Image courtesy of Japan Foundation New York
Are you an educator, librarian, or parent wondering how to channel children’s passion for manga and anime into their education and development?
Join the Japan Foundation New York (JFNY) for a FREE online panel as experts discuss the profound impact of these beloved media on learning and beyond, with real-world examples from the U.S. and Japan.
What You’ll Learn:
How Manga Can Inspire Creativity in Students: Learn how a high school comic book club in NYC used manga to motivate students to learn through the creation of their own manga. Discover how this unique storytelling form nurtures personal creativity and growth among young learners in the U.S.
The Role and Influence of Manga for children in Japan: Understand how manga has shaped the development of children in Japan, and the impact of environments like comic markets on the creative landscape in Japan and Asia.
Anime as a Tool for Student Engagement in Higher Education: Learn how anime can serve as a tool to keep students engaged in their studies, reduce dropout rates, and foster a sense of community and belonging on college campuses.
Q&A:
Don’t forget to submit your questions during registration—our experts, including moderator Dr. Masami Toku, will discuss them during the event!
This is a FREE event with registration. Registrants will receive the link to the stream via email. Click the button below to register:
About the Panelists:
Dr. Michael Bitz:
Michael Bitz is an innovator in education who has worked to bring creativity and arts learning to youths around the world. His programs have reached thousands of learners and have been featured by the Washington Post, New York Times, National Public Radio, and the Associated Press. He has written two books: Manga High: Literacy, Identity, and Coming of Age in an Urban High School (Harvard Education Press, 2009) and When Commas Meet Kryptonite: Classroom Lessons from the Comic Book Project (Teachers College Press, 2010). He is a Professor of Teacher Education at Ramapo College, where he also directs the Instructional Design Center.
Dr. Brent Wilson:
Brent Wilson is a professor emeritus in the School of Visual Arts at Penn State. His research includes studies of visual cultural influences on children’s artistic development, cross-cultural studies of children’s visual narratives, Japanese children’s story drawings and Japanese and Taiwanese teenagers’ dojinshi/manga and Asian comic markets. He makes and exhibits artist-books and autobiographical folios.
Emilie Waggoner:
Emilie Waggoner is the Director of Student Transitions at the University of Colorado Denver, where she also teaches courses in the First-Year Experience program, including a class she created called Anime Goes to College. Emilie is also a doctoral student in the School of Education and Human Development, researching the impact AI has on students' self-efficacy and college success skill attainment. Emilie's research interests are broad, including: Japanese anime college student fandom, student development theory, and AI, and she has presented on these topics and more at various conferences and conventions across the United States.
Dr. Masami Toku:
Masami Toku is a professor of art education at California State University, Chico. Her research interest is the cross-cultural study of children’s artistic and aesthetic developments in their pictorial worlds and how visual pop-culture influences children’s visual literacy. One of her major projects was the international touring exhibition project of Girls’ Power! Shojo Manga! (2005-2023). Toku has recently co-edited Women’s Voices in Manga: Japanese Cultural and Historical Perspectives (palgrave macmillan, 2025) with Hiromi Dollase, Vassar College.