Hu's in Town

This has been an exciting week for us as President Obama welcomes President Hu Jintao of China. Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House was lined with the flags of China and the US as a visual welcome to the president of a growing economic super power. President Hu’s visit to the US coincides with our study of East Asia so watching the evening news or going on CNN was a reinforcement of the concepts and issues we have been talking about in class. In addition to the substantive agenda, the White House hosted a state dinner for President Hu. This was a most sought after invitation and the guest list celebrated many of our Chinese American citizens including Yo-Yo Ma and Michelle Kwan. The guest list also included the Executive Director of Human Rights Watch, an organization that monitors the liberties and treatment of dissidents from around the world. They have had a special interest in the treatment of the Chinese Nobel Peace Prize recipient, Liu Xiaobo, who remains in prison.

The Most Influential Thinker

To better understand the people of China, you must know about Confucius. In an introduction to “The Analects” Dr. Rosmond described Confucius as the most influential thinker in the world as more people follow his teachings than any other belief system. Our reading on this belief system stressed the importance of relationships, education, hierarchy, and order. So much of what we value as Americans, particularly individual liberties, does not factor into the Confucian way of thinking and acting. Your fill in the blank activity and free writing activity will be a useful review sheet for you as you prepare for the midterm.

Tank Man

Our final lesson on China focused on the events of June 1989 in Tiananmen Square. Our PBS video told you the story of “Tank Man” and the impact he had on the downfall of the USSR and the communist countries of Eastern Europe. The video went on to describe the strict censorship of the internet in China, aided by many American companies including Google, Yahoo, and Cisco. These companies have made the decision that is it better to be in the China market place even if it is under less than ideal conditions. The UpFront article “Could Google Bring Freedom to China?” is a good review of the challenges American companies face when dealing with a country that employs over 30,000 internet police to monitor the searches and emails of its citizens.

As we get ready to leave China, I shared with at least one class a few photos from my recent trip there. I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to see this fast changing country and to experience some of its culture and historical spots and I look forward to a return trip where I would like to see the countryside and see how the majority of Chinese live.

The Land of Samurais and Sony

For homework, you were asked to read the pages in your text on Japan. The page numbers are on your syllabus. When we meet next, we will use a power point presentation to review some of the key aspects of this small but densely populated country.

Status of Assignment Sheets

We updated our sheets this week and for homework you are to add up your points and divide by the number of points offered for your raw score (Periods A, C, D, and E could have earned up to 260; Period B could have earned up to 270). You must turn in your sheet to me next week. You may keep your portfolio work at home as this will be useful when it comes time to prepare for the midterm. Keep in mind the “checks” allow you to earn extra credit. The purpose of the “checks” is to reward students who have made the effort to do all of the assignments in a conscientious manner.

Midterm

It is time for midterms and next week we will have a review session. I am going to do a special blog posting that will contain the study guide. Since we are out today (January 21) due to snow, I wanted you to have the guide so you would have ample time to prepare for the exam.

Welcome Back Mr. Young

Mr. Young, our student teacher from Salve Regina University, has returned and will start working with you next week. This is a great learning opportunity for all of us. Let’s all welcome Mr. Young back to MHS!