[Alison Douglas]

Good Morning! I look forward to meeting everyone and learning more about East Asia.  I've taken a couple of seminars in the past and have found them very interesting and informative.

[Alison Douglas]

 

There were many interesting topics covered that are very interesting to think about.  To start off the discussion, I like to teach about civilizations and how they start along water.  It is easy to tie the similarities in when teaching about origins.  I did find it fascinating that they found the “peking man”, I had no idea that a fossil that was that old was discovered.  Hopefully they will be able to find it!  You always hear about “Lucy” in Africa, so the fact that they have found others in different regions of the world is interesting.  The entire water shortage/contamination subject is very questionable.  We have made so many advancements around the world, so you would think that people would be able to solve the water crisis.  Especially with the populations growing like they are.  It seems to be a constant battle between trying to contain and treat the water supply.  It is such a big problem and discussion about how to manage it is very important.  Is it the politics behind control? Water is such an important need that I’m amazed that it cannot be solved.  The same goes for food.  The fact that food is more available in the US makes sense due to the size of the population.  Maybe the growth of the population is growing faster than the ability to grow and produce food.  

 

I can understand why the spending is different based on where you live.  It does say a little about the affordability of some good along with what is “more” important to a specific culture.  That goes along with the idea of the culture heroes.  I see it as a way to pass down traditions and answer questions about different cultures.  They explain beliefs, traditions, and values just name a few.  They answer questions and offer understanding as to why certain aspects are followed in a culture.  That goes along with the  importance of the artifacts that were found and they all have a story off their own. Also, it was interesting that certain artifacts explained the human sacrifice and how it evolved throughout time.

 

[Alison Douglas]

Hello Everyone, 

My name is Alison Doulgas, and I am happy to return for this course.  I teach middle school history both World History and United States History.  These courses have been very informative and I look forward to learning about what this course has to offer.  I've been able to incorporate many of the topics into my teaching.  I look forward to meeting everyone today!

[Alison Douglas]

The concept of colonialism and its impact is important to study.  Since I teach world history, exploration and the effects of it is an important part of the class.  As well as looking at traditional ideas and views.  It's great to compare/comtrast with the students.

[Alison Douglas]

Final Essay:  East Asia Design

There was a lot of information in this class that really helped me understand Asia architecture and the amount of detail and influence that has taken place throughout the years.  I never realized the difference between the planning of European cities and those of Asian cities.  The notion that European cities are designed with the idea of democracy and centers for socializing, meanwhile Asian cities are gridded cities based on direction is a fascinating difference.  I chose to study the architecture and planning of the Forbidden CIty for my class.  This will give the students the opportunity to compare and contrast different architectural and planning throughout the different regions of the world.

The use of material and environment was/is also very important.  It’s interesting to learn about the process of using wood and finding out how long it actually takes for it to be ready for use.  I always noticed the distinct difference in style of buildings, but never knew what actually went into the design.  The idea of not wanting to damage the wood and having sort of a weaving effect is a fascinating concept. Also, the use of wood brackets allow for the design really gives the traditional ideas to view.  Along with the use of material is also the use of the environment.  With elaborate gardens and busy cities along canals makes for a very unique and traditional experience.  Another aspect of unique Asian culture was the use of  Zen gardens, which is essential for Asian culture.  The only experience that I have had personally is visiting the Huntington Library, and I thought those were beautiful.  I can only imagine what it would be like to visit an actual Zen garden in Asia.  All of which I’m able to incorporate into teaching these units in class.  Since we are discussing China now, some students are fascinated by the design of the buildings.

There was some discussion about colonization and Western influence, which in my opinion isn’t necessarily a bad thing. With the ability to travel and mix makes it inevitable, and the fact that in my class we study the effects of exploration makes discussing this topic important.  Traditional views and ideas seem to be passed along over the generations and preserved through such things as architecture.  I do like the idea we discussed as having windows look over waterways, this makes for safe and beautiful cities along canals and rivers that we see throughout Europe and Asian.  I plan on bringing all of these aspects into teaching my class.  Since I teach a World History class it is beneficial to compare/contrast ideas in architecture and influence over time.

 

[Alison Douglas]

Thank you for the information.  I've been to the Huntington Libray, but it nice to know that there is another place to go and visit.  Being in a beautiful garden is peaceful.  Since I can't actually got to Asia, I'll have to go to San Diego.

[Alison Douglas]

What a great way to really enjoy your surroundings.  From what I've seen the Zen gardens are beautiful and I can see why they would be great for the mind.  I wish we had more of that around here, this is a great way to relax and escape from all the hussle and chaos of daily chores.  I love to visit the Huntington Library, it gives a little snap shot of Asia.

[Alison Douglas]

I never knew how much thought went into the direction when they were planning the cities.  That's interesting that they even named cities, gates on a direction.  I really got into the placement as I studies the Forbidden City, and it all interesting.  Hopefully one day I'll get to visit.

[Alison Douglas]

Thank you for sharing, I will check it out.  I love the idea of the town along the waterway.  You always hear about Venica and how beautiful it is, so it is nice to learn about other beautiful cities that are similiar as well.  So much planning goes into preserving the natural environment, and all of that allows these cities to prosper.  

[Alison Douglas]

I agree with you, homelessness is such a complex problem.  Depending on where you are changes the way you have to deal with it.  It has been getting much worse, and it seems like cities all over are unable to solve it.  I wonder if it just they talk about but they don't do anything real to solve it.  It is a problem that affects everyone.

[Alison Douglas]

The river restoration is an inspiriring idea.  I would love to see LA transform in a beautiful river city.  As we discussed with having windows face the river, and how it would completely change.  

[Alison Douglas]

I really appreciate learning about how places have changed due to other influences, but also keep tradtional ideas.  The gardens in Asia that we've looked at are fascinating and beautiful.  All have appreciation for the environment but serve various purposes.  I do realize that many issues are extremely complex and are different depending on where you are located.  Issues such as homelessness, climate change, and the loss of traditional ideas need to be looked at a local level.  As we discussed in the meeting, some parts of the world have homeless who come to look for work while other parts do not.  Looking at ways to solve this are very complex and different. 

Looking at architecture as a resource for many is also very interesting.  As you talking about the freeway overpasses and the simple need for shade becomes important and a nessecity for some.  The fact that people can always adapt and find new ways to survive is fascinating and will always be the case.  I found the idea of having windows overlook water interesting.  You made a great point about watching the water, which is beautiful and can deter the bad element that may exsist when no one is looking.  This can transform an entire area as we were shown in Asia with their cities along rivers.  I'm interested in reading about what you wrote about Covid, and how it may tranform how we interact.  No doubt certain things will change forever, and it'll be interesting to see.  

[Alison Douglas]

I teach world history as well, and I don't get into all the details with the middle schoolers either.  I really wish we were "allowed" to cover such details.  It comes down too who decides what we teach, as we discussed during the class.  It is important to understand all aspects of history and how things came to be in present day,  It's fascinating to see influence in buildings, even here in the US.  Influences of many cultures can be seen throughout the world.

[Alison Douglas]

I agree with both of you.  As a teacher, I think we just barely touch the surface on so many different topics and this is one of them.  I think it's imprtant to learn about everything that happened before, during, and after to really understand history.

[Alison Douglas]

After the discussion about colonialism, I found it very interesting.  Yes, there is so much influence and it has changed the way people live, think, design, and even learn.  It is important to understand and learn about all of it.  As a teacher of ancient world history, I see how important it is to learn about all aspects of events that have happened.  People did not have any outside influence until advancements were made and people were able to explore outside areas.  Influenence and assilmulation are not bad concepts in my opinion.  It has been fascinating to learn about people from all over the world and what there civilizations were like before colonialism.  The key is to preserve aspects of that history to learn about it and things have changed over time.  There is so much Western influence in the subject of architecture that we are discussing, but seeing the rich history through preserved buildings throughout Asia in Japan, China, and India is fascinating.  It is a great mix of ideas and cultures and it is important to learn about all of them.  I also, found your question interesting about who decides what we learn.  There have been many times that I look at my textbook and think why so much was left out.  I think we should learning about all aspects and facts of history regardless of opinion.

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