-ession 2a: Pre-Imperialist China/Computer Lab

[Rob_Hugo@PortNW]

--Please reply to this thread about the morning session on

[Anonymous]

Thank you very much for the walk through of the USC U.S.-China Institute’s website:

http://china.usc.edu/

I especially want to look at the previous web sites selected to help me find one to review myself. Is that cheating? I found it amusing (sorry….) listening to Dr. Dube attempting to keep the attention of all of us once we were seated in front of a screen, keyboard, and new web site to explore.

I have found, however, that signing in on the forum web page is easier:

http://uschinaforum.usc.edu

While Dr. Dube was trying to get our attention, I was searching for interesting pictures, and found one at the Tate Museum website:

http://www.tate.org.uk/collection/

The museum's explanation is especially interesting:

In 1949, dockers at Port-de-Bouc, near Marseilles, refused to load the government ships that were being sent to suppress claims for independence in the French colonies in Indo-China. Taslitzky painted Riposte to record his horror at the breaking of the strike by armed police. One policeman resembles Hitler - an especially powerful device for an artist who had been imprisoned by the Nazis. A woman striker seizes the French tricolore, symbol of the Revolutionary ideals. Government ministers were so sensitive to the painting that they ordered its removal from an exhibition in 1951.

The Western icon of Hitler representing the French armed police is similar to the propoganda posters we saw yesterday.

I have attached a copy of Riposte's painting, but you can locate other pieces that focus on Asia -- and European interpretations of Asia -- through the link to the tate.

[Anonymous]

I especially enjoyed the part of the discussion which brought up the topic: philosophy vs. religion, how do you tell the difference? I can see using philosophy ( how do we decide what is important and our decisions) as one lesson, followed by religions ( the general information, facts, and personal student sharing), and the discussion of philosophy/religion as a third component. To encourage individual student thinking, I like to use a Venn Diagram to display information and then encourage students to create more creative web designs to organize their information. For example, they may draw 2 catapillars entangled ( a metaphor for philosophy relating to religion) and by drawing oval legs, they can put a piece of information in each leg. A leg broken off could indicate a religious doctrine/thought that was removed from the religious practice, etc. You get the picture.

[Anonymous]

Why do people listen when a power comes in and tells them that they are the right rulers because Heaven madated it? This is a question that has bothered me for a long time. According to Paulo Freire in Pedagogy of the Oppressed, an oppressed people will only stay silent for so long. A time will come when they will eventually rise up and revolt, but it takes a long time. Still, even with this and other studies' evidence, I cringe at the oppression of a people or thought. I am especially disturbed at a group of people taking advantage of people's faith and beliefs to gain more power. And what is even more disturbing is that this is something that is not so ancient, and not so far away from our own reality.

I will be interested to find out what happened after the Western Zhou came to power, and if the People stood for it, and when the first rebellion occurred...hmm...I may not be able to wait....

[Anonymous]

It is unbelieveable the power people can have over others since ancient times. All one had to do was say that god "mandated them to be in power, or mandated them to do something." I think they conspired to convince or influence friends to believe that before they made that mandate known to a more general public. That way they had some kind of following prior to making it known. Once a whole village became aware of that mandate I believe they would spread the word, so to speak, to others in other villages. The word of the mandate would continue to spread and then more people would think that it was true.
On another note Oracle Bones have interested me but never took the time to learn much about how they were created. Once you explained the process it became even more intriguing. I knew they were done on a tortuise shell or on shoulder ox bones, but I wasn't sure how the person who wanted answers got the answers. They drilled a hole and asked their question, then they would heat the bone til it cracked, then had a priest who would interpert the answer then the question and answer would be recorded on the oracle bone.
Finally, thanks for the mini-lessons on how to be more efficient using this program to post. Even though most of us are computer savey, there are differences in software and programs. Unfortunately, there is an earthquake happening at this moment.[Edit by="rosanna_elgohary on Jul 29, 4:56:13 PM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

You know, I really prefer reading the EWP. It really helped me follow the PowerPoint today. I was particularly interested in the oracle bones and comparing/contrasting the different methods of burying people. I read this morning about the First Emperor's terra cotta warriors which I was enthralled with because my foreign exchange students are from that region of China and have given our school gifts of replicas of the warriors which are in our school's library. Pretty nifty. I'm definitely going to the Bowers Museum to see the real things!Bowers Museum

[Anonymous]

😐
Here's the memo, everyone -- Clothes off on Friday!!

[Anonymous]

what i enjoyed was the insight on how power and control was obtained in the two early dynasties. for both the shang dynasty and the zhou dynasty, power was acquired and maintained with the use of religion. these dynasties usesd the peoples belief and devotion to "god" to maintain their power over the people. the shang dynasty said they knew "god's" will and were thus carrying out "god's" will; the people followed. while the zhou dynasty used their military superiority to initially obtain their power, that power was maintained through the people's devotion to "god." they said they recieved their mandate from heaven, that heaven chose them to lead and cleanse things; the peole followed. this interconnection between god and government is always interesting; this interconnection between the power of "god" or a higher being and the power of man. this would be a great topic for students to discuss. could it be argued that empires that dominate and last utilize such an interconnection? could it be argued that such an underlined connection exists in america?

[Anonymous]

I think my social norms would keep me from going without clothes. I have internalized that concept. I didn't really have to practice too much.

[Anonymous]

I don't find it hard to believe people will follow a ruler that professes to be able to interact with gods or uses god to maintain power. People want something to believe in, especially if they are poor they need hope or faith to get through their miserable lives. Throughout history there has been someone that takes advantage of this need. Look at Jones Town!

[Anonymous]

I enjoyed using the computers this a.m. and learning a few tricks. I opened the Web site to the bunnies, but couldn't find the rest of the pictures. If whoever posted that could give me an idea of how to see more pictures I would really appreciate it. I think my students would find this interesting. I really appreciate learning the proper pronunciation of the Chinese words. I always felt I was doing my students a disservice not knowing the proper way to pronounce many of the proper names we study.

[Anonymous]

I have never been a student of Philosophy, however; I really enjoyed being a Mohist even though I would never think in their terms. I am a little more of a Legalists/Confucians. I like rules and of course I had a mother who used quilt to keep evey one in check.

I have really thought about how to use this in my classroom, and it will hit me but at this point I am worried that only 10% would begin to understand. I do have students who have many tattoos which represent the ideas of Asian culture, even if they do not know what they mean. Go figure!

I just wanted everyone to know that Bakersfield rocked and rolled with us today. 8)

[Anonymous]

Looking for super German bunnies? Go to Google, put your search in the box, and click the Images link at the top. This will give you a list of images, only. Easy to page through to find the best pictures of something quickly and easily.

but beware of photoshopped stuff =:O

http://blogs.chron.com/beltwayconfidential/BushBunnyAP.jpg" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:8AYhGZK8BJ1GPM:http://blogs.chron.com/beltwayconfidential/BushBunnyAP.jpg

[Anonymous]

Yes! I also thank Clay for distinguishing between philosophy and religion. I knew they were different but I could not tell anyone why or how. I also like the idea of a Venn diagram to help students understand these concepts or having them make propaganda posters, advertisements (either print or act it out) to convey their understandings. And then, of course, they can write and perform a rap. Nothing beats that!

[Anonymous]

My three daughters and one son enjoy the "no worries/clothing optional" approach almost every day if it is warm enough!! Oh, to be unhindered by social norms.

The Yin and Yang symbol has been one that I have seen since middle school. It was on a surfing clothing line that I used to wear in 7th and 8th grades in Huntington Beach (arguably Surf City, USA). That symbol had little spots on either side also. I did not know what the symbol meant until much later. The name of the clothing company was Town and Country. Of course the whole thing makes much more sense to me now. I have long enjoyed considering the idea that you cannot have light without having darkness, otherwise you would not know what it was! My Western version of this idea is that you can't have Christmas every day....it wouldn't be Christmas.

I am so looking forward to seeing the Hengshan Temple one day. It reminds me of the Anasazi cliff dwellings in Arizona?, except I think the ones in China are quite a bit higher off the ground (canyon floor).

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