[Matthew Wong]

Thank you Professor Kurashige for the list of resources (Resources for Asian American and Transpacific Histories.pdf) you provided on Asian American History. I have read some of the books written about Asian American history while I majored in Asian American Studies at Davis. Last November, I purchased Erika Lee's The Making of Asian America: A History. I found the beginning chapters of the book quite interesting as it discussed the Asian diaspora in the Caribbean. I have not yet finished reading the book, but do plan to get into when I get a chance. 

[Matthew Wong]

Flor, we have so much to "cover" in US History. I was an Asian American Studies major in college. It was during that time when I began to learn about the history of Asian Americans in the United States. I always encourage my students to take an ethnic studies course when they go to college. When I took contemporary Asian American History at Davis, I felt like I could finally reconcile my identity and its place in US History. 

[Matthew Wong]

Agree, agree, agree! 

The professor's lecture focused on a collection of voices concerning Asian Americans in the United States. The topic of Asian American history is not as thoroughly covered as it should. I am hopeful the new framework on history and the social sciences will prompt history teachers to consider including more diverse perspectives of the lives of Americans.

 

I feel like I can use the examples the professor included in his lecture to expand on my students' knowledge of modern US History. I may give students a person to research and then they could share out what they found out about that person's views. Has the person's viewed changed over time? If so, how did that affect US history?

[Matthew Wong]

Evelyn, I agree with you that Cranes is a great short story to share with students while discussing the Korean War. I think it is useful to include stories when we are discussing history to bring about a different perspective of the legacy of the war. 

I have had to read the story a couple of times to better understand Sunwon's short story. I find it interesting how the author tied to the two main characters with their childhood lives in the past. I guess in the end, the "Communist" Tokchae was freed by his childhood friend Songsam, am I correct? 

[Matthew Wong]

Korea’s Twentieth Century Odyssey by Michael E. Robinson is a great supplemental text for a unit on the Korean War. The Korean War is infamously known as “The Forgotten War.” The text provides a detailed description of the Korean War, before, during and after. For example, it discusses the “occupation” of Seoul by North Korea or the military tactics the US used against the North Korea. Robinson notes that US warfare contributes to North Korea’s long disgust of the US, in part because of the US destroyed North Korea in two years.

 

I would probably use this text to augment what little information my World History textbook has on North Korea. I feel like the students will gain a deeper understanding of the Korean War, and hopefully connect what happened then to what is happening between the US and North Korea today. 

[Matthew Wong]

I appreciated Professor Kim's lecture this morning on Korea after 1945. Like Cindy, I was stunned to hear about the creating and re-creating a constitution in the post-World War II Korea. I agree that our history textbooks gloss over this aspect of Korea. I think that we could use this example to draw on the differences between what happened in "democratic" Korea and how America handles amendments to the Constitution. I think this is important to reinforce to our students how our system of government, compared to others, has survived the challenges of our history since 1789. 

[Matthew Wong]

Wow! This is a great idea to have students present their ideas on what is to become of Korea after World War II.

I think it is particularly important to relate what happens in Korea to various countries in Asia, such as China and Vietnam. High school students could compare and contrast the developments of these countries after World War II and throughout the Cold War. 

I think there could also be discussions on the implications of the split of Korea, China, and Vietnam and how the world would be different than the world we have today if these countries had not split.

[Matthew Wong]

 

Nakane Mihoko’s Diary of an Evacuated School Girl is a primary source that World History (and US History) teachers can use during a unit on World War II. The text includes daily diary entries from April through August 1945 from Mihoko. In her diary entries, Mihoko discusses her daily life after she is evacuated from her home. Mihoko writes about the topics she is learning, the foods she eats, her weight, her bathing routines. In addition to talking about Japanese culture and customs, she refers to Hitler, the Americans, English, and Soviets. Towards the end, she talks about the atomic bomb that forces Japan to surrender. She even mentions how she will seek revenge one day!

 

I think high school students will find this account interesting. The text also provides students with a different perspective, the side of the “enemy.” 

[Matthew Wong]

The image shows men and women, of various backgrounds and occupations, looking optimistically and ahead. 

This propaganda poster refers to the model of the Da Zhai city people. Under the leadership of a Communist Party activist, Chen Yong Gui, Da Zhai was transformed their area into an agricultural success. Mao sought to use this example to motivate other areas of China to follow Da Zhai City's leader. 

Da Zhai is located in Shanxi Province. More information about this propaganda poster can be found here: https://chineseposters.net/themes/dazhai.php.

I think this is a cool assignment for high school students. Students can research the examples of the propanganda they chose or was given to them, share their ideas, and discuss with a small group. 

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[Matthew Wong]

I studied Asian American Studies in college, so I recall aspects of the Japanese American experience during World War II. I also recall the diverse experiences of Asian Americans in Hawaii, and how Asians were essentially pitted against one another. One of the fascinating aspects of the discussion we had involved the loyalty question. It was interesting that Professor Yamashita noted how many Japanese Americans returned to Japan to fight for the imperial Japanese army. It was also interesting how Yamashita stated that the loyalty of Japanese in America was indeed a legitimate concern. It never crossed my mind that a significant number of Japanese Americans would be disloyal to America. I always thought it was a racist allegation against Japanese Americans in order to justify the concentration camps the Japanese were placed in. 

[Matthew Wong]

The “Principles of Knighthood” article is a good and short for high school students studying modern World History. The language of the text provides an opportunity for students to understand an aspect of Japanese feudal society. To build on this, teachers may consider adding discussion questions about the text, as well as connecting the ideas of the text to students’ prior or lack of knowledge about Japan. For example, do students see some of these ideas in today’s modern Japan?

[Matthew Wong]

The “Edo Japan” article includes an abundance of graphics, images, and short articles that I feel would be useful for teachers as they create a unit on Japan. As someone who has limited understanding of Japan and Japanese history, I found this article to be enlightening. Coupled with Professor Yamashita’s lectures, I feel like I have a better understanding of Japan before the Meiji Restoration. I particularly liked the graphic on Japanese society, as well as the articles of “Night Soil” and “Neo-Confucianism.” 

[Matthew Wong]

I am a high school social science teacher, and I am always looking for new teaching strategies to engage my students. I agree with Jacqueline! I enjoyed how Professor Yamashita's style of using a probleme histoire to help us better understand his lecutre. I also enjoyed how he "scaffolded" each topic, then focused on the key ideas of the topic. 

To be frank, I have limited knowledge of Japanese history. The only history I know stems from my studies in high school and college. I know about the Meiji Restoration and World War II. I also know about the Japanese American experience based on my studies in college. Professor Yamashita's lecture expanded my knowledge of pre-modern Japan. This new understanding will better help me create better lesson plans that my students deserve! 

[Matthew Wong]

I agree! This article is great for students to use in order to better understand Korea. Perhaps, creating a KWL to see what students' perceptions and understandings of Korea. Then provide students with a copy of this article to better add to their understanding of Korea. You may even have a discussion about what students learned and how this may expand their understanding of Korea, particularly given US-North Korea and US-South Korea relations. 

[Matthew Wong]

I found Seth’s Concise History of Korea an interesting primer on Korean history. I personally have limited knowledge of Korean history, except for what I was taught when I was in high school (i.e. the Korean War). My prior understanding of Korean history and current events involves knowing that the Chinese had an influence over the Koreans, particularly the Korean written language, and the news about Korea today.

One of the interesting aspects of the text is Seth’s argument that Koreans, prior to Western contact, believed in an Eastern Asian world order. Seth argues that Koreans held closely to the traditions, customs, and beliefs of a world centered on East Asia. Their major foreign contacts were China and Japan.

Because of the length of this text, I think this could be useful as a reading for high school students with appropriate scaffolding. This text could be introduced in an unit on World War II or the early Cold War. 

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