Presently all divisions of Sidwell Friends, from Lower to Upper, teach about Chinese civilization in their social studies/history curricula. In the Fourth Grade, students learn about ancient Chinese history and culture and begin learning Chinese language, while in the Middle School the social studies curriculum includes major units on China and other parts of East Asia. The Upper School History Department offers several courses on China and Asia. “The History of East Asia” is a sophomore course which looks at themes in East Asian politics, society, and culture from early civilizations to the twentieth century. We offer two senior electives, “Modern China through Film,” focuses on political and intellectual history from the perspective of China's "Fifth Generation" filmmakres, and "Grassroots China" explores the dramatic transformation of modern China from the village perspective.
Students in these classes are aided in their study of China by the Ida Fisher Zeidman Resource Center, which is located in the Upper School Library and houses over 2,000 books and journals about China and Asia.
History of East Asia syllabus
Modern China through Film syllabus
Grassroots History of Modern China syllabus