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Rob_Hugo@PortNWHello everyone,
Please share your thoughts about our December 13 morning session - Late Imperial China by Clayton Dube - by replying to this post.
-Miranda[Edit by="miranda k on Dec 13, 3:05:33 PM"][/Edit]
AnonymousI thoroughly enjoyed Prof. Dube jettisoning us through Late Imperial China in 3 hours. No small feat! Although it was brief, I enjoyed every moment and left wanting more. My highlight focused on the Qing dynasty, mainly his focus this morning on the Opium War. I truly felt that I walked away understanding the impact that this event had on China both pre & post war (Treaty of Nanjing). Last of all, I left with a full understanding of the cultural policies that the Qing imposed on men (haircut) and as to why that "look" became a stereotypical image of the Chinese male in America.
Manuel š
AnonymousMiranda and Classmates:
I agree with Mr. Mendoza, the previous person to log in. Covering one-thousand years of history in just the morning session was quite a challenge.
To begin with, it was fascinating to hear that in the year 1100, China was producing more iron and steel than any other nation. I had no idea. Equally interesting was the idea that more rice was grown during the Sung Dynasty than at any other time until the 1960's, and then only with the advent of chemical fertilizer. The question here might be - Why didn't an interest in science flourish? It sounds like all of the pieces were in place.
A second point of interest came with the Mongols. If they had contact with the Muslim world, and the Muslim world perpetuated the learning of the Greeks/Romans, why didn't Islam flourish, especially with the degree of control the Mongols had? It seems as if Muslims were given opportunities and positions of responsibility, using Zheng He, the eunuch as an example. Why no science?
The Manchu's seemed to be equally open for new ideas so long as their power base was not threatened. It just seems odd that there was no science, no economic development, and no aspiration or means for development during this time. It seems odd that the accommodations of the Manchu's would not have allowed for these things. I'm mystified.
Respectully submitted,
Walt Banta[Edit by="wbanta on Dec 31, 9:03:57 AM"]In researching the "Mongols" website, I was further enlightened when it said that Guo Shoujing hired a Persian fellow named Jamal al-Din to set up observatories in China and work with the Chinese to correct/enhance their calendar. Obviously, there was an exhange of ideas going on. I stand enlightened and corrected.
Walt Banta[/Edit]
AnonymousI found this incredibly useful, especially since I've been planning a unit on the Mongols. I enjoyed the visual resources, and I'm looking forward to getting access to those! I am curious to find out more about who the Mongols were BEFORE they absorbed so much from the people the conquered.
Anonymoushello,
I enjoyed prof. Dube's presentation on "Late Imperial China". Due to the rain and traffic i was not looking forward to six hours of class. The information presented by prof. Dube however kept me interested an alert and day went by rather quickly.
I cover most of "Late Imperial China" in 7th grade history and i was able to get many ideas to use in my classroom during this presentation. I was unaware that after the explorations of Zeng He, China stopped funding these types of excursions. Our textbook gives the impression that this was one of many such expeditions. I was also thrilled about the lecture on the Qing Dynasty. with this information i was trying to think of a way (that is interesting to middle school students) to compare the rule of China by foreigners (Manchus/Mongols) in the Yuan and Qing with that of Ethnic Chinese during the Song and Ming periods. <
AnonymousPosting 12/17/08
MY OPINION:
During the last seminar, I was verbally reprimanded by Ms Ko, which is supremely inappropriate. One she is not a course professor; two, she is not a supervisor; and three, she is not even my academic colleague.
I consider the incident an egregious affront when she āattempted to disciplineā a professional educator with 33 yearsā secondary experience, with an MA in English, and with 9 years of university coursework, including this USC graduate-seminar.
The above-mentioned incident is shockingly offensive to me--and humiliating.
S. Rae
clay dubeDear Shauna (and others),
Thank you for your comments, here and about the afternoon session as well. We are grateful for feedback.
We are sorry that your feelings were hurt on Saturday. Please understand that both Miranda and I said what we did when we did not because we don't respect you as a fellow educator, but simply in an effort to reduce distractions and permit the group to advance. As you know from your many years in the classroom, time is precious and we're eager to cover a lot of ground.
Best wishes,
clay
[Edit by="Clay Dube on Dec 18, 5:29:52 AM"][/Edit]
AnonymousAs with most of the sessons, I am enlightened. Almost 1,000 years in three hours is quite a feat. With my limited understanding of the Late Imperial China, or East Asia in general, any information is an enlightenment. Throughout my life and education I had heard words like Imperial China, Dynasty, the Great Wall, Mongols, but without any real understanding of what they were, because not much emphasis was placed on them. As I was reading the different responses on the forum, I see teachers talking about the new information that they can add to their section of the various units that they are teaching on China, and I was thinking that I didn't remember anything about China being taught in my classrooms when I was growing up. And, I realized that I want to bring China into my classrooms, but in a memorable way. So, now I am giving a lot of thought to the lesson plan that I want to create.[Edit by="dreid on Dec 18, 8:14:16 AM"][/Edit]
AnonymousPosting 12/18/08
Despite class obstacles, I am thrilled to be reading 2 books by Japanese writer Banana Yoshimoto--born in 1964. This award-winning writer lives in Tokyo and has written 7 books; I am reading her first and last ones: Kitchen and Hardboiled and Hard Luck. The back flap quotes the Chicago Tribune: Banana Yoshimoto is a master storyteller. . . . The sensuality is subtle, masked, and extraordinarily powerful. The language is deceptively simple.ā
S. Rae
AnonymousS.Rae 12.18
Lesson Ideas--
I will probably focus on the eponymous story of the Banana Yoshimoto's first book with a bit of Buddhism tossed in on the side. When I extend this unit, I will add the Chinese religions and more on Buddhism in particular. I can only show video clips from this lovely Korean film with its sublime quietness and meditation on growing up, studying the Way, and falling in love. The 2004 film is by Lee Seung-Jae and Karl Baumgarten, entitled Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring.
Plus a few Asian poems--
AnonymousI enjoyed the stories of the Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties. As Dr. Dude said, many parts need to be covered. I really enjoy the story of the rise of Ming Dynasty myself. I wish we could have more time discussing how to position Taiwan in different times especially on the map. I am sure this will be an area we can explore in our own classrooms.
Minhua
AnonymousWell, as China is as of late, my favorite topic, I was really fascinated by this presentation. Clay managed to cover a lot of history and information in an engaging and effective manner. As I am interested in China's current position as an emerging world power - this lecture provided me with an historical background that allows me to further understand China's current position by understanding the history. As side note- i am infatuated with this question "did marco polo really go to China"!!! I am curious and can't wait to explore that more....
AnonymousThe class was excellent and gave me a few great starting points for upcoming lesson plans. One thought I had was comparing total worldwide output of metal and total agricultural production in my economics class in our unit on division of labor. Turing this into a research project should be easy enough, but what I want to concentrate on is a particular comparison of Chinese output and British output. What has been extraordinarily fascinating to me is the fact that Chinese production in 1100 was not surpassed until the European Industrial Revolution, and I think this is one of those shocking historical facts that will lead to some great follow up questions for the students... always look for facts that produce "teachable moments"
- Mike Clancy
AnonymousAlso, in the first class of the year we looked at how China is regaining its traditional historical position (i.e. prior to the European Industrial Revolution) as the world leader in production. I wanted to use this historical production breakdown in my economics class, does anyone have a good link with this data?
Anonymous