Everybody has their China, and I have mine, said Dr. Zhen Zhang, a visiting professor of East Asian Studies at Union College. `The goal is to overcome some kind of bias.`
Twenty teachers from 14 area schools who are participating in the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia listened to Zhang deliver a lecture about contemporary China as part of the program.
The program is funded by the Freeman Foundation and hosted by Union Graduate College in conjunction with the Capital Region Teacher Center.
The program is managed by the Five College Center for East Asian Studies at Smith College and runs for seven Saturdays. Zhang’s talk was the group’s third meeting.
`The consortium allows us to deliver 30 hours of graduate level East Asian Studies content to Capital District teachers who will then be able to improve the quality of instruction on East Asia to their students,` said Catherine Snyder, associate dean of Union Graduate College School of Education and the director of the NCTA program. Snyder also lived in China for a time in the 1980s.
Teachers had to write an essay of application to apply for the program. Each selected participant gets a $300 grant to purchase East Asian-related classroom materials.
Erica Svatek, 24, is a recent graduate of the Masters in Teaching program at Union Graduate College and a high school history teacher at Ichabod Crane. She said she hopes to spend the grant money to purchase artwork, facsimiles of Medieval scrolls and other resources.
`I want to make sure my students have something they can touch and see,` said Svatek. `It’s important to bring tactile objects into the classroom rather than just giving a lecture with the students taking notes.`
Sue Beadle, a non-Western studies teacher at Queensbury High School, called the program `awesome,` because it allows teachers to come up with creative ways to set the record straight about China.
`A lot of Americans are really afraid of the emerging Asian market,` said Beadle. `This is an opportunity change that.`
She, too, hopes to work with ancient scrolls to compare commercialism of the past to contemporary economics.
Zhang’s talk on Saturday highlighted economic issues. He said China has the largest population of Internet users and cell phone subscribers and also has the fastest-growing economy of any country since 1978.
Much of this growth can be attributed to the extreme growth of urban centers and the population crises that face his native country.
`Here in the U.S., a city with a population of 500,000 is a big city, but in China it’s only a medium-sized city,` said Zhang.
The professor said he returns to China approximately every three years and that every time, he can’t find his way home.
`The roads change and cities grow rapidly,` said Zhang. `The cab driver has to tell me the way to my house.`
Zhang said he hoped his lecture would also brush away some of the misunderstandings about China that stem from the Cold War.
`I hope to show both the positive and negative sides of modernization,` said Zhang.
Zhang also said China’s future is largely ambiguous because of the balance the country strikes between its growth and its 5,000-year history.
Zhang’s research interests include modern Chinese film, pop culture and literature.
This is the second year Union Graduate College has hosted the program, and it will continue for at least two more years. Last year, 25 teachers participated, including art, social studies and English Language Arts teachers as well as media specialists.
Stephani Dimopolous, an art teacher at Scotia-Glenville High School was one of last year’s participants. She says her students benefit when she teaches Asian-inspired assignments.
`These projects have ranged from landscape illustrative painting to ink character calligraphy, to the (Asian) clothing as it relates to a variety of periods and class structures,`said Dimopolous in a statement.
Snyder said that this year’s speakers represent the best of area East Asian studies experts. Professors from Union College, Siena and St. Rose are among the guest lecturers.
Upcoming sessions include East Asian philosophy, like Confucianism and Daoism, the role of women in China, and a comparison of education systems in Japan, Hong Kong and China.
The Freeman Foundation, which funds the program, is a national organization that aims to increase American awareness of Asian history, culture and current events.
Teachers interested in applying to participate in next year’s session should contact Catherine Snyder, Associate Dean, Union Graduate College School of Education at [email protected].“
