dube, 1/29 session (orientation, geography)

[Anonymous]

I decided to participate on the East Asia Seminar because I am not confident in my knowledge about East Asia. I would like to broaden my knowledge and in turn apply these topics to the classroom. I teach 6th grade World History, which covers Ancient China and 7th grade World History that covers Medieval Japan and China in the Middle Ages. I would like to help students make connections from Ancient topics and modern China and Japan. Being an International Baccalaureate school we are often encouraged to incorporate current global events into our lessons. I also hope to share these ideas with colleagues.

[Anonymous]

Re: gsharpe

I can relate to what you're experiencing with lack of student awareness surrounding global cultures. What's helped me when discussing Asia or Asia-related topics in class, is that there are plenty of Chinese-born students attending this high school. Using student experiences can be very helpful and insightful for the other students in the class. I find that even those born here have special cultural traditions that their native-born families carry on. A short survey might reveal some interesting and useful facts about students that they may be reluctant to offer or share in class.

When doing a lesson on the rise of social media technologies, we used examples of the recent protests in the Middle East and the "Israel Loves Iran" campaign, to expand the discussion into its uses and adoption abroad. Below are some video links I used for the lesson. My students particularly enjoyed the China clip. It was useful in helping them understand the digital liberties we are granted here in terms of speech, and how foreign netizens adapt to greater social and political restrictions on the web.

Michael Anti: Behind the Great Firewall of China
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/michael_anti_behind_the_great_firewall_of_china.html

Ronny Edry: Israel and Iran: A Love Story?
http://www.ted.com/talks/israel_and_iran_a_love_story.html

[Anonymous]

Re: nguillen

I'm also very intrigued by the issue of transparency and censorship in Asia. I don't share your view on the lack of dominance by "Big Brother", but I do agree that banning an entire newspaper or website from the public sphere is alarming. Google had to agree to self-censor its search engine when entering China, and Facebook is trying desperately to enter this enormous consumer market despite government resistance. Below is a link to a great Ted Talk given by Michael Anti, a Chinese micro-blogger, who claims the balance of power is shifting despite tight controls put in place by the central government. Tapping into their collective entrepreneurial spirit, the Chinese manage to creatively bypass "China's Great Firewall".

Michael Anti: Behind the Great Firewall of China
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/michael_anti_behind_the_great_firewall_of_china.html

[Anonymous]

The confluence of all the interested parties and governments in the South China Sea peaked my interest. With so many countries claiming economic rights to this “exclusive economic zone”, there is bound to be conflict. The world’s demand for oil causes this potential conflict. In addition, two strong allies of the United States, South Korea and Japan rely on these shipping lanes for oil. Per Professor Dube, “resources matter.” I could relate this to my World History class when discussing the conflict between North and South Korea and how the conflict is still relevant to the modern world.

[Anonymous]

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/02/04/ping-fu-defends-bend-not-break-memoir-against-online-chinese-attack.html
This article seems pretty aprapo to what we're discussing in class.

[Anonymous]

Hi!

After going through our first reading assignment, it was interesting to realize the power of images in our lives. Nowadays, we are bombarded by all sort of pictures, advertisements, and images that change our opinions about anything and/or anybody in a split second. This is why I am fascinated by the way we nurture the creation of a feeling or sentiment about an event, instead of the need to act or search for the "truth".

• Do we really have to protect ourselves from others or against ourselves?
• What color is our journalism and publications?

Rhyna

[Anonymous]

Although I really like a double shot of history served neat, a beer chaser isn't a bad idea. I enjoy Prof. Dube's vast store of background knowledge from past and current China. I am just covering Ming and Qing in my AP World History classes so I'm very conscious of the contrast between China's emphasis on stability and continuity and the tumult in Europe as the fractured remnants of a millennium of papal tyranny fight to the death on that continent and throughout the world. I can see so much of historical
China in modern Communist China that sometimes I think it's just the next dynasty. I also think it was probably better to be a Chinese peasant for most of this time than a peasant in Germany during the 30 years war, much less a citizen of the Aztec or Incan empires that were destroyed by the European germ. I look forward to future sessions.
edited by jhorton on 2/5/2013

[Anonymous]

I am attending the seminar because I recognize the importance of the Asian continent in world affairs. As a teacher, I have the responsibility of preparing students to be informed global citizens, therefore it is my obligation to learn and increase my understanding of Asian affairs.

[clay dube]

Hi Folks,
One of the participation requirements for the seminar is that you log in and comment for each session. You are required to do this BEFORE the next session (in this case, before 2/5). We'd like you to discuss something from the reading assignment or from the ideas examined during the session. These posts count towards your seminar minimum. To comment on our first session, please just hit the reply button and type out your observation. By the way, it is also fine to pick up and discuss something that another seminar participant has raised.

So for this session, please comment on the ideas in the session or on something you found interesting in the geography readings.

[Anonymous]

I am very excited to report that I was able to share many of the main points of this lecture with my students. We spoke about the size of China and the neighboring 15 countries. We looked at several maps and discussed the little farmland and mountainious regions. We labeled a map and also examined the fact that there is very little rain fall and a shortage of drinking water. My students really enjoyed learning about the modern China at the end of Medieval China.

[Author]

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