The USC East Asia seminar was very informative. I was embarrassingly naive and ignorant to almost everything East Asia, so it’s no exaggeration when I say that I’m walking away with a deeper understanding of the traditions, lifestyles, customs and historical events of this region. While there were many countries covered in our sessions, I learned the most about Japan. I was fascinated by the architecture of Japan and the delicate attention to detail they had when constructing many of their home designs. Professor Toshihiro discussed the elegancy of keeping things a secret within their architecture. It’s never about the big picture, it’s about the capabilities of one’s imagination when confronted with a limited perspective.

I was also pleased to find out how Japanese people conduct their business negotiations. According to Professor Peck, Japanese people aren’t fans of saying “no” because it isn’t part of their business etiquette. To Japanese businesspersons, coming to an agreement means commitment and it’s a big risk to take without first thoroughly thinking about it. In fact, they have 16 ways they properly say “no” without actually saying it. They’d prefer to reconvene after the fact to ensure that all the right decisions are made.

East Asia Since the 1800s was a such a powerful seminar experience in which educators were able to learn about the culture, economy, politics, history, architecture, and entertainment of East Asia. In summation, a wealth of information and resources were provided throughout this seminar. Many of the speakers and presentations were very insightful and eye-opening regarding China, Japan, and Korea. This seminar provides a lot of powerful tools for educators to take back to their classrooms and spark conversations with students regarding East Asia, where each country came from, and how they became what they are today. The demographics and geography of each country are interesting in comparison to the United States. The similarities and differences between each of these countries would allow students to have a better understanding of the lifestyles, benefits, and challenges of living in either Asia or the U.S.

Expansion and growth in Korea, China, and Japan tell a long, detailed history of what each country underwent through in terms of war, civilization, rebellions/uprisings, and tensions in social class. The sessions also pointed out the impact of religion in which Christianity heavily influenced education in Korea and Buddhism impacted architecture in Japan. Many of the articles we read provided personal narratives of what certain people may have felt at the time. These readings would allow students to understand the feelings and experiences of what life was like at the time.

In addition to history, the seminar also provided insight about pop culture, entertainment, and art. Current trends in Asia are a tangible segue for students to peak their interest in Asia and learn more. The many renditions of Godzilla were quite entertaining but eye-opening in which “Goijra” was intended to be an anti-war and anti-nuclear film that embodied the sentiment of Japan’s imagination on disaster and pessimism at the time. There is such a variety of topics and perspectives to offer our students regarding East Asia that I’m not quite sure where to begin. I am thankful and humbled by the experience of being able to partake in this seminar and excited to take it all back to the classroom.

I found out about this seminar through a colleague. At first, having to complete all the steps to be part of this seminar can take you aback because it is more than other PD's ask for, yet at the same time you can't help but think, it must be that good or highly desired for them to make you jump all these hoops. Perhaps, it is simply that they want to see that you are serious about the participation. Either way, I am very glad I did jump all those hoops. I first learned about Asia through my Korean seminar experience which I absolutely loved. When this opportunity came about I had to take it because I wanted to learn more. Needless to say, it did not dissapoint! I am craving more and am very interested in participating in other seminars of this caliber in the future. 

At times all the information presented can be alot to digest, that is why I feel I need to continue participating in other classes such as these, so I can cement the learning by hearing the information more than once. Further, when thinking about my grade level I definitely have to continue exploring subjects beyond art and celebrations for my kindergartners and crafting them in a way that they will understand. In order to do that, I must know more about the history of this region, this seminar did that for me.

There were so many aha moments throughout this experience in lectures and discussion via the forum that left me realizing how little I know about Asia and geography in that part of the world. I also lack the historical background knowledge of rulers and colonization, culture, etc. Thank you for putting together scholars, presenters  and educators that are passionate about the topics they teach. It was so very worth the time invested and the learning obtained. You guys are a wonderful resource and I look forward to crossing paths again. 

P. S. Let's travel to all the places we talked about!

Like many of the other seminar participants, I came with a limited view and knowledge of East Asian history and culture.  In my history classes, I had learned how East Asian countries fit into mostly North American history, but was never provided complete context into what had occurred in those countries previously that would affect how and why they acted as they did during these notable historical events.  This idea of context, as well as the importance of culture and interaction between neighbors are concepts that I will incorporate into my teaching practice.

Within every event and conflict there is a context and history that contribute to the actions of the participants. In fourth grade social studies, a major portion is that of the California Gold Rush and the building of the Transcontinental Railroad. The Chinese (and other East Asian countries) played a significant role within these events, but the textbook never really delves into the why the Chinese were coming to California, beyond the “find gold and get rich” that every other person was looking for. If students are provided the means to look at what was occurring in China leading up to and during these times, it becomes clear that it was not greed that was the motivating factor in many East Asians coming to California. The Opium Wars had started not long ago, leading to economic upheaval in China. Many found themselves poor, and due to their family status, were not afforded opportunities of those with land and those who sold opium. Those who made it to California were expected to send back the money they made, and even the paltry sums they were paid working in laundries or for other mining camps were considered huge windfalls back home. This background and context can provide students with greater empathy as they learn about the Foreign Miner Tax and the Chinese Exclusion Act that hurt these immigrants. 

While much of East Asian history is not a part of our standards, I think that within both social studies, and social emotional learning, I can teach my students much by looking at what these neighbors, whom outsiders tend to group together into one ethnic group, define as culture and the lengths they will go to protect it and/or share it.  This relates to social-emotional learning, in that students can see that various groups tend to that their way of life was best, and sought to make others practice it too, going so far as to changing people’s names. I hope that my students can see that resorting to “bullying” to turn others to your way of thinking and/or living is inappropriate as it is much easier to identify it in others than it is in ourselves. 

This was a seminar I looked forward to, not only for ways that I can incorporate more cultural perspectives into my classroom, but also for my own personal knowledge. Passionate, engaging speakers and meaningful materials lead to engaged students and this seminar exemplified that. 

I really enjoyed this series of lectures. As a history teacher, I came in excited to learn more about a part of history that I'm not as familiar with, and to learn about ways of integrating that new historical information into my curriculum. I think the most exciting and surprising part of the experience was not the new historical knowledge I gained, although I learned a lot, but rather the way that it forced me to reexamine how I approach history and teach it to my students. As a history teacher, I look at multiple historical sources when analyzing historical events, read tons of primary and secondary sources, and look at tons of maps. While I often look at different perspectives, I don't often look at history through different lenses. One of the things that I appreciated about the sessions was that they included talks on architecture, economics, and popular culture, and introduced me to ways of examining and analyzing history through these different lenses, that I wouldn't normally have looked at. 

When I think about how I can apply what I've learned into my classroom, I think that a similar type of approach would be incredibly instructive to my students. Getting them to look at historical facts from the perspective of a modern historian is important, but so is getting them to experience and learn about history the same way that we live it: through our photos, our music, our culture, and the things all around us that we take for granted. In addition to making me think about a greatly expanded list of supplemental sources of information that I can use, the class also made me look critically at my own understanding of the "East" and the ways in which I teach the history of the region in my class. I'm a huge fan of geography, so I'm excited to do mapping activities with students, looking at how power and history are conveyed through all the different elements of a map: the size and placement of countries, the names of landmarks and places, and the language that they're written in. 

Lastly, like all teachers, I'm always looking for great new places to find information, and was happy to learn about, through discussion with other teachers in the class and in the lectures a vast trove of new places to find amazing primary source documents, from letters to diary entries, to data sheets and photos. I'm excited to bring all the different things I learned, as well as all the new resources I learned about, into my curriculum going forward.

Thank you to all who made the USC-China Institute this fall a reality!  The sponsors, Dr. Dube, our guest speakers, and the behind-the-scenes administrative staff who keep things running smoothly deserve our extreme gratitude! 

In addition to my career a teacher, I am also an avid traveler who likes to bring my overseas experiences into the classroom.  I have been to each of the East Asian countries we discussed this semester, but I am also scheduled this summer of 2020 to explore the interior of China, the city of Hong Kong, the island of Hainan, and the island of Jeju.  This gave me added incentive to pay attention, do the readings, and figure out ways I can take these travel experiences and make them meaningful for students and their learning. 

During the third session, we were introduced to the history of Koreans needing to change their names to Japanese names.  The image of a Korean athlete wearing a Japanese uniform at the Olympics was a powerful one.  This led to discussions in my classroom about what it would be like if you had to change your own name based on a nation conquering the USA.  We talked about fairness, what students would feel like, and how names are part of our identity. 

A few times during our sessions, we read diary entries from the time periods in question.  We saw that first-person accounts as primary sources are amazingly rich in information about history.  Early on in my education, a teacher had us write in daily journals to record what was happening in our lives.  For many years, I recorded my thoughts daily.  In my adult life, I have relegated journal writing to when I am on international travels.  Now, as a teacher myself, I want to find a way to get journal writing as a part of my students’ lives.  Perhaps it is a habit some of them will continue well beyond third grade. 

The greatest impact these sessions had on my classroom directly were the lessons I designed using the Postcards from Asia site and webpages on various East Asian currencies.  The podcasts were a quick and easy way for my students to practice their listening skills while also learning about another part of the world.  Money turns out to be a good way of discussing the importance of symbols and what societies value enough to put on their currencies. 

Again, I want to thank the USC-China Institute.  Thank you for the knowledge I was given as an educator and thank you for the ideas I will be able to pass on to future students in my elementary school classroom.

I have thoroughly enjoyed particiating in the East Asia since 1800 over these last few months. Everytime I drove home I'd share with someone how much I had learned and after each session I found my perspective altered once again. I appreciated being taught from the perspective of Asia, which helped further with the shift in perspective for me. One of the perspective shifts involved the two Koreas, and since I have typically always read or heard information through the United States filter I had a rose-colored-glasses view of South Korea. Evenwhen I taught World History and spent significant time doing research, I was always given the impression that North Korea was bad, and South Korea was good. Now having understood the political reasons the United States had to aligning with South Korea, and knowing the corruption that took place in South Korea I have a different perspective. While I was never one to take things at face value, this was something I didn't expect. It was a good reminder to consider the bigger picture. 

Taking this seminar has already been infused into my classes, even before implementing the Curricumlum unit. First, it's been good to be a student again. I haven't taken any classes in a few years, and I like being reminded what it's like so I can relate to my students better. I have shared with them that I'm taking a class and some of the information I've learned. When discussing the Japanese Internment in the United States during World War 2 this last week, I gave background on why Japan was upset and attacked Pearl Harbor. Even the date of the attacks being different in Japan (Dec 8th), from the date we remember (Dec 7th) was surprising to my students. Something I wouldn't have even considered and had never been made aware of prior to taking this seminar. Again, part of this overall perspective shift I've had. 

Each of the presenters offered a unique perspective and personal connection to the Asian country or region they were discussing. One example was when Clay shared about his in-laws condo having electricity all day, since it's across the street from a prison, is a vauable piece of information which helped me to understand better what life is like for the average person living in China. A people are shaped not only by their country's government and history, but also the challenges they face on a daily basis. I also apprecaited how open each presenter was to questions and many offered specific time for us to ask. 

FInally, I have appreciated meeting regularly with fellow educators, to bounce off ideas and engage in conversation beyond the walls of our own schools. Meeting with teachers who teach a variety of subjects, grade levels, and work in different neighborhoods is refreshing. Having lunch and breaks to visit and reflect on what we heard gave it a chance to sink in. It's so important for us to have time as educators to hear from others and we don't get that opportunity very often.