Session 1 - March 17

[Morgan Burt]

Throughout the articles & video lectures there were many things that suprised me. Both about current day East Asian cultures and environmental conditions as well as historical accounts. In the first lecture, the geography of China and other areas of east Asia were address. When the United States map was compaired to China and the California map was compaired to Japan, I was throughly suprised. I had never seen them compaired in that way and I was taken back. I have always held that China was so much larger than the US. I enjoyed seeing the geographical diversity of many of the East Asian countries. 

In regards to water and the impact of the polution and access to water was also shocking to me. In the Scientific American article, it was metioned that North Korean agriculture is directly impacted, both by the cutting down of trees, crippling drough, loose soil, landslides, etc. (Chemnick, 2019). It was also stated that only 17% of the land is suitable for agriculture (Chemnick, 2019). Likewise, in China, 1/5th of the farmland is able to be used due to pollution (Levitt, 2015). In the lecture, the question was asked regarding how teachers may use water in East Asia in a lesson or class discussion. In my own classroom I feel that there a few ways to impliment a lesson or discussion - in a government course, living in California, water is a constant topic - both regarding the history of water in California and the current state. In additon, in my World History class, towards the end of the year we look at case studies of specific nations, China or Japan may be of use here. Lastly, regarding water, I found it very interesting that China must relocate water to various parts of the nation as we also must do right here in Califronia. Living in the Central Valley, having perioviously worked in Ag, and having many students whose parents are in the Agriculture business, I think that much of what was discussed in both the articles & lecture will be incredibly relatable to my students. 

 

[Jessica Del Cid]

It is very concerning to have read about Japan’s plan to create 22 new coal burning nuclear power plants, considering there is already a significant problem with global warming. Carbon dioxide is already being released in large amounts throughout the world, which is harming the environment. Creating nuclear power plants would only contribute more to the problem of global warming. Japan is already facing severe effects such as heat waves that are making it difficult for people to survive. Adding more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere is just going to endanger the lives of people, especially the residents who are nearby. It is unfair that the citizens are not being heard. Their safety is not being put first. Instead, the country is relying heavily on a power source they have been using for a long time. They do not want to give up something that they already know how to use even though it is causing harm. This is an issue that should be discussed, so people around the world become aware of the situation and the dangers it might cause.

 

It would be very interesting to discuss with students the issue of global warming and its effects around the world. I would use this article as an example of what harm nuclear power plants can cause. I would also have students explore alternative ways energy can be produced that could be more efficient and less harmful to the environment. Students could also research what other countries around the world are using as a source of energy.  Then they could compare the alternative ways and see which ones have worked the best. Using the data, they can come up with suggestions for Japan, so the country will not have to endanger the environment and the lives of their citizens.

[Sarah Evert]

The history and veneration of culture heroes in China is literally so deeply engrained in the culture, that it can be a challenge to draw comparisons in American history (although possible - the hero worship of American "founding fathers"), but especially in the overall sense of millenia compared to Americans whose nationalist/cultural heros date back only centuries. Exploring with students the "invention" vs. "reality" and how time makes these figures godlike and heroic when the reality is they too were humans and fallible. 

[Sarah Evert]

The comparisons regarding current household spending, climate and the shifts in the population (lower birth rates) are incredibly useful in the classroom setting and offer teachers and students a real time comparison with their East Asian contemporaries. The articles regarding the impact of pollution certainly correlate with the declining birth rates as well. American students are also pretty familiar with consistent immigration so lack of population growth typically is not of great concern here. Although xenophobia is present and recently on violent and negative upswing, lack of immigration to China and Japan as a population boost is also an important point to make with our students, who often do not realize that there are immigrants to many other countries, not just the United States. Also, it is eye-opening to realize for many that countries, like Japan have traditionally been ethnically homogenous so changing that cultural norm is also a great challenge.  

[Liana Reed]

First, I am extremely impressed with the incredible artwork of the Chinese dating back thousands of years. Aside from the astonishing detailed artifacts, the fact that so much of their work was so well preserved on bamboo in the absence of paper is amazing.  Also noteworthy in the video is how each of the dynasties began with good intentions yet the end of each dynasty was due to the leadership being morally depressed, corrupt, greedy or just incompetent really resonated with me.  It reminded me of where the United States government (politicians) has been accused of the same things many, many times since the inception of our country.  These are problems that have plagued too many countries throughout history.  Finally, I would love to participate in the Dragon boat races some day which are celebrated around the world!

 

[Tara Corral]

I think as a person, I find it very important to focus on creating a safe and healthy living style that can be passed down to later generations. I do my best to incorporate that mindset into my students as we work in visual arts and I talk about using as much of our resources as much as possible. We live in a city where we don't have to think about how we get the water we do, but i know its a problem in other parts of the country and the world. My way of incorporating that into the Visual Arts is by asking students to be less wasteful with the water they use during water colored paintings. Most of my students really get mad at me for that but hopefully they will see the importance of this later on. Beside that I would like to create some lessons of art that focus on the importance of water. I can do that by looking for artwork that is geared towards it or the importance water plays on the development of a city. 

[Melina Melgoza]

Question (17:05) Water is life and as a result water is power. In an increasingly capitalistic world—water has become even more politicized. Our Earth is at a tipping point—if human kind does not learn how to not be individualistic and selfish—harm will continue to be inflicted and basic human needs (such as water) will continue to become scarce and politicized.

 

I enjoyed learning through the videos and the materials provided this week. I think understanding supply and demand, resource scarcity, and historical oppression are key to engaging in critical dialogue in any Social Studies course. I teach Ethnic Studies (including AAPI) and a question I posed to myself was: How might I be able to embed some of this material in Ethnic Studies to help my class understand push-pull factors of people migrating to the United States? What groups are further marginalized through decisions made in stronger and larger nation-states? What are the impact of coal plants? Who makes the decisions to establish coal plants where they are established? More often than not, profit over people has been a common theme throughout history. How does capitalism drive some of what is happening/happened in Asia? Is there a solution to this? The article “Japan Races to Build New Coal-Burning Power Plants, Despite the Climate Risks,” really demonstrates how profit is put before people and how the effect that the coal plants will have on surrounding communities is not taken into account.

 

Part of Ethnic Studies is also understanding our own identity—understand historical and contemporary experiences of the world around us is a critical part of that. I also teach World History and U.S. History, and I had a thought that it might be interesting to understand access to clean water throughout history and the implications that had on the formation and development of societies.

 

Questions I want to pose: 

“At the expense of whom is a civilization great?”

“At the expense of whom does technology advance?”

“What is development and who decides that?”

 

After learning a little bit more about water conservation and allocation, I’d like to delve deeper into the concept of historically oppressive behavior—how were certain communities affected negatively by oppressive choices and further, how do we still see the remnants of that today? How do we continue to do that ourselves.”

 

[Daniella Leiato]

I was most intrigued by the four articles about global warming and climate change in Japan, North and South Korea, and China . While reading the article "Japan Races to Build New Coal-Burning Power Plants, Despite the Climate Risks," I was both shocked and disheartened to hear about the new coal plants being built in Japan. I was also surprised to learn about the deforestation happening in North Korea. 

As an English teacher, I think it would be interesting to have students read all four article and synthesize the information in a research-style project. Using these articles in a synthesis research project is a great way to tie contemporary enviornmental issues with the research and synthesis skills students need to develop in their English class. This type of project would lend itself well to be cross-curricular with an environmental science class. 

 

[Miguel Diaz]

According to the information presented in Video #1: “Geography and Demographics Basics,” usable/potable water is in short supply in supply in Japan, China, and the entire Korean peninsula. The problem of water in the far East is one that will fit nicely into my courses in southern California. While southern California does not suffer from land scarcity, the lack of freshwater has been a problem for Southern California for decades. I will teach my students, for example, that a large portion of our water in the Los Angeles area comes from elsewhere, such as Northern California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains, via the California aqueduct.  I would like to teach a lesson to my students which compares the California aqueduct system to the aqueduct that moves water from Southern to Northern China.

[Tara Corral]

I think this might be one of the more harder aspects to fit into my lessons or my curriculum. But i think it could be used to bridge our understanding, I think many of the benefits of having a healthy older generation comes with the knowledge and information they provide to our newer and younger students. For example there are a lot of things that you can learn from our elders such as traditions, history and family history, and tales and more. I think having that connection can provide so much information for our newest generation. We can use that information to help us learn about the past to considering a lot of history is an oral tradition. 

[Johnny Walker]

The content I teach for AP World History: Modern begins with the Song Dynasty and continues to the present day. While I was initially skeptical as to the value of reaching back before this time period, I really appreciated the parts of the lecture that focused on The Mandate of Heaven, discussions about evaluating what historic evidence constitutes a centralized state, and an examination of "The Five Classics." All directly relate to my content.

 

I think that a  discussion of The Five Classics in particular will give my students a greater chance to visualize the challenges of passing the later civil service exams, and an understanding of its content. Likewise, the reliance upon and veneration of these traditional texts can explain the inability of later Chinese Dynasties to reward innovative thinking or encourage scientific progress. Furthermore, I appreciate the discussion of communication technology, and how standardized writing as well as the invention of paper as an alternative to bamboo scroll technology was revolutionary. As Chinese students were encouraged to memorize the 5 Classics which encompass poetry, laws, songs and divinations, as well as famous discussions concerning these texts, I'm reminded of Jewish and Christian traditions that also encouraged memorization of texts but held under the imprimatur of being sacred. I'm curious about the differing concepts of secular and sacred in western and eastern thought. And, as Christianity challenged scientific progress during the Scientific Revolution, can we also make the same connection to the continuance of using rote memorization and a lack of observation and mathematics to China's lack of technological progress under later Administrations that rewarded loyalty, memorization and fealty to old ideas and systems over the skills of innovation, logic, reason and observation? There are discussions about the so-called "Great Divergence" between west and east that account for the supremacy of European powers in the 18th century. Does a reliance and veneration of these ancient texts in China relate to its relative lack of progress during that time period?

[Tara Corral]

The charts are incredible to compare specifically how Clayton referenced how the Education slice varied greatly from the countries like Japan to our own. I understand that our food and housing are very important and how much money goes towards each one are different but I believe as an Educator thats important to see the difference. I wonder how the chart will change with the way COVID 19 has changed and whether there will be a change moving forward. I thought it was interesting that food was so pricy in other countries, was that due to quality or lack there of becuase of fresh water. We could do a discussion and lesson on what food is there favorite and what can we not eat all the time due to its price and maybe draw our favorite plate of food. 

[Miguel Diaz]

According to the information presented in Video #1: “Geography and Demographics Basics,” North Korea, Japan, and China all are experiencing a growth in aging populations. The implications (related to caring for the elderly) for the East Asian societies are very similar to those which are being encountered by Western culture such as the United States. In the west, an aging population poses fiscal challenges for policymakers. And, it places challenges for young taxpayers. The challenges are a little bit different in Asia due to the cultural expectations which are placed on younger generations. In China, for example, the expectation that the young are supposed to care for the elderly is still prevalent. It is not uncommon for married couples to care for and live with their elderly parents. Oftentimes, at least one pair of grandparents lives with a married couple. While some of the older generations in China have access to retirement plans and healthcare, many don’t, so they need to rely on family for support. South Korea and Japan also have similar expectations of filial piety as does China. 

[Richard Cate]

It is a given fact that the Earth heals itself if given the opportunity. But, increasing population has ment that it no longer has that time. So if we are to maintain a global population of over 2.5 billion, a figure we exceeded in the 1950s, we will see an increase of enviromental damage that changes the world we know. The true problem is beyond understanding, the enviroment/world/universe is so comples and has so many interconnections that we will never control it. 

Ignoring this for centuries has created an economic dynamic that requires constant growth, that requires more bodies to keep the machine running. More to work, more to consume. As we need to work harder to prepare for modern jobs at ever increasing cost for that education, we delay having families and limit them due to the cost of raising them to the age they are productive. All this adds up to fewer people to opperate tha economice machine from workers to consumers.

Humans like the world we are in opperate in a system of checks and balances. It becomes a "Catch 22". There is a tipping point where the system cannot sustain itself. When governments see this they act like the reactionary group that they are. They find short term fixes, never trying to understand the entire problem just treat symptoms. War is often the solution that they come down to, fix your shortage by taking what somebody else has, and defer the problem down the road a few years. 

Reacting to the story of the lack of rural children and the massive growth. of urban population. If you look at one possible effect (I used to be military, so I think in terms of threat) South Korea has 90% of it's population in how many cities? 10 maybe. So a nuclear North Korea can fire 10 weapons, kill or injure the majority of the opponets population and leave the bulk of the country untouched. Few targets, easy victory. (Ignoring the possible response by the United Sttes or China).

If we were wise enough to have leaders that look at cause and effect and to soultions that are long term many of our troubles would never be noticed because we had kept them from happening. If only that was who we picked as leaders...

 

 

[Camie Fleet]

As I was reading on the decling populations in Rural Japan and South Korea many connections to the US came to mind. I think it is a very interesting concept to consider how sociatal pressures and career options play a huge role in the migration of generations throughout given areas. Throughout history we have seen the movement to cities and suburban areas fluctuate, but to see villages be "forgetten" is sad. 

In the reading about South Korea one part in particular stood out to me "Demographic problems are not just a rural school issue. Urban areas face them as well despite strong rural to urban migration. The younger generation is under great economic pressure when they move to the cities, where the cost of living is so much higher." 

As part of the milinnel generation, and currently in the process of selling my house and buying another one in hopes to be closer to work and the city, this seemed familiar.  Over and over again this is the same situation that many of my friends find ourselves, inclduing holding off on having children. In my own expereince of this and my understanding of how this is happening around the world, I did not think of the negative impacts that the movement towards cities had small communities and villages; so it was interesting to see that perspective and gain an overall better understanding of this issue. 

One consideration I had while reading was, what impact do our culutral norms around the career and familiy dynamics as well as unrealistic social media influences have on this movement to cities and the proitization of career first. As this is causing societal issues and the distruction of communties and villages how do we as a sociey make changes so that those areas become more desirable, and are not forgetten. 

As I teach world history, I am excited to now how resources from other countires and cultures to be able to deepen the conversation around the connection between social-economic status, migration based on economic needs and desires and the impacts this has on our society and communities. 

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