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Home › Forums › Core Seminars › East Asia Origins to 1800, Spring 2023 › Session 1 (February 6) - Orientation, Geography and Demography Basics
Yao Jin.
Crystal Hsia
Manuel BuenaventuraFor starters, I must say that I truly enjoyed Video #2. As a history buff, major, teacher, enthusiast, etc., nothing excites me more than feeding my brain with more history. Some topics that caught my attention the most were the buildings of the (multiple) walls, the Zhou Dynasty takeover and the influence of Qu Yuen on tongze and dragonboat racing.
Regarding the other resources, it was quite interesting to process all of the information and analyze how everything makes sense. In Video #1, there are pie charts the breaks down the different financial expenditures of China, Japan, and South Korea. I am able to attest to these charts in an observance of how some of my peers (whose parents immigrated from these countries) more-or-less still exhibit a similar spending pattern.
What also made sense in my self-reflective analysis was the declining world population. There is no arguing (in my opinion of course) that the 'baby boom' was a global phenomenon -- so there is zero question as to why the global population of 60+ year olds are greater in number that those younger. However, being 30 years old and born/living in the time that I was/am I can acknowledge that life is nowhere near affordable. Too often do I observe people who are "chasing their dreams" of buying a house, getting married and starting a family. All of this costs money and takes plenty of time to save. Unfornately, there are instances when everything is all said and done, and the money is to be had, one's biological clock along with father time taken over life. The point that I am trying to make is that society, especially my generation, is too preoccupied with surviving as it is to even consider affording to raise a child -- let alone multiple. So I am not surprised that this same sentiment is felt on a global scale.
Sarah ShefferdAs someone who knows very little about the history of this region, I found these lectures and readings fascinating, and I think some topics could be easily translated into lessons in a secondary Language Arts classroom.
For a middle school class, it would be a lot of fun to do a few lessons on the topic of "culture heroes" and the contrast between some of the figures in East Asian cultures with typical American mythological figures, which are often portrayed as figures having brute strength or "iron will" in the times of hardship or war (Johnny Appleseed, John Henry, etc.). Of course, there is the classic compare/contrast essay students learn that could definitely be utilized here, but I also love adding a more visual component, and I find that students do, as well. StoryboardThat (a graphic organizing platform) was a hit with my middle schoolers in the U.S., and encouraging students to use such a medium would be a great way for them to fully evoke some of these myths while also incorporating technological skills into a lesson. This would also be a great opportunity for collaboration with an instructor in the history department, so students could consider how the history and time periods in which these heroes were created played a role in their development and legacies.
The topic of resource scarcity would be a great way to introduce the elements of classical rhetoric into a secondary unit. Here in the MENA region, access to clean water isn't as much of an issue as severe draughts, which causes food shortages and drives up prices for low-income people. (When I first moved to Morocco, I was quite shocked, as someone from Oklahoma who sees healthy, well-fed cattle on a regular basis, to see many animals malnourished and even starving because of little access to proper feed.) Resource scarcity and possible solutions would be a great starting topic for students to take a point of view and construct an argument in an argumentative or persuasive essay. This could be done in writing, speech, or even with visuals and imagery. Finally, the possibilities for research projects abound with discussions of resource scarcity in different parts of the world, such as East Asia -- how and why a scarcity came to exist and what possible innovative solutions a given society is has come up with to deal with such crises.
Overall, I found a lot of these discussions useful, and will almost definitely be incorporating these topics into future lessons.
Jeric Pediglorio
Denis VovchenkoClay mentioned that huge water scarcity in China led to a gigantic engineering project to bring water from south to north. Those efforts will not be enough if industrial water pollution continues at the same rate. From Levitt’s article on Ma Jun it seems that there is little progress in the reduction of waste dumped into China’s rivers, right?
That Guardian piece was published in 2015 so one would expect that things are less bleak now.
There may be a bias on the part of the author – he wrote off the government efforts and pinned all hope on the common citizens and the multinational corporations. While large-scale corruption complicates the enforcement of green initiatives, Beijing does deserve a credit on that front.
Correct me if I am wrong but already by 2015 China produced more solar panels and wind turbines than anyone else making that technology much more affordable. China had long beat USA and France in the number of new nuclear power plants constructed every year domestically and internationally (and is second only to Russia in that market niche). Another energy success was to build in many countries in Africa and Asia coal power plants using Chinese coal. That way Chinese miners are staying busy as China is replacing coal with natural gas and renewables (Carolyn Kissane published a couple of good articles about China’s green turn in 2021 and 2022). In contrast, a similar policy of financing coal plant construction overseas did not enable Japan to reduce its dependence on coal (according to Tabuchi 2020).
Denis VovchenkoExtra teaching resources:
I was going this teaching resource that I used in many online discussions to help students visualize the readings. It is a good documentary on China’s environmental catastrophe in the early 2000s
clay dubeHi Folks,
For a long time, our lunar new year stamp collection has proved popular. Please take a look at this year's at: https://china.usc.edu/happy-year-rabbit-%E7%A5%9D%E6%82%A8%E5%85%94%E5%B9%B4%E6%84%89%E5%BF%AB%EF%BC%81. Which rabbit stamp (or cat stamp, if you're following the Vietnamese) do you like? Why?
Could you use these stamps with your own students? How?
Mishna Erana HernandezAs someone who is a geography and environment enthusiast, teacher, and learner, I had a strong response to the first video. It was illuminating to see images of the fallout from the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, given that so many factors went into the amount of damage that occured and few lives lost (plate tectonics, topography, engineering, policy, etc.). It's also great to see the comparisons of different countries to the United States, because it does drive home to how one country could contain a variety of climate zones and biomes. One thing that I was particularly curious about what the fact that South Korea is particularly fertile, and it makes me want to learn more about which soil order(s) are predominant in different parts of the country and how these do with the lack of freshwater use, despite the heavy rain and availability of it. California right now is dealing with a similar paradox in that we experienced consistent and heavy rainfall over a long period of time, yet our soil just wasn't prepared to absorb it and most ran off into the ocean.
It's interesting, and slightly concerning, to learn that Japan has been heavily investing in coal burning power plants and efforts are ramping up as a result of the loss of Fukushima. I understand the need for power for this industrialized nation, yet as a climate scientist, I can't help but wonder if this wasn't the blank slate needed to invest in renewable sources of power. It's equally devastating to read about North Korea's deforestation of their natural forests, given that they typically provide home to a vast biodiverse population. From a soil perspective, the lack of roots and vegetation to keep soil in place, the runoff and subsequent loss of nutrients probably doesn't help with the food scarcity that the North Korean population faces.
On a completely different note, the notion of culture heroes was very interesting. The purpose of such heroes could vary. For China, perhaps it was helpful to create unity and pride among what may have included various factions living within the same geographic area. If we had these in the United States, I don't know that it would be easy to create these figures, given that our country is all made up of various ethnic and racial groups. China is currently facing a demographics turning point, in that their fertility rate is declining despite the overturn of the one child policy. I didn't know that China's population is about to be surpassed by India's, and this is poised to create various issues for China, including supporting an aging population and workforce. The are problems that many early industrialized nations are dealing with, and now China has joined the club. South Korea and Japan, largely due to its reluctance to open its doors to immigrants, are also beginning to feel the hit from an aging population. Particularly at risk at rural villages, which raises a question of equity, and I wonder if the governments in these nations are going to address the inequities in future proposals to combat the impacts of industrialized population decline. So far, "womenotics" and robot use seems to mainly address the needs of the larger cities, leaving behind the most affected areas.
Terri VestHow might consideration of resource scarcity and utilization fit into your courses? In today's world of climate change and global shifts in weather and natural resources, this is an important topic. Although in my area, access to clean water is not yet a challenge, we are close to large urban areas of the Northeast US. As the population density in those areas increases, the demand for water will begin to impact us at the source. I'd like my students to do some studies and project water use in the larger area for 50 years. I can use water as a platform for discussions about general resource use and sharing.
Who is responsible for managing water? Personally, I feel this is a government function. Government should be structured to provide opportunities and social balance that may be otherwise impacted by money. People with money shouldn't have all the water, which is what unfortunately happens without some kind of imposed rules of water use and distribution. Once example in this country are the issues forming around the diminished resources of the Colorado River. Should Colorado give its water to Las Vegas as it has in the past? When the resources become scarce as they are in much of Asia, access and fairness become very important.
Median age: This slide was particularly interesting to me. I think the most interesting aspect of this slide is "Why?" Why is the median age of Africa so low comparatively? I would speculate that it's about lifespan, but it would be an great research project for my students to look at the causes. That could then morph into examining the possible future consequences of that age gap.
Culture heroes: In the presentation, only a single female figure is presented. That would be common in western, patriarchal-oriented culture. Is the same true of eastern culture, or is there really more balance between genders? Is this representation reflecting our culture or the culture we're studying? Just wondered. Does anyone know?
Pooja GuptaI am amazed to learn that the unique geography of Japan, China, and Korea played such a crucial role in shaping the development of their cultures, economies, and politics in ancient times. It was very informative to see how their current declining populations are presenting both challenges and opportunities for these countries. As I read the articles, I found it quite fascinating to see the different ways that countries are dealing with declining populations. The village of Nagoro in Japan and their response to declining populations due to aging and migration was that the residents have created dolls that resemble former residents and placed them throughout the village, which is a unique way to preserve memories. In South Korea, the podulation declined in rural aread is due to migration to cities and a declining birth rate. Finally, China also faces challenges due to declining populations, including a shrinking workforce, increased healthcare costs, and economic uncertainty. At the same time, declining populations present opportunities for economic growth. However, China must also address the environmental concerns caused by its increasing use of coal-burning power plants to ensure a sustainable future. Asian countries are grappling with the complex issue of balancing energy needs with environmental concerns. Japan is facing criticism for its plans to build new coal-burning power plants despite the risks to the environment. In contrast, South Korea has taken a step towards reducing pollution by shutting down a quarter of its coal-fired plants over winter. Meanwhile, North Korea is facing an environmental crisis due to widespread deforestation. Finally, China is at a "tipping point" as it tries to address the environmental impact of its rapid industrialization while also dealing with declining populations. It was very informative to see how their current declining populations are presenting both challenges and opportunities for these countries. I am wondering why more focus isn't placed on finding sustainable solutions to address these declining populations.
Isaac EsquivelIn response to the usage of resource usage and utilization fitting into the classroom conversation, this topic transfers extremely well into the science and social studies programs in the 2nd and 3rd grades. In science, we studied the flow of rivers as they opened up to the oceans. We created models of mountains and simulated the flow of rivers "downstream." Currently, teaching 3rd grade, we are exploring the different regions in California, and how each of these regions has their own resources.
Similar to how Southern China's water is sent to the arid Northern regions, parallels can be drawn with the development of Los Angeles in the 1900's with the project headed by William Mulholland, which took water 230 miles up north from the Owens Valley dow south to the San Fernando Valley with the building of the Los Angeles Aqueduct.
Yao JinI like traditional Chinese paper cut rabbit stamps because they are a beautiful and unique way to express one of the Chinese art. Usually, the artworks are made of red paper, as red is associated with festivities and luck in Chinese culture, so they are a great way to explore Chinese culture and can be used to teach students about the history and symbolism associated with the zodiac. These stamps can be used with students in a variety of ways. For example, I can let students to decorate cards or other artwork, or make a stamp collection, or to make a unique stamp design, many fun ways to learn about Chinese culture from stamps. No matter how they are used, these stamps are a great way to bring Chinese culture into the classroom.
