Teachers as Scholars

Teachers as Scholars is a national K-12 professional development program. Content-based seminars led by university faculty are the centerpiece of the Teachers as Scholars model. Although professional development is a well-established enterprise in schools, it often focuses almost exclusively on teaching strategies and/or curriculum reform. Teachers as Scholars allows teachers and administrators to become students again and to immerse themselves in scholarly issues, regardless of the grade level they teach or their area of expertise. The program is sponsored by Seattle Arts and Lectures and the Simpson Center for the Humanities at the University of Washington.

Art and Religion on the Silk Road

  • Syllabus (password-controlled). The password information has been provided by Seattle Arts and Lectures to those registered in the course. Questions about the course may be addressed to Prof. Waugh.

    A two-part seminar taught by Profs. Cynthea Bogel (Art History) and Daniel C. Waugh (History and International Studies). Prof. Bogel is a specialist on Buddhist Art; Prof. Waugh teaches about the Silk Road.

    Session 1 takes place on Saturday, May 4, 2002, at the Simpson Center for the Humanities (206 Communications Building, UW campus); Session 2 will be held Saturday, May 18, 2002, at the Seattle Asian Art Museum (in Volunteer Park). Both sessions meet from 10 AM to 2 PM. Seminar materials will be made available in advance.

    Description of seminar content:

    The "Silk Road" is a concept embracing two millennia of cultural and economic interaction along many routes across Eurasia. The Silk Road is the story of interaction between nomadic and sedentary cultures and the exchange of precious goods--Chinese and later Middle Eastern silk ended up in Italy, Central Asian horses and Middle Eastern silver and glass went to China, and Chinese designs influenced Persian painting and ceramics. Of particular importance were the transmission of religious beliefs and their artistic embodiment. This seminar will focus on the emergence and spread of two of the most important religions on the Silk Road: Buddhism and Islam, both of which produced a stunning artistic legacy. Objects from the permanent collections of the Seattle Art Museum are among the specific examples to be studied.