Discussion Posts

Discussion Question 1:

Watch Hans Rosling’s video about the rise of Asia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiK5-oAaeUs Do you believe that Asian countries such as China and India will catch up with the West in terms of per capita GDP?  Why does Rosling confidently predict that this will happen?  How much do you understand about statistics and the use of big data? How does Asia’s rise impact your career choices?

Discussion Forum 2:

Here is a chance for you to let your creative juices flow.  Visit the websites below, look at the examples they use for orientalism in music, film, and video games.  Can you think of other examples of music, films, or video games that show an orientalist prejudice? Is there any beneficial insights these popular culture pieces give you about Asian cultures and societies? Do you believe Asian popular cultures similarly distort Western cultures?

http://modernorientalism.weebly.com

Discussion forum 3   

Watch Deepa Mehta’s Water and discuss its portrayal of traditional Hindu culture under the Raj.  Do you believe the codes of Manu have a solely economic basis?  What reception did this film have in India?  Has this film broadened your understanding of Hindu culture? Is it fair to show a culture as a source of pain and humiliation to individuals?  Does Western culture offer better solutions to the problems that emerged in this film?

Discussion Forum 4

You have a choice of which discussion question and film you would like to engage this week.

Choice A

The Bhagavad Gita is one of the most sacred books of the Hindu tradition.  The story follows the young Prince Arjun and explores the metaphysical debate that enables him to wage war against his family.  How does this presentation of the Hindu tradition differ from how we have come to understand it since the construction of Hinduism presented by his campaign for earning Indian independence through non-violence? Feel free to research this question on the internet.

Choice B

Gandhi is one of the great historical personages of the twentieth century.  Does the film present Gandhi as a hero?  If Gandhi was a hero, why would a member of his own religion assassinate him?  Why was Gandhi a controversial leader in India?  Feel free to research this question on the internet.

Discussion Forum 5  

Watch the Zhang Yimou’s Story of Qiu Ju

.  What does the story tell us about life in rural China?  What role does face saving play in Chinese culture?  How does a rural sense of justice compare to an urban sense of justice?  What did this film teach you about Chinese culture and Chinese bureaucracy?

Discussion Forum 6

Watch Zhang Yang’s film Shower.

How does this film portray Chinese culture?  Is there a tension between Confucianism that emphasizes family values and the pressures of a market economy?  Does this film represent an unrealistic ideal?

Discussion Forum 7  

Read Yuki Tanaka’s discussion of Osamu Tezuka at http://japanfocus.org/-yuki-tanaka/3412/article.html.  How do the themes addressed by the author Osamu Tezuka offer insight into Japanese culture?  Feel free to conduct your own research on the web and bring what you find to this discussion forum.  If you enjoy manga and have a kindle, you may want to take a look at Phoenix, Vol. 1 Dawn http://www.amazon.com/Phoenix-Vol-1-Osamu-Tezuka-ebook/dp/B00HQPSIHY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1444013994&sr=8-1&keywords=dawn+osamu+tezuka.

Discussion forum 8   

Watch the film, the Emperor at amazon.com or where you prefer.

Was the Emperor of Japan guilty of war crimes? You may need to do some web based research to answer this question.  What would have been the impact on Japanese history and American/Japanese relations if the Americans would have punished the Emperor for war crimes?

 

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