Home › Forums › Short Online Seminars › Contemporary China, Fall 2018 › Where to post required assignments
Reactions to readings and presentations: in the corresponding thread for each session
Website review: https://china.usc.edu/k12/forums/forums/web-resources
Film review: https://china.usc.edu/k12/forums/forums/film-festival
Makeup assignments: https://china.usc.edu/k12/forums/contemporary-china/make-assignments
Final essay: https://china.usc.edu/k12/forums/contemporary-china/final-essay
Curriculum project: https://china.usc.edu/k12/forums/forums/lesson-plans
Website Review: Genaro Flores
This web-site is one of the ten best sites to learn Mandarin. The front page has all features that can help to learn Mandarin. For example, learn Chinese, Chinese Dictionary, Tools, Chinese Name, Leisure, Forum and below that there are other apps like Mandarin audio courses, Write Chinese characters, and Chinese vocabulary list. Next, this site is very well organized. It has programs for seven major languages. If anyone wants to learn Mandarin, quickly and easily, just have to access to one of the programs. Also, it has a table of content divided in four sections which allows to study level by level or to follow a study plan. In addition to, it has lessons in phonetics to learn the pronunciation. Also it provides lessons to learn how to write the Chinese characters. For people who are not serious about learning Chinese language, there is something for leisure. The site offers Chinese painting, tattoo, caligrafy, proverbs, poetry and songs. Also it gives you information about traveling, study in China, caricatures, and to teach in china. It is a complete source of information about learning a language and to know Chinese culture. Below is the web-site to visit if a person has a question about china. Just go to this address for any question. https://www.Chinese-Tool.com/learn/chinese
Final Essay
Around year 2000 I taught a history class and there was a segment in the book about one of the dynasties in China. It was my first time teaching history, and didn’t have that much knowledge about that part of the world, so, I did my homework. I researched for the topic and that is how I have always tried to learn more about this big nation. Now that there is access to many aspects of how people live in china I have change many things in my curriculum. As time has passed, I am more interested in more serious topics. For example, China political internal and external issues, its economy, its employment, its international goals, its friendship with the U.S., Russia and with the European Union. Now china is an economical power in the world and it is playing with the other big nations economically. And its people know that in other countries salaries are better and life style is different and those who are marginalized might want to live better too. In the seminars we were exposed to how china is dealing with its citizens and we learned about its plan to end poverty in the near future. Are we going to see another Tiananmen Square? Our democracy has had some real problems and in Europe too. But looking at china with its huge population it is also a huge demand. I have enjoyed the class and learned a lot from Dr. Dube and the guest speakers who have enlighten us so much in this area. At this point I am very happy that I have been exposed to a vast ocean of knowledge about china. And I feel responsible to share with my students what I have learned about china, its history, political and economical issues past and present.
Curriculum Project: Country China
Usually some of my projects are for a few weeks and I ask them that certain thing must be done by certain date to avoid delays later. For example the first page has to have the map of the country in the center. On the upper corner the name of the student, level and period number. On the second page goes the table of content of the whole project, and that is standard for every student in the class or classes. Also, it includes how many items must be in every point on the table of content. For example, number one: write the divisions of the provinces of the country and other territories including the names of each. For the second point: write ten typical kinds of food including a picture of each plate and its name. Third point: write of the national animal that represents the country and write a short story. Fourth: the currency of the country at the present time and put a picture of the value of the currency. Fifth: what is its national tree? if it has one write a short story about it. Sixth: what is its famous river and write a short story about it. Seventh: what is the largest and most famous city? Eighth: what is the national flower of the country? if it has one? Ninths: what is the largest lake in the country? Tenth: what are five most touristic places in the country? And so on. Before I give them the assignment, I let them see the work of other students so they have an idea of what they are going to do. The students are going to be working on a booklet. It is a large assignment so you do not want to over load them. In this case the project is about China so there is a lot of material to work with. My experience is that I have learned from the work of my students. Here comes the rubric on which they are going to be graded. In some schools it is optional, but to avoid any issue it is good to use it. At the end of the assignment comes the satisfaction to see your students learning, first hand, the purpose of the assignment.
Curriculum Project: Country China
Usually some of my projects are for a few weeks and I ask them that certain thing must be done by certain date to avoid delays later. For example the first page has to have the map of the country in the center. On the upper corner the name of the student, level and period number. On the second page goes the table of content of the whole project, and that is standard for every student in the class or classes. Also, it includes how many items must be in every point on the table of content. For example, number one: write the divisions of the provinces of the country and other territories including the names of each. For the second point: write ten typical kinds of food including a picture of each plate and its name. Third point: write of the national animal that represents the country and write a short story. Fourth: the currency of the country at the present time and put a picture of the value of the currency. Fifth: what is its national tree? if it has one write a short story about it. Sixth: what is its famous river and write a short story about it. Seventh: what is the largest and most famous city? Eighth: what is the national flower of the country? if it has one? Ninths: what is the largest lake in the country? Tenth: what are five most touristic places in the country? And so on. Before I give them the assignment, I let them see the work of other students so they have an idea of what they are going to do. The students are going to be working on a booklet. It is a large assignment so you do not want to over load them. In this case the project is about China so there is a lot of material to work with. My experience is that I have learned from the work of my students. Here comes the rubric on which they are going to be graded. In some schools it is optional, but to avoid any issue it is good to use it. At the end of the assignment comes the satisfaction to see your students learning, first hand, the purpose of the assignment.
Roundtable
Professor Peck opens-up expressing his first concern about that there are no-winner in this war so why fight this war. And protectionism in this case might not work. The president idea is to protect the car industry. Also Mr. Trump might be crossing the final line of the rules of the trade of other nations. So the actual administration might be violating some of the laws of trade. His second concern is that there is no end to this game. On top of that another looser is the rule of law itself. If no one wants to abide by the law then everything goes out of the window. He worries about that the administration does not have a plan to end this problem and instead is getting longer. His third concern is what was mentioned before. He would like to see that both nations abide by the rule of law. Professor Aronson has a different realistic opinion on this issue. He mentions that jobs change as technology increases. And that is the way or what the administration should be paying attention. Of course that is his point of view. After have listening to these brilliant ideas on U.S.-China Trade War. Let’s hope that there will be an agreement between both nations soon.