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Anonymous0 0 1 273 1559 Los Angeles Unified School District 12 3 1829 14.0 Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} The USC U.S.-China Institute 2014 Seminar “East Asia Since the 1800s”
Reflection
The US/China Institute’s seminar on East Asia developed a rich tapestry of learning for its participants. Overall, the seminar heightened within me a more keen sensibility of appreciating Eastern Asian culture. If field trips were not so burdensome and full of red tape to arrange for our students, several trips a year—such as the ones we experienced to the Huntington Gardens and LACMA, exploring the Asian cultures of Japan and China and South Korea—would very readily be applied to the year’s curriculum.
An examination of the development of Japan out of the ashes of WWII would be a fascinating study for young students, particularly through the lens of anime, manga, and film. Themes such as surviving doomsday scenarios, discovering what it means to be human in a world riven with technology, and creating a better, more peaceful world, appeal to our kids today in the States. Since 9/11, the mood in our country has been elevated to one of general anxiety. Add the 24-hour news cycle and the popular education of climate change science and you have the roots of a more heightened collective existential affliction. The Japanese created Hello Kitty after being atomically pulverized. Maybe there is light at the end of the tunnel for us. What can our kids learn from Princess Mononoke or Grave of the Fireflies? I would leave that question for Professor McKnight were she to accept an invite to visit my students.
The next unit of study? Chinese film, including a field trip to the Asian film festival in San Diego and a lecture by Mr. Brian Hu. Maybe Brian can help explain to the kids why the Chinese government recently shut down the Beijing Independent Film Festival. What does it want to hide? Certainly not its beautiful garden aesthetic.
Anonymous0 0 1 427 2436 Los Osos High School 20 5 2858 14.0 Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Wanted to wait until I actually got into class to start to expand and expound on the benefits and uses of the fantastic conference at USC this summer. The best thing I got out the week is confidence.
I teach AP World History, so I am teaching about China from Day One until the AP exam in May. It is one-fifth of our class. I had little practical experience with Asia before. But I have already used maps and figures from the PowerPoints in my class on three occasions.
I use a methodology in my class for each chapter that asks them to read and determine the 5 most important things that occur in the Chapter they are reading and then explain why they think those ideas/events/people are the most important. The first thing I do each year is ask them to do a top Five for the Modern Day. Obviously one of those top 5 is the Rise of China. I used everything I got from the conference right there at the start and felt emboldened, and the kids bought in from the get go. We went into the demographic changes and the economic changes and the students were on point. Thanks. I now have cred. Lasts all year.
During each time division of AP World we revisit China and we start to add on Japan, with Korea as an afterthought. We just covered Legalism, Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism and all of my presentations were empowered by the reading and discussions from the seminar… specifically the spread of Buddhism and why it was so quickly and easily transferred to Japan and Korea .
The three day curriculum unit I just completed about the Sino-Japanese War and the Russo-Japanese War is going straight into my curriculum . I had talked about these issues before, but without the professionalism that I needed. Now I know how to teach it and what to teach. My focus is different and stronger with far better resources.
I can not wait to get to the modern stuff. All the images and PowerPoints will improve my presentations. But more importantly, I will know how to properly present the material, with all of its nuances. I do not have any time in my schedule to use any of the movies, and it kills me. Well, maybe the Communist Chinese Stage shows… I can not resist that. My kids will get a kick out of it, but they will also understand the earnestness of true believers in the cause. The comparisons to the Mormons in our community will be easy.
I think in general as I go through the year, it is the broad range of knowledge the institute gave me that will stick with me the longest. That is why the movie stuff was just as good as anything else. That is why the visit to the gardens was as good as anything else. It is not one thing or the other, I will use specific things throughout the year as I get to that time period. Thank you for the Big Picture as well as a bunch of little ladders to help to make it understandable.
AnonymousMy two cents.
AnonymousUS- China Summer Institute
Final essay
Ryan Stough
My participation in the US-China Summer Institute has provided me an excellent opportunity to become a more well-rounded educator. Prior to my attendance I felt like I had a strong understanding of the history and politics of Asia. However, during the week I was able to learn about topics that I was previously not exposed to such as Asian cinema, food, culture and art.
As an instructional coach, I believe it is important for the teachers to provide students with a balanced approached when teaching about history. As a teacher I often would emphasize the histories of Japan and China and gloss over the history of Korea. Attending this seminar has made me aware of the rich history of the Korean peninsula and how it is crucial to include the history and culture of this land into any study of East Asia. One lesson that I believe needs to be included into the history curriculum is the aftermath of the Korean War. Often this conflict is taught in isolation and the history of Korea after 1953 is absent from any discourse. After participating in this seminar I believe that the democratization of South Korea is an important lesson that can easily be incorporated into the curriculum. It would be very effective to use South Korean cinema that depict this time period.
Also, it is important to include the art and culture of Japan, China and South Korea. Western art has always been a subject that has been studied thoroughly even in American high schools, however Eastern art is seldom mentioned and usually reserved for upper level university courses. An introduction of art and culture of the different Asian societies within a history class would offer the students a more well-rounded study of East Asian civilization
edited by rstough on 9/16/2014
cgaoReflect on the seminar experience in a 250-500 word essay. Discuss how you intend to incorporate East Asia into your teaching. Possible topics you may wish to address include attitudes, approaches, and materials. Which issues or ideas raised in the seminar are of greatest relevance to your courses and your students? Your unit or essay will be shared with other teachers via the web.