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Rob_Hugo@PortNWHi everyone,
As a part of your seminar requirements, we ask that you post a short evaluation of each seminar session.
Please reply to this message and share your thoughts about our morning seminar session on November 7 by Clayton Dube on the geography and demography of East Asia.
React to the ideas presented during the session and discuss how these ideas can be effectively shared with your students. You are encouraged to respond to others' posts as well.
Feel free to post as many responses as you'd like to a specific seminar session - they will all count towards your 30-posting requirement total.
-Miranda
AnonymousSo this is the first "official" post by the real me, Curtis Chin. I found the introduction to the course very useful. When asked, "Why study East Asia?", I had the same ideas and response as others = because they are taking over and we must equip our students with the necessary tools to compete. It was not until Prof. Dube shared with us his reason for studying East Asia = because it is simply a cool subject.
The students at my school learn to speak Chinese for approximately 1 hour each week, and I have had many parents ask, "Why does my child need to know Chinese?" My comments in the past have been all about how China is becoming the fastest growing power in recent years and so forth and so on.....And that is part of the reason, but now I will also remind them that it is mostly because it is a "cool" and fascinating language that is very complex and different from our own.
AnonymousDuring this presentation, I saw several slides that I am excited to share with my fourth graders. The superimposed images of Japan and our eastern coast, and China and the United States will be very useful. The comparisons of climate and size relationships are clearer with these diagrams. I also think the satellite images of the city lights at night will be very effective in the classroom.
Anonymousi enjoyed the morning session and the way it was presented. professor dube got through some practical (and potentially boring) requirements for the seminar in a very patient and informative AND entertaining way.
the best part was when we got into discussing asia. his knowledge and passion were inspring. he was funny on occasion too!
john mellis
clay dubeHi Folks,
I've attached a collection of article and book excerpts we don't usually include in the seminar, but which you may find useful. They focus on the efforts the Chinese state began making in the late 1970s to implement the birth control policy.
There are many more possible sources, but this is already pretty extensive. The two books that I'd include if I were expanding the handout would be Judith Banister, China's Changing Population (1987) and Tyrene White, China's Longest Campaign, Birth Planning in the People's Republic, 1949-2005 (2006).
Here are the big points that these excerpts illustrate:
1) Once the Party-State made reducing births a national policy in 1979, the full force of the party-state structure was put behind its enforcement. In most places, great pressure was exerted on all and especially women of child-bearing age, to comply.
2) China is an immense place and implementation of the policy varied from place to place and time to time. As with all measures, the energy and enthusiasm of the enforcing cadres made a big difference in the manner and thoroughness with which implementation proceeded.
3) Carrying out the policy involved (in various combinations) persuasion, coercion, and economic incentives and penalties.
Later in the seminar, when we are looking at the post-1976 era, I'll show slides of propaganda posters and go into greater detail on population policy and trends.
I would love to see some world history, government, or economics course include innovative lessons on state/society relations that use China's population policy as a case study. Population trends affect everything from governance, to education, to economic development, and environmental sustainability. Nothing is as personal as childbearing and child rearing. And nothing is as rooted in millennium-old customs and teachings as the family and the ancestor-worshiping mandate to have children so as to perpetuate the family-line.
Anonymousthe statistics about this are sooo disturbing.. how can this continue.... oh it's beyond sad!
I have a friend who is Chinese who moved here a few years back, and was glad to escape the trap of such a restrictive policy for families....
AnonymousThe sessions on Saturday were very informative. When asked "Why study East Asia", my first thoughts were about my diverse student population. I have many students from Korea, Japan, China, and even Mongolia. They love it when "their" country comes up in a world history unit. I mentioned the Shoguns just yesterday when discussing political revolution around the world and you could have heard a pin drop. (which is rare when there are 40 + students in a classroom!)
I am looking forward to learning more details and am especially interested in learning more about Chinese communism compared to Russian communism and the similar/different effects on their economies and sharing this with my students.
AnonymousWhy study Asia: It's cool!
Although this is true, it does seem only a step away from the West's romanticism of the Orient and objectifying it in that sense. I know that is not our intent, but the value of studying Asia because of it's long history and its place in the world economy and global village seem to be a bit more substantial. The coolness of it all will naturally present itself. But when we present this too the students, that would be a great hook. There are elements of Asian culture that have worked themselves so seamlessly into our own, that students may not even think about how pervasive it is.
What most excites me about this course is the potential for creating more buy in for not only my international students, that make up a large portion of my classes, but also some of the Asian-American students in my classes. I see many of my 1st generation students left a little confused by the disconnect they feel from their parent's culture at the same time as they feel the strict constraints of that same culture.
It seems that the more informed we teachers are about these nuances, the better we can reach all of our students.
AnonymousHello All,
I have been intrigued in Asian cultures for many years because of my fathers interest in them. I am excited as a student to learn more about these great nations. As a teacher I look forward to expanding my students cultural awareness and ideas about East Asia. Some of the most compelling graphics, were the maps of Japan and China superimposed on the United States. It was a great comparision to use land marks, that hopefully most people are familiar with.
I esteem Palos Verdes highly for being involved in such a progressive program to learn Chinese. I would be honored to shadow one of you to see this program in action. When I worked in PV as a long term substitute, I learned a little bit about this program, through some of your colleagues at Soleado.I hope that through your leadership perhaps other districts may follow suit. Although considering the budgetary concerns, I doubt any 'new' ideas would be valued right now.
Thank you for opening this session by allowing open discussion about perceptions of these cultures. I was surprised when I heard thoughts that mimicked my own. I am delighted to work with such a phenomenal group of educators.
Katie
AnonymousI enjoy the simple things some times. Saturday was great to sit down with a map in front of me and check out the geography of these places that seem so distant. I've never really grasped how highly connected China, Korea, and Japan are.
The maps showing Korea's DMZ and the China/Korea border were really interesting. South Korea, North Korea, China, and Japan are all so close yet seem wildly different in culture and societal norms.
AnonymousI have a couple of reasons for wanting to study Asia. I teach a multicultural unit in my language arts class where students read fiction novels set in a non-Western culture. I believe it's important to expose students to a wide variety of literature and Eastern Lit tends to be a favorite. I think this course will provide me w/ more of a solid foundation on Eastern cultures while also providing additional resources to present to my students.
The morning session was a great introduction to Asia - and also raised ideas about how the Western world views the East. There is such a rich and storied cultural heritage found in Asia and I think the US is slowly coming to this realization.
AnonymousThanks for providing all the information. It's always good to have an open mind and listen to different voices. That's why I sign up for the seminar.
Yes, China is a huge country. There are variations from province to province, and even village to village depending on people who implement policies, and how desperately they want to impress their supervisors.
I was born in Southern part of China, lived in Beijing for 18 years, got married there, and gave birth to my daughter ( Yes, I have only one child). Since theh moment I got married, I was educated regularly that China has limited farm land and natural resources, and that the country can't feed its big population without birth control, etc. That's why I myself, my sister, my cousins and friends and the majority of my colleagues think that we should sacrifice our personal interests for the good of the society and the country. Actually that is something deep in the Chinese culture: individual choice and freedom should always yield to the common interest of the community and society, and the country.
Undoubtedly, there are many tragedies related with the policy, especially in the countryside where male boys are valued because boys will carry the family name. That's why a lot of Chinese baby girls were abandoned, or some even got killed at birth. Although none of my female relatives in different cities, friends or colleagues has ever had mentral period mornitored, nor have I ever heard about such a horrible thing back in China, it may happen in some places. Yet I don't believe it's the central government's policy and it is a general practice.
Now, I have two female students in my class learning Chinese. They were adopted by American familes from China, and now live here happily. They are lucky. I am always wondering: what they will think about China and their biological parents?
AnonymousI was unable to attend on SAturday, but am enjoying the reading selections. (was accepted into program later on)
I am looking forward to broadening my knowledge about China.
Karen
Anonymousisn't it amazing how close they are yet how different they are as well?? They are but just a stone's throuh in distance, and yet so different in their cultures!
AnonymousEach one really is. I agree! I'm amazed also by the internal differences within China, as well. It's incredible that such a huge geographic region with an immense population can come together and become a cohesive nation.