East Asia is a dynamic place to teach about in my course. The different cultures, heritage, and history can bring value to the understanding for students. Many areas of the seminar can take place into my course such as the topics focusing on cultural heroes, ceramic and sculptural artworks, the SilkRoad, poetries, and many more topics. What I love about my course is that I focus on cultural artwork meaning students learn not only of the art but the cultural and historical aspect of the people who created the art. Students have the opportunity to learn of art that is purposeful in everyday life and special circumstances.

Apart from learning about different communities around the world, students of those ethnicities will be able to relate and view themselves within the classroom. Many artworks learned in art class are Euro-centric due to the “masters” being only considered of those within Europe. Incorporating different communities is relevant to the students and they can identify with the content. Most importantly they can see how those communities were valuable in history around the world. They too had influences that we still see today.

Based on these thoughts, once approach to introduce East Asian art and history would be to focus on the Silk Road and the impact it had on the artifact trading. The acknowledgment that art and technology of the time was being spread around the world is essential. This can later be connected to the Dogū clay figurines of Japan during the Jōmon period. One figurine had Inuit snow googles. It shows the different communities that traded through the silk road and how these different items help others adapt. These artifacts are valuable because they were recorded in history through the use of clay figurines. Once connecting the content at a deeper level students can then use the idea of the Japanese figurines, trade within the Silk Road, and items they personally would want others to have. What would They want to be recorded as valuable and studied upon from this time period? 

There are so many approaches that I thought might be interesting to incorporate into my teaching. Firstly, I think it is  key for me to center the experiences of marginalized East Asian identities, such as, women, LGTBQ+ community, Ughyur Muslims, and more. Learning about other people, cultures, and experiences is key to support our students in learning how to be respectful and accepting human beings. These types of conversations and dialogue is exactly what creates more educated citizens and more well-informed adults.  Personally, throughout the last few weeks in this course, I learned so much from the videos and texts—many of them which I want to include in my classroom. One in particular that stood out to me was, "Gender Relations in the Age of Violence." This is the first year I teach World History, prior to that I have only taught U.S. History, Ethnic Studies, Principles of American Democracy, Government, and Student Leadership and this gave me so many ideas on how to be inclusive of East Asian cultures within my other classes as well. This upcoming year, I will be teaching AP World History and some of the units include: the global tapestry, networks of exchange, land-based empires, transoceanic interconnections, revolutions, consequences of industrialization, global conflict, Cold War and decolonization, globalization, and so much more! I find that I can really include a topic around East Asian identities in each and every unit! Similarly, they can develop the necessary skills through study of East Asia, such as: developments and processes, sourcing and situation, claims and evidence in sources, contextualization, making connections, and argumentation.

      However, I don’t think teaching World History in necessary to embed East Asian history and concepts.  In Ethnic Studies, for example, we discuss ideas of sexism and other systems of oppression. Usually, I give some examples through American movies (sometimes Disney or sometimes non-cartoon clips), but after reading the article,"Gender Relations in the Age of Violence." it made me realize I should embed Asian history and understanding of gender relations in other courses. I would be covering East Asian history, while at the same time centering on the experiences of a community that is often at the margins.  This article gives an important perspective of how women, regardless of their social standing, get treated. I think I need to be creative and constantly reimagine and think about how to embed this new knowledge. There are many important connections to be made.  To finalize this short essay, I intend to incorporate East Asia into my teaching by focusing on the experiences and memoirs of those most often at the margins, those with marginalized identities who are often left off of history books—mainly because they don’t play a role in writing that history. 

Appreciations:

Thank you all for taking the time to support us in understanding a little bit more about East Asia! Greatly appreciate it.

Best,

Melina

I very much enjoyed participating in this class.  As another classmate stated above, so much of our curriculum in all courses is eurocentric.  We spend so much time focused on white colonisation and history, that we tend to see other cultures that have so much rich history pushed aside.  I want to make sure that my students, no matter what class they are in are learning about and are exposed to other cultures, specifically those of East Asia.  As a teacher in LAUSD, I look at my students and see so much diversity, but many people believe that diversity is limited to white, black and Latinx students, but we have sucha. large population of Asian students as well.  Plus, there are many parts of Asian culture that have recently made their way into American pop culture (things like anime, manga, kpop, sushi, boba, etc.).  I think it is so important for our students to learn about and understand the different aspects of Asian culture.  This class was eye opening for me in that I was able to learn so much more than I previously knew.  I am grateful for the opportunity to meet the people in this course and to have access to the many different lesson ideas on how we can incorporate what we have learned into out own classrooms.  

I was so glad to see more focus on women and their experiences throughout history in East Asia.  I think a lot of courses gloss over this or don't even mention it at all.  It is important for us as teachers to show our students, no matter what race or gender they are, that they are represented in history and in the world today.  I loved learning about Ho Nansorhon and her accomplishments, as well as how her family provided her with so much support and I want to find ways to incorporate her into what I am teaching.

Finally, I was so grateful when scrolling through the forum to see someone's post about foot binding.  I find this concept so fascinating and it gave me so many ideas on how I could incorporate this into my curriculum as a physiology teacher.  I will be using what I have learned from this course to meet with history teachers on m y campus to see how we can work together to create cross curricular projects for students to help solidify their learning and understanding of East Asian culture. 

Thank you so much for such a fun and wonderful course, I learned so many things and I am looking forward to using them in my classroom in the future.

Taylor

My participation in “East Asia: Origins to 1800” seminar was overwhelmingly positive and enlightening. I really enjoyed Professor Dube’s insightful lectures on China. In addition, it was a nice treat to learn from all the guest presenters. I also enjoyed reading the thoughtful commentary of all the participants in the seminar. 

I plan to incorporate what I learned about East Asia into my teaching in the hopes that my students will gain a meaningful and deep perspective of the West and Far East. I hope to help my students develop a worldview that’s shape by ideas outside of their century.

I believe that students need to know more about the true history of Western civilization, starting from Ancient Greece onwards. In particular, I would like for students to learn about the schools of philosophy of ancient Greece, the pagan religions, and the scientific thought of the time. By gaining a deeper understanding of the West, I do believe that students will also appreciate the intellectual and cultural traditions of the Far East. However, this can only be accomplished with objectivity and with open eyes.

For example, the spread of Christianity in the West shares at least some parallels with the spread of Buddhism in the Far East. Another example is Aristotle in the West. There is evidence that Aristotle stifled the growth of intellectual development in the middle ages because scholars were so fixated on following his teachings that little room was left for alternatives and for leaps of imagination. A similar criticism has been made about China’s long adherence to a small number of schools of thought, like Confucianism, and later criticism concering the content of the imperial exams.

In his book, The Immense Journey, Loren Eiseley wrote that man is rooted in his particular century, and that “out of it – forward or backward – he cannot run.” I do believe that many modern people are stuck in their century. For this reason, I believe that at least some of our educational practices need to be reimagined. Only by reimagining how we teach and what we teach, will we allow for students to at least walk out of their century.

This was my first time taking a class through the USC China Institute,- East Asia Origins.  What a wealth of knowledge and resources Professor Dube has provided to us here so that we can now take these back to our classrooms to help not only our students, but to follow through with the Institute's goals, of educating our students through learning about other cultures, in order to understand our world, and raise "Global Citizens."  I agree with several other students here who have mentioned that the European history is what is mostly taught after our own US history first in elementary school. 

I teach 4th grade, and this was my first time delving deeply into Asian histories, cultures, philosophies, religions, Industial Booms, political ideations, Elite behaviors, Farming Techniques, and the list goes on.  From the early history provided in your first few sessions, through the information provided taking us through the 1800's, I was truly happily overwhelmed with the amount of information and resources offered here.  Trying to come up with ways to incorporate it into a 4th grade class, is not as easy perhaps as for older students, but I will make it my goal to implement many of the resources offered here.  

I found the resources of the highest quality, including the speakers, the readings, and the topics focused on.  They were relatable to what we face today and the many global challenges we all face as humans together.  I feel that this class made me a better teacher by just learning about Asian countries, through their history, culture and what their future plans are.   

Some topics that I hope to share with my students are about the Silk Road, and how the one from the past that we connect with Marco Polo, is now being created once again through the Belt Road Initiative, BRI, by China through ports, countries, and cities and how this will affect our world.  I would like to point out the differences we notice between governments as well, dealing with things such as values like human rights, and climate change  I'd like to share the various philosophies and religions that Asia started with, and to also let them know that Christianity has become very popular over there now, but in an underground sort of way, especially with women. 

I would like to share the simple idea of what a "Closed Society" vs. an "Open Society" will bring to that country, and the pros and cons of each.  Perhaps we can learn from other's mistakes by learning their histories and hopefully have our leadersnot repeat these same mistakes. 

I too would like to thank Professor Dube and Catherine Gao for providing the guidance we all needed, and making themselves available when we needed help.  I too agree that the quality of the class participants was very high, and that I learned from them as well.  I will definitely find another opportunity to join another class through the USC China Initiative very soon to continue my education, and to share this with my own students moving forward.  Thank you both so much for this wonderful course.  

Incorporating East Asia in teaching (in 250-500 words)

Requirement: “1. Discuss how you intend to incorporate East Asia into your teaching. Possible topics you may wish to address include attitudes, approaches, and materials. 2.) Which issues or ideas raised in the seminar are of greatest relevance to your courses and your students?”

How will I incorporate? I will incorporate the lessons from this course in teaching about the historical background to contemporary Chinese politics and economics. 

Which issues or ideas raised in the seminar are of greatest relevance to my course?

1. Chinese philosophy. I enjoyed learning about the different philosophical schools of thought and particularly the importance of Legalism and Confucianism. This understanding allows me to situate Xi Jinping as a follower of Legalist traditions. I now see continuity between the strong legalist actions of Qin Shi Huang and Xi Jinping as he consolidates power in his hands and limits political discussion to a degree not seen since Mao. I also see a connection and maybe an inspiration from the Hongwu Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the last Han-Chinese-led Ming dynasty. I want students to understand that Xi is an exceptionally powerful national leader who should not be underestimated. Many of my conservative students think that the USA will always be #1 and that more US military spending is the answer to everything (and that the only real news is on Fox!). PRC Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Hu Xijin of the Global Times call this “cold war, zero-sum” thinking that is an obstacle to progress and harmony. I too think this hawkishness is very ignorant and dangerous and I hope that education will convince American conservatives that China’s global ambitions require an adjustment in US thinking and strategic policy actions. Building walls around our country while China builds connectivity internationally reflects the losing strategy of a failing and directionless nation.  
2. Importance of the Belt and Road Initiative. The vast economic and geographic scope of the BRI is a clear indication of China’s long-term economic and political strategy. I teach that it is an example of how China’s wealth and power is rising as its connections to Africa and the European Union expand. I teach that China builds roads and infrastructure to increase trade while the US imposes tariffs and bans on Chinese imports to reduce trade. China’s strategy is proving far more effective and should be understood by educated people.
3. Perils of political isolationism. National isolationalism has been tried and failed in Qing China, in Korea, and in Tokugawa era Japan. It also ended badly in the USSR and Eastern Europe.   The lesson from China is that it has been stronger and more respected when it maintained open economic and political connections (as under the Tribute System). For the US to slow its own relative global decline it should follow the Chinese example which starts with education on the benefits of global integration and international cooperation.
4. Steel Production as a sign of economic strength. Professor Dube noted that per capita Chinese iron production increased an estimated 600% in the 960-1280 Song dynasty. I see this an example of China’s world economic leadership in most of the period from 0 CE to roughly 1800 CE. I cite the work of Angus Maddison to explain that by the year 1000 the economy of China was about twice as large as Europe due to both higher per capita average GDP and a far larger population. China also had 9 dynasties that have lasted longer than the USA. Does Chinese civilization have long life DNA? I think it does and that its history demonstrates that it is one of the most exceptional civilizations in history.
5. China, The Middle Kingdom, is a returning world power, not a new or emerging power. I cite the words of Henry Kissinger to the effect that “China does not see itself as a rising, but a returning power . . . It does not view the prospect of a strong China exercising influence in economic, cultural, political, and military affairs as an unnatural challenge to world order—but rather as a return to a normal state of affairs.”  I think this is an important idea that American students should reflect on as they study history and participate in politics.

In conclusion, this course helped me understand the connections between pre-1800 China and modern post-1800 China. It also gave me ideas on how Xi Jinping will lead China forward towards the 2049 centenary of the founding of the Peoples Republic of China under the leadership of the CCP.  I am interested in watching how China under Xi will promote the idea of a global “community with shared future for mankind” (人类命运共同体). The next 30 years will prove very decisive in world history.  As Professor Dube noted in video #1 on May 12, remember the importance of “contingency & serendipity” because history is not deterministic and many paths are possible depending on choices made or circumstances. These are choices that will be made by your students when they begin to vote, so please teach them well.

One of the main topics that I intend to teach is China’s Belt Road Initiative, within our unit on globalization we can look at how the projects that China are developing around the world. My students would be assigned different excerpts of the readings that pertain to the different plans that are being implemented in LDC’s. As well as doing a gallery walk of the different maps and visuals that we were presented in this seminar.

There is so much that we can use and for my different classes for my World History class we will be looking at how China is treating the Uighur people, and do a comparison to how other countries have treated their minority populations and have students look at what China is doing is not different from what other powerful countries have done.

As well as splitting up the different countries as was done here in this seminar. I like that idea of looking at the specifics of how each one worked, the literature, the roles of women. I enjoyed how this was presented and all of the materials that were provided. The videos that were shared with us was full of great information that I was able to learn more or reinforce what I have learned in the past. But most important for me was the role of women in East Asia and how important they were and their contributions especially in Japan with the female authors and artists. I love showing art and having the students analyze it and see how different and beautiful it is. How it reflects the culture, the time period and events that are seen as important

Reading the different comments of each participant has given me so much in terms of their point of view and material they shared have given me so much to use with my students. The options are great!!! In our World History, Ethnic Studies class as well as geography and U.S. History there is a lot to redesign and use for my students. East Asian history is often overlooked or the focus is usually on Japan or China.  I am excited about using the materials that were presented or suggested by the others in my classes.