[Deanna Wiist]

I was my first visit to the Korean Cultural Center and I really enjoyed listening to Joyce answer questions about Korean culture. The personal stories are always so interesting. Before this week, I really had no idea that the Korean people were so interested in plastic, surgery, appearance, and beauty. And that it applies to all genders. One of the most interesting facts was announcing the clinics on the trainsubway. Certainly gives an indication of the popularity of those places. Hair, dress, jewelry, and makeup have historically been indicators of class and wealth in most places, so Korea is not unique in that. Maybe the craze for it among the middle and upper middle classes is a result of the relatively recent wealth and modernization of the country, As with any trend, there is bound to be resistance. That’s what is so fascinating about the Escape the Corset movement. Followers of that movement are being open about their resistance.Id be curious to talk to someone about struggles with image, eating disorders, and anxiety among youth in South Korea. 

I also enjoyed the K-Pop exhibit very much. My African-American female students were very into K-Pop and I sponsored a K-Poo Dance Club in my classroom once a week last year. The girls would have enjoyed the exhibit, They are intrigued by every aspect of Korean life. 

[Deanna Wiist]

I echo many of your sentiments. Before today I was not familiar with the fact that many of the men writing about women’s rights were actually using women as a metaphors for China. That was news to me. 

[Deanna Wiist]

Professor Tran’s lecture was beautifully organized and delivered with great skill. The consistent focus on the frameworks of women’s history and gendered history was one of the highlights of the week for me. I love teaching with frameworks and to examine the end of the Qing Dynasty from differing perspectives was a treat. I’d love to do that with my Dual Credit Western Civ classes to illustrate ways in which the historical narrative is constructed. 

Like many others, I was not familiar with He Zhen before the lecture today. Not surprising since hers was the more controversial perspective. He Zhen challenged the conventional thinking of her time and proposed a new way of looking at her world. I think that’s brave. It doesn’t mean that all of her ideas were good ones, the right ones, or even feasible. But if she moved the needle for women in China, great. Sometimes we need those thinkers that drive us to question and debate. 

He Zhen and Qiu Jin are thinkers and figures I could definitely incorporate into my classroom.

[Deanna Wiist]

Thanks Marcos! I wish I could; however, I have to get back to school next week. I’m planning another trip out to California in the next couple of years. It’ll be exciting to come back with more time to look around. I’d be happy to hear about some of your favorite places. 

[Deanna Wiist]

This was one of my favorite sessions so far. Professor Yasar really worked to be interactive with his approach to Ozu’s film, Late Spring. He also kept his focused narrowed. The use of selected film clips and discussion gave everyone a chance to interact and broadened my understanding of the film. His was an approach that would work well in the classroom when working through any film. It would allow you to use films that might otherwise be off-limits because the teacher could be selective in the choice of clips. I even liked how he did the opening curtain with his Power Point.

[Deanna Wiist]

In Robin Wang’s discussion of virtue, I was particularly drawn to “In each of these stages, the function of a mother is valued, not as a mere care-giver, but as an intricate stimulus to the child’s basic moral outlook. Mencius’ mother is not simply a weaver of cloth, but the weaver of Mencius’ intellectual, spiritual, and moral landscape.” The statement reinforces the thesis regarding the complexity of womanhood and the recasting of the historical perspective of women in China. This perspective elevates the role of mother and the role of women. Mother as role model. Mother as teacher. Mother in control of education. Obviously, women with children have agency. They shape the younger generations. Traditionally, women without children did not have the same power. They were not revered by society.

I think that, to some degree, the same attitudes toward mothers and women without children still exist today—and not just in China. Childless women in the United States are often regarded as selfish or lesser than other women. I could envision some interesting conversations regarding these topics in my classes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Deanna Wiist]

I selected the story “The Boy with Golden Hair.” This is an easily accessible story appropriate for a variety of age levels. A fitting story for the weeks before the start of the school year. It reminds me not to be too quick to judge my students. This is a story about a quiet boy who typically does well in school who shows up to school in a hat, something that is strict against the rules. The headmaster/principal is concerned and brings up the issue to the teacher. She had been told that the reason for the hat was head lice; however, it is revealed that the hat is covering up hair that has been dyed bright gold. The teacher is frustrated that the boy lied. The boy is told to dye his hair back to black and report back to the teacher the next morning. When he doesn’t show, the teacher goes to his house where she discovers the truth and the reason for his golden hair. 

It’s well worth reading because it drives home the point that we really don’t always know what is is going on with students and compassion goes a long way to building relationships. There’s so much going on in this story, yet there is nothing inappropriate for middle school or high school students. I’ve found that’s sometimes a challenge with contemporary literature. 

Truly a universal story. 

 

 

[Deanna Wiist]

Castro’s article offers a fresh look at the work of Yasujiro Ozu, particularly four of his films from the period of the US occupation of Japan. I’ve never seen any of Ozu’s films, but I’ll have a greater appreciation for them having read Castro's analysis. In the article, Castro talks about Ozu’s incorporation of the post-war experience into his work without it being overbearing. One great example is the absence of men who came of age and served during the war—an acknowledgment of the devastation the war had on that generation of men. I appreciated this article and Castro’s analysis because this is an area of history that is frequently skipped in American history classes. Our courses often jump from the surrender of the Japanese to the Cold War without much discussion of what rebuilding really entails. I think this is especially true about World War II. More attention is paid to the aftermath of World War I and the Lost Generation. 

Castro also recognizes that the women do not fit neatly into stereotypes or boxes in Ozu’s films. There’s contradiction in the women. A signal, perhaps, of the changing status of women in Japanese society and recognition of that in the arts.

 

 

 

[Deanna Wiist]

Having just returned from the very powerful One-Child Nation and pondering the days content, I have so many thoughts running through my head. Maybe I’ll be more profound in the morning. I guess what I’m thinking about right now is how much I learned about South Korea today. So much of what Professor Jung-Kim talked about would be of interests to my students. For the first time this year, I had numerous kids requesting extra time on North and South Korea. I’m sure K-Pop had something to do with it. I was the faculty sponsor of a homegrown K-Pop Dance Club after school. I really appreciated that she took us through history, but also shared some very accessible readings that could easily be transferred to the classroom. I love that the youth in South Korea seem to be challenging norms. 

 

[Deanna Wiist]

Me too. I also enjoyed the Haiku examples that were rated PG-13. Those were unexpected. 

[Deanna Wiist]

The interaction between cultures and the change in culture between the Heian Period and Kamakura Period was one of my favorite parts of Professor Lynne Miyake’s lecture today. Sometimes my kids tend to think when studying the past that events in one country are somewhat isolated from the events in another - unless something cataclysmic like World War II is occurring. It seems to be a function of both intellectual development and common teaching methodology. It’s great to get examples that demonstrate the processes of interaction and isolation. The lecture today really reflected that when talking about the preeminence of Classical Chinese in Classical Japan (and in Korea). This is a example that I can use with my kids to illustrate the complexity of relationships between places and the forces that shape culture.

[Deanna Wiist]

Nira, 

Thank you for your perspective growing up in a traditional Chinese family. It gives me insight that I would not otherwise have. It seems as if things are changing, even if it is slow.

 

[Deanna Wiist]

Reading the article on The Marriage Law of 1950 and exploring the text of China’s Marriage Law of 1981 made me realize that I really wanted to go back and examine marriage laws in the United States in 1950 to get a better sense of how the individual states compared to China. Article 36 of the Chinese Marriage Law of 1981 also gave the people’s congresses of national autonomous regions the ability to adapt the law to their local nationalities is long as those adaptations were in keeping with the principles of the law. I’d be curious to know what those adaptations were and how they differed. 

I think that an examination of marriage laws from different countries with different types of governments would be an interesting and valuable exercise for my students. It could spark some great conversation about government regulation, ideology, and the impact on ordinary citizens. The article on The Marriage Law of 1950 would also be a good excercise in language, motivation, and perspective. Nice historical example written at a time of intense anti-communist sentiment. 

 

 

[Deanna Wiist]

I could appreciate the struggle here too. The personal story of Wang Rui and Li Han helped me get a sense of the challenges and pressures within China today when it comes to finding a spouse. I was struck by the difficulty and expense of raising a child in modern China. Stories like theirs also bring home the universal desire we all have to be loved, achieve some small success, and do a good job on behalf of our kids.

[Deanna Wiist]

I thoroughly enjoyed the lecture this morning with Professor Yunxiang Yan. There was so much to think about and unpack after this morning’s session. One of the most intriguing moments for me was when he talked about how the concept of eternity in China was linked to reproductive success. That was a powerful insight into Chinese culture. Eternity. That’s as big of a deal as it gets. I spend a lot of time with my students studying demographics, pro-natalist and anti-natalist policies, and demographic transition and economic development; however, sometimes it’s difficult for students to grasp the cultural nuances or societal implications of a policy within a specific country. The knowledge that I gained today will help me better help the students appreciate the changes within China.

 

When considering the concept of eternity and reproductive success, it’s possible to have deeper understanding and more appreciation of how revolutionary a policy like One-Child really was. Even if China was moving naturally in the direction of reduced fertility, an explicit policy and an accelerated time frame are different and have the potential to upset society and cause anxiety. The policy was getting at the psychological heart of the Chinese people. It’s also a lesson in the adaptability of people to a new normal and demonstrates unintended consequences. Chinese new-familism shows that adjustment to new policies and changing economic conditions, but consequences that no one in government probably anticipated. 

 

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