Thoughts about China session

[Anonymous]

Team-We've seen some historic upheaval in the world economy in the week we've been here in class. Obviously the US and China are major players influencing the action. Interesting contrast in opinions of US involvement and subsequent impact in China can be seen by reviewing commentary in China Daily (arm of Chinese Communist Party) and Wall Street Journal (relatively conservative US business daily). Each of the last two days WSJ has posted articles on China's response to US crisis and "holes" in the economy of China. For those teaching "social studies" or who have time to introduce current events in class who wish to use an East Asia example I suggest a compare and contrast of positions. Almost everyday there is an article or commentary in WSJ about China, a testament to the economic power of this nation, and of course China Daily covers these issues. Good opportunity for criticial discussion of opposing points of view for high school students.

[Anonymous]

It is nice to learn the different schools of philosiphy in America from a different point of view. I did learn about these different schools in junior high school in China many years ago. However, I definitely need to study more about them to better understand and distinguish the different schools.

[Anonymous]

With its dynamic history covering centuries of change and turmoil, China’s past is not easy to comprehend in a few lessons. Focusing on the four most influential philosophies, Confucianism, Mohism, Daoism, and Legalism helped me to better understand how these influences impacted society, economy, government and culture. I appreciate Dr. Dube’s emphasis on checking primary sources whenever possible. It is interesting to study the 100 School of Thoughts, the Golden Era of Chinese Philosophy, which sparked the great philosophical debate. It was during this period that philosophers attempted to explain the chaos of the age and to express all-inclusive plans to restore order.

I enjoyed Vivian’s description of the culture heroes in Chinese history. Just as action figures of today possess super powers so did the heroes of ancient China. The cultural and religious heroes of that era helped to bring optimism to a world of chaos.

[Anonymous]

Thank you, Vivian for sharing these heroes, especially the one who invented agriculture and medicine...very interesting!

[Anonymous]

It is true Robin.. The rise, height, and fall would be a good description with a thin coating of economy and legacy. It seems like we hit the surface on civilizations due to the quantity of standards that must be taught. This really restricts how in depth you can go on a subject. It sometimes causes the curriculum to be a bit choppy between civilizations.
edited by ccable on 8/30/2011

[Anonymous]

I appreciated the lecture on this material about ancient China because it is the time period covered in sixth grade history. It was a great reinforcement of knowledge. I just wondered why Maoism is not included with the other three philosophies in the state standards. I must get my hands on the two movies, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and The Emperor and the Assassin. I like the ideas of Confucianism, except for women being the less dominant, but I sometimes would like to see a bit more Legalism to deal with the dishonest elements in our society.

[Rob_Hugo@PortNW]

Hi all,

Please share your thoughts about the China session on Day 2 by replying to this thread. You may raise questions and share thoughts either before or after the session.

Best,
Xin
edited by Clay Dube on 8/3/2011
edited by Clay Dube on 8/3/2011

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