[Dan Thalkar]

I greatly appreciated this seminar. It was consistently interesting, entertaining, and informative. I have a much stronger understanding of early East Asian history and, I believe, enhanced skills and strategies to use in order to incorporate this history in my own classroom.

 

One of the elements that I most appreciated from the course was the approach of the different lecturers. By and large, our lecturers grounded their presentations in a specific timeframe, but they were unafraid to draw connections to contemporary events or make comparisons across cultures. This was an effective model because, while communicating large amounts of content, it also helped us understand the relevance and importance of what we were learning. It also helped me realize how much of East Asian history can be used as case studies for global historical patterns.

 

One issue that I kept returning to throughout the course was the way the different East Asian cultures influenced one another while simultaneously asserting their own independence and uniqueness. I believe that any course looking at world history would benefit from spending at least a portion of time examining the connections between these nations. The tension of asserting nationalism while also maintaining open cultural exchange is profoundly relevant, and East Asia provides many examples of both the good and the bad that can arise as a result of such tensions.

 

In summation, this course helped me greater appreciate both the themes and some of the particulars driving the formation of East Asian nations and cultural identities. With this understanding, I feel much more equipped to weave East Asian history into any course I teach, since the region’s history is so profoundly relevant for our world today.

 

[Dan Thalkar]

Chinese American Museum

The Chinese American Museum is, I feel, an underappreciated treasure amongst LA Museums. The permanent exhibit is not just a comprehensive history of Chinese American history in Southern California, but a fascinating insight into the formative years of our city and region. The museum’s temporary exhibits are also often unique and culturally relevant. For example, an exhibit that recently closed explored the history of LA-based Asian American hip hop.

 

Of particular interest are the connections the museum draws between the evolution of the LA Chinese community and events on mainland China. It is fascinating to see the connections between events occurring on separate continents. Unrest and displacement in China led to an expanding (and increasingly politically vocal) immigrant community in California. This has definitely made me think about how, in order to understand local history, it is crucial to understand global history as well, especially when learning about immigrant communities. As such, anyone seeking to understand immigration in Los Angeles also needs at least a rudimentary understanding of historical events in modern China.

 

[Dan Thalkar]

THE JAPANESE AMERICAN MUSEUM

The Japanese American Museum in Little Tokyo contains many possibilities for ways its experiences can be included as part of a curriculum. The permanent exhibit on the Japanese-American Internment is extremely powerful and informative, and the temporary exhibit during the time of our visit - Heroes. Vs. Kaiju - is a fascinating example of cultural transmission.

 

The Heroes vs. Kaiju exhibit focused on an expansive toy collection amassed by an avid collector or Japanese action figures and toys. The toys themselves were interspersed with interactive features, personal testimony, and the history of the transmission of this strand of Japanese pop culture into American culture. After visiting and learning about this exhibit, students could create their own versions looking at a similar process from different cultures (tela novelas, K-pop, yoga, etc.). They could also apply a critical analysis to their own media consumption and trace international and cross-cultural influences and changes. This would both help students develop a greater sense of their own cultural participation and create relatable examples around the powers of globalization.

 

The Japanese Internment Camp exhibit is, unfortunately, always relevant. Many students are unaware of this period of our history, and often the exposure itself affects their perspectives regarding American history. Connections can also be drawn to current discourse around Muslims and the increasingly crowded detention centers for undocumented immigrants. Students could use the powerful photography in the exhibit as a springboard into a photo project, the suitcase artifacts as the base for a comparison between similar exhibits displaying artifacts from undocumented immigrants, and the poetry written while in the camps provides a concrete lesson in the liberatory power of the written word.

 

[Dan Thalkar]

The presentation was very eye-opening for me. While I was aware of China's contributions to pollution, I was unaware of how much China has done to counteract and slow down pollution. China's leaders have made many explicit policy decisions focused on cleaner energy, while the leaders of the U.S. continue to support fossil fuels. It was a reminder that, for all the U.S. attempts to regulate global policy, we often excempt ourselves from the same standards. There are many ways to use this information in a classroom - as an environmentalism case study, in a government class, as a comparison with U.S. policy, and as a project where, when faced with the same challenges as China, they could determine how they would respond. 

[Dan Thalkar]

I enjoyed both the readings and the Saturday morning lecture. One area that I found particularly interesting was the evolution of Buddhism as it encountered different cultures. I was also interested to hear how the geography of Buddhism shifted over time. The lecture, in particular, was a succinct example of how religious trends also represent myriad other social factors. The evolution of Buddhism and Buddhist practices in South and East Asia could be a great lens to use with students as they study the regions' histories. This would help see how beliefs and cultures evolve by tracing a very specific topic. 

[Dan Thalkar]

I definitely appreciated last night's lecture's emphasis on challenging dominant narrativesabout Japanese history. Professor Hirano established the dominant narrative of the period and how different elements, such as the samura, are romanticized, before shifting to discuss how those narratives developed. In the process, he exposed us to a more complex and nuanced version of the history. 

This is a great practice to use with students. Read a text containing a dominant narrative, and then proceed to complicate it with different perspectives and voices. Focusing on a high-interest topic, such as samurai, is a great way to hook students into this rigorous historical analysis. 

[Dan Thalkar]

What a great movie choice! The wonderful thing about Totoro is that it can appeal to viewers of all ages. Your plan & areas of exploration are for elementary school, but I'm sure that my middle school students would also be invested in and appreciate the opportunity to discuss those same issues. I'm particularly struck by the relationship between humans and the environment - we could extend it by focusing on the ideas of relationships, and whether we often think about nature as something we have a relationship with, or simply something that exists and provides us resources. 

[Dan Thalkar]

Marco,

I also thought the arrival of Buddhism was an interesting period. It could be used as a case study with students to examine how religious beliefs spread. By studying its gradual mainstreaming, via foreigners and trade, we'd be able to develop a deeper understanding of how culture shifts and grows. 

[Dan Thalkar]

I appreciated our lecturer's multidisciplinary approach and believe that we should, in our study of any culture, attempt to use as many different lenses as possible. It's only my including and emphasizing lived experiences and expressions, such as through the arts, that we're able to genuinely connect to and begin to understand other cultures. As such, I think that using some of the poetry samples provided in conjunction with poetry from other cultures and time periods would help compare how artists perceive the world and their responsibility within it. Additionally, constructing a DBQ with poetry and art, along with more "traditional" academic texts, would help expand the scope of student writing and analysis.

[Dan Thalkar]

Professor Jung-Kim provided us with a ton of great resources, but there are a few that I'm particularly excited about. DBQs are great opportunities for students to develop their textual analysis skills while also learning about different perspectives and cultures. As such, the DBQ resources are good to have on hand and can be worked into different units of study. 

I also enjoyed the "Shakespeare's Sister" article. This is a great addition to any study of women's rights throughout history, and is particularly timely for March. 

Lastly, the Korea creation myth provided is short and clear. Creation myths are always fascinating glimpses into what cultures value and believe to be true about themselves. Using this in a unit comparing creation myths, and then asking students to write their own, would also be an activity allowing for strong connections, engagement, and rigor. 

[Dan Thalkar]

Linda,

Your emphasis on language here is fascinating. It would be interesting to look more into how language is used by colonizers to dehumanize populations and how language has also been used to reclaim/resist the colonizer's gaze. 

[Dan Thalkar]

Similarly to many others, I was particularly struck by the treatment of indigenous groups in ancient "Japan". This is a history of which I was completely unaware, and learning how these actual events morphed into mythology was fascinating. There are, unfortunately, many parallels to how the U.S. government - and other governments around the world, such as Australia - have treated indigenous peoples and then washed over their histories. It would be fascinating to have students compare/contrast these different narratives and also the different ways indigenous groups have resisted throughout history. 

I am also intrigued by a question posed at the end of last night's lecture - What is the difference between myth and history? That question could also lead to a fun and engaging unit with students. 

[Dan Thalkar]

My father broke the law. Since I am a responsible and dutiful son, I was helping him with a task at the time and, therefore, saw him commit this act. As a Confucian, my highest responsibility is to my father. As such, I considered not turning him in. Filial piety would encourge me to respect my family and trust my father's actions, even if they break the law. After reflecting further, however, I realized that the empire is simply a large family, with the Emperor as our father. In breaking a law, my father broke from ritual and Confucian tradition. I must honor my relationship with the emperor and turn my father in, trusting the emperor to make a just and wise decision. 

[Dan Thalkar]

Hi Scott,

I agree. The mutual & vertical responsibility is a noticeably important feature of the text.  It would be interesting to review it with students, have them predict whether they think this is a realistic (or desirable situation), and then, during continued study of the unit, have students return to the analysis to collect examples & nonexamples of filial piety in action.  

[Dan Thalkar]

I found the article on Qin Dynasty Penal Servitude to be particularly fascinating. It was extremely specific, and the excemptions for birth defects, size, and gender are all illustrative of what was valued in society at the time. I would be interested in comparing this text with other legal codes, both contemprary and ancient, such as Hammurabi's Code. 

Another connection could be drawn between the Penal Codes and the article on the terracotta warriors. A worker who stole one of the warrior's heads in the 1980s was executed. How have things changed or stayed the same since the Qin Dynasty?

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