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Thanks to Catherine and Ed for the kind comments. I'm glad that you enjoyed Lynne's presentation. She's a wonderfully well-informed and able teacher and I hope her ideas (see the teaching about Japan portion of our website) on using some of these texts with students work for you.

Now, before we run out of pixels, let's get to discussing some of the texts she introduced.

[clay dube]

Please post your film reviews in the "film festival" section of the Asia in My Classroom forum.

The Story of Qiu Ju is the only one of Zhang Yimou's 1980s and 1990s films to be really popular among Chinese. Many Chinese complain that he makes films more for foreign audiences than for them. His movies the past several years, though, have received awards and attracted large audiences in China.

Qiu Ju strikes Chinese as funny and real because the woman goes up against authority and demands justice. They laugh as this countrywoman heads into the city, not knowing what to do or where to go.

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For this session, Lynne Miyake will lead our exploration of classical and warrior era literature in Japan. Please refer to the table of contents in the binder for the reading assignment. Some of the readings are in the Keene anthology of Japanese literature and some are photocopied and in the binder.

Lynne welcomes your questions -- be sure to bring them and your ideas of how these pieces might be used with your students.

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For this session, Sam Yamashita will speak about early Japan, including the extensive links between Japan and Korea/China. He'll discuss the establishment of a unified government and the culture that flourished in Nara/Heian during the "classical" period. Then he'll examine the breakdown of that government's control and the rise of the warrior elite.

The reading assignment is outlined in the table of contents of your reader (binder). Some parts are in Murphy and the others are in the photocopied section.

In the afternoon, we'll be working on our webpages. Bring your guide to using Netscape (from the binder) and a blank floppy or cd.

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Some students may wish to investigate the role of the net in Chinese social, economic, and political life. While most Chinese are not online, the net is definitely changing China. Take a look at these articles about chat rooms:

BMW driver gets off with light sentence after killing one and injuring twelve
http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=6006

Miyun Lantern Festival stampede
http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=7393
http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=7392

Foreign Minister chats via the net
http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=5783

Two Harvard profs have a site to permit you to test Chinese access to specific websites.

http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/filtering/china/test/
[Edit by="Clay Dube on May 14, 6:01:16 AM"][/Edit]

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Thanks, Greg, for such a thoughtful report about the internet conference. I'd heard about it, but hadn't read any details. The net is definitely changing China. Take a look at these articles about chat rooms:

BMW driver gets off with light sentence after killing one and injuring twelve
http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=6006

Miyun Lantern Festival stampede
http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=7393
http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=7392

Foreign Minister chats via the net
http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=5783

Two Harvard profs have a site to permit you to test Chinese access to specific websites.

http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/filtering/china/test/

Here's a link to official stats on internet use in China:
http://www.cnnic.cn/en/index/0O/index.htm[Edit by="Clay Dube on May 14, 6:02:25 AM"][/Edit]

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I look forward to Brandon's reviews of Happy Together and Quitting. Brandon and others posting full reviews, should put them in the film festival section of the Asia in My Classroom forum. This way teachers beyond our group can profit from your insights.

Please note that it is fine for more than one person to comment on a film.

smiling,
clay

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In 2004, RAND published "Ambivalent Allies? A Study of South Korean Attitudes Toward the U.S." by Eric V. Larson, Norman D. Levin, Seonhae Baik, Bogdan Savych. The report is available at

http://www.rand.org/publications/TR/TR141/

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In December 2002, the Pew Global Attitudes Project published a report entitled "Global Gloom and Growing Anti-Americanism" detailing the results of a 44 nation survey. We've extracted the Asian responses to the survey. You can check them out at:

http://international.ucla.edu/asia/article.asp?parentid=2748

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The survey team may wish to narrow its focus to East Asia, though one aim might be to gain a sense of what survey subjects think of when they hear the word Asia.

For Asian views, please take a look at results of the Pew Center for People and the Press:

http://international.ucla.edu/asia/article.asp?parentid=2748

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Lynne's comments and questions point to an important issue. In February, we organized a human rights in Asia 2-day workshop for educators. More than 40 teachers participated and most found it immensely rewarding. A few submitted lesson plans for multicultural specific salary point credit, however, which were devoid of Asia content. When we asked them to rework them, some said that since they didn't teach Asian kids there was no point in trying to include Asia.

Our goal must always be to expand the worlds of our students, and especially to help them spot, as Yang YE suggested, our similarities as humans.[Edit by="Clay Dube on May 9, 11:22:20 AM"][/Edit]

[clay dube]

As it happens, esperanto, the internationlal language (apologies to those partial to love and song...), is alive, has adherents (some of whom pursue the language in summer programs in New England), and a history. In the optimistic 1920s there were many (well, some) in Japan, Korea, and China who saw it as a way to escape imperialism and nationalism.

http://www.esperanto.net/

A 2003 Newsweek article on Esperanto: http://india.indymedia.org/en/2003/08/6401.shtml (reprinted by IndyMedia)

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Ah Chris, pinyin has its political side (note that some in Taiwan want to use it and Singapore's adoption of it and simplified characters was significant), but no I don't think the aim was to eradicate mention of Jiang Jieshi (note that Chiang Kai-shek isn't even a mandarin rendering, just as Peking isn't a Wade-Giles romanization -- Pei-ching).

Pinyin was a nationalistic effort (and was preceded by Guoyu Romanyu which indicated tones with different spellings, rather than the pinyin approach which employs macrons) and represented an effort to utilize some of the international phonetic alphabet.

One of my favorite books on the Chinese language is Richard Newman's About Chinese.

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We'll meet in 1221A Bunche Hall to enjoy refreshments and to discuss:

-- the courses, Prof. Yan will share the syllabi for the IDS and Management courses and will discuss the research projects each participant will undertake

-- logistics, including
visas, housing, roommates, travel, what to take, health matters, contact information

-- your questions!

If you can't make it to the orientation, all print information will be available through this forum. You can also use the forum to raise questions, share resources, and offer your ideas.[Edit by="Clay Dube on May 6, 9:49:03 PM"][/Edit]

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