Japan Summer Institutes

TEA Japan hosts intensive summer institutes on Japanese history and contemporary issues at the University of Colorado-Boulder. Typically, our Japan Institute alternates every other year with TEA's China Institute.

TEA's Japan summer institutes are open to teachers from around the country and are generally targeted to secondary teachers of world history, world literatures, Asian studies, and international relations, but teachers of other subjects such as U.S. history, art, and English are also welcome to apply.

Participants work with scholars from CU-Boulder and other leading institutions and develop plans for revising their own curriculum related to the topic of the institute. TEA covers lodging, meals, and the majority of travel expenses. In addition, participants receive institute texts, relevant curriculum resources, and, upon completion of all follow-up responsibilities, a final stipend. Teachers may elect to take the institute for graduate credit through the University of Colorado.

Upcoming Japan Summer Institute

For information on the 2012 Japan Summer Institute, click here.

Colorado teachers can take advantage of an annual program of school year workshops on Japan. Past workshop topics have included: "Reinventing Japan: the Postwar Years 1945-1989," "Hands-On Japan: A Mini-Workshop for Elementary Teachers," and "Art of the Edo Period: New Resources for Teaching Japanese History through the Arts." See our Upcoming Workshops page for more information about current and upcoming workshops.

Built with support from the Japanese Consulate, the US-Japan Foundation, the Freeman Foundation, and contributions from teachers and publishers, TEA's Japan Resource Center offers teachers in the western United States an extensive collection of curriculum resources on Japan. Most materials are lent free of charge to teachers in the western United States; artifact trunks rent for a nominal fee. Please see our Japan Resource Center page for full details.

TEA offers a collection of 30 late-Edo period (1800-1850s) woodblock prints for instructional use to educators at all levels. Click here to see sample prints and learn how to borrow the collection for use in your own classroom.

Visits to Boulder Elementary Schools. In a local service project, TEA works with undergraduate interns from the University of Colorado's Asian studies and Asian languages programs to offer Asian language (Japanese, Chinese, and Hindi) and culture activities to Boulder Valley School District's elementary classrooms. CU students are available for one-day and longer assignments to classrooms, where they assist by teaching simple language, culture, and education lessons. For more information, please see our Classroom Outreach page.