Resource Center & Discovery Boxes

About the Resource Center

The MARJiS Resource Center serves as a lending library of books, curriculum guides, multimedia sets, videocassettes, and other resources on intercultural education and Japan-related instruction. Materials are suitable for use in precollegiate classrooms in all disciplines and are available to teachers, community group leaders, or any individual planning an educational, cultural, or business program about Japan. Please call 301-405-7350 for a MARJiS Resource Center catalog.

About the Discovery Boxes

The Mid-Atlantic Region Japan-in-the-Schools (MARJiS) Program at the International Center for the Study of Education Policy and Human Values, University of Maryland, was established in 1985. MARJiS seeks to enhance the quality of intercultural pre-collegiate education, using Japan as a model, in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia. MARJiS sustains a resource center, organizes and conducts in-service and continuing education programs and workshops, provides consulting services, conducts a cultural education leadership program, and engages in cultural education program evaluation.

The Discovery Boxes are object-based instructional materials for use in K-12 classrooms that introduce aspects of Japanese culture to students and educators alike. The Discovery Boxes were created and authored by Kuriyama Fellows and MARJiS staff. The Kuriyama Fellowship at the University of Maryland was created to honor the intercultural spirit of learning exemplified by Masako “Mimi�EKuriyama, the wife of Ambassador of Japan Takakazu Kuriyama: 1992-1996. Mimi shared the Japanese culture and involved many Americans in the challenging process of strengthening ties and developing understanding between the United States and Japan.

The boxes are thematic in approach–objects are organized to exemplify a particular part of Japanese culture. For example, the Japanese Elementary School Discovery Box contains a Randoseru; (book bag), clothing associated with schools activities such as lunch time, physical education, and cleaning time; and various textbooks and other school paraphernalia.

In addition, Elizabeth Eder’s Chapter from Hidden Messages, (Intercultural Press, 1998) Seeing the Invisible: Exploring Culture Through Objects, is included to provide an introduction to object-based instruction. Educators can refer to this chapter as you assist your students in making inferences and judgements about the culture behind the object.

The following list represents the Discovery Boxes completed as this time. They are available to educators in the mid-Atlantic region for classroom use. We require a check for $50 made out to the International Center as a deposit for the Discovery Boxes. We will return the check upon receipt and inspection of the discovery boxes under the condition that no items have been lost or damaged.Please call the MARJiS office at 301-405-7350, or e-mail marjis@glue.umd.edu. Thank you for your cooperation in maintaining the integrity of these priceless resources.