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(link is external)

Upcoming Programs

Events

FCCEAS and Colby College Museum of Art banner

The Colby College Museum of Art(link is external), the Five College Center for East Asian Studies, and the Friends of Aomori(link is external) invite K-12 in-service educators to join us for a professional development workshop on Saturday, Oct. 18, 9am-4pm at the Colby College Museum of Art. This is an in-person program and it will not be available online. 

The workshop will include scholar Ankeney Weitz(link is external), Ziskind Professor of East Asian Studies and Art; Chair of East Asian Studies at Colby College, discussing the history of Japanese printmaking; group tours of the Colby College printmaking studio and a related print exhibition at the Colby College Museum of Art; Alison Johnson, Director of School Programs at Island Readers and Writers(link is external) on Visual Thinking Strategies and the Whole Book Approach (using Freeman Book Award(link is external) winners); and a hands-on printmaking activity. Participants may choose to explore the Colby Museum of Art after the workshop ends.

Additional information and registration here.(link is external)

East Meets Press: Japanese Ukiyo-e and American Woodblock Printmaking is on view at the Colby Museum of Art Sept. 20, 2025–March 15, 2026.

Call for Proposals

Have you used an article from Education about Asia(link is external) (EAA)(link is external) in your classroom?

FCCEAS is seeking K–16 teachers to give webinar presentations on how they have incorporated articles from Education about Asia in their teaching. We are particularly interested in how EAA content fits into existing curriculum for courses that historically may not have included Asian Studies components.

The presentation should be a maximum of 15 minutes, to be followed by Q&A from the facilitator and webinar participants. These presentations will be recorded, archived and disseminated by FCCEAS and the Association for Asian Studies (AAS) to promote the use of EAA articles for teaching and learning.

These webinars will be scheduled between September 2025 and May 2026. We are accepting proposals from educators at all levels on a rolling basis. We offer a small honorarium for these presentations and the right to record and disseminate them.

Submit a proposal here(link is external). Questions? Anne Prescott aprescott@fivecolleges.edu.

 Published by the Association for Asian Studies (AAS) since 1996, Education About Asia (EAA) is the premier peer-reviewed journal dedicated to the teaching of Asian Studies. Its mission is to equip educators with the resources necessary to introduce the study of Asia into their curricula. EAA publishes lesson plans, curriculum guides, and accessible feature articles that are assigned as classroom readings. EAA content covers a wide range of topics and time periods — from ancient to modern history, language, literature, geography, religion, youth and popular culture. Close to 2,000 open access articles are available to browse and download.

 

Junk in Hong Kong Harbor

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 

Contacts

A smiling woman with short light brown hair and blue sweater.

Anne Prescott

Director

General Inquiries

fcceas@fivecolleges.edu

Come visit us in person! You can find us at...

 
Young Library, Bass Hall, Room Y102
Smith College
Northampton, MA 01063