National Consortium for Teaching about Asia Seminar on Teaching about Asia. July 16-21, 2007 Indiana University

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1 National Consortium for Teaching about Asia Seminar on Teaching about Asia July 16-21, 2007 Indiana University Instructor: Paul B. Watt Professor of Asian Studies DePauw University Greencastle, IN Location: 219 Ballantine Hall, Monday-Friday 238 Ballantine Hall, Saturday morning Goals of the seminar: The seminar has at least three goals. The first is to explore together major developments in Chinese, Korean and Japanese history and culture. Given the time we have together, we will have to be selective in the topics we consider, but you should leave the seminar with a significantly expanded knowledge of these cultures. A second goal of the seminar is to increase our knowledge of the resources available for learning about and teaching East Asia. These resources whether in print, video or DVD format, or on the web are plentiful and growing. Our task is to identify some of the best of these resources. A third goal is to share among ourselves and with alums of the program some of the best strategies for incorporating instruction about East Asia into our classes. Background of the seminar: The East Asian Studies Center at Indiana University, Bloomington, sponsors this seminar on behalf of the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia (NCTA). Requirements: To receive credit for the seminar, stipends for yourself and your school, eligibility for travel tours and other benefits: participants need to complete at least 30 hours of class, complete the reading assignments before class, participate in discussions about the material covered and about strategies for teaching topics appropriate to your classroom situation, submit a Teacher Implementation Plan (TIP) that will include three lesson plans (one each for China, Korea and Japan), and in the fall following the seminar, attend a follow-up enrichment event at which participants can reflect on what they have learned and share experiences they have had in introducing East Asia into their classes. Early submission of TIPs is encouraged but they should be handed in no later than the date of the fall enrichment event. Further at the end of the implementation year, participants are required to submit a report on their East Asia teaching successes, challenges, and ideas for improvements. (See handouts prepared by IU s East Asian Studies Center for further details on requirements and benefits, and on the possibility of obtaining graduate credit for the seminar.)

2 Basic texts: We will be reading and discussing sections of the books listed below during the seminar, but these materials will likely also serve as resources for you for years to come. Patricia Ebrey, Anne Walthall, and James B. Palias, East Asia: A Cultural, Social and Political History (Houghton Mifflin 2005). A general survey. D. C. Lau, trans., Confucius: The Analects (Penguin Classics, 1998). A translation of the sayings of the founder of Confucianism. D. C. Lau, trans., Lao Tzu: The Tao Te Ching (Penguin Classics, 1964). A foundational text in the Taoist tradition. Damien Keown, Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, 1996). A general introduction to Buddhism with a section on East Asia. David Hinton, trans., The Selected Poems of Wang Wei (New Directions, 2006). Translations of the great 8 th century Chinese poet (and painter). Ha Jin, The Bridegroom (Vintage, 2000). A short story collection that provides insight into contemporary China. Donald Clark, Culture and Customs of Korea (Greenwood Press, 2000). A useful resource for the study of all aspects of Korean culture. Harold Henderson, An Introduction to Haiku (Anchor, 1958). A classic study of Japanese haiku now back in print. Yoshimoto Banana, Kitchen (Washington Square Press, 1993). This novel by a young Japanese woman became an international best seller. James Watson, ed., Golden Arches East: McDonald s in East Asia (Stanford University Press, 1997). Studies of the adaptation of the hamburger giant to East Asian cultures. In addition to these texts, we will be exploring a variety of video/dvd resources as well as a number of useful websites related to East Asia. Upon successful completion of the seminar, you will receive a year s subscription to Education about Asia, a publication designed to support teaching about Asia at the secondary and college level. The Daily Schedule: The seminar will meet from each day from July 16 through July 20 from 9 a.m. until noon and from 1 p.m. until 3:30. There will also be three evening opportunities to view documentaries, films and anime together. On Saturday morning, July 21, from 9 a.m. until approximately 11:30 there will be a special session designed to help participants begin to think about their Teaching Implementation Plans. The Syllabus: Monday, July 16 Introductions and seminar overview. What do we hope for our students when we teach about Asia? East Asia: Geographies, climates and peoples. See map at the beginning of the Ebrey history; glance at her discussion of language conventions on pages xxii-xxiii. 2

3 An introduction to Chinese language: Guest speaker Ms. Yu-hua Chang, M.A. degree candidate in Language Pedagogy and Chinese Language Assistant Instructor, Indiana University An introduction to China s first dynasties: the Shang and the Zhou. Read Ebrey, China in the Bronze Age and Philosophers and Warring States During the Eastern Zhou Period, pp Discussion of Confucian and Taoist philosophy. Read Books I-IX in the Confucian Analects, and Book One of the Tao Te Ching (The Classic of the Way and Its Power). Confucianism and Taoism, China two most influential native religious philosophies emerged at a time of disorder in Chinese society and both advocated paths of personal cultivation and social organization that promised a return to stability. Questions to consider: in the case of Confucianism, what are the qualities of the Confucian gentleman? How did Confucius imagine that the gentleman would lead society back to order? What is the ideal social vision that emerges from this work? In the case of Taoism, what are the characteristics of the Tao (the Way), which the Tao Te Ching urges us to embrace? What must one do to know the Tao? What is the ideal social vision of this work? Evening documentary: The Immortal Emperor: Shihuangdi (1998; 50 min.) In 221 B.C.E., the Qin Dynasty brought an end to disunity of the Zhou and set the pattern of centralized Imperial rule that would last until the 20 th century in China. By examining the famous tomb of the so-called First Emperor of China and drawing on other sources, this video provides insight into Chinese society at a major turning point in its history. Tuesday, July 17 A brief overview of Chinese history from the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.E- 220 C.E.) through the Tang Dynasty ( ). Read Ebrey, The Cosmopolitan Empires of Sui and Tang China, pp Buddhism and its introduction into China. Read Keown, chapter 2, The Buddha, chapter 4, The Four Noble Truths, chapter 5, The Mahayana, and pp in chapter 6. The flourishing of Tang culture. Browse through Hinton s The Selected Poems of Wang Wei. Wang Wei was an official in the Tang government, but he was also a famous musician, poet and painter much inspired by Buddhism. What are the 3

4 images and moods that dominate his verse? Any favorite poems in this selection of his work? The trauma and triumphs of China in the 20 th century. Read Ebrey, War and Revolution in China, China under Mao, and China since Mao, pp , , and Videos: The Cultural Revolution: Mao s Last Battle No Rest for the Weary: The Cultural Revolution and Its Origins (2004, 53 min.) and a segment from China Rises: Getting Rich (2006). Short stories by Ha Jin, The Bridegroom and After Cowboy Chicken Came to Town. Wednesday, July 18 An introduction to Korean language: Guest speaker Sun-Yang Hwang, M.A. degree candidate and Korean Language Assistant Instructor, Indiana University. Traditional Korean society. Read Clark, The Story of the Korean People, Thought and Religion, pp and Video: Hidden Korea (60 min.) Modern Korea. Read Ebrey, The Loss of Korean Independence and Colonial Rule and Korea (1945 to the Present, pp and ). Video: Segment from The Fight for Democracy (1992) Clark, Life in Urban Korea and Gender, Marriage, and the Lives of Korean Women, pp and Thursday, July 19 An introduction to Japanese language: Guest speaker Naoko Ozaki, Ph.D. student in Language Education and a Japanese Assistant Instructor at Indiana University. Traditional Japan. Read Ebrey, Early State and Society in Japan and Heian Japan, pp and On Japanese religion, see Paul Watt, Japanese Religions (included on the Teaching about Japan Information Packet CD Japan Digests, 2003). This CD should be in your NCTA green folder. 4

5 Early modern Japanese society and culture. Read Ebrey, Edo Japan, pp The popular arts of the Edo period ( ). Read Henderson, chapters III (Basho), VI (Buson), and VIII (Issa). Topics to consider: the depth of Basho s verse, the distinctive styles of Buson and Issa. Video: Puppeteer s Apprentice (1990, 20 min.) Evening film: the Japanese anime My Neighbor Totoro, directed by Miyazaki Hayao (1988 release in Japan; 83 min.). Praised as a beloved family film, My Neighbor Totoro provides us with a nostalgic look at the family and life in the country. (Keep this film in mind when we discuss Yoshimoto Banana s Kitchen.) Friday, July 20 Appreciations of East Asian Art, a guest lecture by Professor Emeritus of East Asian Art at Indiana University, Susan Nelson. Read Ebrey, Rise of Modern Japan, the War and Its Aftermath, And Contemporary Japan, pp , and Discussion of Yoshimoto Banana s short novel, Kitchen. Can you say in a word what this novel is about? Men and women as portrayed in the novel? Modernity vs. tradition in the novel? The criticism of the novel as immature girl s literature? When West meets East. Video segment: China Rises: City of Dreams Read Watson, Golden Arches East, introductory chapter and a chapter of your choice dealing with McDonald s in China, Korea and Japan. Evening: Graduation (well, almost) dinner! Saturday, July 21 Developing Teacher Implementation Plans : Seminar guest Jeff Johnson of Park Tudor High School. 5

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