Reflections on Session #5 (10/16)

[Anonymous]

The use of charts and graphs illustrates the statistical points so much more dramatically. I'm still in awe about the tight government control over the number of children allowed per family and the extent the government went through to ensure that families adhered to the strict policies of the government. Control to this degree seems very stifling.
edited by nfreeman on 11/16/2012

[Anonymous]

I am not surprised at all by such a propaganda film as that which was mentioned. I would like to see another film (if there are any filmmakers out there that would even deem it worthy of their time) to dispel some of the distorted “facts” presented in “Death by China”. This would be great for the U.S. public to see in order for the people here to come to their own conclusions, much as “waiting for superman” has been met with other films that debunk some of the ideas put forth in that film. It is disappointing when one-sided, agenda driven films are put out there so as to shape and direct the U.S. psyche towards such important topics as China/U.S. relations, education, and everything else in-between.
As for the birth-rates in places like Japan and South Korea, it will be very interesting what history will one day say when looking back upon this time, and what the future generations will attribute as causes towards these trends. Speculating: of course much of what happens is influenced both directly and indirectly by factors such as economics, industrialization, and even natural disasters. Perhaps it is my lack of understanding towards what the values of those cultures are, but looking at the birth-rate statistics with western eyes, I do want to say that the numbers should be higher in order for the continued growth (and prosperity) of these cultures which have given so much to the world. What might it be in these cultures that makes them dissimilar from other cultures which are nowhere near as prosperous and industrialized, and in which there are no population-growth trends such as those which we have seen here?

[Anonymous]

I did not think much about it until Dr. Dube spoke about the ethnic diversity in China. I wonder if most Americans believe, as I have assumed, that most Chinese are the "same." Yet, what I learned from Dr. Dube in this lecture was that, like most populations, China too, is diverse, and not all Chinese are Han Chinese.

[Anonymous]

One question that comes up whenever talking about China is the truth behind the one child policy. I always try to explain the way I understand the facts. Next time I mention China and the One Child Policy to students, I will make sure to help them think of the implications of having or not having such a policy. It is important to understand the implications to understand the reasoning of such policy. Another piece of information that I will share with students is actual population in numbers in different places around the world. I will also have them compare it to before. It will bring a clear picture of reality.

[Anonymous]

During this session several interesting topics were covered. Something very interesting was that China has 56 official ethnicities and that there is a list of criteria to apply to be recognized by the goverment as an official ethnic group. I believed that there was just one Chinese ethnic group, but I am glad that now I understand that there are many other ethnic groups. If I really think about it, it is the same in many other countries. Also the importance of ultrasound machine was discussed in class and how it played an important role on the population growth of China. It was my understanding that China was very extrict on the One Child Policy, but after this session, it became clear that there are many exceptions and ways to go around it. This session help me understand why China is overpopulated, and the background information during the Qin and Han Dynasties that influeced rapid population growth.

[Anonymous]

The talk about the one child policy was the most interesting part of this session. I am highly concerned with the decision some Chinese women must make if by any reason gets pregnant for a second time? or if a female is pregnant for the first time with a female not a male? or is pregnant with a special child? I can not even begin to imagine the feelings and emotions. What was very interesting was how the government controls this policy. I was in such a daze when the professor mentioned that the officials know the menstrual cycle of the women and this is one of the methods they use to carry out this policy. I am really considering this topic to be part of my lesson plan. I am sure my students will be very interested in this subject.

[Anonymous]

I missed this class, but upon reviewing the comments and notes I think it was very interesting. The Han dynasty is significant in world history because it makes such a good comparison with the Roman empire. There were many similarities derived from the simple need to organize a vast territory, but the Han seem to have promoted homogeneity more than Rome, at least in the European part of Rome. Both were followed by a period of disunity, except in the eastern Roman empire which stayed united for many centuries more. Both Rome and Han faced incursions from Central Asian nomads as well as internal stresses and corruption. I will be able to make more comparisons next year in my world history classes.

[Anonymous]

The fifth session really appeared to be informative; unfortunitly I missed it. However from the great notes and other student comments I get a pretty good idea what it covered. I especially noted the One Child Policy. I have previously read an article that unfortunitly I can;t remenber the author or title of it. But I do remenber one very interesting point. Of course all the usual topics were covered: rhe abortion of girls, the unbalanced gender population and its concequences and the intrusiveness of the whole thing. The one idea I thought was new is what type of child (mostly boys) does this create and will that fit in with communism, The writer talked about a future adult that had been spoiled and pampered all his life. After all he was the pride and joy in the family. No effort or expense would be too much. When this type of child rearing occurs the results are usually a very arragent self-absorbed individual is created, not exactly one of the communist masses. Perhaps that is why more students are protesting. I guess the moral to this experiment is before you act always imagine all outcomes. Obviously Chairman Mao didn't.:

[Rob_Hugo@PortNW]

Hi Colleagues,

Please post your reflections below.

Yingjia

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