Teaching about Asia Seminar

Ken Crosley

Spring 2003

 

 

University of Toledo

Dr. William Hoover

 

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School Placement

These lessons would be taught at Leverette Junior High School in the Toledo Public Schools system. The school is located in North Toledo, two miles from downtown Toledo and draws from a variety of neighborhoods. The neighborhoods that Leverette draws students from are as follows: Point Place, Polish Village, Old West End and Vistula. Leverette is a traditional junior high with a seventh and eighth grade totaling seven hundred-fifty students and a total of fifty-seven teachers, five being in the Social Studies department. There are three hundred-eighty seventh graders and three hundred-seventy eighth graders. The population is equally distributed between African-American and Caucasian students, with the African-American population composing forty-seven percent of the total population and the Caucasian population composing forty-four percent of the population. There is a small minority of Hispanic/Other students that make up the remaining nine percent of the population. The socioeconomic status of the average student tends to be low with seventy-five percent of the total school population receiving either a free or reduced lunch. This high number is more than likely due to the transient nature of the school district.

Personal Information

I have been with the Toledo Public Schools system for eight years and have spent the past seven at Leverette junior High School teaching eighth grade Social Studies. The main focus of the curriculum is American History, with a particularly European focus. My interest in the East Asia seminar stems from personal experience, having lived in Korea. I worked and lived in Korea for six months from October 1994 – April 1995. While there I taught conversational English at a hagwon in Chonju South Korea. A hagwon is a school where students and businessmen go to get extra training in speaking English. The average student in Korea can read and write English but has difficulty speaking the language.

While the curriculum that I teach tends to have a very European focus I try to work my personal experiences from Korea into my teaching. This fits very well during lessons on immigration. I relate some of the culture shock that I suffered from while living there. The students tend to find these stories interesting and helpful. The lesson on the DMZ tends to have a personal relevance having visited there and seen the sights that I will teach in that lesson.

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Culture Clash

Terms -    gaijin (foreigner), o-furo (ritual community bath), expatriate (foreigner living in another country)

 

Placement - This lesson would be used during a unit on immigration and would serve a three-fold purpose: 1. Providing a basic introduction to Japanese culture 2. Help to illustrate the outsider feeling that immigrants and expatriates feel while living in a foreign country 3. Illustrate how these cultures clash and how each group adapts to the other.

 

Objectives –  Given the movie Mr. Baseball the student will:

1.      Provide examples of how American culture and Japanese culture clash

2.      Provide an explanation for the Japanese “way of doing things” and compare them to the “American way.”

3.      Apply the “culture clash” to other immigrant groups

 

Rationale - To introduce Japanese culture to the Junior High or Senior High school student and how that culture clashes with American culture.

 

Materials - VCR/DVD player, Copy of Mr. Baseball, Culture Shock travel guide, Vocabulary list

 

Procedures -  

 

Day 1 – Introduction

  1. Write vocabulary terms on the board without definitions. Have students copy terms into their notebooks. After the students have copied the terms write the definition for each and discuss.
  1.  Explain to the students that each culture has different customs that may cause newcomers to feel uncomfortable. Examples may include French men “kissing,”  bowing in Asia, etc.
  1.  Ask the students to list five things about American culture that may confuse or cause problems for someone new to the United States. Allow five to ten minutes to complete. When the students have finished discuss their answers and discuss why we in the United States do things this way.
  1. Tell story about Professor Lee. (This is about a Korean student, Lee Ki Hun, that I had while I lived in Korea. He was coming to the United States to study at The Ohio State University. He was unaware of certain American practices such as writing checks.) This provides further examples of culture clash.

Day 2-3 – Mr. Baseball

  1. Show movie Mr. Baseball. Have students list examples where American and Japanese cultures clash. The movie will take approximately one and one-half class periods
  1. When movie is finished have the students list the examples of the cultures clashing that they found from the movie. List on the board and discuss, refer to Culture Shock guide for certain examples.

Day 4 – Comparing Cultures and Assessment

  1. Assign homework to compare instances from the movie to the “Western” way of doing things. This is to be a one-page “Compare and Contrast” paper.  

Culture Clashes from movie Mr. Baseball

 

1.      Card exchange instead of handshakes, also explanation of importance of business card.

 

2.      The translator softening the statements by Jack Elliot instead of literal translations

 

3.      The taking off shoes in baseball clubhouse and in the home

 

4.      The independent/cowboy spirit versus wa (harmony)

 

5.      Spitting on the baseball field

 

6.      Squat toilet versus western toilet

 

7.      The ritual of washing before bathing, o-furo.

 

8.      Not pouring one's own drink

 

9.      The adapting things and making them Japanese

 

10.  Ramen at a baseball game rather than hot dogs

 

11.  The saving of face/ not bringing dishonor to the organization

 

12.  Slang, particularly American, e.g. “the fat lady sings”

 

13.  Relations between superiors and subordinates

 

14.  American modesty versus Japanese openness, e.g. bathtub scene

 

15.  The slurping of noodles; Americans consider this rude

 

16.  The father takes priority – Confucianism

 

17.  Poetic language, the avoidance of a direct answer

 

18.  Apologizing to the organization for shortcomings

 

19.  Bowing shallow/casual versus deep/formal

Synopsis of Mr. Baseball

 

            Mr. Baseball tells the story of a baseball player that gets traded to a team, which in his mind is worse than Cleveland – Japan. Tom Selleck’s character, Jack Elliot, is a spoiled superstar that must get used to putting his wants and desires behind the importance of the team and establishing wa. Throughout the movie there are constant clashes between Elliot’s western ways and the Japanese style of doing things. The perfect example is after a practice session Elliot jumps into the sauna bath to the horror of his teammates. Elliot learns from a fellow gaijin player that it is tradition to “wash before you bathe.” Another example lesson that Elliot learns is the Japanese pursuit of perfection, including his play on the field, something that he is not used to.  After Elliot goes into a hitting slump, he makes amends with his manager Uchiyama, Ken Takura, and takes on the Japanese work ethic and apologizes to his teammates and promises to shed his old ways. While the ending is somewhat predictable, Elliot gets out of his slump, his team wins the pennant, his teammates become a little more American in their approach to the game, Elliot goes back to America; the viewer does not get the usual “foreigner gets fully accepted and in turn fully accepts the foreign culture”. We know that Jack Elliot is going to go back to the United States, but as a better more mature person.

Bibliography for Culture Clash

 

Japanese Culture

Nakane, C. (1973). Japanese Society. London: Penguin Books Ltd.

 

Mikes, G. (1973). Land of the Rising Yen. Hammondsworth: Penguin.

 

Benedict, R. (1946). The Chrysanthemum and the Sword. Cleveland, OH: Meridian Books.

 

Reischauer, E. (1977). The Japanese. Cambridge, MA: Charles Tuttle Co.

 

Seward, J. (1972). The Japanese. New York: Morrow.

 

Christopher, R. (1984). The Japanese Mind. New York: Fawcett Columbine.

 

Reischauer, E. (1988). The Japanese Today, Change and Continuity. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press.

 

Shelly, R. (1993). Culture Shock. Portland, OR: Graphic Arts Center.

 

Edited by Japan Echo Inc., (1989). The Japan of Today. Tokyo: The International Society for Educational Information.

 

Hinata, S. (Ed.). (1991). What I Want to Know about Japan. New York: Japan Information Center.

 

Varley, P. (2000). Japanese Culture. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawai‘i Press.

 

Wells, R. (1992). A to Zen: A Book of Japanese Culture. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

 

Barbara, F. (1991). Transcending Stereotypes: Discovering Japanese Culture and Education. Yarmouth, ME: Intercultural Press.

 

Lebra, T. (Ed.). (1986). Japanese Culture and Behavior: Selected Readings. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawai’i Press.

Traveling

 

Kinoshita, J., & Palevsky, N. (1992). Gateway to Japan. Tokyo: Kodansha International.

 

Bauer, H., & Carlquist, S. (1965). Japanese Festivals. New York: Doubleday.

 

Baseball

Jensen, S. (1989). Baseball in Japan.  Hammersmith.

Maitland, B. (1991). Japanese Baseball. Tokyo: Charles E. Tuttle.

Oh, S., & Falkner, D. (1984). Sadaharu Oh: A Zen Way of Baseball. New York: New York Times Books.

Whiting, R. (1989). You Gotta Have Wa. New York: Macmillan.

Whiting, R. (1977). The Chrysanthemum and the Bat: Baseball Samurai Style. New York: Dodd, Mead.

Cromartie, W., & Falkner, D. (1995). Slugging It Out in Japan: An American Major Leaguer in the Tokyo Outfield. New York: Penguin.

Mr. Baseball.  Fred Schepisi, dir., Universal Studies, 1992.

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Did Zheng He discover America first?

 

Rationale - To introduce to Junior High and Senior High Schools students the idea that not all great explorers are European. Also to introduce the possibility that the first "discoverer" of America may not have been Columbus.

 

Objectives - 1.The students will be able to identify who Zheng He was

2. The students will be able to describe what Zheng He did

3. The students will be able to chart the routes that Zheng He took on his voyages

4. The Students will be able to list some of the countries that Zheng He visited.

5. The student will be discuss the theory that Zheng He discovered America

6. The students will be able to offer evidence that supports this theory

 

Introduction - Ask the class who they think discovered America and in what year. The class will generally respond "Christopher Columbus and 1492." The follow up question is to ask if they believe that all the great explorers were from Europe. The class will generally answer, "Yes."

 

Materials - 1. Reading(s) about Zheng He

                   2. Questions regarding readings

                   3. Video, Nova "The Sultan's Lost Treasure"

                   4. Video Worksheet

                   5. Maps of East Asia, One containing the routes Zheng He sailed and the other blank

                   6. World Map

                   7. Overhead projector

                   8. Computer Lab

                   9. Worksheets from Internet

 

Procedures

 

Day 1 – Introducing Zheng He

1.      After questioning the students about who had discovered America, ask the class if they had heard of Zheng He. On a world map indicate the area of the world that the class will be learning about; during entire lesson have map out so that it remains as a reference and focusing point for the class.

 

2.      Show the video "The Sultan's Lost Treasure". Only show the first 17-18 minutes of the video. This time frame covers Zheng He. As the class is watching the video have them complete the video worksheet. Allow for pauses in the video to allow students to complete the questions and to make sure that they get the correct answers. Discuss answers when video is completed.

3.      Once the video is completed have students hand in video worksheet. Pass out reading(s) on Zheng He. Have the students read passages aloud and discuss as necessary. When finished with readings have the class complete questions about the reading for homework.

 

Day 2 – Tracing the route of Zheng He

1.      Finish any work from previous day if necessary and check homework.

 

2.      Divide class into seven groups of three to four people. Give each group a copy of the map with the routes of Zheng He and a blank map as well as the readings from the previous day. Assign each group one of Zheng He's voyages. Each group is to chart this voyage on their blank map. Additionally they are to chart the countries that he visited on this voyage. Allow fifteen minutes to complete this assignment. When the groups have finished each group will present their voyage and the following information: what years the voyage took place, what countries he visited, how many ships he took on this particular voyage.

 

3.      Inform students that they will be in the computer lab the following day and that they are to stay in their assigned group.

 

Day 3 – Did Zheng He discover America

 

1.      Complete any work from the previous day; if there is no need for this have the students assemble in their groups at a computer.

 

2.      Refer back to the introductory question – whom the students believe discovered America. Ask them to write on the following question: "Given the information we have seen about Zheng He, is it possible that he may have discovered America seventy-one years prior to Columbus?" Have the students write one paragraph whether or not they believe it was possible. Allow ten to fifteen minutes for this.

 

3.      Have the students go to the web site www.1421.tv and click on "Evidence" or go to www.asiawind.com/hakka, then click on "Zheng He" and "America." At each website each group is to look for evidence that supports the idea that the Chinese had arrived at America prior to the Europeans. Each group needs to have five items supporting this theory, which they will present in class the next day. Explain to the class and reinforce that Zheng He discovering is a theory and that many of the documents regarding his journey have been destroyed. Discuss with the class the background of Gavin Menzies. (1421.tv)

 

Day 4 – Presenting Evidence

 

1.      Complete any work that is left from the previous day.

 

2.      Have each group present to the class the evidence that they found from the computer lab.

 

Day 5 – Assessment

 

For assessment, the students will create a power point presentation about Zheng He. This presentation will contain information from the previous lessons. It will have a minimum of eight slides and discuss Zheng He's biography, travels and the theory that he discovered America prior to the Europeans. Other required elements will include clip art and basic slide animation.

The Sultan's Lost Treasure

 

  1.      What types of ships did the Chinese sail?

2.      How far did the Chinese trade network extend? (From where to where)
 3.      What was a prized Chinese import?

4.      Why was this such an important import?

5.      Which Chinese dynasty controlled the sea?

6.      Who was put in charge of the Chinese fleet?

7.      When was his first mission?

8.      What was he expected to do on this mission?

9.      How large were the "Treasure Junks"?

10.  What could the watertight compartments be used for?

11.  What other vessels traveled with the "treasure Junks"?

12.  What did the Royal Chinese Court think of the gifts that Zheng He returned with?

13.  When did the Chinese emperor order the fleet dismantled?

Bibliography for Zheng He

Maps

South Asia Political Map. Retrieved June 3, 2003, 2003, http://www.askasia.org/image/maps/asias1.htm

 

Map of the Indian Ocean with Important Ports of the 15th Century. Retrieved May 27, 2003, http://www.askasia.org/image/maps/mingmap.gif

 

Ming China 1368-1644. Retrieved June 3, 2003, http://www.chinapage.com/zhenghe.html

Readings

Timeline: A Chronology of the Ming Voyages. Retrieved May 27, 2003, http://www.ias.berkeley.edu/orias/pallop/timeline.html

 

The Admiral of the Western Seas - Cheng Ho (Zheng He). Retrieved May 27, 2003, http://planet.time.net.my/CentralMarket/melaka101/chengho.htm

 

Zheng He (1371-1433), the Chinese Muslim Admiral. Retrieved May 27, 2003, from MuslimHeritage.com: http://www.islamfortoday.com/zhenghe.htm

 

The Great Chinese Mariner Zheng He. Retrieved June 3, 2003, http://www.chinapage.com/zhenghe.html

 

Related Information

Menzies, G. (2003). 1421: The year China discovered America. New York: HarperCollins.

 

Levathes, L. (1994). When China Ruled the Seas: The Treasure Fleet of the Dragon Throne 1405-1433. New York: Simon & Schuster.

 

 

Chan, A. (1982). The Glory and Fall of the Ming Dynasty. University of Oklahoma Press.

 

Hucker, C. (1978). The Ming Dynasty, its Origins and Evolving Institutions. Ann Arbor, MI: Center for Chinese Studies: University of Michigan.

 

Franke, W. (1968). An Introduction to the Sources of Ming History. Kuala Lumpur, University of Malaya Press [distributed by Oxford University Press, London].

 

“The Sultan’s Lost Treasure,” Nova, originally broadcasted 01/16/2001. Available at:  http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sultan/

 

Websites

 

http://www.about.com/(Search on Zheng He/Chang Ho)

 

http://www.time.com/time/asia/features/journey2001/intro.html

 

http://www.cronab.demon.co.uk/china.htm

 

http://www.asiawind.com/hakka/america.htm

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History of the DMZ/Panmunjom

 

Vocabulary -  

 

DMZ – Demilitarized Zone – Line that divides the Korean peninsula into two countries: North Korea, officially known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (Communist), and South Korea, officially known as the Republic of Korea (Democratic)

 

Panmunjom – City where North Korea, South Korea and the United States meet to discuss inter-Korean issues. Also known as the JSA, Joint Security Area.

 

 

Placement - This lesson would follow a class lesson on the Korean War using the class textbook. This lesson would also help to illustrate the tensions that still exist between the two Koreas and the United States.

 

Objectives –

1.      Given a map, the students will be able to locate the Korean Peninsula and identify North and South Korea.

 

2.      The students will also be able identify the name of the truce city and the location of the DMZ.

 

3.      The students will be able to describe an “incident” that occurred between the two sides at Panmunjom.

 

4.      The students will be able to state the purpose of Panmunjom and the DMZ.

 

5.      The students will be able to identify reasons why North Korea still poses a threat to South Korea and the United States.

 

Rationale - To introduce the idea that tensions from the Korean War still linger and could provide a flashpoint between the two sides that may result in a nuclear war.

 

Materials –

1.      Map of East Asia

2.      World map

3.      Textbook

4.      Readings on Panmunjom

5.      Readings on North Korea and nuclear weapons

6.      Overhead projector

7.      Overhead transparencies

8.      Computer with internet and projector to show web pages

 

Introduction – Ask the class “Is the United States at war with any country presently?” (Given world circumstances the answer will vary. If yes have the class name the countries that the United States may be at war with. If not the students will answer “No.” Ask the students to remember back to the unit on World War I and have them state the definitions for “armistice” and “peace treaty.” (Armistice – temporary stop to the fighting in a war, Peace Treaty – document that officially ends a war) and have the class state the definitions and write on the board. Remind students of the Korean War and tell class that the United States is still technically at war with North Korea since only an armistice has been signed between the two sides.

 

 

Procedures –

 

Day 1 – Geography of the DMZ

  1. Pass out copies of world map, map of East Asia, and map of Korean Peninsula.

 

  1. On the world map, have class label the Korean Peninsula. Show class clues to locating the Korean Peninsula, i.e. humps of the camel or the rabbit. Also have the class label the following countries: China, Japan and the United States.

 

  1. On a map of Korea have the students label the following: North Korea, South Korea, Seoul, Pyongyang, Chonju, DMZ and Panmunjom.

 

  1. Have the students write the following terms and definitions in their notes. DMZ and Panmunjom.

 

  1. Pass out readings on the location of the DMZ, history of the DMZ and the JSA. Have the students read the passages aloud. While the students are reading use the computer and projector to bring up the following web site: http://www.koreadmztour.com/english/jsa/jsa_1.htm. (This website can be used in place of the readings if the image projected is large enough; it can also provide a general tour of the Panmunjom/JSA.) Also explain to the students that the DMZ has become one of the foremost wildlife refuges since the DMZ is nearly uninhabited.

 

Day 2 – Touring the DMZ

  1. Pass out the reading, “Borderline Absurdity – A Fun-Filled Tour of the Korean DMZ,” and a copy of the release that a visitor must sign before entering the JSA. Highlight certain passages on release form.  Have students read article aloud. As students read aloud recount personal experiences from the DMZ. Discuss and answer questions as necessary. The previously used website may be used again to accompany this day’s readings.

 

Day 3 – Border clashes

  1. Pass out “UNCSB-JSA incidents” reading and put overhead transparency of it on the overhead projector. (NOTE: You may use the following website projected to substitute for the overhead. www.8tharmy.korea.army.mil/JSA/incidents.htm) Read aloud to students. When finished pass out the following readings “Ax wielding incident in Panmunjom,” “Operation Paul Bunyan,” and “The Sunken Garden Incident.” Have the students read the first completely, and then read selected passages from the second. Then have the class read the third passage entirely. 

 

  1. Assign the following question for homework: Given what we have seen the North do in the past, does North Korea still pose a threat to the United States and South Korea today?

 

Day 4 – North Korea’s nuclear threat

  1. Discuss with the class their answers to the homework. This should take approximately five to ten minutes.

 

  1. Pass out the following readings “North Korea’s Nuclear weapons: A Timeline,” “North Korea and Nuclear Weapons – Policy Options” and “North Korea Leaves Nuclear Pact.” Have students read aloud and discuss as necessary. Ask the class the following question: Does North Korea use the threat of nuclear weapons as a bargaining tool or do they want nuclear weapons for other purposes? Discuss this question for approximately ten minutes, then assign the question for homework. The students should write one paragraph answering this question.

 

 

Day 5 – Nuclear threat, continued

 

  1. Go over student answers to the homework questions and discuss. This should take approximately five minutes.

 

  1. Pass out “North Korea’s Nuclear Threat” and “North Korea Claims Nuclear Weapons”

 

  1. Have the students read aloud and ask class if anyone has changed their minds about the threat of North Korea and their nuclear program. Discuss with class why they believe or don’t believe that North Korea presents a threat to the United States.

 

  1. Assign homework. Students are to answer the following question: Using the readings, how can the United States limit, reduce or eliminate the threat of North Korean nuclear weapons program?

 

Day 6 – Wrap up 

  1. Discuss homework. List the student-generated options on the board and discuss the pros and con of each suggestion.

 

  1. Review information from the lesson.

 

 

Evaluation

Have the students draft a letter to the President of the United States outlining their knowledge of the Korean peninsula and the situation with North Korea and their nuclear program. The student is also to suggest a course of action that the President could follow to reduce tensions between the two sides.


Bibliography for History of the DMZ

 

Maps

(1999). South Asia Political Map. Retrieved June 3, 2003, http://www.askasia.org/image/maps/asias1.htm

 

(1999). North/South Korea (Political Map). Retrieved June 3, 2003, http://www.askasia.org/image/maps/korea1.htm

 

(1999). North Korea (Elevation Map). Retrieved June 3, 2003, http://www.askasia.org/image/maps/ele_nkorea.htm

 

(1999). South Korea (Elevation Map). Retrieved June 3, 2003, http://www.askasia.org/image/maps/ele_skorea.htm

 

Readings

The Joint Security Area. Retrieved June 3, 2003, http://www.koreadmztour.com/english/jsa/jsa_4.htm

 

The History of Panmunjom. Retrieved June 3, 2003, http://www.koreadmztour.com/english/jsa/jsa_3.htm

 

Panmunjom's Location. Retrieved June 3, 2003, http://www.koreadmztour.com/english/jsa/jsa_2.htm

 

Sullivan, K. (1998, January 11). Borderline Absurdity A Fun Filled Tour of the Korean DMZ. Washington Post Foreign Service. Retrieved May 27, 2003, from http://www.stat.ualberta.ca/people/schmu/panmunjom.htm

 

UNCSB-JSA Incidents. Retrieved May 27, 2003, http://8tharmy.korea.army.mil/JSA/incidents.htm

 

Ax-Wielding Incident in Panmunjom. Retrieved May 27, 2003, http://www.koreascope.org/english/sub/2/nk10_4.htm

 

Operation Paul Bunyan. Retrieved May 27, 2003, http://www.imjinscout.com/Paul_Bunyan.html

 

The Sunken Garden Incident. Retrieved June 3, 2003, http://www.koreadmztour.com/english/jsa/jsa_9.htm

 

North Korea and Nuclear Weapons - Policy Options. Retrieved May 30, 2003, http://www.choices.edu/koreabackground_print.cfm

 

(2003). North Korea's Nuclear Weapons: A Timeline. Retrieved May 27, 2003, from United Methodist News Service: http://www.umns.umc.org/03/feb/091.htm

 

(2003). North Korea Leaves Nuclear Pact. Retrieved May 27, 2003, from CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/asiapcf/east/01/10/nkorea.treaty/index.html

 

Efron, S. (2003, April 25). North Korea Claims Nuclear Weapons. The Southern Digest Online/The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 27, 2003, from http://www.southerndigest.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/04/25/3ea8e79040572?in_archive=1

Books, Articles, Journals

Farley, C. (1983). Korea, a Land Divided. Minneapolis, Mn: Dillon Press.

 

Grinker, R. (1998). Korea and its Futures: Unification and the Unfinished War. New York: St. Martin's Press.

 

Clough, R. (1976). Deterrence and Defense in Korea: the Role of U.S. Forces. Washington D.C., Brookings Institution.

 

Lee, S., et all, (1995). “Building Confidence and Security on the Korean Peninsula.” Contemporary Security Policy, 16, 267-298.

 

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