Reference
An Introduction to Japanese Buddhist Art is a guideline and resource guide developed by Se-Woong Koo and Karen Tiegel for Stanford’s Institute for International Studies. This curriculum guide is one in an impressive series focusing on Japanese history and culture. The goals of the resource expertly reflects the pedagogical goals of modern academia: it highlights a multi-causal approach to history, focusing on a number of factors and influences on society including, but not limited to, politics, religion, environment, and the economy. As such, the source provides an interdisciplinary approach to teaching students about other cultures and societies. The work is successful in providing the guidance and means for teachers to encourage their students to consider history, not as a stale list of names, facts, and numbers on a page in a textbook, but, rather, to perceive history as a living and breathing entity, which can, and should, actively inform our understanding of the situation of the world and its various cultures today.
The guide seems to be an invaluable tool, especially for a teacher who is new to or not completely confident with teaching about Japan. The guide, quite literally, does the work for the instructor. The resource begins with an explanation of the Stanford Institute for International Studies, followed by the usual kinds of acknowledgements before getting into the meat of the text. This “meat” begins with a clear and well-organized table of contents. Each unit begins with a lesson written to inform and teach the the instructor content. From this, the educator can easily form a lesson. This aforementioned portion is then followed by how the unit should be broken up according to national history standards (these expectations generally range from 5th - 12th grade, but, this source could easily also be used as a resource for a college professor teaching an introductory course on Japanese Art, although other, supplementary sources would likely be needed, also). Following that, the guide provides pre-made materials for the teacher, which can simply be photocopied for in-class activities or homework (of course, an instructor’s guide with answers is provided, also). This resource then goes so far as to provide you with your lesson plan, giving you a breakdown of how long each of the discussions on each of the steps on every one of the activities/worksheets should be expected to take.
Often times, even American teachers who are instructing students about Asian art feel insecure in their knowledge of the subject. If I was teaching a course on Japanese Art, I would absolutely use this guide. Ending on a personal note, I have taken classes on Asian Art in both college and graduate school, and I have learned more from this book than I did in the whole of my classes. It is clear, concise, well-organized, and provides excellent materials and resources for educators for students from grade school to the college introductory level.
