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Melina MelgozaI greatly appreciated this week’s texts and their focus on propaganda and media in modern China--especially related to the infrastructure projects.
Firstly, these texts and videos made me think about Critical Media Literacy, a framework coined by Kellner & Share in 2006. I use this framework in my classroom all the time and students are able to deconstruct, question, analyze, and interpret historical and contemporary media. “Critical media literacy is an educational response that expands the notion of literacy to include different forms of mass communication, popular culture, and new technologies. It deepens the potential of literacy education to critically analyze relationships between media and audiences, information, and power. Along with this mainstream analysis, alternative media production empowers students to create their own messages that can challenge media texts and narratives. Put simply, critical media literacy has readers interrogating text to examine and challenge the dominant power structures that audiences work to make meaning between the dominant, oppositional, and negotiated readings of media.” It would be very interesting in the classroom to use the CML framework and it apply it to Chinese propaganda--in particular the propaganda we saw today "Lyrics Would Like to Build a Road" song and other forms of propaganda.
I was particularly intrigued in the portion where Professor Dube, in “The Chinese Dream/One Belt, One Read Initiative” says, “When I am talking about something related to diet, health, and pollution, why can’t I use a China example? When I am talking about social interaction, I can use a discussion about social media in China, when I am talking about technology, I can use a China example.” It made me think about how I might be able to embed the conceptual understandings of Critical Media Literacy into the conversation—including social constructivism, languages/semiotics, audience/positionality, political of representation, production/institutions, and social/environmental justice. Similarly, it made me think about how we might be able to engage in conversation about China’s massive belt and road initiative in the classroom through a critical media lens. Without a doubt, it’s a massive and impressive infrastructure project; however, I want students to be able to understand and answer the question: why might this be seen as a disturbing expansion of Chinese power and why do so many oppose to the Belt and Road initiative?
Students can then again engage in answering some of the Critical Media Literacy Framework questions to better question and interpret the media surrounding this massive project:
In particular, I found the “MA Thesis on China Media BRI Videos 2018” to be particularly intriguing and helpful with the work I do with my students. In the chapter titled, “China’s propaganda system.” I think it will be interesting to embed many of the lessons discussed there in my classroom—such as, the “propaganda use as a vitally important and legitimate tool to educate the masses and shape society.” Similarly, it would be interesting to analyze the concept of “the entanglement between internal/domestic and external/foreign propaganda systems.” (P. 14)
There are many more questions that can be asked from this week's texts, videos, and propaganda analyses, but here are a few more that I thought I'd pose to the group and my future classroom:
1. What role does propaganda play in developing nationalist sentiment?
2. How might the lyrics to a song play a role in influencing the masses?
3. Who does the infrastructure initiative advantange? Who does the infrastructure initiative disadvantage? As a result, how might this project influence the way people feel about it, based on their positionality.
Here is some more information on Kellner & Share and their CML framework:
Melina MelgozaIf there is one word I could use to describe me, it would be COMMITTED. I must renounce my father and I will personally turn him in. The purpose of us adhering to a government is that we have a unified concept of morality--my father is not the exception. We must conform upward. I cannot care more for my family than I do for other's families. That is the moral basis of our society and thus, since my father harmed another, he must live out the consequences.
Melina MelgozaVideo Lecture 1 Responses:
Discussion Question 1:
The media and pop culture often include many Chinese symbols. For example, I have definitely come across the dragon tattoo, the yin and yang symbol, and bamboo as a home aesthetic. The Chinese symbols for words are also very popular as tattoos, stickers, and even used for marketing purposes sometimes. It is possible that individuals find meaning or purpose in some of these symbols, but it is also possible that individuals culturally appropriate symbols without understanding the meaning or purpose of them. There is a very fine line between understanding the purpose and meaning and culturally appropriating someone’s language or important symbols for own personal capital gain. I think that my students would definitely recognize some of the Chineses symbols—especially the yin and yang and red dragon. They’d also be able to make connections to the word alphabet symbols. It would be a great conversation to have regarding the importance and cultural significance of these symbols.
Discussion Question #2:
Like most thought ideologies, schools of thought develop as a response or result to an event, or opposing philosophy. It would be interesting to do an assignment juxtaposing American schools of thought and forms of rule that developed as a result of European models. It would be interesting to also trace the development of Chinese schools of thought. Finding some common ground might be interesting too (if there is any).
Discussion Question #3:
Some of the central elements of Mohist thought include advocacy of a unified ethical and political order grounded in a consequentialist ethic emphasizing impartial concern for all—a Mohist also actively opposes military aggression and hurting others—Mohists condemn waste and luxury and support the opposite.
Lecture #2: Discussion Question #1
Some of the key elements of Peach Blossom Reading: the fisherman was not fully concerned with profit he’d make from his fish; he allowed himself to listen to his mind, body, and soul and he was relaxed. Perhaps this resulted in him losing his way and some of his profit, but he was able to be at peace and far away from the sin of people and “horrors of war.” There is certainly a larger message to this story—particularly in understanding what we emphasize as important.
Discussion Question #2:
A unified nation allows for the expansion of economic growth, unified geographic mapping (when it comes to trade), large and powerful military protection, and a unified language that establishes a strong sense of nationality. On the other hand, one major problem association with not having a single unified empire is that there is a lot of inner turmoil and conflict in the geographic area hosting more than one “nation” or “empire.” Similarly, there will be clashes in the person ruling and it will be very hard for individuals to adjust to this way of living, have economic progress, and will set individuals back in expanding their technology.
The Attractions of The Capital Reading:
The text fostered a sense that Kaifeng and Hangzhou are being described were luxurious and filled with riches. Evidence of this can be seen in the parts of the text where it describes people engaging in a constant flow of trade amongst people and in markets. Through many of these descriptors I was able to more fully visualize what a prosperous city with trade and opportunity for economic growth may have looked like.
Melina MelgozaQuestion (17:05) Water is life and as a result water is power. In an increasingly capitalistic world—water has become even more politicized. Our Earth is at a tipping point—if human kind does not learn how to not be individualistic and selfish—harm will continue to be inflicted and basic human needs (such as water) will continue to become scarce and politicized.
I enjoyed learning through the videos and the materials provided this week. I think understanding supply and demand, resource scarcity, and historical oppression are key to engaging in critical dialogue in any Social Studies course. I teach Ethnic Studies (including AAPI) and a question I posed to myself was: How might I be able to embed some of this material in Ethnic Studies to help my class understand push-pull factors of people migrating to the United States? What groups are further marginalized through decisions made in stronger and larger nation-states? What are the impact of coal plants? Who makes the decisions to establish coal plants where they are established? More often than not, profit over people has been a common theme throughout history. How does capitalism drive some of what is happening/happened in Asia? Is there a solution to this? The article “Japan Races to Build New Coal-Burning Power Plants, Despite the Climate Risks,” really demonstrates how profit is put before people and how the effect that the coal plants will have on surrounding communities is not taken into account.
Part of Ethnic Studies is also understanding our own identity—understand historical and contemporary experiences of the world around us is a critical part of that. I also teach World History and U.S. History, and I had a thought that it might be interesting to understand access to clean water throughout history and the implications that had on the formation and development of societies.
Questions I want to pose:
“At the expense of whom is a civilization great?”
“At the expense of whom does technology advance?”
“What is development and who decides that?”
After learning a little bit more about water conservation and allocation, I’d like to delve deeper into the concept of historically oppressive behavior—how were certain communities affected negatively by oppressive choices and further, how do we still see the remnants of that today? How do we continue to do that ourselves.”
Melina MelgozaHello everyone! My name is Melina Melgoza and I teach 9th grade Ethnic Studies, 10th grade Dual-Language World History, and 11th grade Honors U.S. Histoy and Dual-Language U.S. History in Los Angeles, California. In the past, I've taught all of those classes, as well as, Economics and Principles of American Democracy. As we continue to move into a more globalized worked, I want to continue to expand my knowledge and understanding of China. This year, we've been virtual, but we are also hoping that we will be back in the classroom soon.
Personally, my hobbies are traveling and learning! I've only been to Shanghai, China, but hope to go back and explore a lot more!
