“Teaching Histories of South and Southeast Asia through the Visual Arts” is a free development opportunity for educators instructing upper grade levels 6-12. This institute will focus on Jain, Buddhist, Hindu, and Muslim communities from South and Southeast Asia, and their diasporas in Los Angeles.

Participants will explore the ways individuals and communities express their key beliefs and practices through the arts. Scholars, community leaders, and curators, as well as K-12 teachers versed in differentiated learning styles, will lead teacher participants through curriculum activities that support the teaching of World History, Culture, Geography, and Language Arts. Educators will also be introduced to a wealth of Los Angeles resources–museums, murals, and religious sites- for integrating into their curricula

The institute will convene on three Saturdays, February 25, March 4, and March 11 from 10 am to 3:30 pm. Applications are available here. Enrollment is limited to 25 Southern California-based teachers. LAUSD teachers will have the opportunity to receive one LAUSD Salary Point with Multicultural Credit, if they participate in the three 3 and complete additional requirements.

Participants will be eligible to receive up to $500 dollars towards a transportation scholarship to the Fowler Museum. In order to help educators gain a richer understanding of religious diversity in Southern California. It will accompany the Fowler Museum’s exhibition Visualizing Devotion: Jain Embroidered Shrine Hangings (November 20, 2022- March 26, 2023).

This professional development opportunity is organized by the Fowler Museum at UCLA in collaboration with the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, the Center for Near Eastern Studies, and the Islamic Studies Program.