[Aileen Level]

I have applied for this grant multiple times and received it each time. There's some paperwork and record keeping involved, but it's a straightforward application. They give out hundreds of grants, and it appears that they give it to pretty much everyone who submits a complete application on time. The only complication is that you have to physically appear in Azusa for the award ceremony. Over time, these grants really add up and can have a major impact on a school's history/social studies curriculum. I highly recommend it.

[Aileen Level]

Our seminar on East Asian visual culture covered a number of ideas that I hope to incorporate into my teaching. Since we focused on post-1900 culture, most of these points will be connecting our 6^th and 7^th grade studies to the present day. There is also always a possibility of teaching a different course in my future, so I plan to learn more about more of the contemporary issues that potential future classes could include as well.

In middle school, our examination of Asia primarily includes China and Japan. As we study China, it is important to connect to the story of Chinese immigration to the US – incorporating both opportunities and challenges. Prior to the seminar, I had not visited the Chinese American Museum and was not clear as to where it was located. Seeing that the original Chinatown was at the heart of the old city deepened my understanding of Los Angeles’ history. The museum thoughtfully bridges both the old and new stories of Chinese-American Angelenos, and I would like to bring students there if possible. Given its proximity to both Olvera Street and Little Tokyo, the general area could be the site of a day of immersive learning for my classes. The complication at my current school is that dietary restrictions mean my students could not partake in any of the cuisine, which can make long field trips logistically challenging. I also intend to expand my coverage of the Cultural Revolution.

In our study of Japan, I plan to deepen our understanding of the cultural resonance of the Tale of Genji. The manga and film versions can give the students a more vivid insight into this story, its history, and its ongoing relevance today. While I found the postcard and art nouveau lectures fascinating, I have not yet fully fleshed out how I could incorporate those ideas into my current courses.

One of the major through lines of the middle school curriculum is China’s influence on its neighbors, so we also touch briefly on Korea. As such, I hope to share with my students the story of the development of Hangul and the legacy of King Sejong the Great – reflecting on the neighboring countries as more than passive recipients of Chinese culture.

With regard to all of the Asian cultures we examine, I intend to incorporate more modern music. It was fascinating to learn more about pop music and to see the videos we watched. I also plan to discuss the growing influence of the Chinese film industry by showing clips when possible. These windows into present-day society can help students to see history as more than “old dead stuff.” Regular links to today make the classes more interesting to students who live in a digital world.

Given that my prior experiences with the US-China Institute were life-changing (I was fortunate enough to travel to China and Taiwan with Dr. Dube and a fabulous group of teachers), I had high expectations for the summer seminar. Immersing myself in learning from experts refreshed me and left me excited for the new year. More than anything else, I hope my students will come to share my love of learning and will be excited to explore the world.

[Aileen Level]

It's interesting that Christine Sterling's plan seems to have more or less worked with Olvera Street (evolving from stereotypes presented for white audiences to something with more of a genuine connection to the community, if I understand correctly) but not with China City. Would it have changed and grown, too, if it hadn't burned in 1949? I'd also like to learn more about Sterling and her activities in Los Angeles in general. How were these "ethnic towns" viewed at the time? (Presumably not as the stereotypes her vision now seems to embody, but it would be interesting to learn more about their history.)

[Aileen Level]

I knew that Chinatown had been razed/moved, but for some reason I'd thought it had more to do with the construction of the freeways than with the train station. Now that I've been to the Chinese American Museum and have seen first-hand its location and proximity to Union Station, I'll be able to remember the history more clearly. I also hadn't realized it was adjacent to Olvera Street, though I know that Olvera Street itself didn't look like it does now when the old Chinatown was there. 

The trip made me think of Lisa See's multi-generational family biography, "On Gold Mountain." She details the history of her family, from emigration from China to the present day, and talks a lot about her family's experiences in Chinatown. It was particularly interesting to read about how her ancestors worked around racist laws by trading for land they couldn't legally buy and by getting married in Mexico when interracial marriages couldn't be performed here. 

Archaeology is part of my curriculum, and I would like to add more information about the Chinese cemetery that was discovered during MTA construction a few years ago. That would bring the idea of archaeology closer to home and would also link to both current events and California history. 
If anyone is interested, here is an article about the discovery and reburial of the remains:
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/mar/09/local/la-me-chinese-burial9-2010mar09

[Aileen Level]

Chiming in here with thoughts about the video. A few people also pointed out at the museum that the video only focused on South Korea. It came off as a PR promotional piece rather than a historical documentary, but that's not surprising under the circumstances. I agree with Zoey that it could be useful to incorporate it and talk about point of view, possibly in connection with a different video piece. Does anyone have any suggestions for other Korean culture/history videos that could be used in connection or in contrast?
 

[Aileen Level]

I'm in the middle row on the left, wearing sunglasses and immediately below the red ball that the green elephant is kicking. 

I had been to the Korean Cultural Center in the past for a week-long seminar about Korean history and culture. It was an incredible program covering topics from taekwondo and drumming to modern shipping companies and the development of the written language. It was helpful to have a refresher on Korean culture since I haven't been teaching Korea over the past few years and had forgotten some of the information we learned. 

I particularly enjoyed having the opportunity to explore both the museum and the modern culture center. With the current popularity of Korean pop music, there is a natural entry point for our students to learn about Korean culture.

It would have been interesting to see links between the old and new. Are there music videos anyone can suggest in which the Kpop stars appear at historic sites, in traditional Korean dress, or doing traditional Korean cultural activities?

My curriculum looks at the history of writing in the Middle East, Egypt, and China, so it seems like I could find a place to link to the history of the Korean writing system as well. 

[Aileen Level]

I've been particularly intrigued by images from propaganda. Since we had technical difficulties during the presentation, I looked up the rap video online and ended up finding a number of related pro-China raps. One in particular talks agressively about the South China Sea and includes the types of images of fighter pilots and aircraft carriers that came up in our discussion of soft power today. I found myself thinking about American equivalents and wonder if someone like Toby Keith (and other aspects of country music) might be our closest equivalents.   

Maybe some of these videos could be useful in connecting China's ancient/medieval history to today & also in answering the "why does this stuff matter?" question.

Take a look at this video and read the lyrics -- I'm also wondering about the very prominent Starbucks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JafU17uMMIg

Video info: 

天府事变 --《南海，南海》CD REV South China Sea

[Aileen Level]

I was particularly interested in today's lecture about images of kabuki performers and performances. While I have had the opportunity to see a kabuki performance in Tokyo, I didn't know much of anything about the art form at the time. Today's presentation described exactly what a kabuki show looks like today as well but filled in all much of the hows and whys. I'd like to go back now that I have a better sense of what was going on. 

Regarding usage in class, I could use some of the images of the "Tale of Genji." My students will certainly be far more interested in anime/manga and modern pop culture than in any of our medieval subject matter, so the modern retellings & images of this classic story may give this topic more appeal for them.

Additionally, the wood block print information in general would provide an interesting link to lessons about printing technologies in China and Europe.

[Aileen Level]

This afternoon's lecture fleshed out some of the ideas about Chinese film that we studied earlier in the week. It was interesting to hear more about the lack of even domestic Chinese interest in overt propaganda stories and an interest in streaming foreign series and finding ways to get around censorship. 

The magazine covers made me wonder about ways to incorporate the ideas of political cartooning in some of my lessons. The challenge is how to do so without accidentally encouraging the students to be disrespectful to other cultures and to be sure they don't slide into racist portrayals. With 6th and 7th graders, it would probably need to include a "this is okay/this is not okay" section -- possibly including some historical images such as the racist Dr. Seuss images from the World War II era.

Also, I'm now VERY curious about movies like "Kung Fu Yoga." I can't even begin to imagine what that would be like.

[Aileen Level]

You raise an important point. Since our telling of World War II tends to focus on Europe, many Americans don't realize the extent of Japanese militarism and conquest in East and Southeast Asia. A few years ago, one of my students talked about how his grandparents had been affected by the Japanese takeover of Singapore. Prior to that conversation, I didn't realize the Japanese had been there, much less that they had treated the population so brutally. We need to be aware of these issues as they relate to class dynamics and sensitivity during any study of Japan.

[Aileen Level]

I agree that having the students make their own postcards is a great idea. It ties in with the subject matter in a way that's hands-on and creative. Not to mention that they're small enough that it might cut down on the issue of some students spending huge amounts of time trying to perfect their artistic masterworks when I want them to focus on content. 

[Aileen Level]

I found this morning's lecture to be fascinating but at such a rapid-fire pace that I wish I could have recorded it to play it back again. It was interesting to learn about the small, daily use items that would have been seen and used by a wide spectrum of society and not simply by the elite classes. 

As others have mentioned above, I love the idea of having students examine these images and then create their own postcards as a part of their Japan unit. My focus would probably be some of the mixed-media options since it provides the opportunity to mix research using old photos with creative production of their own art.

It was also interesting but unsurprising to hear about the professor's interaction with Japanese museums and officials. When I was living in Japan, I visited the right-wing war museum that we saw in one of the photos today. It was shocking to see the way that it glorified the "East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere" and completely left out the negative aspects of Japan's wartime actions. At the time (about 2002 -- thought I assume it's still the same) it displayed letters supposedly from grateful residents/officials/organizations in areas that Japan had conquered, thanking Japan for liberating them from European colonial powers and expressing appreciation for Japan's conquest of their nations. It also presented an explanation of the war with the US that completely left out Pearl Harbor but focused on the atomic bombs. While certainly many people in Japan don't feel this way about the war (I visited with a Japanese friend who was horrified), the ultra-right wing is powerful and exerts an important influence on the production of textbooks, for example. 

If you're interested in learning more about the museum and shrine, this article gives some info about it:
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/01/stop-talking-about-yasukuni-the-real-problem-is-y-sh-kan/282757/

[Aileen Level]

While I couldn't have guessed from just looking at this image, having the text translated in class helped me identify this situation. These children are serving the nation -- with the boy wearing his Young Pioneers red scarf -- by killing sparrows. The birds were seen as a threat to the food supply because they ate seeds. 

I learned about this history from reading the family memoir "Wild Swans: 3 Daughters of China" by Jung Chang. The author tells her own story as well of those of her mother and grandmother, and it includes this situation.  The book was very helpful to read because it described people's first-hand experiences of the policies put into place in communist China, from sparrow killing and suffering sessions to restrictions on clothing. I'd recommend reading it.

[Aileen Level]

Poster #2 includes the typical red imagery, Little Red Books, and emphasis on the soldiers and workers that we've seen in other posters. The large size of the bridge, which dominates the poster, makes me suspect that this image glorifies the technological advances and engineering in China at the time -- and probably also praises the workers who constructed it.

[Aileen Level]

I found the lecture on Japanese film to be particularly interesting since I previously taught English in Japan for several years. Before I moved there, I had heard about directors including Kurosawa and looked forward to improving my language skills by watching films. And yet, the theaters were full of American and British blockbusters with maybe one Japanese animated film. There wasn't a Japanese live-action film to be found anywhere near me (in a major city), and I was so confused. It was easier to find these films in LA! So it was helpful to see the professor's graph and learn that my time in Japan corresponded directly to the lowest point in the bar graph -- when Japanese films had their lowest percentage of the domestic market. It turns out that I just had the misfortune to be there when the industry was particularly weak. 

Now that we have streaming services and easy access to foreign films, I'm hoping I can fill in the gaps in my knowledge of Japanese movies by watching many of the movies on his list. (I've mostly only seen Miyazaki animated movies at this point.) 

As for class, it seems like the most logical way to incorporate them would be to include one of the period pieces in the 7th grade lessons on medieval Japan. I need to do more research to identify a good film to use since we didn't look at clips of this type of film.

[Author]

Posts