[Ann Huyhn]

The Gender and Generation in East Asia seminar this summer was an eye opener. Thank you for allowing me to participate in this week of learning.  I learned so much information that even now I am still trying to sort them all in my mind. The presenters were very knowledgeable and there were a wealth of information presented.  There were many interesting films that were mentioned and I am looking forward to watching them myself. The documentary “One Child Nation” was a surprise delight because we had the opportunity to watch it before the theatrical release.  It was a very moving and compelling story about a radical policy that was enacted to control China’s fast growing population. On the other hand, I have never been into science fiction, but the films, “Wandering Earth and Folding Beijing” sounded really interesting.  I really enjoyed Professor Wang’s lecture about the ideal womanhood and what makes a woman loveable. Apparently, it is very complicated and it is not just one simple response. There were many other interesting information presented, such as the stories of Mencius’s mother, Japan’s poetry, and an in depth look at one of Ozu’s films.  For my class, I would like them to think about gender roles and how these roles have changed over time. For example, some of my students do not live with both parents so their mothers are working and providing for the household. They do not have a male figure as a role model, but a very hard-working mother who is doing everything that she can to provide for the family.  These changing perspectives of what and who is the provider in the family will provide students with a new way to view gender roles, which is different from the Confucain ideology of womanhood. I am also thinking about using generations in the classroom to see how different the students' viewpoints are from their grandparents and parents. Overall, it was a fascinating seminar that provided me with more materials to help my students understand and view the world that they lived in. There is a shared experience, regardless of where they are, whether in the United States or one of the East Asia countries.

[Ann Huyhn]

The Floating World is about the pleasure world in Japan.  I think that the Magna depiction of this world showed the complexities and intricacies of this part of Japan where those who want to indulge must acquire certain skill sets.  In the comic, we are introduced to a character who is studying what it takes to become a playboy. I would use an image and discuss with the students what they are seeing and then eventually provide them with some background knowledge about where they are in Japan.  The characters are well dressed in some of the images and this would be my starting point.

[Ann Huyhn]

The yin-yang symbol has been around for a very long time.  The yin is considered to be female and it embodies feminine traits, whereas the yang is male and it embodies masculine traits.  One cannot exist without the other because the two halves are connected to form one whole. It is symbolic of the gender in China, half female, and half male.  I would introduce the symbols to my students and we will talk about the various parts of the symbol. Ultimately, I would like them to understand that both genders are needed in order for harmony to be achieved.

[Ann Huyhn]

There are many stories about filial piety that teaches one how to act.  I really like the cartoon illustrations of filial piety by Tan and Wu. In one of the stories, a son hires himself out to help his mom.  These types of stories can be found throughout China, but since it is in a cartoon format, it is easier to get the kids to become engaged with the material.  Also, there are not a lot of writing. The students can interpret the cartoon and come up with their own version of a filial piety story to share with the class.

[Ann Huyhn]

The story of “The Boy with Golden Hair,” is about a boy named, Li Long, who dyed his hair to help his grandma who was struggling to make ends meet.  However, at school, it is illegal to dye his hair and his teacher told him to redye his hair back to black. He told her he would do it, but he never did.  The teacher ended up showing up at his house and learned that he needed money. She told him that she secured a stipend for him, but he initially refused until she explained to him that it was not charity.  This story talks about a family who is struggling and it will resonate with my students because they come from households that are also struggling. I would like to use this story to start a discussion about how family. 

[Ann Huyhn]

The film, “One Child Nation,” talks about the one-child policy enforced by the Chinese government in order to control the growing population in China.  In the film, the director decided to go back to China and talked to her villagers about the impact that the policy has had on the Chinese family dynamics.  It was a very sad film because the people who had to enforce the policy felt a lot of guilt. Due to the one-child policy, many Chinese babies were adopted overseas, but there were also many baby fetuses that were killed.  This film would be very difficult to watch with my students. I think that I would talk about why many families prefer to have a male baby over a female baby, a Confucian ideology.

[Ann Huyhn]

 

The article,” Empowered by #MeToo, a new generation fights sexual abuse in South Korea’s schools,” is about how students are speaking out about the abuse they suffered from their teachers.  As an educator, this is appalling, but at the same time, the rise of the #MeToo movement is empowering. It is empowering because women can now speak up about the suffering they have had to endure for the longest time.  I would like my students to learn to speak up for themselves and voice their concerns if things are not right. We are trying to teach them to have skills that can be transferred and this is probably one of the most crucial skills to have, the freedom of speech as long as it is truthful.

 

[Ann Huyhn]

 

The Japanese American Museum is located in Little Tokyo.  The exhibit that the docent talked about was the detainment of the Japanese in America during World War II.  Many US born Japanese was forced into internment camps and saw their lives changed dramatically overnight. It was a very heartwrenching experience that left many Japanese angry.  I would like to discuss with my students why people came to America. The events leading to World War II would be too difficult for them to understand since they are only 6 years old.  

 

[Ann Huyhn]

The Korean Cultural Center is a fun way to introduce students to South Korea.  The museum offers many ways to interact with Korean culture. One can learn the Korean language for a really good deal and participate in Korean cultural activities that are offered monthly.  The museum housed the history of South Korea, but the most exciting place is the virtual reality stations and the opportunity to take pictures with current Korean pop idols. My students will find this place interesting because they can play games, listen to music, and look at cute trinkets from South Korea.  It would be a great field trip to whet their curiosity.

[Ann Huyhn]

The readings are primary sources about the chaos in China and the rising western powers.  This would be great to use in the class because these are sources that were written at the time and some of them were written by women.   An interesting quote is “As long as you depend on others, you cannot be free.” According to He Zhen, the author of this quote, communism is a way to solve the problem of depending on others because it will provide a way for people to get food since no one will privately own anything.  For my class, I will talk about the effects of communism and why the Chinese embraced this type of government over democracy.

[Ann Huyhn]

The stories of Mencius is a great way to get the students to think about the lessons and sacrifices that the mother has to make to guide her son, Mencius.  There are four stories and each story teaches a lesson about how Mencius should live his life. In the first story, Mencius’ mother moved three times in order to give him the best possible education.  The last story is about listening to the wisdom of the mother. These stories reinforce filial piety according to Confucian ideals. I would like my students to understand the difficulties that parents encountered while trying to raise children.  

[Ann Huyhn]

 

Poems by Woeser is about the turmoil of Tibet and the government’s control over the people.  In the poem, “You Must Remember This,” the author uses a lot of speeches and talk about the conflict.  There are not many published authors that are women. For my class, I want to use this poem because it is written by a woman.  Tibet is a really interesting region and beside the Dalai Lama, not much is known about it to outsiders. I want my students to look at poetry and think about how it can be used to convey a deeper meaning than writing an entire story.  

 

[Ann Huyhn]

The film, “Last Spring,” is about a father and daughter relationship that is slowly changing because of the daughter’s marriage at the end of the film.  In the film, the main character has a difficult time leaving her father, but she has an insistence aunt who believed that the woman’s role is to get marry and reproduce the next generation.  This would be very difficult for my students to watch because it is black and white. I think that I will show parts of the film and we have a discussion about what it feels like to have someone you rely on leaves. 

[Ann Huyhn]

Professor Kim’s lecture about South Korea and the changes that women have achieved is remarkable.  Women in South Korea now have many rights. They can divorce and participate in democracy, and choose to get married later.  However, they still have a long way to go like the women in America. I would like to talk about the first woman lawyer, Lee Tai Young with my students.  We would study her and look at her career.

[Ann Huyhn]

In the article “BTS versus Blackpink,” readers are introduced to one of the biggest K pop bands to grace North America, BTS.  They are so famous that they have had collaborations with many singers and have been compared to The Beatles. In my classroom, I would like to play snippets of BTS’ song for my students so that they can understand the fascination with them.  I would also show them pictures of this boy band so that they know how they look. Hopefully, a discussion can ensue about the way they are portrayed in the media.

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