Message from canaise

[Anonymous]

This session by Clayton answered the question I came to class with on the first day. Why is USC and the China Institute giving teachers money and credit; what's the real motive? I loved that someone (the Freemans) had been to Asia, loved it and wanted to help us to love it, too.

Clayton explained the Evident Need for study of Asia (New Media/Interconnectedness of Modern world)

1. The globe in interconnected via the web. 1.3 billon (1/4th of China's population has access. Korea has broadband 10xs faster than U.S. Wow!
2.Traditional media can't keep up. ICUE is NBC's attempt to keep up. And,we teachers can have our students put out their own newscast. Great idea.
3.Young democracies are using the Internet to shape opinion and whoever wins is the govt. we will deal with.
4.New leaders in Asia are emerging due to Internet usage.
5.Veteran leaders. We need to know about them.
6.Money. We're in debt to China. Massive trade with Asia.
7.Aftermath of wars with Asian countries tie us to them.
8.Our philosophy of the White Man's Burden and we still seem to be thinking that we are the ones to settle disputes and as a Super Power we ought to call the shots on the global stage...or so some think.
9.Our history of intervention in Asian nation's affairs.
10.We are working with Asian nations...e.g. 2001 Japanese navy provides support for the American led invasion of Afghanistan. NATO intervention often involves us.
11.China has four times as many people as the US.
12.We spy, we get caught and we want our high tech. spy toys back. We, accidentally, according to US, hit the Chinese embassy in 1999 in Serbia. China didn't buy this.
13.In California we have the demographics: two-thirds of three million people have ties with an Asian country.
14.Trade: US does 50% with China; 27% with Japan; 11% with Korea; 8% with Taiwan; 4% with Hong Kong. LA Long Beach is most important port of trade with Asia. "Chinda": India and China moving from poverty to highest population of technology using folks. We’d better get with the program.