Book & Film Groups
Champions Day: The End of Old Shanghai
This book group engages secondary teachers with the highly acclaimed Champions Day: The End of Old Shanghai, by James Carter, Professor of History at Saint Joseph’s University. Through the lens of horse racing in Shanghai in the first half of the 20th century and leading to World War II, participating teachers will be introduced to a multitude of topics that emerged from this unique urban setting: life in the port city; city planning and architecture; Shanghai’s complex social fabric; interactions between China and the West; imperialism; extraterritoriality; racism; and Japan’s invasion of China.
The course will be conducted online through five asynchronous week- long modules, each consisting of readings of Champions Day. The course will include resources and participant discussion forums on content and pedagogy. In addition, participants will take part in a live Zoom discussion session with the author, Professor James Carter. The course begins January 14, 2022 with online introductions. The first module will begin January 21 and the final module will conclude on March 3, 2022. There will be a one-week break for February vacations. A short Curriculum Implementation Plan (CIP) and evaluation will be due March 28, 2022.