Teaching Chinese & Japanese History in Secondary Classroom: Incorporating East Asia, Papers of Social Work

Download Teaching Chinese & Japanese History in Secondary Classroom: Incorporating East Asia and more Papers Social Work in PDF only on Docsity! Alice Lee Incorporating East Asia into my Classroom I. Attitudes East Asian studies can definitely be explored in my curriculum. Since I teach seventh grade medieval History and Tenth grade Modern History, the textbooks used in our classroom already discuss (although briefly) the histories of China and Japan. Korea and Vietnam are “skimmed over,” so to speak, so I’d like to spend more time on the rich histories of these two countries in the future. I would like to delve deeply into the cultural and historical roots of these nations as I integrate them into an American classroom. The histories of these societies are irrefutably relevant to the present state of the U.S., especially with the changing faces and attitudes of American society as a whole. In this essay I’d like to discuss how I’m planning to utilize this vast amount of invaluable material in my own secondary classroom, dividing it by nation and time period. II. Approaches CHINA: MEDIEVAL Judging from past units that I’ve taught on China, my seventh grade students really enjoy the artistic and ingenious aspects of the medieval culture. Students often find my lessons engaging, especially when we compare China with other medieval civilizations, especially because of the vast advancements that were commonplace in China before anywhere else. In what seems like eons of advancement, the Chinese were quite remarkable in their ingenuity and artistic accomplishments. Our book spans the history of China from the Han period to the Qing Dynasty. Although this may seem like a large amount of ideas to cover in a chapter, the text seems to do a pretty decent job of summarizing the artistic merits of each dynasty. What I’d like to discuss further, however, are the philosophical and educational progress of the times. Students will debate over which philosophy they find most relevant and/or meaningful in their lives today. How would they have ruled over China, given the circumstances of the time period? What traits would they borrow from various philosophies to adapt them to modern times? When students are asked to defend an argument, they tend to learn a lot, and in the meantime articulate the significance of the philosophy. I would also like to spend some time on the ethnic diversity of China, that not all people living in the People’s Republic of China are han Chinese. The common American is not aware of the Muslims, Uygurs, Tibetans, Mongolians, and Koreans that diversify and enrich this society into blend of cultures. CHINA: MODERN As China rapidly industrializes to impress the globe with the 2006 World Expo and the 2008 Summer Olympics, many issues can be addressed that enable students to see China’s place in the world scene. I believe my students (and I) are part of a generation that may experience a new world order. The political, economic, environmental, and diplomatic ramifications that come with this new global structure are staggering. China in the next century, maybe in the next decade, may become the next powerhouse giant that the U.S. has been for the last half century. These are issues and concerns that must be addressed in a secondary social studies classroom. 1 With that said, I would discuss the –ISMs of the 20th century: communism, fascism, socialism, capitalism, liberalism. For my tenth graders, I believe it is necessary for them to understand these political ideas before learning about the communist revolutions in China and Russia, and also before learning about WWII in Europe. After discussing the Cold War and its impact in Asia, I would have students do a case study on Modern China, North Korea, and Vietnam. What elements of communism still exist in these societies? How far isolated are they from the rest of the world? What kinds of changes have taken place since the fall of the Soviet Union? JAPAN: MEDIEVAL From past experience, I can say with certainty that the idea the students find most fascinating and thrilling is bushido, the way of the warrior. It comes up again in modern world history when my tenth graders learn about the bushido spirit of Japan’s WWII soldiers. Well, since the students don’t need much of a ‘hook’ to get them really interested in the subject, I find that teaching medieval Japan is relatively easy. I would like to discuss further, however, how the shogunate ruled over medieval Japanese society. I would also like to discuss the importance of Zen Buddhism in Japanese society. The students like learning about Zen gardens and the tea ceremony. They make dioramas and give presentations about the tea ceremony and its significance in Japan. If time permits, it’s also an enjoyable activity to make an actual visit to a Japanese tea house with the students. I also spend some time comparing the Japanese samurai to the European knight. Their similarities include the use of the sword, bow and arrow, and horse. The differences lie in their respective armor, their code of conduct, and their role in society outside of combat. Students will be asked to make a Venn diagram poster to compare and contrast the two types of warriors. Images can me drawn or printed from the internet to visually represent the comparisons. Along with these comparisons, students will also be asked to compare European feudalism with its counterpart in Japan, which occurred several hundred years later. I also enjoyed Lynn Miyake’s lecture on Japanese literature enormously and so I hope to incorporate the medieval literature of the times into my curriculum. The concept of aware and the aesthetic, bittersweet tone of the poetry and prose of this time period are very beautiful. JAPAN: MODERN With my tenth graders, I would like to pass on the knowledge I received from Professor Notehelfer’s lecture on modern Japan. He spoke of the warrior class and its rule over an agrarian culture. I would mention to the students that the merchant class was considered the lowest parasites in society because they were not the producers. Then, I would have students design a social hierarchy of American society based on its merit, civic duty, and participation. Then, I would pull out a Fortune 500 magazine and have students take a look at the top moneymakers in society today. I would like to see their reaction to the discrepancies and, as Jonathan Kozol would say, the “savage inequalities” in our society today. I would also discuss the Meiji restoration and how they made an effort to modernize Japan. I would have them compare the Meiji with the Qing Dynasty in China, which refused to budge under the pressures of the west. Japan, on the other hand, rapidly industrialized and eventually rose to economic and military prominence. I would have 2