PHILADELPHIA--The University of Pennsylvania is helping greater Philadelphia area high school teachers globalize their lesson plans through a pair of overseas study tours this month.

The first tour sends 10 middle and high school teachers from Pennsylvania and New Jersey to Japan for 18 days to learn about Japanese customs and culture.  It is sponsored by Penn's Center for East Asian Studies and the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia and funded in part by a United States-Japan Foundation grant.  

The tour is part of the Center's eight-year "Phila-Nipponica" program.

The study-tour theme this summer is "Multi-Cultural Japan." All of the participants are graduates of previous Phila-Nipponica study tours, who will travel this year to more remote parts of Japan, including Okinawa and Hokkaido.

"Many people have the idea that Japan has a homogeneous population.  In fact, there is much cultural difference among Japanese," Paula Roberts, assistant director of CEAS, said.  "The teachers will study various groups and be able to teach about 'multi-cultural Japan' when they return."

The project is scheduled to continue next year.

The second tour, the Fulbright-Hays Group Project Abroad Seminar to India, is a four-week research trip taking 12 social studies, language and fine arts teachers from Pennsylvania and New Jersey to India to study contemporary society.  The tour, entitled "Cultural Diversity in India Democracy," is sponsored by Penn's South Asia Center under a grant from the U. S. Department of Education.  

Participants will live with hosts in Delhi, Chennai, Pune and Mumbai, visiting places of historic, cultural and political interest.   In each city, activities are structured around different topics.  

"It is hoped that the combined exploration of these themes will provide educators with a general introduction to the diverse aspects of contemporary life in India," Jody Chavez, assistant director of the South Asia Center, said.

When each group of teachers return to the United States, they will continue to work with Penn faculty members who specialize in Japan and India studies to develop new international curricula and expand global awareness in middle and high schools across the region.