5/12 - Dube - East Asia Since 1900

The last two meetings were taught at breakneck speed so there was not a lot
of time to discuss details of Korea after the Korean war. Although I think that
Jennifer Jung-Kim from UCLA touched upon some important points, it was obvious that
she had more information to share about modern day Korea.

Nevertheless, Dube's, Pietka, and Jung-Kim's lecture clearly
explained Korea's rapid modernization.

With a focus on land reform programs to empower the poor,
maufacturing, a competitive spirit, and $800,000 worth of US grants and loans, Korea's
technology surpasses that of the US (e.g., state of the art washer/dryer combo,
light speed wifi, and credit card/cell phones combos).

In addition, these factors coupled with their strong, collective nationalistic ideology,
is a testament to how rapidly former agrarian nations can become technological
giants. It is a lesson that other less developed countries can learn from - albeit without
the dictatorships.

Another presentation that went by way too fast. Clay is a great faciliator of discussions and thought provoking questions. Pushing us and hopefully our students to challenge what we really think about these issues and how that thinking will play out. We often are not challenged to really think about issues and the ramifications that will follow based on our choices. I look forward to trying to come up with further discussion questions that I can challenge my students with.

Almost forgot to mention this: The Simpsons has several episodes throughout the last 20 seasons with references to East Asia. The first that somes to mind is the episode where Bart is going to be punished in Australia for his pranks where instead of being "caned" like the American a few years back in Singapore or Thailand, he is "booted" with an abnormally large boot. Next, Marge's sister, Patty, adopts a infant girl from China, and lastly, the episode where Homer and clan travel to modern Japan to confront a Japanese company for using Homer's face to market their products in Japan as "Mr. Sparkle". The Simpsons may not work for everyone, but they are easily available on DVD or on HULU and other sites. There are several archives sites on-line which can search episodes for specific references or content. I use clips in my classroom when I can find them; they are great for introducing a topic or at the end of a unit of study.[Edit by="jkasuyama on May 14, 4:02:39 PM"][/Edit]

I would also agree w/the above classmates; This is where things get very interesting (to me)...I was talking to Clay in regards to the immunity that the allows diplomats to not follow the local laws; In Iraq, there is continually a struggle for jurisdiction on U.S. citizens, soldiers, and contractors. Blackwater comes to mind...

A classmate above started talking about the role land reform may have played in East Asia's rapid industrialization, and Professor Dube also argued that land reform in East Asia may help explain its rapid economic growth because land reform made it clear that changes were coming and because it economically empowered the poor.
I think this topic is very interesting because there are so many countries around the world that would love to experience the economic success of East Asian countries. I think land reform was probably a huge part of this success, but I wonder what other factors can account for this success? Someone mentioned US grant money, but the US and others have financially supported many countries in the past.
I just think this is a fascinating topic because as our classmate says, the success of South Korea "is a lesson that other less developed countries can learn from..." But besides land reform, what else can less developed countries take from this example? If their success is somewhat attributable to their ingrained Confucian value system or culture, to what extent should other nations work to adopt or adapt these values?
-Karen

I've been reading some of the other comments before posting my own. Maybe there was too much material to cover in the time allowed for some of the classes but I think the program in general was very well run. The word "profesional" has kind of lost its meaning for me after ten years in LAUSD. Thanks for showing me its intended use. This course was wonderful. I can't think of any opportunity I've ever had that was like it. Having a different expert lecturer from prestigious institutions every week for one course is a unique opportunity. I will never be able to get the diversity of professioanal week after week just by showing up to a class again. Even if I were to enroll in a graduate program. I have never been that interested in the hostory of Asia or the Far East although I feel like I do it due dilligence in my classroom when teaching sixth or seventh grade history. If your goal was to make teachers more aware of it so that they would feel more comfortable teaching it in the classroom you have certainly succeeded we me. I am a fan and am truly appreciative of being introduced to such a large and important part of our world history and culture. I see Asia through a new and clearer lens than before and have more understanding of its vital role in global history; past, present, and future.

GG

One of my favorite activities for 7th grade students is analyzing current events in the areas they are studying in ancient times. For example I would ask them to read about last week's anniversary celebration of the Tienanmen Square protest. This gathering was so very closely guarded that foreign news media was not permitted any access. This is reminiscent of Qin's attitude toward any dissension even though China's government is called a republic just as ours is. I would pose a question about why regimes in China are always so afraid of protest? Then it would be interesting to let the students tackle this question; is the government of their country afraid of protest? If there was enough polarization in the class, this would provide meat for a debate.

There were so many interesting points, observations, and revelations in this class that I wasn't able to take notes they came so thick and fast. One of them I found worth further exploration was the land reforms in each of the countries after WWII, and the economic explosion that resulted from this. I hope to find time to do lots more reading on this topic. A question I will pay more attention to in my teaching of history is what happens in a culture when there are land reforms.

I want to say thank you to Miranda and Professor Dube for arranging this opportunity for us. It will have a considerable ripple effect in my teaching because there were so many inspiring teachers and techniques presented.