Hi, everyone,

I am happy to be able to participate in another USC workshop! There are few such opportunities online or face-to-face here in Oklahoma where I teach European and world history courses at Northeastern State University. My own specialty is modern European history but I have a Eurasian focus on Christian Orthodox identity politics in Russia, the Ottoman Empire, and its successor states (1856-1939). Born and raised in Kazakhstan, I also have some Central Asian expertise.

Aging population assignment – immigration is a hot topic in this country. Based on the assigned short readings, which country is more likely to encourage immigration to address its demographic decline – China or Japan? Why? Write your response in a 5-minute essay and share it in a small group.

In my Asian history class, I will try to make use of those great readings and Clay’s points on population. In the past, in the introductory online forum, I had students introduce themselves and think of what constitutes “Asia” based on the assigned video and short readings criticizing the Eurocentric origin of the term “Asia”, arguing for the cultural unity of East Asia (Sino-centric Confucian), and the environmentally determined unity of “Monsoon Asia.” Here is my actual Discussion 1 assignment.

August 24 Discussion 1

What is Asia?

Is Asia a “real” or a “fake” concept? In other words, is it a legitimate unit of study and analysis? Why? In your response, cite specific pages and movie scenes from all assigned materials.

• “What is Asia?”, Video 01.1 from Asian Studies: Yesterday and Tomorrow
  Produced Fall 2015 by Christopher Mullis for the Hybrid Learning Consortium (8:41 mins) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lqiLDUWHi0
• Rhoads Murphey and Kristin Stapleton, “Monsoon Asia as a Unit of Study,” A History of Asia. 7^th Edition (Boston: Pearson, 2014), 1-8.
• Philip Bowring, “What is Asia?”, Far Eastern Economic Review, 135, 7 (12 February 1987):30-31
• Charles Holcombe, “Rethinking Early East Asian History,” Education about Asia, 11, 2 (Fall 2006): 9-12
• Amitav Acharya, “Asia Is Not One,” Journal of Asian Studies, 69, 4 (November 2010): 1001-1013

I am assuming Clay is going to share his great chart in jpeg or PowerPoint – it is a great starting point but without context it seems to naturalize various economic trajectories –imperialism was another “invisible hand.” I am referring to the destruction of competing Indian handicrafts by the British overlords in the 1700s and 1800s, the “opening” of the Ottoman Empire and of China after the Crimean War and the Opium Wars respectively. Students might remember from American history that at the same time the USA was rapidly industrializing using high tariffs as a shield against cheaper British goods. Did you anyone have that kind of teaching moment?

When we discuss population growth and limits on population in Geography, we usually discuss both China and Japan. China for their family planning policies where we analyze the pros and cons of such a plan and what the impacts have been. With Japan, discussing an aging population, I compare it to the Baby boomers and do a cultural comparison. As awkward as it might be I ask them about their plan for when their own parents get old. With that we discuss retirement communities and old folks’ homes but then I have them research anything like that in Japan. We discuss the differences in culture between the US and Japan. This also leads us into a discussion of declining population about why people would or would not want children. We talk about the economics of it and social structures that make it easier or harder.

Hi all,

My name is Sudarshan, I am an author, researcher and columnist with 9 years of expereince in the field of communications, journalism and research in India. Currently a graduate student in masters in public diplomacy for mid career professionals at USC Annenberg. I am working on a research project focussing on global communication in Asia, hence thought this course could be helpful. 

Also had a couple of book recommendations to make in alignment with the ideas shared by Clay in the videos: 1) How Asia works by Joe Studwell, some of you may have come across this title. The other is 2) China, a 5000 year odyssey by Prof. Tan Chung, an eminent historian. 

Both helpful in understanding ideas, concepts in the emergence of important Asian countries from a historical and contemporary angle that weaves into our course. 

More in due course!

The example of Kempher(sorry if I am misspelling his name) translating Japan's illustrated encylopedia in German and subsequently in English was striking. Also the fact that the Japanese were interested to learn dutch especially in fields such as anatomy, medicine(albeit a colonial impression). That prompts my question.. were countries and their populace intertwined to a certain extent at least generating curiousity and interest to learn more about one another or has globalisation in contemporary times has derailed that aspect a bit? Discuss!