Center for East Asian Studies
Promoting East Asian Studies throughout the Northeast by supporting the teaching of East Asian cultures in K-12 schools and higher education.
Working with educators in elementary, middle, and high schools, and in colleges and universities, the Five College Center for East Asian Studies provides tools supporting the teaching of and learning about East Asian cultures. The Center draws on the resources of the Five College member campuses to conduct seminars, institutes, conferences, and workshops.
Celebrating 25 Years of NCTA
Did you know that the Freeman Foundation has funded NCTA for 25 years? We are grateful to the Foundation for understanding the importance of including East Asia in the curriculum. As a way to celebrate this anniversary and to thank the Foundation, the seven NCTA national coordinating sites, with the University of Pittsburgh taking the lead, produced this 8-minute NCTA 25th Anniversary video.
Upcoming Programs
Webinars
1905 Treaty of Portsmouth with Viktor Shmagin, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Feb. 2, 7-8pm ET
The Treaty of Portsmouth was negotiated from Aug. 6-30, 1905, at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and signed on Sept. 5, 1905. The treaty recognized Japan’s authority over Korea, the Liaodong Peninsula, the South Manchuria Railway, and the southern half of the island of Sakhalin (Karafuto). Theodore Roosevelt was instrumental in the negotiations and won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts.
Viktor Shmagin is assistant professor in the history department at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. His research interests include Japan-Russia relations.
The House Before Falling Into the Sea with author Ann Suk Wang
Feb. 10, 7-8pm ET
2024 Freeman Book Award Winner (Children’s Literature)
“A child and her family take in refugees during the Korean War in this poignant picture book about courage and what it really means to care for your neighbors." - penguinrandomhouse.com
In collaboration with the University of Colorado TEA.
Blossoms on a Poisoned Sea with author Mariko Tatsumoto
Feb. 11, 7-8pm ET
2024 Freeman Book Award Honorable Mention (YA/HS)
Yuki is the daughter of a poor fisherman. Kiyo is the son of a senior executive at Chisso, a huge chemical conglomerate. In 1956, they meet and become friends. But then all living things in the once beautiful Minamata Bay suddenly die. The impoverished people living around it begin suffering from a terrifying disease that causes agonizing pain, paralysis, and death . . . including Yuki’s family. With no fish to catch and incapacitated from the disease, her parents are starving.
The corporation stonewalls, denying culpability. Kiyo fails to convince his father to get the company to help. As the suffering spreads, Kiyo helps researchers find answers to the devastating neurological disease.
Together Yuki and Kiyo must fight both the Japanese government and a powerful and ruthless corporation to save her family and the bay.
Free Spirits: Katsushika Oi and Her Father Hokusai
Feb. 25, 7-8pm ET
Brenda Jordan is a Japanese art historian specializing in Tokugawa-period paintings and woodblock
prints. Former Director and current consultant of the University of Pittsburgh’s coordinating site for the National Consortium for Teaching About Asia, she has taught at Florida State University, University of Kansas, Colorado College, and the University of Pittsburgh.
Up, Up, Ever Up! Junko Tabei: A Life in the Mountains with author Anita Yasuda
Mar. 3, 7-8pm ET
2024 Freeman Book Award Of Note (Children’s Literature)
“Anita Yasuda’s evocative picture book biography about Junko Tabei, the first woman to summit Everest, is equal parts grit and grace. Dazzlingly illustrated by Caldecott Honor artist Yuko Shimizu.” - Harpercollins.com
In collaboration with the University of Colorado TEA
Summer Programs
Layers of History and Identity in Taiwan 2026
Five College Center for East Asian Studies (FCCEAS)
Program for Teaching East Asia (TEA)
June 21-July 5, 2026
Application deadline: Monday, January 19, 2026, midnight ET. Late applications will not be considered.
The Five College Center for East Asian Studies (FCCEAS) and the Program for Teaching East Asia (TEA) will conduct a summer institute in Taiwan. In this two-week NCTA Study Tour, 14 participants will tentatively explore Taiwan’s history and culture in multiple cities and sites. Group visits and expert talks may include the Taipei 228 Museum, National Taiwan Railway Ministry Park, Maokong tea plantation, Japanese colonization sites, Fort Zeelandia/Anping, indigenous sites, temples, night markets, and more. Time for independent exploration is built into the schedule so that participants may pursue their own curriculum objectives.
Application is open to full-time, in-service K-12 NCTA alumni nationwide. Applicants must have completed at least 20 hours of NCTA programming, preferably an introductory multi-session seminar, conducted by one of the seven NCTA national coordinating sites. Participants will be required to complete a series of online asynchronous pre-departure orientation modules, including readings and online discussion forum responses, participate in a synchronous orientation webinar, and complete a follow-up curriculum project.
The summer institute is administered by FCCEAS director Dr. Anne Prescott, and TEA director Dr. Lynn Kalinauskas. Questions about the summer institute should be directed to Anne or Lynn.
Before completing the application, please download and read the complete application package.
Receive the Weekly E-Bulletin
The Center publishes a weekly e-bulletin during the academic year. Each issue provides information about East Asia–related events, study and travel opportunities for teachers and their students, and educational resources. If you wish to receive the e-bulletin, please email: fcceas@fivecolleges.edu
Links to East Asia Departments at the Five College Campuses
Contacts
