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Samantha AuerbachWow! This is an amazing resource. I had such a hard time finding a web resource that was unique and I didn't even think about virtual tours of musuems. This gives so much insight into artifacts, art, history, etc. I have given my students a few options to do virtual field trips during distance learning and they love it so much. They think it's so cool to visit musuems, national parks, etc. This is a fantastic way to introduce them to other cultures while still being extremely educational. Thank you for sharing!
Samantha AuerbachI have to be honest, when I signed up for this course it was 75% for the salary points and 25% because I really lack a strong foundational background in East Asian history. History has always been difficult for me, especially when it is so dense and dates back so far! I cannot say enough good things about this course and how well executed it was. Although we weren’t able to learn the way we wanted to, I’m so impressed with everyone’s ability to quickly transition to online learning. On that first day on USC’s campus, I was so excited. Partly, to be back on my alma mater’s campus, but also to be learning again. Clay speaks so well and is so knowledgeable about the topic that it captivated me.
I also have to admit that I was skeptical the content would relate and translate well to my 4th graders. However, every reflection forced me to see how I could teach these concepts to my students. To begin, my students could compare the architecture of each country to the architecture they see in their community. We could talk about building materials, especially the Japanese Culture of Wood and relate it to our environmental studies theme. Additionally, I could see my students learning about the origin stories of all of the countries we talked about and comparing them to the origin stories of California. In 4th grade, we learn about how California was transformed into the economy and state it is today. My students could compare and contrast the early dwellings in Korea and China to the early dwellings of the California Indians. Furthermore, a 4th grade reading standard is about mythology and folk tales which related to many of the topics we discussed, mostly in Professor Yamashita lectures. I would love to locate a Japanese myth and assign it to my students. We could compare and contrast the different mythological texts we read about to the East Asian countries we’ve discussed. My students really love cosmology and would enjoy learning about vertical or horizontal cosmology while we discuss these origin and mythical stories.
However, my biggest takeaway from this seminar would have to be our final discussion regarding the current situation in Xinjiang. Before this seminar, I was completely unaware about the horrific “education” camps occurring in Xinjiang. I’m honored to be given the chance to hear Dr. Kurban’s testimony and become more educated about the matter. Now that I’m aware, it is my responsibility to educate others.
Samantha AuerbachI love this idea! It's so important, especially for kids, to understand the importance of taking care of their body and what their body is capable of doing. I love the idea to connect it to an art project. Maybe the kids can even pick their "favorite part of me". That way the poem and art piece could also relate to the importance of that organ to their body. For example, the heart. Not only is the heart vital for survival, but the symbolism behind the heart could also come into play here. It's a great idea to find the correlation between how health is viewed and affects the Japanese people. How those ideals play into the different aspects of their culture and daily lives.
Samantha AuerbachHi Elizabeth, I also find the unknowns of Japanese history instriguing. It made me think of what factors may have contributed to the lack of primary sources from Japanese history. Was it because they were a closed society? Were they scared of other religions, ideologies, or missionaries coming to their land and changing the way the early inhabitants lived and believed? Or like you mentioned, Japanese geography. Or did the early Japanese people want to keep their stories, traditions, and culture for themselves. Fearful that others would impose their thoughts, or take from their culture to interject with their own beliefs. I would definitely want to learn more about this. As you can see, I have a lot of questions!
Samantha AuerbachHi Brigid, I agree with you! I also recently took the Holocaust and Human Behavior course and I thought about the same things. Most specifically, how did so many people just sit by and watch while such horrific incidences occured. How it these terrifying events keep taking place year after year before any intervention was made. I'm glad you can relate this into your classroom and educate your students about the situation in Xinjiang. I think that's where this really starts. Educating as many people we can about the "re-education" camps not only in China, but other parts of the world as well.
Samantha AuerbachJust like many have mentioned above, I was very naive and unaware regarding the dire situation in Xinjiang. I'm horrified to learn about the mistreatment of the Uyghur community and people based on their religion and where they are from. We learn and hear about concentration camps and "detainment" centers and I always think that it's a thing of the (not so) distant past. How can anyone in modern times still do this and how can bystanders sit by and watch? I know it does still happen, I just have a difficult time wrapping my head around it. Hearing Dr. Kurban's testimony about her experiences was bone-chilling. It's always so different to learn about a topic, but then to hear from someone who has experienced first-hand...
I'm glad to know that Dru, Nurnisa, and Elise are all identifying themselves as upstanders and shining their light and knowledge on such a dark situation. While this topic is not appropriate to adapt or teach in my 4th grade class, I think I can teach my students the differences in being a bystander; watching while an incident is occuring but not taking part, and being an upstander; taking a stand and standing up for what is right!
Samantha AuerbachI found Professor Yamashita's lecture very interesting on two different accounts. I really enjoy learning about all the origin stories from the different countries we've discussed in this seminar. It's great to compare them, finding similarities and differences. It would make for a great activity for students as well!
I specifically enjoyed learning about all the dualism in the Japanese origin stories. Learning about the blood types and fingerprint patterns that determined which geographical area of Japan people are from. This paralleled nicely with his following discussion about cosmology. It seems that not only was vertical cosmology a part of Japan's founding mythological stories, but it also connected to the dualism between the vertical geography of Japan.
One of the reading literature standards in 4th grade is to determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including those that allude to significant characters found in mythology. This topic aligns so well with our standards and it would be nice to locate the myth Professor Yamashita talked about, "The Heavenly Grandchild and the Sea God's Daughter". Depending on the complexity of the text, it could be used for this 4th grade standard. At the very least, I think my 4th graders would enjoy comparing and contrasting the different origin stories we've discussed in China, Korea, and Japan and how they align to the idea of vertical or horizontal cosmology.
Samantha AuerbachThis is such a great idea, I love it! I could see my 4th grade students getting very excited about this. Since we're at the same school site, maybe we could partner together and the 4th graders can help the ETK students!
Samantha AuerbachThere are many different advantages and disadvantages to this debate. There are many benefits to being an open country. Some of those benefits include the transfer and trading of goods, introduction to new technological advancements which could lead to a stronger economy. However, the risks seem to far outway the benefits. The risks include potential seizure of land and people, spread of other idealogies and religions, new cultural norms, new languages, and as Clay discussed today, I think the most imprortant, risk of military technologies.
Samantha AuerbachI couldn't agree with you more. It's refreshing to read about rulers who value integrity and upholding laws meant to keep people safe. By pointing out his own crimes it's almost a humbling experience. Allowing others to identify with him and see that he understands the value of upholding laws.
Samantha AuerbachThe proclamations and placards instantly reminded me of the legalists. There are laws to abide by and if you break those laws or rules, you will be punished accordingly, no matter who you are. This reminded me of the discussion we had based on the schools of thought. If your family broke a rule, how would you react? I love how the proclamation begins, "To all civil and military officials: I have told you to refrain from evil". He expresses that many people who are accused of commiting crimes are often trying to bribe their way out of it, and he goes back to what he has said all along... " I warned you not to do it". I agree with his sentiment that rules are meant to be followed to keep all citizens safe, especially when you are told about them. If you don't follow these rules there should be harsh consequences so that the citizens know there are repercussions for your actions.
Samantha AuerbachHi Meghann,
I really like your idea about teaching your students about Sin Saimdang and her appearance on the 50,000 won bill. I teach 4th grade and I could see my kids really enjoying having a discussion about historical figures they would like to see on our own money. I also really liked that Sin Saimdang's art was displayed on the won. I think you could combine both ideas and have students not only propose what historical figure US dollars could showcase, but also design what the bill would look like including art associated with the historical figure.
Samantha AuerbachI thoroughly enjoyed learning about Korea's early history. As I was listening to your presentations, I was trying to see how I could use the information in my 4th grade classroom. I think what aligned most was the poems and art. Sijo poems would be perfect for 4th graders. I teach at an environmental studies magnet, so I would teach the students about Sijo poems and have them write their own about nature. I also like the artwork. I'm not sure I would show my students the paintings of the teacher with their students, but I do like the idea behind of having students create a painting or drawing about our own classroom. I can see this being either an introductory lesson in the beginning of the year to learn about each other, or a great lesson at the end of the year to summarize our time together.
Samantha AuerbachThank you for taking the time to create these lectures. While a lot of these topics are not in 4th grade social studies standards, I did see some parallels in early Korean history that could be made with my 4th grade students. We discuss primary and secondary sources, specifically with information about the California missions. I like the idea of using the early Korean dwellings as a comparison to native Californians early dwellings, as they look quite similar. There is also a comparison to be made by students about where the early Korean settlers built their homes to the early native Californians. Both settling along the coast and using trade as a means to aquire tools and food they wanted. While the texts are too difficult for elementary aged students there are concepts from them that could be used and adapted, such as the good guy vs bad guy rulers. Why were rulers looked at as either good or bad? What information did the author add and how can we tell it's credible? This idea can easily be adapted to 4th grade standards and used in a written response or literacy task. We discuss at great lengths credible sources and who to trust!
Samantha AuerbachThank you for your lectures! As a few members of this group mentioned above, I was also drawn to the idea of Japan being a culture of wood. I wasn't previously aware of this and I'm glad it was discussed in the lecture and in the discussion this morning. What stood out to be was the fact that Japan had to constantly rebuild and wood was the easiest material to use in order to do this. Another discussion impacted me was the idea that zen can come to one as an impermenant thing. The fact that flash of lightening could bring enlightenment in an instant when so many have searched and studied for years in search of enlightenment made me think about how that parallels in today's society. So many people are in search of something to make themselves better, or their professions better. That sometimes, what you are searching for could be right under your nose. That it doesn't take so much time and effort to find, it could be something much smaller, a moment in time.
