Final Essay

[cgao]

Please post your reflective essay here.

[Billie Johnson]

I am so fortunate to have responded to the email seeking teachers to attend the seminars on Asia last year which put me into the pipeline of attending these additional courses.  As I continue with the courses my depth of knowledge expands more and more. It is not only my students who benefit from me attending these courses, but I do as well as an educator.  I feel so lucky to be able to learn and share what I have learned with my students. Everything sort of lined up perfectly as we continue to have more and more conversations about China at school; random conversations but they matter.  Also, taking these courses help me see things from the other's perspective. That perhaps what I know, what little I know, is its own propaganda. From culture, family, government, finances, science, the people, technology, and progress this course covered it all. This course has helped put into perspective the years of information that I had received growing up and then contrasting that with what I learned in these few short weeks. China is a country just like any other country that is finding its way and has its political challenges, these challenges look different, but the US is going through its own balancing act. The biggest take away for me is how China still has a ways to go before it is settled in its identity.  Even though there will be challenges along the way, the beauty is that if the decision is made to create a country for the people, it will definitely be a country to be reckoned with. I look forward to continuing my learning and hope there are other offerings in the near future about modern China.

 

[Lynne Szczepanek]

This seminar was very enlightening to me. I knew (and still do not know) very little about modern China. I teach about the various dynasties, but we do not focus on the current, except in current affairs. This was why I signed up for this one. I could not answer a lot of my students' questions. I am hoping that I can feel a bit more confident in that.

It was also very surreal to talk about CoVid-19 at the time that it was happening in China and now in the US. This whole virus could have taken up every week in discussion. I wish I had more time to hang around after, but I was working on an 8 week masters class that I had to complete too. The timing was less than ideal on my end, but I felt this course was needed for my growth.

The hoku system and the one child policy were very intriguing. This was an area that I was not familiar with at all and learned so much about. Thinking about the restrictions the government has put on its people is staggering. I could not fathom that a government in current day could have that much power over its people. I know the one child policy is not in effect today, but the consequences to such a policy is still feeling the aftershocks of it. This is one area that I am glad they restructured, in some way. It is not perfect, but it is a start.

The big takeaway from this is that I still have a lot to learn about China. China is ever changing and their changes not only affect their people, but the world around them. Thank you for offering this great course.

[Kelly McKee]

Final Essay

The main reason I enrolled in this course was to refresh my current curriculum about China for my Modern World History course.  My existing China unit is four weeks in length and covers Chinese history from the Ming Dynasty to present day.  It is the first unit of this course and one of my favorite units to teach.  For the final essay I thought it would be useful for me to review readings and notes from each weekly session to compile a list of BIG takeaways that I will potentially use next year to supplement my existing curriculum.

Week 1: Geography and Demography/ The Communist Party and the Hukou System

-China has 15 neighbors, this means border control is a huge challenge.  Compare this to the United States with only 2 borders and this gives students a new way to look at issues relating to border control.

-China’s current millennial population (ages 18 to 35) is 400 million.  This demographic is larger than the entire population of the United States

-CCP membership is approximately 90 million members today.  China’s top capitalist, Jack Ma, is a party member.  The article ‘China’s New Revolution: The Reign of Xi Jinping’ was one of the best articles in the seminar.  This is something I will use in the classroom with students, but it will need to be modified or restructured to meet the needs of an average sophomore reading level. 

Week 2:  The Rise of China’s Economy/China Shakes the World

-I appreciate the practical and detailed chronological overview of economic change since 1949.  The video shares many highlight for unpacking Mao’s China vs. Deng’s China with high school kids.  I will certainly use Wang Daqing a.k.a. Iron Man in my curriculum next year -in addition to, Deng’s initiatives to allow for individual businesses to evolve. 

-The data sets of global economic activity from 1750 – 1900 as shared in the video (Kennedy) is most useful for classroom use to help students process the shift of China’s global economy after the mid-19^th century.

Week 3: Expanding Choices

-The articles on religion were useful to share how the government has become more open to religious diversity yet continues to maintain full control; we mostly hear about religious persecution of the Uighers in Xinjiang or Buddhists in Xizang, so sharing resources about the role of Christians in China today will provide more context for students to understand what role religion plays in China today

Week 4:  Generations/Environmental Degradation

-The data charts sharing change over time of CO2 emissions from 2007 to 2017

-All charts and data sharing China as a global consumer; China has become the world’s largest importer of oil and how this demand will impact the market just as the US

-China is a water poor country

-China’s role in the global plastic waste crisis; I had never heard of the film Plastic China before –and I’m eager to share this with my students

Week 5: US-China Relations/Global China

-The overview of the island disputes in the South China Sea and East China Sea in addition to the role of Taiwan.  I was completely unaware how airlines in the US dealt with this issue using a ‘no reference to country’ when reserving a flight

-Articles and video regarding the Belt and Road Initiative will help revise curriculum about modern day China

Thank you so much for providing this free online course!  I have certainly gained a lot of new personal insight and curricular ideas about contemporary China as an outcome of my participation in the program.  It is hard to believe that our course began just as the coronavirus was spreading in China.  Being part of this course allowed me to process the initial outbreak in Wuhan and recognize the severity of the illness as it began spreading globally.  We are now shifted to e-learning for the unforeseeable future.  The lesson plan I created for this course about China and plastic waste will become part of my online lessons this spring.  Thank you again, Clay, and I hope to have an opportunity to participate in future USC-China Institute programs.  Be safe and stay healthy. 

 

 

[Alison Douglas]

I was fascinated by what I learned about China.  I always knew they were communists but never really understood a lot of what that meant.  I teach ancient Chinese history and I’m able to relate what is happening today with what is happened in the past.  The fact that there are 90 millions members of the communist party in China explains why they are able to control the rest of the citizens.  There is discrimination in China with the Hokou system but there isn’t much that people can do to change that.  I’m curious to see how it evolves throughout the years.  Especially with the fact that more and more Chinese travel and become educated in other parts of the world.  Then they return to China an realize how much of their freedom is taken away.  In much the same way as when Shuping Yang talked about, "Freedom in Oxygen."  I could imagine that will spread amongst the millennials, and how they might want to change.  The Chinese government seems to give just enough to keep people from rebelling but not enough to make real changes.  

 

It is nice to know that China is taking on a role in trying to improve pollution.  They contribute greatly to the problem and at least they are trying to something about it.  The fact that there is 4,000 premature deaths because of it is frightening.  They will have to do something to improve their pollution and other environmental factors.  The contamination of the soil and the water shortage will just become a bigger a problem to the 1.6 billion that live there.  

 

The Chinese government is more powerful than I ever thought it was.  They are experts in trade and know how to achieve more.  We discuss the Silk Road and the importance it had, and it’s interesting to connect their present day advancements to this.  Through their BRI, they will be able to take control of other areas through Asia and especially Africa.  The fact that are monopolizing selling certain goods in Africa just adds to their advancement.   I’m understanding more about why the “trade war” with China has become such a big issue.  The US has to be able to not rely on China for so much.  I’ve heard a lot about this dependance with the whole Covid-19 ordeal and how we rely on them for certain necessities such as medicine.  It is actually quite frightening, so maybe after this is over other options will be explored.

 

Even thought China seems to be a leader in trade and technology in trade it still has a big problem when it come to their own citizens.  From being discriminated against to dealing with harsh living conditions due to work, environmental issues, or just the lack of support form the government.  The government seems to get away with this treatment without really any opposition and that is scary.  I watched the “One Child Nation”, and really came to understand how propaganda and the government brain washed the citizens.  I know that this was just one issue, so it’s scary to know what else they have to deal with.  China is obviously very powerful and I’m curious to see how the US as well as other nations deal with them in the future.  

[Kevin Bailey]

Let me begin by saying how much I appreciate the opportunity to learn from Dr. Dube in this course. I must say that the class meetings were really insightful in the early stages of the emergence of the COVID-19 situation in China. I used a lot of the material I took from the class the very next day in leading class discussions on China and the actions taken by the Chinese government.

I have saved a lot of the article that we read in the course and I have used some of them in my unit on China and Nigeria. I teach AP Comparative Government and Politics and I teach about China and Nigeria, but I had never taught about the role of Chinese companies within Nigeria (I knew very little of it before this course). The relevance to my content is clear and it has helped me give the students an opportunity to make more connections to understanding the impact of globalization with two countries we were studying. 

The video lectures by Dr. Dube were also very helpful and I used portions of a few of them in a couple of my classes during my China unit. For example, the geography lecture highlighted the location of major Chinese cities and the similarities with major U.S. cities. The videos were filled with all sorts of information that I have already begun to incorporate into my China unit for next year. I feel that I am better equipped to teach about contemporary China after taking this course. I have never taken any college courses in China and my content knowledge came only through my own reading. Thank you to the team at USC and Dr. Dube for providing me with some much-needed content and training.

 

[Virgina Jackson]

When the opportunity was presented to be part of the Institute, I was a little intimidated.  Although I love the academia world, I had never really solely studied China.  Yes, I knew some information about China, but I didn't really realize how much more I needed to learn until I was part of this seminar.  I am glad that I was able to participate this semester.

From the Orientation until this evening, I am very thankful that I was accepted into the seminar and that Dr. Dube was such a knowledgeable and passionate person.  His intellect and energy were a part of my motivation to learn more.  Each week was very insightful, and I was always left asking more questions than I previously had.  The structure of the seminar was wonderful, and every single week led to the next week.  Everything was extremely organized, and no stone was left unturned.  

As I move forward after the seminar, I am excited to be able to pass on such great knowledge to my students on both the high school and college levels.  No, I am not deeming myself as an expert, but I feel much more knowledgeable in being able to bring forth our discussed topics to my students.   My students and I will continue to learn and explore together.   I will also continue my own research, for I am able to incorporate so much of what I have gained in my Arts, etc. endeavors.

Thank you, Dr. Dube and Mrs. Gao, for such a wonderful program.  It was an honor and a pleasure to work with you, and I am looking forward to staying connected with both of you!  Continued blessings and again, thank you!

[Aleida Rojas]

When I signed up for this great learning opportunity, I had no idea how this class was going to change my life. Before taking this class, I had never experienced on-line learning and I took it as a personal challenge to learn how to be more confident with online learnig. I learned how to access lectures, reading materials, and most imprtantly, I learned how to use Zoom. All of these items have become very useful now that I am doing online teaching/instruction. I am not afraid of technolgy anymore, and for that, I am eternally grateful. 

Besides learning to be more confident with online learning, I also learned so much about China. Before this seminar, I had no idea that China had implemented The Hokou System and that this system had created second class citizens within China. This system was created to control migration but in the end, it led to many social injustices and a lot of urban poverty. 

The second most important thing that I learned was the high levels of pollution that China has been experiencing in the last decade. I was very surprised to learn that China's soil and water are extremely polluted. I knew about China's air pollution but I had not idea about the high level of pollution in China's water and soil. The fact that China's Urban growth is happening at a very fast pace is only making things worse. So many villages are being erased to give way to huge Urban centers. I raised the question: How are they growing food? How are they going to feed such a huge population if their soil and water are so polluted? Luckily for China, they do not have to. After they became the second largest economic power in the world, they can afford to buy food instead of growing their own food. Unfortunately for China, this also creates a big problem because they now depend on other countries to feed their huge population.

That brings me to the third thing that I learned about China. Their BRI, belt and road initiative, has allowed China to invest in other countries while at the same time, create new trading posts/partnerships. This initiative is a huge investment. China projects a cost of 1.3 trillion dollars while The Economist reports that this initiative could cost China 4 trillion dollars. By inplementin the BRI, China wants to strenghten is position as a global economic power. But I truly believe that China is implemeting BRI to make sure that they gain trade partners that can help China feed its masses. 

Finally, one of the most important things that I learned about China is all the challenges that they face with the increasing labor demand. China is now in transition: they are now moving towards a service economy. This represents a huge problem for China becuase they do not have enough upgraded skilled workers to take over these new jobs. (this is an effect of the Hokou System) China only has 19% of skilled workers and 5% of highly skilled workers and this is not enough to make the transition towards a service economy. If China wants to make experience success, they will have to reform the Hokou System and provide citizens in the country side a better educational system. 

The biggest lesson that I take from this amazing seminar is that China has become a powerful giant. But this giant also has giant problems that they need to fix. If this giant falls, the rest of the world will feel its pain. We are members of a global economy, the corona virus is reminding us of that. China and the Unites States depend on each other and for their sake and the sake of the world, they must learn to work together. 

Thank you for all your support and for all your help. 

Aleida Rojas

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