Session #1 - February 2

[Derek Coveart]

Thank you for the response. Maybe it would be safe to say that terms such as "socialism" and "communism" are still utilized by the Party today but the definitions of these terms have morphed somewhat

[Ray Clark]

Unlike most  of the people here, I got a lot of new information from the lectures and readings.  Even some of the simple things such as how little of Western China is really habitable, even the fact that the Three Gorges Dam may have triggered (or at least contributed to) that devasting quake was all information that I had either not thought about or had not heard before.

Likewise, while I know that many dialects of Chinese, for example Mandarin & Cantonese are not mutually intelligible , I was shocked to find out that the dialect of Mandarin spoken in huge cities like Beijing & Shanghai might not be mutually understood.  My sense was always that Putonghua was almost an articially standardized form of Chinese (from the Bejing dialect?) that was supposed to be spoken by everyone, and that this was the lingua franca of the educated population.  

Finally, I think I could easily hook my students with some of the information shown, such as the relative amounts that we spend here as opposed to the average in China, and I could further expand it by having them find out the information locally, since even in California, some of those amounts vary by where one lives, and at the moment, I actually have students living in different states and countries.

[Allison Murphy]

Nothing really suprised me, except maybe seeing the U.S. map superimposed onto the map of China. That's always interesting to see. I teach about the beginning of the CCP, but I really liked the evolution of the pictures on Chinese currency. I'd use those images and discuss what the priorities of the country were based off of the money at that time. I would also bring more current information about Ping to our discussions. 

 

I would also use the propaganda posters of China and compare them to early USSR propaganda and current Chinese propaganda. I had no idea about the Hukou system. I would definitely teach my students about that and possibly discuss what we do similarly here in the U.S. 

 

[Jonathon Allen]

I am grateful for the assigned readings and the two video-recorded lectures for several reasons:

1) I appreciate the maps and images and can imagine using a few of them to better instruct my students about the role of China within East Asia.  Of particular note, the image with the diagonal line dividing China ("9/10 Chinese live east of the yellow line" where the majority of those that live west of it are the "minorities") and the evolution of Chinese currency (from ordinary Chinese folk to the "holy trinity" to the leaders and finally to just Mao) will be valuable in my lessons.  The graphic of the shadow of China superimposed on the continental USA was very informative, as well, and is not something I've seen before or thought of using in class.

2) As I teach at a girls school here in Los Angeles, underscoring the role of women in our history classes becomes that much more significant.  Looking at the ramifications of the One Child Policy, the population pyramid in 2016, and how Liu Shaoqi (channeling Friedrich Engels) suggested that women were kept out of social production due to private property are all aspects that I'd be interested in highlighting in my future lessons on the history of China.

3) I was surprised to find out that the Hukou system was a thing before 1949!  Though it became a mechanized form of control under the CCP, I was still staggered to see the image of a Hukou card pre-1949.  Understanding its evolution is fascinating and will be a point of interest for the students in our Honors Modern World History class, where we spend 2.5 months on 20th-century China, alone.  In my AP World History class, we are covering the "Century of Humiliation" this week, in fact, so the information and images on how the CCP beleived they put an end to that national tragedy in 1949 but feel the need for a more complete rejuvenation will help bridge the past and the present for the students.

[Jonathan Alami]

• I was surprised by the images of pollution pouring into the Bohai Sea from the Yellow River and the NASA images of re-engineered land. I think these would be excellent tools to help students visualize how people have an impact on their environment. 

 

• A key point I would incorporate into my lesson is the Belt and Road Initiative of Xi Jinping. We cover the Silk Road when studying China in the middle ages and the role it played in facilitating the spread of new ideas and inventions. A case study we examine of cross cultural interaction via the Silk Road is the visit of Marco Polo to the court of Kublai Khan. 

 

• It would be a great tool for discussion to examine China’s efforts to revitalize the Silk Road and to predict what some possible effects of this effort would be. I would want students to understand that historical themes such as the exchange of ideas through trade are playing out in our world as much as they did in the distant past. 

 

[Tara Ann Carter]

 

A key point I am always attempting to drive home to students in the size and density of Chinese populations. I found the land mass comparison map quite useful. Clay draws out good points about habitability of the Chinese landmass in comparison to our own that was also a useful reminder as we embark upon this course.

 

Additionally, it does seems to be a continued misconception that the one-child policy enforced, by students and colleagues alike! In addition to the video lecture and some of the shorter articles, I think a pairing with Lihong Shi's "Choosing Daughters" - an accesible case study of a village in rural China, and an NCTA coordinating site book club selection to boot. (Link to book).

 

Another text that might be a useful comparison is Factory Girls by Leslie T. Chang. (Link to book). While Chang's book focuses on rural to urban migration, the discussion of economics and career is never far from family planning. In either instance, adding the resources provided here would extend further context to the excerpts from these texts that are used in my Literature course. 

 

[Xiaozhen Li]

There is Ameican dream in the U.S. There is Chinese dream in China since 2012.. I showed the 3 episodes of Time of Xi to the level 3 and 4 students in my Mandarin class. My students were very suprise to see how the communist part is now. 

China is open 2 children policy to all Chinese people now. However, many young couples don't want to have a second child due to the pressure of the economy, education, housing, etc.  

I will show my students the comparison of the geography and demography of China and the United States so that students can easier to understand. 

Time of Xi:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQf6iz6d7To&list=PLPSJr6SQxFMAmgTku4sq6uND6q1OiyLGu

[Hector Alejandro]

I have a particular interest in presenting the "other's" point-of-view, including the government and common person's perspective.  For example, because of official media control to what extent is the average person's views the same as the government's about Hong Kong, the Uighurs, democracy in China in general, etc.  Do most Chinese see the Hong Kong protestors as "terrorists"?  Do they even know what is happening to the Uighurs?  What is the government's and common person's concept of democracy; do they feel they have democracy or do they feel that democracy is not a priority compared to prosperity, safety and the like.

[clay dube]

Yes, Derek, the party-state likes to emphasize the "socialism with Chinese characteristics". The party has emphasized focusing on leading productive forces rather than the vanguard of the proletariat.

[clay dube]

It's pretty easy to bring the government's views to students, Hector. Xiaozhen's suggested one set of videos on China in the Time of Xi. Those reflect the emphasis on Xi's leadership. The views of ordinary people require more digging, since dissenting views can be dangerous to express. Glad to see the suggestions for readings offering views of women and men. Factory girls is great, especially in giving us a sense of the experience of migrants.  We're a week from lunar new year, the film Last Train Home is great for the challenges facing migrants. It, is a decade old, but extremely powerful. Last Train Home is on Kanopy, Pluto and a few other free services. https://www.kanopy.com/product/last-train-home
China in the Time of Xi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrV5GpogjDg

[Gisela Gaona]

Hi Kimberly,

I couldn't agree with you anymore. In my cluster of social studies teachers many of us focus on the differences between traditional fascism and it's morphed friend Nazism. It would be worth to do the same with traditional communism and Bolshevism and Maoism. Going back to geography, I've experienced that students many times forget that Russia and China are next door neighbors and that they both subscribe to a form of communism. Although it is important to teach students about the differences that separate Maoism and Bolshevism.

[Johnny Walker]

Thank you so much for these resources! I was absolutely fascinated and inspired to read Song and Bugard's article that gave a direct relationship between a mother's education level and decreased infant mortality. I was aware previously that increases in women's education resulted in less births over a lifetime. But, I had assumed that reduced infant mortality of educated women was related primarily to an increased economic status that resulted in greater access to health care. While the Song and Bugard somewhat confirms that assumption, they also specifically argue that the reasoning was that "educated mothers more actively sought prenatal care and professional delivery assistance". With greater education, women have a greater awareness of available technology, the confidence to advocate for themselves, access to institutional resources, and presumably, better decision-making skills. As a feminist and active participant in the public education system (as a teacher and parent), I am inspired to see how the intersection of feminism and public education result in a rising tide in public health.

However, as Song and Bugard also argue, the role of the state in the one-child policy that imposed reproductive health decision-making on women also occurred simultaneously. And, the resultant decision-making skills of women required even greater expertise and care when the state's role in family planning superceded that of an individual woman. In addition, the amount of under-reported mortality figures as a result of this system makes it difficult to analyze the child mortality statistics. A significant chunk of the article is dedicated to explaining the reasoning and methodology through various statistical models. The difficultity of a social scientist to suss out relationships of cause and effect using data is quite demanding and is also subject to many factors that diminish the certainty of conclusions. I'm curious in exploring the intersection of mathematics/statistical analysis to historical study and engaging my students simultaneously in math and history. Whether it would be assigning articles like these for them to read where they would become aware of the many skills needed to engage in complex historical analysis or designing an interdisciplinary lessons or units based around math, I really appreciate the reflection this article has inspired. Thank you!

[Johnny Walker]

Jonathon, as a first-year AP World History teacher, I'm finding that it is a struggle to cover the vast breadth of content in the curriculum (even though it has been trimmed considerably in the last couple of years). I'm planning to incorporate the skill of "continuiity and change" throughout our final semester as a tool to both review and continue to incorporate new material. I am planning on adapting the 2014 DBQ, "Analyze the relationship between Chinese peasants and the Chinese Communist Party (1920-1950)" to bridge the gap between the struggle against imperialism, WW2 and the Revolution. Here's a PDF of the original document in case you haven't seen it. I'm planning on using it to write my lesson plan for this course.

That's also wonderful that you spend 2.5 months on modern China in your World History class! Until a couple years ago, I was restricted to CA State History Standards, but now have carte-blanche to branch out and de-westernize my curriculum. I'm curious how you determine what topics to explore in your Honors class, and how much of that relates to scaffolding to prepare those students to succeed the following year in your AP World class. Thanks!

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[Jonathan Alami]

Jeanine, I agree that the map comparing the size and location within the Northern Hemisphere of China and the United States is incredibly useful. I will definitely use this map with my students to give them a sense of the geography of China. It is really interesting to note that while both the United States and China are roughly the same size, only about half of the land area of China is habitable due to the large Gobi Desert in the west and the Himalayas in the southwest. I think that emphasizing this point to students would lead to some excellent discussions about landforms and land use. It is amazing that China has about 4 times as many people than the United States living within a much smaller area. That is truly a testament to the need and ability of China over the course of history to manage its natural resources of land and water to support the world’s largest population. 

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