Annual Report 2022, KU Center for East Asian Studies

This February, we hosted the “Teaching
Korea in the Heartland Workshop”
in partnership with Johnson County
Community College. This virtual
workshop built on the foundation of prior
East Asia-focused outreach between KU
and JCCC and drew community college
faculty not only from our neighbors at
JCCC but also from community colleges
in Kentucky, Virginia, and Arizona. One
attendee joined us all the way from
the University of Oxford in England!
CEAS faculty members Kwangok Song,
Melissa Birch, and Maya Stiller each
shared their expertise and provided
resources for teaching about Korea in
community college classrooms. Another
K-12 educator workshop, Culturally
Responsible Pedagogy, is scheduled for
this summer.
K-12 CLASSROOM
CONNECTIONS
Connecting with students has been a
challenge in the pandemic environment,
but we have found opportunities both
virtually and in person to engage with
these young learners. Warren Hills
Elementary in Liberty, MO, invited the KU
area studies centers (ASCs) to present at
their Cultural Arts day in November 2021
and enjoyed a virtual visit from Amanda
Snider, who helped them create origami
frogs and learn more about how origami
is used in designing space exploration
technology. The Watkins History
Museum “Tails and Traditions” annual
event was back in person in December
2021, and CEAS shared Korean coloring
sheets to teach nearly 300 visitors about
Korean foods, traditional dress, and lunar
new year greetings.
Mandarin Chinese language study was
the focus of many CEAS classroom
Amanda Snider discusses Chinese tones
with students at Topeka High School.
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