Prof. Heidi Ross of the School of Education and Prof. Dick Rubinger of East Asian Languages and Cultures are accepting applications for EALC E497/EDUC F401: “Challenges of World-Class Schooling in Japan and China” for Spring 2009. This course will include a 2-week study tour to Japan and China in May 2009. Registration is limited to sixteen students is by approval of instructor only. The application is due Oct. 15, 2008. The cost to students will be $1,000. A deposit of $600 will be due by November 10, 2008, with the remainder due in January. Please see the course description below for more information.
Challenges of World-Class Schooling in Japan and China
Prof. Heidi Ross (Education Policy) & Prof. Richard Rubinger (EALC)
EALC E497/ EDUC F401
W 1:00-3:45pm
COURSE AND STUDY TOUR DESCRIPTION
This course and study tour are designed to introduce educational challenges and reform in contemporary China and Japan, from a comparative perspective. One of the important themes throughout the semester will be considering similarities and differences between the two educational systems. A brief examination of pre-modern cultural and educational legacies in China and Japan will set the stage for our exploration of the extraordinary experiences of China and Japan in creating 21st-century schools to meet global challenges and the needs of their changing societies. As we study important cultural and educational issues, we will continue to draw explicit comparisons between the educational practices, achievements, and problems of these two great East Asian societies. Throughout the course students will be working on their research projects (15–20 page paper), which they will present in China. The highlight of this class will be a 12- to 14-day study tour to Japan and China. This study tour is a course requirement and tentatively will take place from May 11 to May 25, 2009. Due to the generosity of a Freeman Foundation grant, we are able to keep the cost of the study tour (including flights and hotels!) for each student to $1,000. On the study tour, we will be visiting schools and cultural sites in Kyoto, Shanghai, and Beijing.
A $600 deposit for this study tour will be due by November 10, 2008.
COURSE GOALS—to help students:
--appreciate the cultures upon which contemporary educational practice in East Asia is based;
--understand the ways in which China and Japan differ with respect to educational ideology and practice;
--develop a beginning appreciation of how educational systems implement education reforms and how culture influences reform outcomes;
--learn about contemporary lives and concerns of the people of China and Japan;
--interact in a meaningful and culturally appropriate way with students and teachers in Chinese and Japanese schools; and
--gain experience in direct observation of another culture and learn to put some of this experience into an analytic framework that is communicated to others both orally and in writing.
CMCL MAJORS: Let me know (tkauf@indiana.edu) if you would like to apply, and I will forward a copy of the application to you.
