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The Silk Roads: Yesterday and Today


  • Mariner High School 200 120th Street Southwest Everett, WA, 98204 United States (map)

An NCTA seminar for middle and high school teachers will be offered in Everett, WA.

The Silk Road was not one road but a great network of trade routes, which linked China to Europe and all the lands in between. Products were traded, but ideas and beliefs, techniques and works of art were also transmitted, which shaped the civilizations that flourished along the way. In this seminar, teachers will follow the ancient footsteps of merchants, monks and warriors. Teachers will also learn about the Silk Road’s history and examine contemporary Silk Road “explorers” such as Yo-Yo Ma and President Xi Jinping, who recently proposed a $900 billion “new Silk Road” trade/investment plan.

Dates: January 23, February 13 and March 20, 2019

Time: 4:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.

Location: Mariner High School in Everett, WA

Priority application deadline: December 1, 2018

In order to tackle this enormous topic in 12 short hours, we will first cover the major themes of Silk Road history/geography and grapple with the significance today. Topics will include:

  • The role of merchants, monks, explorers, and warriors

  • Significance of trade

  • Spread of religions

  • The development of powerful military forces and empires

  • Diffusion of technologies and artistic motifs

  • Geopolitics today

  • China’s new Silk Road Economic Belt

Through readings, movie clips, class discussion, and lesson plans, you will gain the knowledge necessary to support your students as they grapple with the historical and continuing significance of the great Silk Road. Join us as we explore the Silk Road from its ancient camel routes to its 21st century high speed train tentacles. Tese Wintz Neighbor, China specialist and long-time teacher seminar leader, will facilitate.

The seminar is open to current K-12 inservice and preservice teachers. Space is limited to 20. There is no registration fee, but you must apply below.  Priority application deadline is December 1, 2018.

Teachers who complete the seminar will receive a $100 stipend, 20 OSPI clock hours (free) or two 400-level UW credits (for a fee of approx. $225), and a subscription to Education about Asia.

This seminar is sponsored by the East Asia Resource Center (EARC) in the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington with funding from a Freeman Foundation grant in support of the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia (NCTA).

Earlier Event: November 8
China 101: China Matters
Later Event: January 28
Edo Japan: 1600 to 1868