Arts and Culture

Ancient stone gate with a large carved face at the entrance of Angkor Thom in Cambodia, surrounded by trees and under a partly cloudy sky—experience this iconic site through Virtual Angkor.

Virtual Angkor

The Virtual Angkor project is a virtual reality project that seeks to recreate the Cambodian metropolis of Angkor at the height of the Khmer Empire’s power and influence around 1300 C.E. The project includes three teaching modules that combine images and video from the project with readings and questions: Power & Place, Water & Climate, and Trade & Diplomacy.

Student Resource Teacher Resource
Stone serpent statues line the steps of an old brick staircase, with weathered walls and green trees in the background.

Southeast Asia Digital Library | Northern Illinois University

This collection contains a wide variety of materials published and produced in Southeast Asia. There are many interviews, videos, posters, photographs, periodicals, maps, manuscripts, and other archival materials.

Primary Source Teacher Resource
Three large ancient Buddha statues are carved into a rock cliff, with greenery in the foreground and a small structure to the right—echoing the cultural legacy of the Silk Road.

Yale Silk Road Database | Yale University Library

This collection includes 11,000+ images of major sites along the Silk Road taken between 2006-2010. These photographs take the viewer on a trip through multiple Chinese provinces and the regions of Inner Mongolia and Tibet to map out the modern-day Silk Road that was shaped by the interconnected web of trade routes linking medieval Asia.

Teacher Resource
Illustration of Xuanzang in traditional clothing crossing a rope bridge, with terraced hills and a river behind. Text overlay reads Travels of Xuanzang (629-645 CE), inspired by Google Arts & Culture.

Travels of Xuanzang (629-645 CE) – Google Arts & Culture

“Travels of Xuanzang” is an interactive depiction of the pilgrimage of Xuanzang, a Chinese monk who traveled 10,000 miles along the Silk Road and the Indian subcontinent in search of Buddhist texts.

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Red Chinese seal script stamp featuring four traditional characters arranged in a square, with a white background—perfect for those interested in East Asian Studies or the University of Chicago’s cultural collections.

The Center for East Asian Studies | University of Chicago

The Center for East Asian Studies at the University of Chicago has a great list of digital resources for educators and learners. Included in this list are links to engaging lesson plans and classroom materials, as well as professional development organizations. Educators can reference this resource compilation for subjects ranging from contemporary issues to ancient history.

Teacher Resource
Map from Teachable Indonesia and University of Washington shows Indonesia's outline over the US, highlighting it's even wider—plus fun stats about its population, islands, and languages for Grades K-8 learners.

Teachable Indonesia: Grades K-8 | University of Washington Southeast Asia Center

The University of Washington’s Southeast Asia Center has created a resource titled “Teaching Indonesia”. This resource is engaging for grades K-8 and approaches Indonesian culture from many topics such as geography, language, politics, religion, social media, food culture, folk tales, music, and science. As “Teachable Indonesia” covers a variety of aspects of Indonesia, it can be used in classroom discussions of many subjects.

Teacher Resource
Cover of a Teacher’s Sourcebook for Korean Art and Culture, featuring historical photos, traditional patterns, and Korean text.

Korean Art and Culture: A Teacher’s Sourcebook – Peabody Essex Museum

This pdf document is a fantastic resource for art, art history, and religious studies teachers who want to bring Korean culture into their classroom. Korean Art and Culture: A Teacher’s Sourcebook features the Korean Art Collection of the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts and contains vibrant images and informative essays about the collection. This enlightening sourcebook details many diverse forms of Korean art and whether it be paper crafts, embroidery, or pottery, you will be sure to learn something new! Also included in this resource is a glossary of symbols that are abundant in Korean art. The Peabody Essex Museum has much to offer and will inspire you to share the art and culture of Korea with your students.

Teacher Resource
Traditional Korean hanok houses line a narrow street, with modern city buildings and Namsan Seoul Tower visible in the background—a striking scene perfect for lesson plans on Korea or exploring world history through digital education.

Lesson Plans on Korea | World History Digital Education

The World History Digital Education foundation features a lesson plan library with free resources to help students and teachers learn about Korea. The lesson plans cover a variety of subjects for grades K-12 including geography, religion, history, culture, economic development, and the Korean War. 

Teacher Resource
A globe highlighting Korea and its location in East Asia with a dark circle, perfect for Asia for Educators and elementary level resources.

Elementary Level Resources: Korea | Asia for Educators

Asia For Educators, at Columbia University’s Weatherhead East Asia Institute, has compiled a collection of resources for K-5 teachers. This collection is centered around Korea and offers resources for a wide variety of subjects: geography, language, culture, history, science, math, literature, arts & crafts, and drama & music. 

Teacher Resource
The Korea Society logo features four geometric square patterns above the organization name on a blue background, reflecting its commitment to Educational Resources and cultural exchange.

Educational Resources | The Korea Society

The Korea Society is a private, nonprofit organization that is dedicated to the promotion of greater awareness, understanding, and cooperation between the people of the United States and Korea. On their site they have a vast collection of resources for teachers that include: readings with background context for getting to know Korea, multiple engaging pdf documents that cover topics from the Silla Dynasty to the Korean War, and a large collection of lesson plans that contain all the information necessary for crafting dynamic and effective lessons. Educational resources from The Korea Society are free to use and make it easy to center Korea in your classroom.

Teacher Resource
Five performers in black and white traditional-inspired outfits dance in sync on stage, holding large white fans, with a red and black background displaying the K-Pop group name ONEUS, highlighting globalization through their dynamic performance.

K-Pop and Globalization Lesson Plan | World History Digital Education Foundation

This high school lesson from the World History Digital Education Foundation uses K-pop as a case study to help students understand globalization and cultural exchange. Students analyze how Korean popular music has been shaped by global influences and how it, in turn, influences cultures worldwide through media, economics, and politics.

Lesson Plan
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