[Daniella Leiato]

I have also encountered these symbols throughout my life, whether it be on t-shirts, bumper stickers, or even on gas station keychains. As a child, I never thought twice when I saw yin and yang keychains at the mall or on a t-shirt. But now, as an adult, when I think about and consider the sacred nature of religious or cultural symbols, I question the mainstream use of them in advertisements and on products, specifically when they are used to earn a profit. Similar to the incorporation of the dreamcatcher into mainstream society, there are many corporations and companies that use various religious and cultural symbols without knowing the deeper, more significant meaning behind them. I think we all have a responsibility to do the research and understand how and why these cultural symbols came into existence and what the meaning behind them is.

[Daniella Leiato]

I agree with your sentiment that cultures are consistently influencing one another, therefore shifting and blending various schools of thought. What is accepted by one culture may be rejected by another. What is acceptable in a school of thought during one period of history may change. When considering the four distinct Chinese schools of thought, I see how contemporary waves of thinking (New Age Spirituality) have absorbed and modified different elements of these schools of thought to fit their own narrative. I think that this leads us to question how (or whether we really can) we draw clear lines between schools of thought and label those schools - especially now with the increased use of social media and the constant exchange of ideas, thoughts, and beliefs. 

 

[Daniella Leiato]

I found this week's readings and the webinar so fascinating! Over the summer of 2020, I took a deep dive into learning about Buddhism after reading some literature by the Dalai Lama and Thich Nhat Hanh. I focused my research and reading on Tibetan Buddhism, and I did not expand my research into looking at Japanese Buddhism. After listening to Professor Meeks discussion of Japanese Buddhism, I was interested in learning more about Japanese Buddhism within traditional Japanese political and social structures - namely the way in which religion shifted people's perspective of the world and those around them (how the same religion can manifest itself differently depending on the context).

 

In my English classroom, I can teach students about and analyze Japanese Buddhism in the same way that we analyze motifs, allusions, and recurring themes/symbols from Christianty and Catholicism (ex: light and dark, good and evil, etc.). It would be interesting to have students analyze common religious symbols in literature through an East Asian perspective (ex: looking through a Buddhist lens). While an assignment like this will take a lot of scaffolding, it is definitely worth it to open up students' perspective of how religion has impacted/influenced literature contemporarily and throughout history.

 

[Daniella Leiato]

I attended the event China from a U.S. Policy Perspective. During this webinar, I learned a lot about how the United States and China are intertwined in their politics, despite social and political tension. Regardless of the social and political tension present between the two countries, it is essential to investigate how both their presences and policies impact one another in the global schema. I was especially interested in the sustainability politics discussed during the webinar, specifically regarding climate change and the environment. Though both the United States and China are huge pollutants and carbon emitters, it is worth discussing the global impact that the rise of China will have on the environment and on the fight against climate change. Professor Heikkila described the rate of carbon emissions coming from China as a global problem. This webinar was extremely informative. Though I’m not very well versed in domestic and foreign policy, this webinar demonstrated the inextricable connection and impact The United States and China have on one another’s politics and policies.

[Daniella Leiato]

This week's lectures were incredibly interesting, and I can already see how I can implement this material into my lessons! I was most intrigued by the concept of Dejima Island and Japan's relationship with the Netherlands. I'm currently working through The Tempest by Shakespeare with my tenth grade students, and we have begun to analyze the play through the critical lens of postcolonialism (colonized vs. colonizer). The play quite literally takes place on an uninhabited island, and I think that bringing in material about Dejima Island would be really beneficial in our conversation about colonization and what that looked like during the 1600s (or how colonization was resisted). While teaching Shakespeare, I typically focus on the English and their worldwide colonial efforts, but analyzing the relationship between the Japanese and the Dutch (and others) would deepen my students' global understanding of the complex nature of trade and colonization. 

[Daniella Leiato]

I appreciated this week's reading. Excerpts from The Sarashina Diary will be a great addition to my English classroom. The mixture of poetry and prose as the writer explores and develops her identity will be a great addition into a unit on identity. Using excerpts and elements from the text also offers a great way to open up dialogue about women writers throughout history - taking an intersectional comparison of, as mentioned in a forum post above, women across cultures writing about their experiences (ex: Jane Austen, Emily Bronte, and more contemporary writers such as Sandra Ciscneros and others).

[Daniella Leiato]

As a Confucian, I am torn beween maintaining my loyalty to my father or being loyal to the state. Under Confucian ideals, I should give all respect to the ruler under the Mandate of Heaven concept, which would mean turning my father in. However, he is also the head of the family and worthy of forgiveness -- all humans are inately good, right? I believe that I will ultimately allow my father the chance to make-up for whatever crime he has committed before deciding if I should turn him in for his crime.

[Daniella Leiato]

While watching the first video lecture, I was intrigued to learn about the four different schools of thought. I was especially interested in the similarities mentioned between Daoism and Buddhism. The overlap between the two religions demonstrates the construction of thought based on contemporary society. Schools of thought are consistently evolving and being shaped by the society in which they are practiced. As noted by Professor Dube, elements of Daoism are now seen in New Age thought, which has become widespread and even appears on social media platforms such as Tiktok and Instagram, further demonstrating the evolution of schools of thought over the course of time.

 

In my English classroom, it would be really interesting to have students identify how and where elements of each school of thought are seen today (perhaps specifically looking at various literary texts). To introduce the lesson, I would have students compare and contrast one element of society today (i.e. language, clothing, etc.) and its development over the last 50 years (how has it changed? why has it changed? what has influenced its development?). From there, I would have students look at traditional Daoist texts and compare those texts to more contemporary literary texts. Students would complete the same type of analysis: how have the ideas changed and developed? why?

 

[Daniella Leiato]

I was most intrigued by the four articles about global warming and climate change in Japan, North and South Korea, and China . While reading the article "Japan Races to Build New Coal-Burning Power Plants, Despite the Climate Risks," I was both shocked and disheartened to hear about the new coal plants being built in Japan. I was also surprised to learn about the deforestation happening in North Korea. 

As an English teacher, I think it would be interesting to have students read all four article and synthesize the information in a research-style project. Using these articles in a synthesis research project is a great way to tie contemporary enviornmental issues with the research and synthesis skills students need to develop in their English class. This type of project would lend itself well to be cross-curricular with an environmental science class. 

 

[Daniella Leiato]

Hello everyone!

My name is Daniella Leiato, and I am a 9th and 10th grade English teacher in LAUSD. I am excited to participate in this seminar and have the opportunity to collaborate with other educators from various disciplines and grade levels. I am always working to diversify my curriculum, and I look forward to deepening my cultural and historical knowledge about East Asia in order to help me effectively continue to do that. I look forward to the next few months of learning! 

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