Pictures

The part I like most in this seminar is seeing all the pictures in the videos. They give me some direct impressions to those countries I have never been there, and I can make a simple comparison of those living houses among Asian countries.  I still remember the house with thick hay on the roof for cold winter in Japan the person collects the bottles and can for his/her life.

Materials

The major building materials nowadays used for construction is concrete. However, there are still some living places made of naturally occurring substances such as clay, rocks, sand, wood, even twigs and leaves, the igloo houses are made of snow, for example. My attitude is more likely choose the natural substances either save our planet or follow the rule-we take it from nature, and it returns to the nature.

Application to my students

 For my students towards the house unit, I will introduce different types houses with adding Asian houses ; I will expand  building materials choices and why people choose certain materials for; what type of houses do they live currently and encourage building any kind of houses they would like to.

Attitude – open mind

My two years old son sometimes put his feet in my shoes. They do not fit for him, but he still enjoys doing that. I learned a lesson that no matter how big or small house the other people living in, no matter how the other people do things  and think are completely different than ours-We should not be biased just from the  shoes we wear, should  have an open mind towards differences instead.

Final Essay:  East Asia Design

There was a lot of information in this class that really helped me understand Asia architecture and the amount of detail and influence that has taken place throughout the years.  I never realized the difference between the planning of European cities and those of Asian cities.  The notion that European cities are designed with the idea of democracy and centers for socializing, meanwhile Asian cities are gridded cities based on direction is a fascinating difference.  I chose to study the architecture and planning of the Forbidden CIty for my class.  This will give the students the opportunity to compare and contrast different architectural and planning throughout the different regions of the world.

The use of material and environment was/is also very important.  It’s interesting to learn about the process of using wood and finding out how long it actually takes for it to be ready for use.  I always noticed the distinct difference in style of buildings, but never knew what actually went into the design.  The idea of not wanting to damage the wood and having sort of a weaving effect is a fascinating concept. Also, the use of wood brackets allow for the design really gives the traditional ideas to view.  Along with the use of material is also the use of the environment.  With elaborate gardens and busy cities along canals makes for a very unique and traditional experience.  Another aspect of unique Asian culture was the use of  Zen gardens, which is essential for Asian culture.  The only experience that I have had personally is visiting the Huntington Library, and I thought those were beautiful.  I can only imagine what it would be like to visit an actual Zen garden in Asia.  All of which I’m able to incorporate into teaching these units in class.  Since we are discussing China now, some students are fascinated by the design of the buildings.

There was some discussion about colonization and Western influence, which in my opinion isn’t necessarily a bad thing. With the ability to travel and mix makes it inevitable, and the fact that in my class we study the effects of exploration makes discussing this topic important.  Traditional views and ideas seem to be passed along over the generations and preserved through such things as architecture.  I do like the idea we discussed as having windows look over waterways, this makes for safe and beautiful cities along canals and rivers that we see throughout Europe and Asian.  I plan on bringing all of these aspects into teaching my class.  Since I teach a World History class it is beneficial to compare/contrast ideas in architecture and influence over time.

I thoroughly enjoyed this course. Dr. Bharne is interesting and engaging, real and relatable.  Every topic brought something new to my understanding, while connecting with things I did know or had experienced.  Even though there is much I would not teach to my 7th grade Medieval History class, there is much I can use, both directly and indirectly.  For example, I can engage my students visually by comparing different styles of pagodas and temples, and discuss the Shinto focus on nature by comparing the shape of  trees with the vertical, cantilevered style of Japanese pagodas.  This can add to our discussion of connections and overlap of Shinto and Buddhist traditions in Japan.  From there we can look at the use of wood in Japanese buildings, and its connection with nature, as compared to the use of brick and stone in other parts of east Asia.

Other aspects of the course add to what I already teach as well.  I always teach my students about Japanese gardens as they relate to Zen Buddhism and to Shinto traditions, and we usually visit our local Japanese garden in San Diego.  But now I will have some added depth to share in terms of the fluidity of indoor and outdoor space, seeing the outdoors as a picture, the lack of diagonal lines in buildings and the frontal view.  I can better help students understand the concept of wabi-sabi and the importance of gardens of rocks and sand to disassociate the mind and just “be,” and analyze the use of horizontal lines to divide planes as one would in art.  In an ideal world I could have students actually paint or draw with that in mind.

I plan to teach a mini-unit with the following lessons:

1. How do living spaces reflect the environment and needs of people who build them? 

2. How did merchants and missionaries influence the architecture of South-east Asia? 

3. How did merchants and missionaries influence the visual arts across Asia? (Focus on painting and sculpture)

4. To what extent was East Asian architecture influenced by its geography, and to what extent was it influenced by travelers? and

5. How do the art and architecture of a culture reflect their values?

I look forward to integrating these lessons into my curriculum, and to seeing the ideas my classmates have for their classes.

I am very glad I was accepted into this seminar series. Professor Bharne was absolutely amazing and generous with his time to craft his lectures to our discussions. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about architecture and design across East Asia and Professor Bharne’s unique perspective.

There was so much from this seminar series that I will be able to bring back to my class. I teach a Science Elective where I can really teach about any topic that has a Science or Engineering connection. I honestly had never thought about teaching Architecture in this class, which is a shame because I have several students who choose to research Architecture during our Science Careers lessons. I know that my students will love having more Architecture and design lessons and projects.

I plan on having a project that looks at city planning in East Asia, especially the planning and growth of Tokyo. I want students to plan and design their own city. There are several topics that were discussed in the seminars around city planning, such as communal space, the interaction with nature, and the progression as one travels further into the city.

I would also like to bring into my course more about the connection between architecture and nature. There are so many great examples of these connections in East Asia. Cultures in East Asia have a reverence for nature that my students could learn a lot from. I anticipate teaching my students about the Chonggyecheon River Revitalization and Zen Gardens. I can’t wait to see what students could come with using the ideas and concepts from the River Revitalization and Zen Gardens in their lives and neighborhood.