[Jacqueline Mercado]

I found this reading interesting.  I have always known that respect for the elderly, particulary parents, is important in Chinese culture, but did not realize how high morality is crucial to Chinese philosophy and government.  According to this reading, loyalty to family, especially the elderly is an important part of the culture and translates to political virtue.  The family hierarchy and structure mirrors the larger order in society and obedience and loyalty to your superiors is the key to order and peace in society.  According to Confucius, filial piety is the root of all virtue and the source of civilization. It is particulary illuminating to see how Chinese philosophy, politics and social order intersect.  The cartoon depictions of filial devotion would be a good teaching tool to teach students about this concept as they are engaging and easy to read. These could be used as an introduction to the concept.  

[Jacqueline Mercado]

At first reading, I was unclear about what the point of this fable might be.  As I read it again, looking for what values this short story might convey, I began to look at the particular elements of the story to come up with a picture.  As with any literature, its historical context is key.  The fable itself is about a fisherman who seems to be idle, unoccupied by anything except wine.  He is carried upstream and finds this idylic land where people live peacefully and forever.  As this mythological place is the focal point of this fable, one can assume that the values conveyed in this piece are those found in that place:  a life of harmony with nature and with each other, a life where there is no war nor conflict.  It appears that the fable is expressing a nostalgia for better times,a time of old, a time without war and where people can thrive.  I liked this fable and this would be easy to read with students.   In order to guide students in understanding this myth, providing historical context would be key through which students can understand this longing for a better place and time.  In order to use this fable with my students, I would need to better understand this context. 

[Jacqueline Mercado]

Both China's government and businesses are both invested in economic growth and development and this is generally viewed as a positive development.  This article, however, brings to light the cost of that economic growth and development and its dire consequences on water health, the health of the environment and on people's health with cancer on the rise.  The consequences of development can be tragic and they paint a gloomy picture.  But the article points to a hopeful development; that is, that people can organize and actively work to expose pollution and cause the government to regulate violators.  Although the government and companies in China cannot regulate themselves or each other, the common citizen can.  This is a powerful message to teach students.  This article can be used in lessons in environmental justice to both point out the negative effects of economic growth and develpment and to show students that activism can work to bring about positive change.   

[Jacqueline Mercado]

I, too, found Banyan's article to be very illuminating for me.  Before reading the article, I understood some of the reasons contributing to the decreasing birth rate in East Asian countries and in Europe: women marrying later in life or refusing to marry altogether, women choosing to work rather than stay at home to raise a family, and so on. Upon reading this article, I learned that one of the most prevailing reasons why there is a decreasing birth rate in East Asian countries is the deeply held beliefs people have about women, their role in the family and how women are generally viewed. Although women in countries such as Japan, South Korea and China are educated and contributing to the economy by joining the work force, they are still viewed within the lense of tradition and so not enough social changes are taking place that support women who both want to work and raise a family.  According to this article, the greatest barrier to increasing the birth rate of these countries is the resistance to shifts in attitudes about women.  Since Asian countries are more traditional than for example, Germany, it is uncertain if these much needed shifts in perspective and attitudes will take place in time.  I did not make this crucial connection before reading this article.

[Jacqueline Mercado]

This would be an interesting activity for students to engage in that can lead to a discussion about history as a narrative and what information gets disseminated, perspective and why one point of view can be privileged over another. I found this example of the East Sea and Sea of Japan an interesting one that brings to light how history does not change but the story that gets told about that history seems to change. How history gets interpreted depends on the lense or perspective of the person presenting the facts and evaluating those facts.  I found this to be one of the most thought provoking ideas presented in session one.  This not only caused me to think about how history gets to be told and taught generally, but how I will teach history, what voices I will chose to include and to what purpose.  Such a discussion would be an important one to have with our colleagues and with students so that they can become more critical in their evaluations of primary and secondary sources.

[Jacqueline Mercado]

At the start of session one, we were asked to write the name of an East Asian country and a corresponding adjective. The country that I wrote was China and the adjective I chose was populous.  In his demography and geography presention of East Asia, Professor Dube introduced a map of a globe with lights.  As I viewed this map of the world, I thought about what a great visual this would be to teach students about East Asian economic and technological development and populations and its relation to the rest of the world and within the distinct East Asian countries. Instead of reading about this from a textbook, students can be exposed to this visual and be asked to draw conclusions, write questions and think critically about the kind of information a visual such as this suggests.  By doing so, students can be guided to think and construct their own knowledge rather than simply reading this from a textbook.  This is a great example of how visuals can enhance any lesson and get students to think about larger questions related to content and as an introduction to key ideas about East Asia.  I appreciated how Professor Dube made strategic use of visuals and maps in this session and was inspired to use more such tools in my lesson plans.  As the course develops, I hope to explore and think about how I can integrate these and how the use of these tools can reshape my lessons.

[Jacqueline Mercado]

Hello everyone.  My name is Jacqueline Mercado and I am excited about joining this unique seminar and forum.  I have been teaching for about 16 years and most of that experience is in teaching English to middle school students in inner city schools in Los Angeles.  I am currently teaching in an independent study school within LAUSD.  As an independent study teacher, I get to teach all subjects to high schoolers, grades 9-12.  I decided to participate in this seminar precisely because I am a teacher of English by traning and welcome opportunities to strengthen my knowledge in other content areas and to think about my teaching practice.  Of all of the courses I teach, world history is of great interest to me.  I took a similar seminar last semester and found the experience gratifying and my interest in learning about Asia, its culture and history was piqued.  I look forward to learning more about the distinct cultures and histories of Asia in this seminar and to explore ways to impart that knowledge to my students.  

[Jacqueline Mercado]

Much has been said about Ebrey's World War 2, about Japan and World War 2 in this forum.  I decided to read this text because I am thinking about doing my lesson plan on Japan, World 2 and the Japanese internment camps. I have not as of today fined tuned my ideas, but this is the general topic of my lesson plan.  I liked this reading because it contextualized the rise of Japan as an imperial power in the East. From its nationalistic tendencies to Chinese and Korean occupation, to the demise of the order and structure deeply rooted in the Japanese culture, this reading describes why Japan felt it needed to invade and have colonies, due to its sense of cultural superiority to these countries and for the preservation of the country and self respect.  As Japan grew as an imperialistic power, so did the tensions between Japan, China and the USA grow.  After reading this text, I now understand why Japan wanted to engage the USA in war and why it attacked Pearl Harbor.  I had first learned about the atrocitities that the Japanese inflicted upon the Chinese as it occupied China by reading historical literature.  This reading assisted my education of the role Japan took in World War 2 by delineating the events and conditions that led Japan to enter the war and the ensuing tensions that followed.  This information was particulary eye opening in my understanding of this part of world history because it situates Japan as an imperialistic power, something that I did not perceive prior to this reading.

[Jacqueline Mercado]

Sonia, I also really enjoyed getting into the primary texts in this lecture such as the wartime diaries.  Like you, I am interested in the perspectives of the people experiencing the war and not just hearing about their experience from historians.   I am interested in seeking more exposure to such texts.  Like you, I also don't recall learning much about the Japanese internment camps in the United States while I was in high school.  This says a lot about our educational system and what gets emphasized in the curriculum that is taught.  Thankfully, there are teachers like you, myself and others in this course that are interested in voices and perspectives and historical marginalizations of people and we can emphasize these in our class so that our students will get a more complete education of history.  I know that discussing such topics of people being marginalized is something my students can relate to and so drawing out the connections between the history of a different people such as the Japanese and my students is a way to make learning applicable to their lives.  Like you, I am looking to go deeper into such topics. 

[Jacqueline Mercado]

The 1920 article on freeing slave girls caught my interest.  I am curious about who the author of this article is as it doesn't state the name of the writer in the article.  I find the ideas presented in this text very interesting.  Clearly the author believes that the act of holding girls as slaves  is morally reprehensible and must come to an end.  How she proposes that this be carried out is interesting.  She states that these girls are uneducated and that they take advantage of their masters by their carelessness and immoral behavior and that this is due not to their own fault but it is their masters' fault.  These girls only act like this because they were not taught to behave respectfully because they have not been treated respectfully.  Because these girls are weak, uneducated and behave badly, it is in their master's best interest to release them and educate them.  She frames her argument to say that it is in the larger society's best interest to stop this tradition of enslaving girls for the larger good of all.  She then states that it is the women who should lead the liberation cause.  She appeals to women's reasonableness and sensibility to carry out this mission.  If all women join the cause, then if some do not, they will be pressured to by the example of the other women who do.  I find her arguments to be intriguing and inspiring.  I would like to include this reading in my lessons as the text is easy to read and students can easily relate to the ideas presented here.  If I were to design a lesson in the treatment of women and gender equality, I would include this reading as part of our study. 

[Jacqueline Mercado]

I decided to read this piece delineating facts about Korea because I wanted to become educated on Korean history and culture.  I feel that much attention is given to the two major powers in East Asia, China and Japan, and not much is devoted to Korea.  So, I really appreciate this text because it is a quick read, it is informative and it would be an easy text to read with students if I was to create a lesson on Korea.  Through my reading of this text,  I learned about the historical and cultural influence China has had in the development of Korean culture, government, religion and language.  While there is this historical influence that exists between China and Korea, Korea has developed into a distinct nation to be considered globally for its unique accomplishments, innovations in technology, film and sports.   Since I really do not know much about Korea, I am particularly glad to be exposed to this text and feel that this would be an easy text to use with students to educate them about Korea as well. One could use this text as a source of general knowledge about Korea or use it in a more focused lesson in which students are asked to compare and contrast the distinct differences and similarities between Korea and other Asian countries, such as China and Japan.

[Jacqueline Mercado]

As I read the piece in which the head of the central bank in South Korea calls for marriages and babies, my first thought was how is it that such a private issue like marriages and babies has become such a public affair in Asian countries?   To your point, it is easy to see the relationship between a declining birthrate, an aging population and a future decline in work productivity and hence a future economic demise.  As I read this, I too thought about how culture and economics intersect at this particular point.  Clearly cultural attitudes have caused shifts in when young people in countries like Japan and Korea decide to marry and procreate and this in turn affects the economy.  Similarly, it is shifts in the economy that affect when people marry and if they can afford to have children and be able to properly provide for these children.   It is at this point where culture and economics intersect that the governments of these countries feel the impetus to do something to avoid a pending economic doom. I thought your idea of opening borders to allow an influx of people to immigrate is an interesting one.  We have seen that in other countries such as Germany for example, which also has a low birthrate and so has let immigrants come in, this influx has created shifts in the culture of that country.  If Asian countries open their borders to immigrants, this action will allow for more cultural shifts and in attitudes in the people of these countries.  I find this relationship between culture and economics an interesting one.

[Jacqueline Mercado]

I was interested in reading this piece also because I wanted to learn about the reaction of the Chinese to the treaty of Nanking.  Reading this text has contextualized the issue of this treaty as a reaction to the Opium War and its implications into trade and diplomacy betwween China and Great Britain and the tension between these two countries regarding trade access to China.  Through this text, we see that the people of Huangzhou are advocating for the firm defense of their country and government from what they perceive is a British intrusion upon their country.  The portrayal of the British as "barbarians" show a stark contrast to the benevolence and greatness of the Chinese people, who allowed the treaty to be issued.  I found this reading interesting because it offers a Chinese perspective that I had not encountered about the Opium War and the treaty of Nanking. How fiercely the people of Guangzhou resisted the British invasion of their benevolent country, their statement of fierce resistance and their portrayal of the British as uncivilized barbarians.

[Jacqueline Mercado]

As I read Chiang Kai-shek's speech on the "Essentials of the New Life Movement" I found it interesting how he links personal cultivation and improvement to larger social order and the preservation of country.   He advocates for personal cultivation of virtues for the improvement of his fellow country men on a personal level with the goal to inspire larger social order and service to country.  He sees individual improvement and cultivation as an integral part of this new nationalism.  That is, he seems to call individuals to a high morality that will dictate social order, nationalism and a readiness to die for one's country. What strikes me about his speech is that he is calling on deeply traditional Chinese values to remedy larger social problems like poverty, lack of productivity and crime in China. He addresses social disorder and personal weakness by presenting a solution to both problems that plague China. He states that the adoption of these virtues is of utmost importance for the development of a new China.  

[Jacqueline Mercado]

This is an interesting point, Gerlinde.  Because there is a lack of detailed information about East Asia in history books, I find that there are  gaps in my education of history and this makes me both embarrased and sad to admit.  Quite frankly, I do not recall many specific details about the culture or history of Asia being emphasized in my own education.   I think that this says a lot about what story gets told and how little we value the inclusion of other cultures and histories in our schools and points to a lack of curiousity about historical accuracy.  Like you, I learned much about Chinese culture and history by reading the traditionally read novels by Chinese-American writers like Amy Tan, for example.  As an educator, I am glad I am taking a course like this and look forward to learning about new perspectives, viewpoints and history so that I can become a better teacher.  As a teacher I look forward to teaching about the untold stories and unheard voices so that my students can get a more complete education of world history.

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