[Jennifer Macchiarella]

I like this idea of focusing on geography and then mvoing to industry. I think this could be an interestint comparison to growth patterns in other parts of the world, emphasizing the importance of geography.  Rivers, like many waterways, span country borders, which leads to lesson/discussion on water rights, transportation, regulations, and pollution.  Using China as focus study helps decentralize Europe and the US from our classes.   I would like more information on current pollution levels in China and how that affects health and industry.  I'm looking forward to post-1800 class.

[Jennifer Macchiarella]

I'm looking back through posts looking for lesson plan ideas and I was intrigued by your list. When we teach The Odyssey we look at the Cyclops as a particular kind of cultural moster - everything he is goes against the value of farming, seafaring, government organizing Greeks.  We then talk about what cultural monsters we have, but I think this idea of cultural heroes, and the possible. negative consequences, would add to that lesson.  The mandate of heaven is a good comparison with the divine right of kings, the Supreme Leader, the laws of succession.  Adding in history from China will enrich our lesson.

[Jennifer Macchiarella]

I found it fascinating how the video explained the social structure, placing entertainers just above slaves.  I recognize that many entertainers don't produce any tangible goods, but I'm curious if all arts were treated in the same way. Were poets the same as singers? Were artists the same as musicians?  Were entertainers common, or just found around the royalty? I think it would be an interesting comparison across history, especially given the often high status of entertainers in America. Entertainers can be paid lavishly and admired, but entertainment as a future profession is often discouraged. My own son wants to be an actor and many of my friends think I'm crazy to "let" him pursue it. 

[Jennifer Macchiarella]

I agree that the idea of printing as unique to Europe is problematic at best and racist at worse. I appreciated the concept of "concurrence" - how multiple cultures could invent the same thing. Gutenberg didn't copy his idea from Korea, but that doesn't mean he gets sole credit. I am curious about how printing affected Asian literacy rates, commerce, philosophy?  We talk about how moveable type led to an increase in the printing of indulgences, and how that angered Luther, and how the machine meant his 95 theses could be printed quickly and spread. Was there any similar cultural change in Korea or China after the moveable type was invented?  Did it increase literacy rates? Affect commercial record keeping?

[Jennifer Macchiarella]

I would like the certificate.

Thank you.

[Jennifer Macchiarella]

I'm curious about other myths. Do the Koreans have one about how evil was introduced into the world? We have a mini-unit comparing Pandora to Eve and looking at both stories through a feminist lens.  Then we talk about how this basic assumption shapes literature for centuries to come.  Along the same lines, I thought it was interesting that women could become queens before those from a lower rank could inherit the throne - the idea that rank was more important than gender.  

I was also curious about the choice of animals and why both animals couldn't endure the 100 days.  Do you have any suggestions of ore resources for Korean mythology?

[Jennifer Macchiarella]

I was also fascinated by the acceptance of adoption as a means of securing heirs.  This practice contrasts with the tendency of males to be concerned about the purity of their bloodline and the resulting control of women's reproduction.  Were Japanese wives and concubines segregated to prevent affairs, or were all babies just assumed to be the father's, without any great concern as to actual bloodlines? Were there ever conflicts between adopted children and born children in terms of inheritance or family power?  Did poor families every try to place their sons in positions of adoption?  While I can imagine wanting the best for your child, the idea of giving up my child is horrible.

[Jennifer Macchiarella]

This reminded me of parent who objected to a Joyce Carol Oates short story because of the violent images.  What the parent didn't like was the story from the Bible alluded to in the story, not the story itself...

Do you incorporate parts of the Tale of Genji into your class?  I teach a 10th grade world lit/world history class and we are always looking for more Asian texts.  We have a difficult time finding selections that appeal and are understandable. 

[Jennifer Macchiarella]

I'm always looking for ways to connect idea from this class to what my 10th graders hae already learned.  I'm excited to talk with them about how Japan managed to repel colonialism, first by the Mongols and then the Europeans and the Americans. The geographic isolation of Japan will be a good starting point - we often joke about how Antartica hasn't been colonized yet.  What I found most interesting about today's class discussion was how the Japanese recognized the dual threat of Christianity and European traders.  By carefully regulating trade, and limiting the Europeans to the Dutch, Japan was able to escape the fate of much of Africa and the Middle East. We just talked about how Iran was essentially split between Great Britain and Russia.  We are trying to change the focus away from Europe and this class is really helping.

[Jennifer Macchiarella]

The article about gender relations reminded me of this article from the NY Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/21/world/asia/korea-comfort-women-japan.html  Regardless of their places as wives or concubines, agents of their own economy or fully dependent on male relatives, women get abused and treated as sub-human.  I wish there was more information on marriage and gender relations among the commoners.  Women getting married for dowries or to cement relationships or to produce heirs seems to go across cultures.  

[Jennifer Macchiarella]

Having just read several articles about Biden's proposals to support infrastructure in the US, and listening to a local NPR stations coverage of a problematic bridge (into West Seattle, for anyone that knows the area), I found the discussion of highways in Japan to have similar themes.  While the highways allowed for the System of Alternate Attendance as leaders moved from household to household, the also supported trade.  Building and maintaining roads costs money, but any national unification depends on leaders and soldiers, and citizens, being able to move around the country.  I teach 10th grade world history and we often look at infrastructure as a function of a successful government.  This section will add to that.

When some names began to sound familiar I realized that everything I think I know about Japanese history comes from watching the mini-series Shogun at the age of 9.  I'm grateful for the opportunity to add to that early experience.

[Jennifer Macchiarella]

I was most fascinated with the discussion of cherry blossoms and how their brief appearance is a celebration of life.  I live near Seattle and we have lots of cherry trees, most famously on the University of Washington campus.  We also have some on our high school campus, and I think I will take my students on a field trip next spring, assuming we are in person.  The lecture helped me realize that cherry blossoms aren't just something for tourists, but something deep in the culture, that their brief appearance is a reason to celebrate the fleeting elements of life.

From the video series I enjoyed the discussion of urban planning - how cities were layed out, especially in comparison to Roman cities, which we study in world history.  The idea of designing a city like Kyoto to minimize Buddhist temples and reduce the influence of Buddhism on politics makes me thinks about modern American cities. What do we hold in the center? What do we try to marginalize.

[Jennifer Macchiarella]

I was also curious about labor costs. When we discuss the Industrial Revolution in England we look at the relative cost of British labor to that in India and China.  High labor costs spurred mechanization. I wonder how labor costs in China affects the interest in building these infrastructure projects.  How much of the construction is "labor" as opposed to engineering?  Is there a "free market" in terms of labor, or are workers encouraged to apply for work in areas deemed important by the central government?

[Jennifer Macchiarella]

I was most intrigued by this line from the reading on Muslims in China :"It is important to note that the Uyghur protests and subsequent crackdowns of the 1990s and mid-2000s have rarely been connected to freedomof-religion issues, but rather to a range of indigenous rights issues, of which religion has been only one concern."  When examining the relationship between the Chinese ethnic majority and the various minority groups, I find it interesting that religion is used as an identifying factor, but respect, or lack thereof, of religious rights is not the only issue.  This reminds me of other parts of history, especially in Europe, where cultural practices and economic opportunities were just as important as religious differences.  

[Jennifer Macchiarella]

According to Analects 16, a person serving his father may gently remonstrate him, but if that doesn't work, he should "resume his attitude of deference."  The Confucianist should try to correct his father's behavior, but if it doesn't work, give up. He should, however, continue to act correctly himself so as to serve as an example, "As a model to the world."  

I think a system of government that allows one to forgive one's relatives is highly problematic.  The criticism that Confucianism leads to nepotism could be traced to an incident such as this. 

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