[Brigid Schmidt]

Hi Khrystle, I can relate to you when it comes to feeling like I focused on myself and my career first and then got married "later" than I originally imagined. Although there was no family pressure to get married and education and career were greatly valued, I put some pressure on myself when it came to getting married. Growing up in the Midwest, I saw many friends get married in their 20's, so getting married in my early 30's felt "old." I now put societal pressures on myself about when to start a family. Even with the US and specifically the LA area making more efforts to promote women in their careers and starting families later, those thoughts and stigmas still exist. This seems to be even more so the case in Japan. While it is possible to be a working mother in the US, albeit sometimes difficult, many women are fully capable of being wonderful mothers and great at their jobs. However, the "Career Women in Japan" article talks about how women's career paths might be blocked when having a child. Yukako Kurose had a promising career at a corporate office in a department store for 15 years, but it ended when she had a baby. Because she was now leaving work at 6:30 to pick up her daughter, she was passed over for promotions and pushed into a clerical job until she finally quit. She said that Japanese work customs make it difficult for women to have both a family and a career. The article further mentions women in Japan have become more common on factory floors, but not very often in positions of authority. It suggests that if people are expected to work 15-hour days, then most women will give up to be with their families. In 2005, 10.1% of all management jobs in Japanese companies were held by women, on the other hand, in the US the same year, 42.5% of managerial jobs were held by women. 

However, I agree with you, Khrystle. It seems strange that the article ends with saying birthrates are declining in Japan because women there have children earlier, yet places like the US have higher fertility rates. Knowing everything I have been researching on my own, women tend to be more fertile in their 20's than in their 30's. The article suggests that in nations with greater workplace participation and equality women wait until their 30's to have children. This is interesting that they would say that gives the US higher fertility rates because more often friends I've known have had a harder time getting pregnant in their 30's than other friends in their 20's. I would be really interested to know more about this. 

[Brigid Schmidt]

While we have learned throughout history that women in many cultures were not seen as equal to men, however, listening to Prof Faison talk about the Three Confucian "Subordinations" for women in Japan was somewhat sad to hear. This said that in childhood, a girl was to be subject to her father and once she was an adult, she was to get married and would become subject to the will of her husband. Her role was to be a dutiful wife, bare "male" children preferably, and when she got old, she would be subject to the will of her son. Throughout this lecture, it seems that Japanese women were only really valued for being mothers and not much else. However, one woman who proves a woman's value is Tsuda Umeko. In the late 19th century she was sent to Washington DC to live with an American family and to learn from Western culture. She spent most of her childhood in the US and came back to Japan when she was 18 years and decides to build a school for women (Tsuda Women's College) which is still a prestigious university today. She becomes part of the new trend of “Good Wife, Wise Mother” pushing for women to get an education so they can educate their children and be in control of their household. For the time it was a more modern approach. My students have a biography project coming up, so she could be an influential woman to put on their list to choose from.

[Brigid Schmidt]

The recent class discussion was really helpful in allowing me to see ways I could teach students about the Korean War. At first I thought the content was too mature for middle schoolers, but at Prof. Jung-Kim and my classmates pointed out, students are taught about The Revolutionary War and The Civil War, among aothers, at even earlier ages. From the lectures and the reading Prof. Dube put in the chat, there were some things that stood out to me about this "Forgotten War." The article mentions that before 1941, the US had no vital interests in Korea and was pretty much indifferent to its fate. The attack of Pearl Harbor obviously changed this causing the US and the Allies to advocate for making Korea free and independent. Although a lof of events led up to it, the Korean War began on June 25, 1950. Soon after, Seoul fell to NK forces but in September Seoul was retaken by allied forces. In October, China enters the war. Seoul seems to go back and forth. The Korean War in a sense is a Civil War between the 2 Koreas, but also a Proxy War between US and USSR. Along with the 2 Koreas, 23 other countries were involved! The war ended in 1953 with around 1.5 million deaths, 3 million injuries, 5 million people uprooted, families divided, many hostilities, and people longing for unity. One thing to look at with my students would be why is this war forgotten so often? As another teacher mentioned, giving the students primary sources is something they don't experience often. I would love to have my husband's grandfather's letters used as one of the sources and to ask students if they have any relatives who were in the war or have letters or stories from the war. With so many Americans involved in the war, it is sad to think that it is just forgotten when these people risked and gave up their lives. 

 

[Brigid Schmidt]

When thinking about lessons that would be relevent to my English students, I always aim for ones that would spark their interest. With the Olympics being canceled this year because of Covid, I thought about them writing a compare/contrast piece on the Summer and Winter Olympics in Korea and in the United States. Because I love sports, I have always been extremely interested in the Olympics. The first ones I really remember vividly were the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Maybe this is because I was a gymnast and our team was spectacular that year or because it took place in the US, but I was fascinated. Then, the US had the Winter Olympics not too long after in Salt Lake City in 2002. What is interesting is that the US has a range of weather and geography to host both the Winter and Summer Olympics. Similarily, so does Korea. In 1988, Seoul hosted the Summer Olympics. (I was able to see some of the areas on my trip.) Then, thirty years later, in 2018, PyeongChang was the site of the Winter Olympics. Part of the standards for my 6th graders is to find reliable sources and use it as research. The goal for this assignment would be to choose either the Winter Olympics or Summer Olympics and compare and contrast what they were like in Korea versus the US. They could search for things like, where there boycotts? What country won the medal count? Did the weather cooperate? What impact did the different terrains have on the events? How much money was spent? What impact did it have on the city/country? This could make for some really interesting and lively writing samples. I think the students would be engaged and really get ready for the Olympics next year (if they happen!!)

[Brigid Schmidt]

This week in our advisory classes, our students are learning about each other’s different cultures and ways to respect them. America is such a melting pot of people and ideas from around the world, that it is beneficial for our students to know more about others to be respectful and welcoming. Reading the article about the increased popularity of K-pop music like BTS and Korea culture made me think how I could tie this into our studies this week. I open each one of my Zoom classes with music. Last week I was really into piano instrumentals. My students try to guess the songs and one asked me what "that beautiful song was" I only could see the title, "Blood, Sweat, and Tears." I knew this wasn't from that band, so I looked it up because both the student and I thought the instrumental was stunning. It was a BTS song! I did not even realize. Now I love it. I decided to use this as a starting point for talking about Korean culture. Because it was advisory, I had students talk about what they knew about Korean culture and those who were Korean explained foods their families eat, holidays they celebrate, places they have visited, and even brought up the Academy Awards-Parasite. A couple students talked about Korean athletes they knew about. None of my students brought up stereotypes or showed disrespect. I was able to share personal stories from my trip to Korea. It was a great discussion and some students asked if we could discuss their culture tomorrow. 

[Brigid Schmidt]

Hello again, Prof. Jung-Kim, 

 Thanks for all of the resources and links to the Korean film archive channel on youtube!

[Brigid Schmidt]

The Self- Strengthening movement was a Chinese political, economic, and military reform due to the fact that the nation’s military was weak in the mid 19th century. I was chosen as a self-strengthener and the article about Li Hongzhang. He was a Chinese stateman who made efforts to modernize his country. Some of his projects were sending young Chinese to the US to learn new skills, a commercial steam line ship, Western-built warships, a coal mine, a railroad, a telegraph line, a military academy, two modern Naval bases, and more. Along with his mentor, Zeng, they accomplished the task of putting down the Taiping Rebellion. He became the negotiator most familiar to foreigners. It is clear to see why he is considered a self-strengthener. He was wanted to help make China’s military stronger and more powerful, while reforming economic areas to keep up with the modern times. I enjoy doing role plays with my students because it makes them think of their toes and imagine themselves in the shoes of those who stood there before them.

[Brigid Schmidt]

Last class we discussed WWII from the perspective of the Japanese. Growing up in the US, this, naturally, was not the point of view I learned. In the 1930s and 40s we see the growing militarization of Japan. At this time, Japan is really trying to build up its war machine and they are trying to assimilate Koreans into the Japanese empire. Koreans began losing their Korean identities and even had to change their names to Japanese names! It is crazy that a Korean marathoner won the Gold medal in the 1936 Olympics, but he had to complete for Japan because Korea was not an independent country! Then, we know that in December of 1941 Japan starts war with the US after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

While I took a 20th Century Wars class in college, I don't remember diving into the military sexual slavery or military brothels. Up to 200,000 women were enslaved (mostly Korean, but also Chinese, Japanese, Philippines, Dutch) during the war. In 1937, there even was an official brothel policy placing brothels where soldiers were stationed. Many women were either abducted or taken under false pretenses thinking they'd be working in factories. Many documents about the brothels were destroyed by the Japanese government to keep things silenced. Koreans were even part of the silencing because it was seen as shame. During this time, rape was not a war crime or a crime against humanity. The 1980's is when awareness of these events came about. I was surprised hearing Dr. Jung-Kim’s first-hand account from being there the day of the agreement for a resolution with the survivors in 2015. Today, there are Comfort women statues and monuments around the world. I plan to drive to Glendale this week to see the one there, but I now plan to check out the statue in Southfield the next time I go back to visit my family in Michigan. In 2020, we are still fighting for women to have equal rights and while this topic may be too heavy for my 6^th graders to cover, my 8^th graders do study WWII. Seeing it from a different perspective could be beneficial. I would definitely condense the material for them, however!

[Brigid Schmidt]

From Dr. Jung-Kim's lecture, we learn that there were growing tensions between the capital and the regions and a growing critique of Confucianism during the 19th century. This caused some Koreans to turn to Catholicism because it offered more hope to them. Missionaries came to Korea most often from America and Canada in the mid 1880s. They opened the first hospital in 1885 and first school a year later to show the merits of Western medicine and education hoping that would then gain their faith. Christianity crossed class boundaries and included and empowered women. We even see that women missionaries were doctors. Our students touch on Confucianism and Christianity in their history class this year, so this could show them the spread of Christianity to Asia due to people starting to question Confucianism. This correlates to their essay topic of how religions spread and gain popularity. 

[Brigid Schmidt]

Prof Morgan Pitelka lead a fascinating lecture about Japan's path to modernization. Prior to these lectures, I felt Japan was one of the countries that I didn't know as much about during this time period. The topic of Japan's 3 systems was brought up. Prof Pitelka talked about the System of Alternate Attendance which was meant to control the bodies of potential enemies and prevent the possibility of an uprising. He mentioned that although it started off as futile, it ended up being partly a contributor to the peace during this time. Prof Pitelka went into greater depth when discussing the Status System. This was the key to Tokugawa Rule and why there was a long period of peace. It was a triangle or pyramid diagram of a social hierarchy separating Japanese residents into occupational groups/categories. The emperor was at the top even though he really only had symbolic authority and the real person in charge was the Shogun or military ruler who came next in the diagram. Underneath them were the Local rulers/Domainal Lords (similar to a king) who ruled certain domains. Then came the Samurai (warriors) who were more of guards and bureaucrats because it was a time of peace. After them were the largest population of agriculturalists (farmers), then craftspeople, and finally merchants. However, people like doctors and Buddhist or Shinto clergy were not in the system because they could help all people and there were people who were out of the system and discriminated against for being beggars, prostitutes, and urban poor. The last system he described was the Closed Country diplomacy and trade system. It was meant to control contact with the outside world. There were many tensions in the system that lead to its downfall. The merchants were getting wealthier, while the Samurai were not making more money. Another tension was foreign encroachment from sea. 

From what I learned, it seemed like the Status System kept the peace in the country the longest, but it also seems barbaric. It would be an interesting role play to have my students become members of each Japanese occupational group for the Status System and see how they relate to one another while following the rules of the emperor and shogun. I think this would be a fun way to help the students relate to the class system and relate it to other cultures who had similar systems. 

[Brigid Schmidt]

Having a little bit older students like you do, it is rewarding to be able to have these kinds of discussions with my students. Because I teach English, I try to add informational articles and readings for reading comprehension, background knowledge, research, and context. Although my students are only 6th graders, they often bring up many points and ideas that surprise me. During this population growth in China, there was some economic growth, but not necessarily economic development. Through the use of machinery, the industrial world increases the output of a single worker which can then be invested into other areas like military and education, for example. There are some good areas for compare and contrast relating these topics to what the students might already know. During the 19th Century, there were also ethnic and social issues due to tensions of a minority group (The Manchus) ruling over an expansive empire dominated by the Han Chinese. This caused many racial tensions. Our countries crecent state of affairs and history involve many examples of racial tensions. What would our students find similar about this? What would they feel if they were the Manchus or the Han? It might also be interested to draw comparisons from China's Civil War and the US Civil War which occurred around similar times. As compare and contrast writing is part of our standards, I think diving into these topics could bring about some thoughtful debate and discussion, and well as understanding. 

[Brigid Schmidt]

Lin Zexu's impassioned, but possibly unsent, letter to Britain's Queen Victoria paints a submissive picture of China that contemporary audiences wouldn't recognize. The dynamic between the two nations is reminiscent of the modern day United States profiting from the narcotics trade south of its border. Similarly, the profits enjoyed by U.S. purveyors come at the expense of Mexico's economic security and undermine stability in central America. That being said, the harsh language used to proport draconian penalties for those who violate the opium prohibition he is reminding her of seems out of place in a time when drug use slowly shifts away from crime control into the publc health domain. This burgeoning diplomatic relationship between the two nations shows signs of deteoriation because China is for the time being at England's mercy due to the ravages of an opium epidemic that they have yet to manage and capitalize on. Almost two centuries later we see a United Kingdom that has taken a back seat to the economic powerhouse that is the People's Republic of China. The times they are a changin' and perhaps keeping this letter close to Zexu's chest was in the best long-term interest for the Chinese. 

[Brigid Schmidt]

While I would assume the U.S. would be quite low in terms of Shares of World Manufacturing prior to the Industrial Revolution, it was even smaller than I predicted. China and India had over half the world's GDP and the U.S. hardly showing. The Industrial Revolution had a major impact on Northern Europe, the U.K. and Germany, and of course the U.S. We see the size of these economies start to grow as more jobs are created. It is interesting to see the changes in the world during this time. While I don't teach history, my students read many articles and work with informational text. This could be a starting prompt for a compare/contrast piece about the world before and after the Industrial Revolution. 

[Brigid Schmidt]

An aging society poses a myriad of both disadvantages and some advantages. I would want my students to think critically about the potential consequences so as to mitigate perceived harms while capitalizing on the benefits therein. I would ensure their understanding fits within the context of government family planning policies as a primary driver for these dynamics while tactfully explaining the residual effects of said dictates on later generations. 

One advantage is that older people are statistically less likely to commit serious and/or violent crimes which would trickle down to create a safer society. Another perverse incentive for an aging population is the propensity of adults to remain productive in the workforce longer if lifespans extend. This increased contribution to society without any adverse, antisocial behavior makes for a prosperous and stable region.

Disadvantages are multifaceted, but rest squarely on the economic burden to a society that will have to sustain elderly adults during the latter years of their life. Furthermore, when that generation does begin to retire en masse the workforce will constrict dramatically due to declining birth rates. It seems apparent to me that the advantages are short-term while the disadvantages come later at a steep price. However, I would want my students to reach their own conclusions when presented with the facts.

[Brigid Schmidt]

Living in Southern California, we can relate to China and Korea in terms of water resources and scarcity. I often have my students read articles about current events to helps with reading comprehension. This information would promote a nice class discussion on what we can do to conserve water and less polluted. California was in a drought for a long time and with record heat temperatures, fires, and not much rainfall, water isn't something to take for granted here. Our students can use less water by turning off the faucet when brushing their teeth, taking shorter showers, swimming in the ocean to cool off rather than running a sprinkler for hours, etc. They can also help out by using reusable water bottles rather than plastic one-use ones that often aren't recycled, throwing out their trash, and using more reusable items. Yesterday, I ran along the Los Angeles "river" and it is practically gone in the area where I was. This is a scary thought because we need clean water to live and stay healthy. Water pollution is a big problem, but also, the lecture talked about reservoirs having silt build up and extreme flooding which all put a strain on our water supplies. North and South Korea are having fights over the water in a dam and thus water is being misused. Water pipes in LA have burst as well. Fresh water should not be taken for granted and changes need to be made world-wide. I am eager to bring this question up with my students this week. 

[Author]

Posts