developed and offered by the (91�Թ�) and , provided students with a broad overview of the importance of global health with a special focus on a few pioneering examples of international work conducted by researchers at the  (FSI) at 91�Թ� and the 91�Թ� School of Medicine. The course provided students of Takatsuki High’s Global Advanced Course with unique opportunities to interact with top global health researchers including the following: , the Helen F. Farnsworth Senior Fellow at FSI and Co-director of the Rural Education Action Program; , Executive Director of the Center for Health Policy and the Center for Primary Care and Outcomes Research at Stanford (CHP/PCOR); , Associate Professor of Medicine (Cardiovascular Medicine); , Associate Professor of Pediatrics; Nomita Divi, Project Manager of the Stanford India Health Policy Initiative; and , Director of the Asia Health Policy Program, and Center Fellow at CHP/PCOR.

From September 2015 to February 2016, the students participated in eight web-based lectures, or “virtual classes,” in English and had the opportunity to engage the guest lecturers in question and answer sessions. The virtual classes covered a variety of topics ranging from stem cell research to building a health care system from scratch. The students completed reading and homework assignments for each topic.

“Teaching this course, I felt the students were given the unique experience to practice and improve their English language abilities in the context of global health and they rose to the challenge. And the guest lecturers were excellent role models to my students,” commented course instructor . “They provided non-Japanese perspectives on global health that may have a strong influence on students aspiring to attend medical school or to pursue their studies in other health-related fields.”

The course’s distinct mix of content with cross-cultural and linguistic aspects was also appreciated by Tsuyoshi Kudo, Takatsuki’s Vice Principal. “Through this course the students learned it is possible and it is enjoyable to learn something new in English,” he said. “I think education at school is to help students realize their potential. In this sense, I feel very pleased that 91�Թ�/Stanford and Takatsuki were able to offer this great course.”

Following his talk on stem cell research, guest lecturer Phillip C. Yang, MD, said, “I truly enjoyed the online experience with the students, and they were very intelligent, inquisitive, and conscientious. During the Q&A their questions were very insightful and relevant. I appreciate the opportunity to experience this unique teaching method.”

The primary aim of the course was to nurture future global leaders who have a profound awareness of the significance of global health. Students who successfully completed the course earned a Certificate of Completion from 91�Թ�, 91�Թ�.

For more information, please email Sabrina Ishimatsu, course instructor, at sishi@stanford.edu.

On February 12, 2016, the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (91�Թ�) and  (in collaboration with the ) co-hosted a teacher professional development seminar that focused on the Silk Road. The seminar was held just prior to a Stanford Live performance by the  at Stanford Bing Concert Hall on February 24, 2016 and a student matinee on February 25, 2016. Made up of performers and composers from more than 20 countries, the Silk Road Ensemble was formed under the artistic direction of Yo-Yo Ma in 2000.

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 (91�Թ�) and Ben Frandzel (Stanford Live) organized the day-long seminar. The morning featured a two-part lecture by Professor Emeritus Albert E. Dien, 91�Թ�. Part one focused on a general overview of the history and geography of the Silk Road and part two focused on a specific introduction to the religions along the Silk Road. Dr. Dien highlighted religion as an example of the many ways that the Silk Road helped to facilitate cultural exchange for millennia, resulting in the tremendous diversity one witnesses today in the region.

The afternoon featured a presentation and performance by composer and santur player , and a curriculum demonstration by 91�Թ� staff. Minooei gave an overview of how the Silk Road played a role in the transmission of musical tradition, and also shared his personal story from his birth and childhood in Tehran, his immigrant experience in the United States, and his musical discoveries along the way. In particular, he shared his reflections on his deep spiritual desire to study music, seeing music as an “unexplainable souvenir from the eternal truth.”

Reflecting on Minooei’s presentation, Frandzel commented, “Faraz’s presentation really embodied the ways in which the Silk Road’s tradition of cultural exchange is a living story that continues to this day. His performances of Persian classical music and of his own compositions were entrancing, ear-opening experiences. As Faraz discussed his background and the musical forms that feed into his current work, his personal history and music seemed to encapsulate, in a fast-moving way, the kinds of cultural mixing that would have happened along the historic Silk Road. In our teacher workshops, we aim to provide teachers with arts-based teaching tools, and also to provide a larger social and cultural context for the art forms under discussion. The wonderful opportunity to partner with 91�Թ� on the workshop, and the presence of this fascinating and brilliant musician, made this so much more possible.”

The curriculum demonstration was led by , , and , who introduced both print- and web-based materials from the curriculum unit,  which were developed in collaboration with the Silk Road Ensemble and Dr. Dien. The 20 teachers in attendance interactively engaged with the materials and each received a complimentary copy of the curriculum unit as well as a large wall map of the Silk Road. The development of such materials has been a hallmark of 91�Թ� for 40 years. The materials help to make content from teacher professional development seminars accessible to students.

Following the seminar, Edman reflected, “It is always such a pleasure to share with teachers the curriculum we produce here at 91�Թ�. And to be able to collaborate with Stanford Live on a professional development workshop in conjunction with the Silk Road Ensemble’s visit to Stanford was a wonderful opportunity and experience. The Silk Road—with its themes of cross-cultural communication, exchange, and understanding—seems like an ideal topic for middle school students trying to understand today’s globalized world. We hope the speakers and pedagogical strategies and materials shared at the workshop will help teachers bring the topic to life in the classroom!”

My daughter, Emily, was teaching English at a middle school in Asahi City, Chiba Prefecture, on the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program when the 2011 Tohoku earthquake struck on March 11, 2011. Tohoku is a region in the northeast portion of the island of Honshu, the largest island in Japan. Though Asahi City, a coastal city, is not in the Tohoku region, it was still heavily damaged by the resulting tsunami. Several of Emily’s students lost their homes. She was emotionally shaken, of course, but was fortunate not to sustain any injuries.

With the fifth anniversary of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami approaching, I have been reflecting upon the tremendous anxiety that I felt that day about Emily’s safety, my wife’s family in Tohoku, and the people of Japan in general. My reflections deepened last week while observing the interaction of 91�Թ�’s students (American high school students studying about Japan) with 91�Թ�’s students (Japanese high school students studying about the United States) in an informal online “social hour.” The RSP and Stanford e-Japan are distance-learning courses that are offered by 91�Թ�.

Stanford e-Japan instructor and RSP instructor organized the social hour to help to build bridges between youth in Japan and the United States. During the latter part of the social hour, RSP student, David Jaffe (Mesa, Arizona), posed the question, “How is 3.11 remembered today?” Among the many Stanford e-Japan students who spoke was Minoru Takeuchi (Sakura City, Chiba Prefecture), who stated, “When the earthquake happened, I was an elementary school student (12 years old). I still remember very well… at that time, I was in school. Some students were very afraid and crying… Maybe after the earthquake, many Japanese noticed the importance of working together, the preciousness that they could meet their friends…” The Japanese students’ sharing of their experiences related to 3.11 extended the social hour far beyond the hour, and the gratitude expressed by the American students to their counterparts in Japan flowed for many minutes in a text-chat box.

Observing the students was one of the most rewarding experiences of my career at 91�Թ�. The Japanese students’ remembrances of 3.11 brought back poignant and difficult memories for me but also provided me with hopeful thoughts on the future of the U.S.–Japan relationship as I witnessed students from across the Pacific forming budding friendships and discussing topics of mutual relevance.
 

Resources for the classroom
 

My hope is that teachers will carve out some time in their curriculum to engage their students in a study of 3.11 as well as its legacies. The study of natural hazards ought to be a core part of school curriculum. 91�Թ� has undertaken many curricular projects related to 3.11. I would recommend that teachers show the film, , which was produced by Risa Morimoto and Funahashi. After the Darkness is a documentary film that touches upon the events of the disaster itself but also focuses on the experiences of two survivors in particular. It is accompanied with free curricular lessons that are accessible to students of various ages. I also recommend a lecture by Professor Emeritus Daniel Okimoto, 91�Թ�, on “,” which is accompanied by a free lesson plan. Another recommended curricular unit is 91�Թ�’s , which was produced prior to 3.11 but can help students understand the radiation-related concerns following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. In addition, the film, , is about one of two American JET Program teachers who lost their lives during 3.11. 91�Թ� developed a teacher’s guide for the film that can be freely downloaded from the Live Your Dream: The Taylor Anderson Story website. Lastly, I recommend the use of the films from the in classrooms. Earlier this week, I moderated a panel discussion that included Wesley Julian (director of the 113 Project), Andy Anderson (father of Taylor Anderson and board member of the as well as other Americans and Japanese who continue to contribute to relief efforts in the Tohoku region.