Introduction and Orientation (July 24)

[clay dube]

Great point about the 1928 election reading, with students who may be able to read in languages other than English, it can be interesting to have them bring in views from abroad. most of the time, the focus is naturally on what candidates say about country X. But perceptions of the spectacle of the election are quite interesting. Now it is easy to get English language articles from East Asia on American politics (all these places have one or more English language publications, TV broadcasts and ordinary people on social media). 

[clay dube]

As these countries become richer and college degrees become more common place, the value of vocational educaton may increase. In Taiwan, we have had great visits to vocational schools where tuition is the same as for universities. For some entrepreneurial types, there is great appeal.

Here is a US center looking at these trends:
https://ncee.org/what-we-do/center-on-international-education-benchmarking/top-performing-countries/taiwan-overview/taiwan-career-and-tech/

https://ncee.org/what-we-do/center-on-international-education-benchmarking/top-performing-countries/japan-overview/japan-school-to-work-transition/

https://ncee.org/china-vet/

 

[clay dube]

Many of those who visited the US in the 19th century were quite struck by changing gender roles and habits. You can see this in the writings of Fukuzawa Yukichi (ca. 1860 Japanese in the US and Europe) among others.

[clay dube]

Jonathan, issues of dress and diet are fascinating, especially on a tight budget. Supposedly, China had such a limited pool of foreign currency that even Deng Xiaoping's entourage  had to scramble when he came to speak at the UN in 1974.

[Tom Mueller]

Very good points.  Asia and the New World article would be great for my Intro to Geography class (taught as World Geography).  I was thinking of taking this article and creating an interactive map of the locations in this article.  Students could track the goods from their location as they were shipped.  I think it is important for students to not only understand this trade but the vastness of the trade.  Also good point about American artists copying styles.  I think it might also be a good discussion of cultural exchanges, etc. 

[Tom Mueller]

Excellent points. I was unaware of the Japanese diaspora in Peru and I think my students would also be surprised.  Food is so universal and I think helps students understand cultural exchanges.  This article is a perfect example of relocation diffusion - the spread of culture by the movement of people. I use religion a lot as an example, but I think using food might be nice change.  I also thought it was interesting about the topic of fusion. ‘Oh, it’s a fusion,’” she laments. “It’s not a fusion. The Japanese families that went to Peru centuries ago, the people born there—they consider themselves Peruvian.”  I think I could have a discussion with my students on this topic of fusion. 

 

[Tom Mueller]

I also was fascinated by this article.  Thank you for some of your suggestions on discussion including having students discuss values, studying abroad, and social life differences, etc.  When Bao discussed not going to dinner, I thought of my days as a graduate student and my friends who had real jobs asking me to go to dinner.  (It was like the classic - I think it was Friends) After examining the menu, the waiter asked me what I wanted and I said I will have the side salad and water…LOL.  I was thinking of asking students to write down their expenses over a month (they would not share it with classmates).  Then I would have them read this article and ask them to write a reflective essay.

 

[Megan Hsiao]

Hi, Cheryl, 

Great points! These are all hot topics that we could futher study with our students. Thank you! 

 

[Megan Hsiao]

Tom and Cheryl, 

Thanks for your responses and thoughts! I have exactly the similar experiences with Tom regarding feeling awkward while socializing under budget. The years at graduate school were financially tight for me and my husband, so I can totally relate to Bao's story. Even today, when hanging out with my co-workers, I can still feel the cultural difference due to being used to saving money than spending it. I am not sure how high schoolers can appreciate this experience, but this article is worth their reading and contemplating. 

[Joseph Kenney]

hu, thank you for the source material.  i'm reading george bao's writings.  i willl incorporate the info into my unit on extreme poverty in a global context.  we have chinese students/teachers/guides visit duarte hs for the past 3 yrs.  usually, i'm frequently asked about my salary/benefits.  when i told them my info & that my salary/benefits was public record, the typicaol reaction was shock/amazement.  they were always reluctant to compair.  now i know why.

[Alma Ochoa]

If one is brought up with certain customs such as women being expected to be submissive to men or where women are not allowed to be very independent or women are not free to voice their views and or feel as if they are being held back and or ignored and then move to a country where they were treated and can do the opposite it is not difficult to understand why marriages would not hold up after Reading chapter 6, "Some marriages hold together, Many fall apart" from Chinese Students Encounter America by Qian Ning.  However, in all fairness I think that all marriages face issues when moving to a different country whether at the same time together or separately and then reuniting in a new country.  Marriage is not easy by any means.  It takes constant work.  Difficulties whether they be financial, familial, environmental or work related they all take a toll on any marriage.  People are constantly changing and evolving due to their daily interactions with the world.  With that said it really is up to the couple to decide whether they are willing to work together to make a marriage work and form a family.  If a person believes love is all you need, I’m sorry to tell you that you will not have a successful marriage.  According to the online noun definition of ‘love’ it means ‘an intense feeling of deep affection’ and the verb definition of it is to ‘feel a deep romantic or sexual attachment to (someone).’  Having been married for over 25 years I can tell you that feelings constantly changing often by the minute.  A successful marriage takes work by both involved and it takes a daily choice and commitment to make the relationship work.

 

However, in response to the questions posed, from the reading it appears that women coming from China were much more successful in adjusting to American culture.  After coming the U.S.  they seem to have more freedom and independence then they did in China.  However, the opportunities for Chinese males was not the same.  During that time period jobs that Chinese men wanted were not readily available and they seem to have a problem working in the service industry and preferred to be supported by a women than to accept a job that in my opinion seemed below them.  

 

As far as being able to obtain a marriage green card that was an equal opportunity for both Chinese men and women.  It was more of a business transaction that either could actually take out an ad for.  In my opinion I believe this still occurs not only in the Chinese culture but true of other nationalities.  I’ve often heard of mail order brides and such and I actually know of a former employer to have done this. Although this is something I find foreign I can understand and see many reasons as to why people would choose to do this.  The good thing about this is that both parties involved know the exact terms of their agreement.       

[Alma Ochoa]

Alexis, I think it’s a great idea to ask students "What's a motivation to cross boundaries?"  I think it’s important to get them to think about why people move as well as help them to think about the opportunities that are out there.  In the community where I teach many of them have never traveled outside the boundaries of their city whether they were born there or after moving there.  As a math teacher I would like to pose this same question to my high school students and ask them how many of them where born there, how many of then moved there and possibly have them do a poll of students with in the school asking the same and then asking them to take a poll on some of the reasons why people crossed boundaries and moved.  Then have them put that data into different types of graphs and see what the top reasons people move are.  

[Alma Ochoa]

Rebecca, I definitely agree with you that food is something that everyone can come together over to discuss. It would be interesting for students to discuss about some of their favorite treats and see where they think they originate from and then have them do research to see if they are actually correct because I can tell you I was pleasently surprised to learn that Chamoy has Chinese roots.   

[Jessica Ng]

Excuse the Hallmark moment. Stories like those of Jasmine Tang, the mariachi singer from China, are important for students to know about. Much progress has been made to break stereotypes, but a lot of forces like family and peer pressure can still make young people feel limited in what they think they can and cannot do. While they didn't try to stop me, my family did question my decision to major in Italian and musicology. They thought I was even more nuts when I joined a Bulgarian choir (15 years later, I still practice Balkan music but with a different ensemble). These boundary crossings led to invaluable opportunities, experiences, and relationships. We are so much richer when we go beyond what is familiar.

[Jiaxing Weng-Zhang]

Like your idea of sharing this video with the students at the beginning of the school year.  I teach Chinese to high school students.  This will also show them that songs are a great way to learn a language.

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