session 2 9/6 materials

During the second session in the presentation “China: One Quarter of Humanity” the family planning policy of China was introduced. The family planning policy was enacted in the late 1970s. Several decades later census data reveals a trend of declined population growth. This can be attributed to urbanization and an increase of education, lowering the birth rates. This data also shows a dramatic imbalance in the ratio of men to women. The current dilemma is not having enough women of marriage/child bearing age in China for the male population. The options seem bleak; shipping women in or practicing polygamy. With this dilemma, I find a new found interest in what the Chinese government will do to address this issue. The potential options seem to contradict a traditional mindset of cultural beliefs. Moreover, with continued economic growth and a declining work force this issue is of pressing importance that scaffolds back to the main point from session one, “we” as a world are dependent on the success of the growing Chinese economy.
In regards to relevance in a classroom, I think students need a full scope of understanding when comparing cultural differences. Most of my students come from Hispanic backgrounds and culturally speaking limiting family size is not something they are necessarily familiar with. If they are just given the knowledge of the policy without the historical and culture context we aren’t giving our students the understanding necessary to process this new information.

During session 2, I received a book called Japanese Tales by Royall Tyler. This is a fascinating book that contains 220 short and simple to read tales from medieval Japan. It tells about things that happened in two centuries between 850 and 1050. It has short stories that welcome you into the world of magical healers, miracles, fables, legends and other tales that reflect the Japanese civilization during that time period.