The Weatherhead East Asian Institute’s Asia for Educators (AFE) program is pleased to announce its Asian Topic Discussions series for Fall 2026: Religion and Thought in East Asia, a ten-part overview of religions and belief systems through the centuries, from Tibet to Japan, Vietnam to Korea.
Asian Topic Discussions are live interactive webinars for K–12 teachers at all levels who want to enhance their understanding of East Asian history, art, and literature and explore new ways of presenting this material in the classroom.
This fall, each speaker will give a short overview (roughly 30 minutes) on a specific religion or belief system and then, in the session's second half-hour, facilitate a conversation about how to teach that topic in part or in whole.
Participants in each webinar are asked to review select materials, usually short presentations from AFE’s Video from Asian Topics, prior to each session. A list of review materials appears on each of the webinar pages linked to further down on this page.
All sessions are free and held via Zoom on Tuesday evenings from 8:00 to 9:00 pm ET. (Please note: The November 18 session, "Cao Dai in Vietnam," takes place on a Wednesday.)
Asia for Educators continues to offer new ways for educators to enhance their background understanding of East Asian history, art, and literature and to discuss ways of conveying new insights in the classroom. Professional Development Hours are available for educators participating in these programs. Click here for more information about AFE.
Religion and Thought in East Asia
Fall 2026 Schedule
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15
Confucianism Is Not a Religion
With Stephen Angle, Professor of Philosophy and Mansfield Freeman Professor of East Asian Studies, Wesleyan University
Learn more and register
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29
Indigenous Belief Systems in China: Taoism, the Yi Ching
With James Robson, James C. Kralik and Yunli Lou Professor of East Asian Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University
Learn more and register
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13
Islam in China
With Aaron Glasserman, Distinguished Fellow, Weatherhead East Asian Institute; Assistant Professor of History, University of Pennsylvania
Learn more and register
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20
Buddhism in Tibet
With Gray Tuttle, Leila Hadley Luce Professor of Modern Tibetan Studies, Columbia University
Learn more and register
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27
Buddhism in China
With James Robson, James C. Kralik and Yunli Lou Professor of East Asian Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University
Learn more and register
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10
Buddhism and Shinto in Japan
With Andrew Macomber, Associate Professor of East Asian Religions, Oberlin College
Learn more and register
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18
Cao Dai in Vietnam
With Janet Hoskins, Professor Emerita of Anthropology, University of Southern California
Learn more and register
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24
Christianity in Korea
With Donald Clark, Professor of History, Trinity University
Learn more and register
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1
Buddhism in Vietnam
With Sara Ann Swenson, Assistant Professor of Religion, Dartmouth College
Learn more and register
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8
Buddhism in Korea
With Sungha Yun, Assistant Professor of Religion and Asian Studies, St. Olaf College
Learn more and register
