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clay dubeDon't we already have enough to try to accomplish with our students? Why should we work to incorporate East Asia into our crowded curriculum?
AnonymousWhy study East Asia? I love to learn and I am interested in East Asian culture and philosphy--but mostly because I am out of my #@$%^ teacher's mind. According to Dr. Dupe the region is politically and socially complex and important to American interests. The region is believed to be the fastest growing economy in the world. Featuring Japan, China, India, and the Koreas fast rising military powers. China is investing in computer technologies and in the midst of positive change within the labor and capital markets. It is in the best interest of Americans to be connected with East Asia and its potential lucrative business ventures.
Frank 
AnonymousWhy bother with East Asia? Well, I believe we really can't get away without incorporating East Asia into our curriculum any longer, asides from the fact that a number of state standards do require teachers to teach certain aspects of the many East Asian civilizations of the past and present. I would say that especially for us in Southern California, learning about the many communities that are part of our society is a crucial part of our development as teachers. As we learn more about our students own history, we can have a better understanding of what is needed from us in order to make all of our students succeed inside and outside of the classroom. I seriously feel that I would better at what I do if I understand more about my students' culture.
AnonymousI am relieved to finally relieved to have a Vietnamese poem added to our core, 9th grade, English curriculum. We have one poem in 12th too. Sure we have enough core lit to teach but it is really narrow, mostly Eurocentric, Black/White American or Latino. When I geared the kids up for the poem I was shocked at how little they knew about the Vietnam war, communism, kids working in rice paddies & betel nuts. Fortunately, they could relate to the workers singing alternating songs, like U.S. slave experience, and the beauty of the land. When I watched another teacher present the poem with an unannotated delivery- without any prior background info or attention to beauty and related experience- the poem died a hard, boring death to the kids. This really sank in as a crucial step in good teaching. Don't just deliver it but expand student knowledge and their connections to it. interestingly, we connected it to the N vs S Korea situation. One of my students had recently traveled with a tour to N Korea. I was surpised that he was allowed to- I thought it was closed to tourists. He said the people were were starving and poverty stricken. Shops had items on display for people to stand around and admire, but not for sale. It was a nice dose of reality for the kids here who have so much and never get to travel and wouldn't dare read the paper or watch local/international news. Also, it brought references to the film "Team America-" most students' only knowledge of N Korea. Go figure. It's pretty cool to get kids thinking and expanding their horizons and I'd like to know plenty more!
Any recommended Asian poems re: death? Like to include some that present death as a beautiful, positive experience vs. Dickenson's fly buzz reality.
AnonymousI believe it is important to understand the cultural background of the students we work with. Being Hispanic, it is easy for me to relate to students who grew up in countries with similar customs to mine. Since I immigrated to the United States when I was 16 years old, I had already been exposed to educational systems that were different to the United States, and I think that is very helpful when I relate to some of my students' parents.
However, it is sometimes difficult to understand the Asian family structure. We are in Southern California and are surrounded by thousands of immigrants from that region of the world; yet we know so little of what shaped their culture.
This seminar should provide with an opportunity to understand their history and the philosophies that have shaped their past, present, and will affect their future. Our world is becoming more interconnected with other parts of the world, and after sitting down in our first meeting, I have learned to see that East Asian countries will definitely have a greater role and influence.
I sincerely hope the seminar, with its readings and discussions, will provide me with an opportunity to understand and become a more effective educator.
AnonymousI'm curious!
In today's global enconomy and global world at large the question should be: Why would teachers not teach about Asia?
I think teachers at large have not been trained and do not feel comfortable with this area of the world which has been called the Far East, making it sound almost like it is so far away and not like our own culture at all.
This is sad. Asia has the most population and in our global marketplace, this area of the world is becoming increasingly important, even dominant. So much politically goes on in this region and to be an educated adult who understands the news, teachers need to train their students to understand teh complexities of this historic area.
AnonymousI like how you put it, "Why would teachers not teach about Asia?" Asia's significance cannot be denied and unfortunately I agree with others who stated that many of us just don't know a lot about the subject of Asia, unless you took specific courses. Then there is the problem with not enough time to cover standards, testing, etc. They need to lengthen the school day, although I doubt that solution will happen. This seminar will allow us to tie in information and in doing so I believe it will not only help the minority of Asian students in my classes feel more accepted but hopefully broaden the minds of all students.
AnonymousI want to thank you for holding this seminar at such an opportune time. I started World War II and information Japan information we have covered so far I incorportated into my discussion. Additionally, that beautiful map was used in showing the students Indochina (Japanese aggression), many of them had never heard of Cambodia or Laos. Also it really hits them what a large area Asia is. This is something I would not have purchased on my own, I just would not have thought to before this seminar. It has been extremely useful so far and will during the rest of this semester.
AnonymousI have been teaching Modern Lit (grade 12) through the American perspective the past few years. I figured most of my students had little awareness of American literature, so this is a good place to start. As we go into war literature, I'm expanding the selections to include perspectives from non-Americans. I have included a portion of Hiroshima, and I have a poem by a Vietnamese woman who had to make a choice whether to leave her country or escape at the end of the war ("Deciding," Larsen & Tran Thi Nga).
As Keely said in her post, the students have very little knowledge of Vietnam, China, Japan... besides Manga and the cartoons. I will be looking for more literature to add to my core. If anyone has suggestions, or copies to share, I would be interested.
Courtney
AnonymousI recommend reading Richard Baum's speech before the Congressional Committee.
I have never read such a concise and comprehendable summary of the Chinese government policies before. I was thinking, as I read, that this was delivered to people in our government who make policies about how our nation deals with China. They probably know little more than I do about the situation, and yet they have to be sensitive to/aware of all these issues before they can suggest any path to follow. No wonder there are so many problems in communication between nations. I hope, as teachers, we can encourage young people to be knowledgeable before they make judgements, to be empathetic as they view other people. While it starts on the school campus, this sensitivity is important throughout their lives.
Back to Baum's presentation... As an American, I read it with an eye that is critical of their Lenin-based, paternalistic government. I am not accustomed to a nation ruled by a single, autocratic party. Even their own Party General Secretary Zhao Ziyang in 1987 proposed a number of changes in the government, but he was ousted and died dishonorably.
Baum pointed out that, while the central government is not changing much, the smaller communities have begun to make changes. They may elect their village leader (from a selection of Party members) and may oust leaders who are corrupt or ineffective. Baum believes that any change on the part of the central government will be very slow, and the U.S. would be best to be patient, persistent and flexible in dealing with the country.
The central party really doesn't have much incentive to change. The people in power -- now 4th generation people -- want to keep their power. The army reports to the party, so it is their responsibility to uphold the Communist Party's power. The Party Central Committee is above the law, so they can maintain their authority. The main adjustment the party has made in the last decade is that they opened their membership to the nouveau riche and the middle class. Therefore, those with money have an incentive to be part of the Party and they then have reason to uphold it.
Baum also pointed out that technology has had a great impact on the nation. In the large cities, the populace are very technologically savvy, and through their cell phones and internet, they are beginning to organize resistence. Plus, the government is providing information to the citizens through "e-government," so the populace doesn't feel quite so uninformed about the Party policies.
Finally, I have to consider, perhaps the Communist government is an effective government for China. Who says everyone has to be democratic? The government has unified the country, has established order, has kept the economy operating, it has made China a major power in the world.
Now that I have a more indepth and recent view of China's politics, I will be interested in reading other people's views and keeping an open mind... and yes, including these ideas in conversations I have with students.
http://www.international.ucla.edu/asia/article.asp?parentid=23145
AnonymousWhen I was a child I read quite a number of geography and history books on my own. Now I realize that I am still lacking some understanding of the cultures in the East Asian regions of the world. After attending a few of the meetings, I have come to the conclusion that in this day and age, it is important to become familiar how history has led to this point, and discussing the cultural, political, and historical trends in the present can only benefit me as a professional. Now when I teach a new literature text, I can offer more information on the background of the themes we discuss, and teaching history will become easier as I become more knowledgeable on the matter.
AnonymousWorking at Nightingale Middle School for the last 10 years has given me the opportunity to meet many people from countries I only dreamed of visiting when I was growing up. When I got my BCLAD certificate, I knew its emphasis was in Spanish, and something about it bothered me. I felt that it wasn't enough to deal with the myriad of populations in this county, city, or area that I was working. Our literature textbook exposes our student population to very cultures outside the Western part of the world. I am grateful I am part of this seminar (UTLA 2005) because I will be able to deliver to some of my students a little more information on their cultural backgrounds, and we might be able to share discoveries and analysis on an overlooked literary gem from Japanese or Chinese literature.
AnonymousBecause I want to!!
I find other cultures fascinating and East Asia is at the top of my list. My enthusiasm will bubble over to my students and they will become excited as well- I never want to settle for complacency regarding learning about other cultures. It is what makes the world so colorful-
AnonymousMy students very much enjoyed the japanese tea bowl ceremony we performed in class as they took great pride in creating their own unique tea bowls. I had a great time watching them work and experienced joy in seeing their excitement of learning about East Asia 
AnonymousYou know, there was an article in the New York Times regarding China saying to heck with the eye for eye currency deal. This is something I would definitely consider a reason to bother with East Asia. That a giant country with a giant populous and a giant growing economy deciding to float (or increase the value of against the US dollar) can affect life in the US is reason enough to pay attention. It would appear that the changing of the number doesn't really change what is happening regardless, and that is the growing economic strength of China.
I just checked an online currency exchanger and the dollar didn't seem to be too bad. 1 USD=8.10560 CNY
here is Japan: 1 USD=112.495 JPY
This seems odd to me-I thought that the asian currencies were stronger than the dollar. I this website fooling me or what? The USD/Euro conversion was 1:0.824910 making the Euro slightly stronger. I did notice the site had a toggle link thing that mentioned these are "mid-market rates"