Course Title
THE SILK ROAD: A MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO TEACHING ABOUT ASIA

Dates
The weeks of Sept. 23, 30, Oct. 7, 14, 21, 28, Nov. 4, 11, 18, 23, Dec. 2, 9, 16, Jan. 6, 2010
and a field trip on Saturday January 16, 2010

Location
Online (asynchronous)
Saturday field trip to the American Museum of Natural History, upcoming Silk Road exhibition

Course Description

The “Silk Road ” refers to a series of routes that crisscrossed Eurasia from the first millennium BCE through the middle of the second millennium CE. The best know segment of the Silk Road began in the ancient Chinese capital of Chang’an (Xi’an), diverged into northern and southern routes in Central Asia with branches going further south to India, the main branch crossed the Iranian plateau, and ended on the eastern shores of the Mediterranean in the cities of Antioch and Tyre. Music, art, technology, belief systems, and stories were carried along this ancient trade route.

This new NCTA seminar will knit geography, literature, economics, history, art and music into an interdisciplinary exploration of Asia – its diversity and interdependence.

NCTA Seminars:
The National Consortium for Teaching about Asia (NCTA) seminars provide educators with an enriched background in the history and cultures of China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam as well as the exchanges among these cultures and with the larger world. Topics will closely follow the New York Social Studies Standards, the Children First Report, and Professional Development Standards for teachers.

The seminar consists of 15 online sessions held during the fall and winter of 2009-10.

Seminar requirements:

• NCTA seminars prefer applications from elementary, middle and high school teachers in the fields of literature, social studies, and geography but will also consider those from educators in art history and media (librarians);
• Attendance is recording by weekly postings; postings may be late but participants must post twice for each session topic
• Two lesson plans are required due by the end of the seminar.

This seminar is being held in conjunction with the National Consortium for Teaching About Asia (NCTA), with support from the Freeman Foundation.

Course Syllabus

Session 1: Sept. 23-29
Introduction to the Course

Session 2: Sept. 30-Oct. 6
Geography of the Silk Road

Session 3: Oct. 7-13
History of the Silk Road
Guest expert: Morris Rossabi

Session 4: Oct. 14-20
History of the Silk Road – the people
Guest expert: Morris Rossabi

Session 5: October 21-27
Stories along the Silk Road

Session 6: October 28-Nov. 3
Stories along the Silk Road II

Session 7: Oct. 4-10
Music along the Silk Road
Guest Expert: Anne Prescott

Session 8: November 11-17
Belief Systems along the Silk Road – Buddhism

Session 9: November 18-24
Belief Systems along the Silk Road: Judaism, Islam, Christianity, and Zoroastrianism

Session 10: Nov. 25- Dec.1
Art along the Silk Road - East Asia
Guest Expert: Eve Eisenstadt

Session 11: Dec. 2-8
Art along the Silk Road – Central Asia

Session 12: Dec. 9-15
People and Languages of the Silk Road

Session 13: Dec. 16-22
Trade along the Silk Road – Inventions

Session 14: Jan. 6-12
Food along the Silk Road

Session 15: Saturday January 16, 2010
Field Trip – American Museum of Natural History
Final Lessons Due

Course Materials, Fees, Eligibility

All participants will receive after registration the curriculum guide:
Developed by Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE) and The Silk Road Project. Copyright 2006. 265 pages, and includes wall map, DVD and Audio CD $84.95 (Provided free by NCTA with funding from the Freeman Foundation) as well as supplemental material.

This course is open to all full-time teachers in New York and New Jersey. There is a non-refundable $45 materials fee to be paid to Teacher College upon registration in the Moodle system.

Enrollment is on a first-come first-served basis.

The deadline for final registration on the Columbia University/Teachers College online course system, as well as the NYASPDP registration system, is Sept. 31, 2009.

Course Benefits

This course is offered by the Asia for Educators Program at Columbia University, as part of the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia (NCTA). Each participant will receive:

• Three New York State "NCTA credits";
• Eligibility for NCTA study tours to China, Japan, and other Asian countries;
• Certificate of Completion for 35 hours professional Development credit;
• This course also qualifies for 3P credits in the New York City After School Professional Development Program (ASPDP). Please see the Registration section, below, for more information on additional fees and how to register for ASPDP credit.

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Registration

Go to the Preliminary Online Registration Form to sign up for this course. Please note that submission of this registration form does not result in automatic enrollment in the course. After your registration information is reviewed, you will receive a follow-up email with directions on how to complete your registration through the Columbia University/Teachers College online course system.

There is a non-refundable $45 materials fee to be paid to Teachers College upon registration.

To receive ASPDP credits for this course, you must also register at the ASPDP website (http://www.nycenet.edu/aspdp/) and pay an additional non-refundable $100 registration fee to ASPDP. The ASPDP Course Code for this course is  P18-244F09.

Questions?

For further information, please contact:
Karen Kane
Asia for Educators Program
Weatherhead East Asian Institute
Columbia University
New York, NY
Tel. (212) 854 9007
Email:kak13@columbia.edu