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Gerlinde GoschiThis was a very interesting fact I learned during this session. I didn't know that Wisconsin is such a large ginseng grower. Thank you for sharing the websites above. Ginseng has many health benefits including reducing inflammation as a potent antioxidant, benefit brain function, boosting the immune system, cancer-fighting properties, fighting tiredness and energy level increase, and lowering blood sugar. While ginseng is not a miracle herb, it potentially can help. I like the idea to create a "Did You Know?" chart about ginseng and interesting facts about it. I could make this into a project in class and prompt students to research it further/
Gerlinde GoschiI have to obey the law and realize that the law applies to all, including my own father. Although I love him, it is scary to think about what would happen to me if I would not tell anyone and if he got caught. As his son, it will be my duty to carry on and take care of the family. I am strong and can work the land to provide. Now I understand what the state means when it asserts that human nature is basically selfish. My father was selfish when he didn't follow the law and he deserves to be punished. He didn't think of his family and what his crime would mean to them. I have to turn him in and report him to the authorities! I have to do this, so I will not be like him! I will follow the law.
Gerlinde GoschiGood morning! Sorry, for the late introduction. My name is Gerlinde. I am a first-grade teacher at a dual immersion (German) and International Baccalaureate charter school in LAUSD near Culver City. In the afternoons, I teach German Langauge Arts to high school students who are alumni of the school. I am very excited and fortunate to take another class with the USC US-China Institute. I love history and I would like to focus on my older students during this course. I hope to develop some interesting lessons for them.
Gerlinde GoschiHi Stephanie! A long time ago, I used to be a substitute teacher at Eucalyptus Elementary in Hawthorne, a great school! I loved working in Hawthorne and with the administrators! But, like I said this was about ten years ago. I am glad we are in this class together!
Gerlinde GoschiI found this article very interesting. I learned that the female college graduates number surpasses the male one in South Korea and Japan. This explains, in my opinion, why the fertility rate is "ultra low" or 1.4 or less. Generally, educated women have fewer children than non-educated ones and they tend to marry later in life or sometimes not at all. They tend to rebel against traditional female household roles and outsource chores which is much more accepted in the U.S. and Europe than in Asia I believe. I would be like to follow this issue in China and learn if it will come to the recovery in fertility.
Gerlinde GoschiAlthough I go to the apothecary in Chinatown once/twice a year to buy teas and herbs, I have not been to the CAM yet, a true gem in the metropolis of LA (as Jacqueline stated). I enjoyed the timeline on the first floor allowing a visitor to take a "Journey" through the history of Chinese immigration to the US, specifically, California and Los Angeles. Beginning with 1840 as the African slave trade ends, Chinese and Asian Indian workers become laborers to replace the slaves. The Gold Rush attracted many Chinese to California. Some of the most interesting facts I learned here: in 1952- 20,000 Chinese entered the US, only 17 are women. My interest was also piqued by the book written by Wen Ho Lee, My Country Versus Me. I was touched by the grains of rice in a bowl representing the LA County Chinese population starting with 16 Chinese in 1860 growing to two bowls of rice representing 329,350 Chinese in 2000. I would love to bring my class to visit this museum. I am glad I had the opportunity to do so myself.
Gerlinde GoschiThank you for posting the group picture! I am in the back/last row, fourth from the left. What a great day!
I enjoyed the visit to the KCC. It was well organized and visually pleasing. Exploring the two floors was interesting. I liked the display of the different rooms and the ancient artifacts. I agree with the comments above about the video at the beginning of our presentation. It felt a little "Idealistic and maybe a bit sanitized" (Zoey Smith), yet informative. I felt our presenter/docent brought a real/human feel to the video. She explained many questions. She was extremely knowledgeable. I was impressed by her English skills.
My favorite was learning about the Korean alphabet, its logic and how to write it. I was fascinated by the simplicity and elegance of Hangeul. I am able to bring a lesson to my class, teaching how to write one or two letters a day. I would add the challenge mentioned above by Aileen to the lesson. It is a great idea and my students would love it! I am excited about the idea of using mulberry paper. I have found some on Amazon and will allow my students to write the letters on this special paper.
Gerlinde GoschiI had a discussion with Dr.Dube about this during our wonderful field trip. I asked Dr. Dube why Chinese citizens are so in awe of Mao? They celebrate him on their currency, posters, and quote him. I wondered if this is a manipulation of the present communist leadership? Dr. Dube answered by stating that the current Chinese population is not so much in love with Mao or cherish him, rather, they are using Mao as a symbol of stability for the country. Nationalism has always been present, it is not necessarily "back" as I stated earlier. It is redefined for the 21st century.
Gerlinde GoschiAfter reading Martin's post about the meaning of the colors in the Mayan society, I will add these to my lesson. Students will brainstorm in groups first and then they will create a poster with what they think red, black, green/yellow, white, and yellow meant for the Mayans? When they finished, we will discover together as a class what these colors mean and discuss with the whole class why we think they have the specific meaning. We will then compare it to the meaning of some of the colors in China.
Gerlinde GoschiFirst, I would like to express my gratitude to Dr. Dube, Catherine, and the professors, I had the pleasure to learn from during this week. I extend my sincerest thanks.
I was very excited to attend another seminar made possible by the USC US-China Institute. I was not sure what the structure of the summer seminar would look like? I knew that it will be an academically rich environment. The forum comments were great and intellectually stimulating.I was in this class to learn about East Asian history, culture, and traditions. As Dr. Dube pointed out many times, history is told by many perspectives, depending on the player telling the story. We always have to remember who is telling the story. As Dr. Rosen stated, the victors are writing the history books. I leave this class with much newly gained knowledge, and with gratitude for this wonderful opportunity I had the privilege to take advantage of. I learned many, many valuable lessons.
I am excited to bring the history of East Asia seen through visual arts into my classroom. The films, artwork, posters, and postcards are powerful visuals I can incorporate into my IB units. I teach six units throughout the school year. I will bring in these visuals into all of them. I have started to explore the many websites all professors shared with us during class. This is an incredible resource for me as I am able to project the artwork to the students.
Consequently, this class has been extremely valuable to me. I saw old friends and made many new ones. I will recommend it to my peers, and I will expose my students to the lessons I learned and I will implement many of the teaching strategies presented throughout the seminar.
Gerlinde GoschiI will incorporate the meaning of the different colors Dr. Dube described today in a fun class activity. I am thinking about making it into a game: Guess what red means in China? What does white/blue mean? and so on. This would be a fun way for my students to learn about China in general and its traditions. When would you wear red? Or something like: I am 25 years old. I am going to visit my grandmother. Should I wear red? Why? I also found out that a certain hue of yellow was exclusively worn by the emperor. No one else was allowed to wear it. This is also a good game question. I would introduce this into lessons with a small history background on China, showing pictures of the garments the leaders of the time wore.
Gerlinde GoschiThe afternoon session was great today. Dr. Dube raised many good questions and presented great facts. He finished the session by asking the class: "What's going on?" I have asked myself the same question this week. Why has Mao reappeared on the currency, on posters, etc. after he was "buried" and steered away from? Why is the current leader, Xi Jinping, grooming himself to look Mao-like in photos? Xi Jinping's government imposes censorship, prohibiting websites, shows, movies from the public. Yet, there seems to be a state of contentment among the general population. This intrigues me.
A quote from Xi Jinping during today's presentation stuck with me. It basically stated that China acknowledges its past and it is okay with it. China is proud of China and honors its past leaders and what they stood for. People have a strong nationalistic attitude, they like their leader who looks out for them. During Mao's time many starved, but they did it for the good of the republic. What Xi Jinping does today is for the good of the republic and the good of the people. The economy is booming and China is a major world player. This is tremendous progress from the 1950-60's. Nationalism is back in China and the Chinese are embracing it.
Gerlinde GoschiDr. Coats presented many great artworks from Japan. I will use the work of Urashimo Taro in my class during a lesson. The theme of time travel and human/animal transformation is a popular one in my class. In the past, I had a student bring in a manga to show the class. The students loved it. I would introduce the "shonen manga" to the class first, allow students to explore it in images. Then I would continue with Osamu Tezuka's "Astro Boy." I would talk about its history (inspired by Mickey Mouse) and show several mangas as examples. As the culminating project/assessment, students will create their own manga cover page. All work will be displayed on the classroom wall.
I appreciated the presentation of Dr. Coats this morning. It was very interesting. I was especially grateful for the many websites he shared with us. I am excited to explore these and bring the many different pieces of artwork via my projector into my classroom. I can work these into many units I teach.
Gerlinde GoschiMidori, thank you, I love the idea of creating your own postcard. I can definitely work it into my units with my own class. It would look great for BTSN! I have done gallery walks in the past and students love it. Since many of the postcards presented by Dr. Brown reflect changes in Japan's lifestyles and attitudes over the years, I would show the class as many different postcards first to introduce the genre and discuss it. Then, we would focus on maybe two or three and analyze it in depth. Students would then create their own postcard. I work at an International Charter School with students from all over the world, many from China, Korea, and Japan. I am very excited about this lesson! It should be fun to teach!
Gerlinde GoschiDr. Rosen's presentation was very interesting. I learned a lot about the state of the Chinese economy, how important it is to Hollywood today and about China's soft power. Soft power, the term coined by Joseph Nye of Harvard, is not linked to the government in the United States. In contrast, in China, it can not exist apart from the government. Although China spent a bigger sum on soft power than the United States, it has not been as successful as the US. Dr. Rosen stated a key point very clearly: "In China's hierarchy of values, influencing the behavior of other countries is more important than soft power, therefore, soft power is sacrificed." An interesting point was brought up in class by our colleague. In the US, we, the citizens are the executors of soft power. We are exporting and spreading, attracting and sharing American values wherever we go. I like this perspective. In my own class, I would show a clip of a movie Dr. Rosen showed us. We would discuss it as a class, and relate it back to the lesson I will teach about tradition/values.
