December 9 - Pitelka - The Rise of Modern Japan

[Anonymous]

“The Rise of Modern Japan”, with Professor Pitelka, was fun to attend. It was informative as well because he is so filled with valuable information in his lecture. I appreciate his sharp sense of humor when he will say something outrageous, immediately followed by “I’m kidding.” The professor points our the seeming contradiction of a society where women are not given rights equal to those of men, yet gives many examples of how women, in fact, often were leaders of the society in which they were officially denied a voice. He helps his audience make better sense of history through his ability to report the facts, coupled with a below the radar reality of what may have been happening during this historical moment. He has helped me learn a lot about Japanese history and has helped me gain respect for a culture I didn’t understand prior to the class. Thank you, Morgan.

[Anonymous]

The latest session, “The Rise of Modern Japan,” with Professor Pitelka, was informative and useful. My Special Education students will benefit from the information that was presented on this evening. These classes serve to put a human face on the country and people we are studying. I like the way Professor Pitelka sometimes spends time on an historical period by talking about how people acted and interacted. These short interludes into the culture and traditions of Japanese society are really fun to learn about and discuss. All in all, it was another great class for the group and I feel fortunate to have been there as I enjoy the way the class was taught.

[Anonymous]

I found the rise and fall of the Tokugawa Shogunate fascinating. To have so much control, allow your enemies to live in Japan (although on the outskirts), and then eventually loose all power to those enemies (who so patiently waited a couple hundered years) was very interesting. Modern Japan is such a mix of past and present, so many more interesting things to learn. I can't believe it's already over!

[Anonymous]

I agree. In fact, one of the amazing things about this course is that all of thye bits and pieces are falling into place, helping me to make sense of the history that I have previously learned.

The fact that Prof Pitelka and others are able to distill the events and info into such easy to follow packages is a testament to their teaching and the overall program.

I too am shocked that we are at the end tonight. Thankfully, we have one more get-together in January. So, we aren't really losing contact.

Kyle

[Anonymous]

Reading novels about the Samurai has always had me enthralled! It was so enlightening to finally get the clarification that committing 'sepuku' actually means gorging one's bowels out by using a samurai sword. I cannot help but be even more enthralled by such a people who would rather die an honorable death by gutting themselves at a crossroads in their life... Thanks for such a colorful and descriptive evening.[Edit by="lizatieno1 on Dec 16, 3:43:01 PM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

The other night I watched a movie on t.v. entitled 'Kundun'. As anyone can guess by now, I am an undying fan of Asian culture. I had however let my interests wither and wane and did not read as many novels as I had previously done back at home where I was not so distracted by technology and other aspects of life. I am so grateful that for those of us who are so busy dealing with the demands of family life, every now and then, someone throws in an Asian movie, or documentary on t.v. to keep us entertained or informed. I do truly admire the way Asian people are so disciplined. Kundun was about the life of the 14th Dalai Lama, his struggles as he watched China take over his land, Tibet, and his eventual exile to India to escape assassination by Communist China. As usual the film was very detailed, informative and very rich in culture.[Edit by="lizatieno1 on Dec 16, 4:03:27 PM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

Miranda,
I would just like to take the time to thank you so much for the professionalism, the efficiency and the grace with which you carry yourself at each of our sessions. I don't think the East Asian Studies would be whole without you being around complete the picture. Believe it or not, as they talk about the Asian women, past and present, I cannot help but study you sometimes to see if you reflect any of the things we learn about. Your discpline, quiet but take charge nature and your gentle spirit all confirm what my final picture of an Asian woman -past and present is... I have enjoyed you and your team.[Edit by="lizatieno1 on Dec 16, 4:06:27 PM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

what a cool resource! I will use this for sure. Thanks for the website!

[Anonymous]

You might enjoy reading Katherine Paterson's trilogy that starts with "The Master Puppeteer" It not only talks aboutthe Samurai, but also the tradition of theater in ancient Japan.
Susan Dubin

[Anonymous]

I also enjoyed the manageable nature of the session. I think my students would get a kick out of the "Code for teh Warrior Households" included in our packets.

The Status System was also very interesting to me. It was surprising to me that farmers would be higher up on the ladder than merchants because they feed the nation while merchants "suck the profit out of society." I think my students would find that humorous and be interested to learn that each different group had their own set of rules about what type of clothes to wear, etc. THis was a great session.

[Anonymous]

Pitelka solid presenter-
I enjopyed the MIT Visualizing Cultures site and understanding more about the shogunate and the establishment of the Tokagawa Shogunate. The Tokagawa is one of the larger topics mentioned in American History books so I was eager to learn more about the Tokagawa and the Yedo-era.
M. Herrera

[Anonymous]

I agree with you, John, Professor Pitelka is not only fun to listen to, he adds an excellent understanding to the facts of the history.

[Anonymous]

Professor Pitelka added greatly to my knowledge of Japanese history. (Ok, that would not be a difficult thing to do, but he did it so well!) I loved the story of Perry, especially comparing the artwork. Seeing history from both sides is great! I enjoy listening to him. He is not only excited about his topics, but he knows them well.

And so this is what I am going to do my lesson plan on. In LAUSD, the second quarter of English/Language Arts is expository writing. In seventh grade (the grade a majority of my students are in) they have to learn to write like a reporter. These illustrations seem an excellent way to enhance what they have learned, but introducing a historical occurrence that they probably don't know about and then have half the class write a news article from the viewpoint of the Americans and half from the viewpoint of the Japanese.

[Anonymous]

I was fascinated by the comparison of the Meiji Restoration to a revolution. It really had many of the characteristics many of the European revolutions. It was interesting also that this was a revolution with a very Japanese spin. The "revolution" didn't involve one class against another, or even the poor rising up against the wealthy, but rather had everything to do with national pride and loyalty to the past.

[Anonymous]

I also found looking at history alongside national slogans to be very enlightening. National slogans tell us so much about the country and what it is selling, much like slogans for companies do. Much like Apple's "Think Differently" slogan implies change and a setting apart from other computer makers, Japan's "son no joi" ("respect the emperor, expel the barbarians") and "fukoku kyohei" ("Enrich the country, strengthen the army") speak volumes about the country at that time. It would be interesting to begin a lesson with one or two national slogans on the board and brainstorm a list of possible connotations and characteristics of that nation based only only on the slogans. Then the class can proceed to a lecture or presentation on the country. Students can try to see how accurate the guesses were.

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