[Marcos Garrido]

I like how this reading focused not only on the legacy of modern European architecture in Asia, but in several time periods such as the Renaissance, Neoclassical, Gothic and a few others. For the Neoclassical Era, I will use the Town Hall in Mumbai India as an example. Looking tat the picture alone, without any context or caption, this looks like any western government structure from the classical world in Ancient Greece and Rome, or any other replica of modern government structures in the West. For the Gothic era architecture, I will choose the photograph in page 5, the Rajbai Tower. Again, if I was to look at this photograph without any type of context, I would say that this is some type of church in Germany or even Italy or some western university. There were several photographs in this particular section of the reading that made me realize how much heritage and legacy of colonial architecture India has from its British colonizers.

[Marcos Garrido]

Hi,

My name is Marcos Garrido, and I teach at John F. Kennedy High School. My employee ID is 1108552. I would like to receive one salary point.

Thank you in advance.

[Marcos Garrido]

Aesthetics and Symbols - From Yin-Yang to Wabi-Sabi

Shoin is a type of audience hall in Japanese architecture that was developed during the Muromachi period. The term originally meant a study and a place for lectures on the sūtra within a temple, but later it came to mean just a drawing room or study. Now, Zen a school of Buddhism that originated in China, was welcomed by the shogun and samurai alike in Japan. I like how this article touches on the diversity and origins of architecture, and how these are tightly connected to different regions and cultures in the world. In the case of Buddhism, I like how it has Indian or Central Asian roots, and it spreads across East Asia (China), and eventually Japan. I'm personally thinking of the Age of Discovery in the Americas, and the spread of Christianity and how it was adopted uniquely in each region of the new world. I’m making connections to the first lecture, and how people build with the materials available to them, and create a unique “hybrid”, a complete new design or product.

[Marcos Garrido]

The Buddhist Thread: The Pagoda, the Monastery and the Zen Garden

I liked how the reading started with a discussion of the “Ise Jingu”, and its legacy in terms of architecture and religion; the connection between the two. I personally find it interesting how a temple that’s primarily made of wood, can still be standing more than 2,000 years later. Looking at this temple as evidence of Japanese architecture, would be unfair given the long history and different time periods that evolved in these past two millennia. During our discussion in class, I like how the questions became more focused on climate change and environment friendly construction and designs. 

Experiments in Materiality - Architecture in Stone, Earth and Wood 

This was my favorite part of the lecture. I like how we are looking at materials to build, and how each region or environment offers unique materials that become unique pieces of architecture. I was thinking especially about developing countries in places like West Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia. Local populations are rapidly adapting to a globalized world, and they are starting to consume products that a few decades ago were exclusive to the western world. This economic and population growth is forcing civilizations and governments to build and plan for the next generations. I am concerned with the lack of resources, especially water. How are we preparing as a species to provide a safe source of water and food for this growing population? Also, in terms of space, what materials can be best used to build complex structures that are environmentally friendly and also safe?

[Marcos Garrido]

Learning from East Asia lecture

I enjoyed this particular lecture because it allowed me to see Asia from a different perspective. Dr. Bharne's lecture focused on comparing and contrasting East Asian Architecture with that of the Western World. The most important point that got my attention, was urbanism. It is amazing how the concept of modern cities has changed in the past 50 years, and how some cities that didn't exist 30 years ago are now massive urban centers.

City Form and Planning Concepts

This particular lecture was pleasant to watch. I think it was interesting how this lecture talked about the importance of water, and the history of human settlements with proximity to water. I do not recall the chinese name for this particular settlement, but I found it interesting how Dr. Bharne compared these settlements to apartment complexes. 

[Marcos Garrido]

Hello everyone, my name is Marcos and this is my third time in this program. I'm an LAUSD teacher, and I teach history. I'm looking forward to learn about architecture and urbanism in East Asia. At our school, we have a magnet program that focuses in Architecture and I think that my students and I will benefit from this program. I'm looking forward to these lectures, and how to use them for my classroom. 

 

[Marcos Garrido]

Professor Tsutsui’s presentations were full of passion. First, we were able to learn about the pre World War II economic model that the Japanese market practiced. I was completely unaware of the Zaibatsu, and their economic influence from the Meiji period to their role in WWII. With American occupation and the forceful democratization, Japan experienced this rigorous attempt to catch up with the rest of the leading nations of the world, economically and politically. I honestly enjoyed Professor’s Tsutsui’s first presentation, and it explained the main factors that enabled Japan’s success in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, discipline and sacrifice. It seems that Japanese society, private sector and government worked collectively knowing their place in the system in order to achieve economic growth and a better quality of life. It was a bit shocking to learn about the different kinds of treatment that Japanese workers receive in Japan, and how it is more likely for a Japanese worker to work in one company for a lifetime. It is clear to me that Japan has cherry picked what they think best for them from the West, and have recreated their own culture and economy from that.  

 

[Marcos Garrido]

I loved Professor Katada’s presentation on how Japan became this successful economic model post world war II, and some of the main factors that enabled this transformation. This presentation reinforced some of my presumptions I had on Gender in Japan, on how women are held back socio-economically in this patriarchal society. Also, I was very interested in how the relationship between Japan and the United States became forcefully positive during the Cold War. It was very interesting to learn that since the 1860s, Japan has been trying to westernize its economy and culture. Learning about some of the impacts that WWII had on the Japanese economy, it seems that this process of reconstruction enabled the Japanese people to work collectively and understanding their place in society to lift Japan from famine and chaos. I think that Japan is a role model for many developing countries around the world, and it was really a learning experience to be exposed to some of the fundamental changes that Japan went through to get to this point. I also found interesting this attempt or competition that is taking place with China to bring infrastructure to Southeast Asian and African countries. I don’t think that there are many countries in the world that can do this.

[Marcos Garrido]

The shift that Japan took in the late 19th century as it shifted from an Agrarian economy to a more industrialized market  is something that was enabled by the heavy taxation on farmers, that eventually led to bankruptcy of more than 300,000 of them. This government policies also led to huge migrations to Hawaii and the Pacific coast of the US. It also seems that westernization allowed women to play a greater role in the economy, and shaped their role in society. I was surprised to learn that all these changes appear so recent in my opinion, as I think of the successful economy that Japan currently has compared to other countries of its size. I honestly think that a lot of countries look up to Japan as a successful country in many aspects, and it is truly a pleasure to learn about its foundation as a modern nation that opened its doors to the world. 

[Marcos Garrido]

Hello everyone,

My name is Marcos, and I am currently teaching 6 and 7th grade Social Studies at Mark Twain Middle School in the LAUSD. I was part of the US-China Institute seminar during the summer, and I had a positive experience that made me want to come back and learn more about East Asia. Looking forward to learn from all of you.

 

[Marcos Garrido]

It was really nice to end this seminar with a field trip, and the Korean Multicultural Center is an incredible experience for K-12 students who want to learn more about modern Korean Culture. It was interesting to learn about the concept of beauty from a South Korean perspective, and to learn about the different things that people tend to relate to with wealth. I personally think that the most outstanding thing I learned is how different and similar Chinese, Japanse and South Korean cultures can be. We, as Americans, tend to make our own assumptions of these Asian cultures thinking that they are the same, when in fact they are completely unique in their own way. From this particular experience, I also learned about the K-pop movement that is taking place globally, and how important and cheap is for women to get plastic surgery. I also enjoyed taking pictures with members from the BTS band because I’m going to show them to my 7th graders. (They are huge fans of BTS).

[Marcos Garrido]

Virtue, talent and beauty. Those are three complex elements that would take a full college course to explain, but in simple words I would say that a beautiful Chinese woman is that who contributes. The yang yin idea explains the balance between men and women, and how much both sides need each other. I honestly think that our contemporary society looks for very similar principles that seemed “attractive” back then, although our society has changed so much in different aspects. Confucianism values have placed so much responsibility on women in China, and have tied them mostly to household duties. I found interesting that beauty was not seen as something attractive, but instead hygiene seemed to be more important. I am saying this because I thought foot binding had to do with looking more attractive. Anyway, this lecture from Professor Wang helped me better understand cultural aspects of gender roles in the Chinese household.    

[Marcos Garrido]

I really loved Professor Tran’s presentation, as it was full of information of contemporary China. This is one of my favorite subjects, although it is not in the curriculum for my middle school classes. I learned about how the concept of gender and the social expectations related to it have gradually changed in the past few decades in China. It was very interesting to learn about He Zhen, as one, if not the first female comunist advocate. It is amazing how much China has changed since the fall of the Qing dynasty, and the process of modernization that it went through throughout the 20th century. I personally think that her ideals were radical for her time, and our time, but I like the intentions of her ideals. It seems that women through Chiense history, women have not only struggle with Confucianism and Patriarchy, but with the lack of education that has prevented them from reaching their potential. I think I have a better understanding of the metaphor of the relationship between state and subject with the confucian idea of a family.  

[Marcos Garrido]

I really loved Professor Bernards’ presentation, and his two choices of science fiction novellas, as these might be of interest to my students, especially considering the discrimination taking place in Beijing. I think this novel allows students to compare and contrast the treatement of people in folding Beijing with discrimination in our country, particullarly regarding wealth. Perhaps one of the topics that comes to mind is the recent scandal in which wealthy families were caught buying admission into top universities. I figured that my students would be interested in this kind of material because they are very defensive in nature when they feel that their rights are being violated, and this novel would be a great addition to our classroom. Also, I really liked the novella that Professor Bernards’ brought, “The Wandering Earth”, as it allows us to be exposed to a different genre of chinese literature. I personally find it very interesting, as this is a journey that takes centuries and will have to read the  whole novel and watch the film to better understand it.  

[Marcos Garrido]

The article assigned explains that Ozu has a tendency to use his films to explain the socio-economic transformation of Japan during American occupation, and it’s really interesting to see this transformation visually in these films. As we watched some of these clips, Japan is predominantly a patriarchal society and some of its customs clash with Westerns ideals. It’s also interesting to see the transformation of post war Japan, and the embracement of some Western Culture by its citizens, and like Marcos said, the huge contrast that there is with American occupation of middle eastern countries. I'm trying to understand why Japan became successful after WWII, and what were some of the gender roles in post war Japan. Ozu’s films also reflect the impact of American occupation in terms of marketing, and how some companies like Coca-cola advertise their product in English instead of Japanse. 

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