America’s China Dream and Realities: An NCTA mini-course for K-12 Educators

In modern times, the U.S. and China have experienced a roller-coaster relationship, from WWII allies to Cold War enemies to wary trading partners. How have American idealism and realism molded U.S. policies and public opinion in shifting periods of cooperation and tension? This free three-session series explores the many pivots in modern U.S.-China relations from 1940 to the present, focusing on American perceptions, misperceptions, understandings, and misunderstandings as the two countries have navigated a complex relationship from their WWII alliance, through the Mao and Deng eras, up to the ambivalent relations of the Xi Jinping years. China expert Jeffrey Wasserstrom (University of California-Irvine) will provide an academic foundation for teaching U.S.-China relations past and present: current events, and global issues. Middle and High School Social Studies teachers will be given priority acceptance for this course.

• • Starts:
  • February 4, 2025
• • Ends:
  • March 11, 2025
• • Time Detail:
  • Tuesdays, 6:30-8:30 pm (ET)
• • Learning Format:
  • Online
• • Type of Course:
  • Seminars & Short Courses
• • Offered to:
  • All States
• • Registration and Info:

  • This course consists of three sessions. Each session includes a modest advance reading assignment and a live Zoom meeting that includes an academic presentation, group discussion, and Q/A.

    Participate in 1, 2 or all 3 sessions:

    Feb. 4 – Session 1: From Allies to Enemies: WWII, ROC to Korean War (1940s-1950s)

    Feb. 25  - Session 2: Warming Winds and Cooling Trends: From Ping-Pong Diplomacy to the Tank Man and Beyond (1970s-1990s)

    Mar. 11 –  Session 3: Old Dreams and New Nightmares: From the Millennium’s Turn to Xi Jinping’s Rise (2001 to Today)

    Participants will receive advance readings and resources as well as a certificate of completion for 3 PD contact hours per session. Complete all 3 sessions and receive a complimentary copy of the 2024 book Living U.S.-China Relations: From Cold War to Cold War by David M. Lampton plus certificate of completion for 12 PD contact hours. Pennsylvania teachers will also receive Act 48 hours.