Resources

Explore a curated collection of resources designed specifically for educators teaching about East Asia and Asian America. Below, you’ll find links to primary sources, structured curriculums, comprehensive resource collections, and other classroom materials to enrich your lessons. You can filter your search by grade level, region, state standard, and resource type, or just search for a specific topic or keyword. Additionally, don’t miss the excellent content available through NCTA’s Partner Sites, tailored to support K-12 educators in bringing East Asia into the classroom.

A large crowd at a K-Pop concert waves light sticks while confetti falls onto a brightly lit stage with performers, creating an unforgettable experience and offering unique K-Pop facts for those interested in education about Asia.

Ten Things to Know about K-Pop | Education about Asia

“What makes K-pop distinct from other popular music? The authors explore the multifaceted evolution and global phenomenon of K-pop, tracing its origins from early twentieth-century musical adaptations to its current status as a sophisticated multimedia industry. Beginning with historical factors, including the emergence of modern Korean popular music during the colonial period, the impact of the U.S. military, and the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, this article addresses how these factors catalyzed the genre’s development and forced a strategic shift toward international markets.”

Teacher Resource
A group of adults and children walk down a road carrying belongings, with baskets and bags balanced on their heads and backs, in a rural setting—an image often studied in Genocide Studies, such as during the Cambodian Genocide.

The Cambodian Genocide | Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies

The Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at the University of Minnesota has a great list of digital resources for educators and learners. Included in this list are short introductions to the Khmer Rouge, its leader Pol Pot, and the legacy of the Cambodian Genocide. Each section includes relevant student and teacher resources, such as primary source photos and videos and links to further reading.

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A group of people, including men in military uniforms and women, sit on the floor examining documents outdoors, engaging in education about Asia and discussing the history of Comfort Women during World War II.

Teaching about the Comfort Women during World War II and the Use of Personal Stories of the Victims | Education about Asia

“Using personal stories of the comfort women as teaching materials can help educators emphasize the importance of protecting human rights by providing students a vivid picture of the impact that human rights violations have on people’s lives. Comfort women stories may be graphic, but are necessary to fully understand the human rights violations that those women endured. For students who hear about today’s wars and atrocities from the media, an open and forthright discussion would be helpful to teach how to critically understand such events in both the past and the present.” 

Teacher Resource
Bronze statue of a seated girl holding flowers beside an empty chair, surrounded by potted plants on a raised platform with caution tape—a poignant tribute to Comfort Women history and its unresolved legacy.

“Comfort Women”: The Unresolved History

This site, sponsored by the “Comfort Women” Justice Coalition, the comfort system as a source of ongoing pain with insufficient reparations having been made by the governments responsible. It introduces prevalent comfort system survivors, summarizes the history of the system, and provides a list of resources for further information. 

Teacher Resource
A group of women, possibly comfort women, kneels on the ground outside a wooden building while several uniformed men stand or crouch nearby, observing or writing about the implementation of certain procedures.

The Origins and Implementation of the Comfort Women System

The term “comfort woman” (“慰安婦” pronounced ianfu in Japanese, wianbu in Korean and Wèi’ān fù in Mandarin), literally means “comforting, consoling woman” and is a euphemistic way of referring to those women conscripted by Japan during WWII to provide sexual services for the Japanese military. This page is a great starting point for understanding the how the ianfu system functioned, the reasons for its creation, and its lasting repercussions. 

Teacher Resource
A person in traditional Chinese attire stands outdoors holding a bow and arrows, evoking the spirit of Mulan from The Ballad of Mulan, with a quiver at their side and a tree and mountains in the background.

“The Ballad of Mulan” Chinese and English Reading

This document includes “The Ballad of Mulan” written in Chinese characters, pinyin (romanized Chinese), and the English translation, providing a great opportunity to introduce to your classroom, not only the legend, but also the Chinese language.

Primary Source
Historical painting of several Chinese and Dutch ships sailing at sea, with flags and sails visible, and part of a coastline in the upper left corner.

Maritime Asia: War and Trade

This digital world history project explores the fierce rivalry between the Dutch East India Company and the Zheng maritime network as they fought for control over key trades and sea routes in Northeast and Southeast Asia. The project includes digital exhibits, a timeline, biographies of key actors, an archive with primary sources, and an annotated bibliography for further exploration. It also features a classroom simulation exercise, “Pirates, States, and Diplomacy in a Multipolar Maritime Asia” for advanced high school and college students. 

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White text on a dark blue background reads: The Amboyna Conspiracy Trial, referencing the historic Amboyna conspiracy.

The Amboyna Conspiracy Trial

This website provides an in-depth look at the 1623 Amboyna Conspiracy Trial, which took place on the island Ambon (or Amboyna), part of the Maluku Islands of Indonesia. This was the site of a colonial struggle between Dutch and English merchants involved in the spice trade. The website includes videos of expert opinion, primary sources, and a teaching guide.

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Two oval heraldic plaques: left features sea gods, weapons, and a sailing ship; right shows two lions with a red shield and key, titled BATAVIA.

In Our Time: The Dutch East India Company | BBC

This podcast episode on the Dutch East India Company may be useful for understanding Dutch Southeast Asia. Other episodes of interest may be the East India Company (England) and Angkor Wat.

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