GLOBAL ASIA: YESTERDAY, TODAY AND TOMORROW
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LESSON FOUR
During and After Reading
1.
Encourage students — as they read the article — to underline what is written as a fact and to circle any opinions or views. Ask one
student to add these in the appropriate column on the board.
2.
Now ask students to reread the article and highlight the Asian countries noted by the author that have experienced spectacular economic
growth over the past half century (India, China, Japan, Hong Kong (since 1997 it is a Special Administrative Region of China), Singapore,
South Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines). Next, divide the class into small groups and assign one
of the countries to each group. Note: Although the Central Asian states are not mentioned in the article (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan), they have gone through newsworthy economic and/or political development over recent decades.
One group may be interested in looking at one or more of these “-stans.” Ask the students to brainstorm and then list on a piece of
paper 15 or so examples of the massive changes that have taken place in their assigned country. These might include modern factories
churning out exports, skyscrapers, shopping malls, modern agriculture methods, examples of rising middle class (private cars, expensive
clothes, modern housing and amenities), environmental degradation, rising inequalities, new universities, etc. You may want to set
the tone by reminding them of the author’s concluding paragraph: “Late 20th-century economic growth has transformed Asia, a region
of diverse countries, cultures, economies, histories, societies and natural environments. Once again, Asia stands at the center stage of
the world, its reemergence returning it to the primacy it once enjoyed for more than 1,500 years.” Task the students to collect a selection
of at least 10 photos, articles or cartoons that exemplify these changes in their designated country. After each group has collected at least
10 photos, articles or cartoons, ask each student to choose one photo, article or cartoon and write a short factual or personal view
summary (a few sentences) of the photo, article or cartoon. Finally, have them tape their image and summary under the appropriate
column on the board. (Note: this exercise may involve multiple class sessions and homework.)
ASSESSMENT
In his article, Anand Yang points out that over the course of the last half century, there have been numerous success stories all across Asia.
He is also careful to note that a continued economic surge is not guaranteed (noting Japan’s past and current economic doldrums) and that
the current megaboom is not without serious consequences: increasing inequalities between rich and poor, for example. Ask the students to
brainstorm possible reasons for Asia’s economic boom over the past decades. Ask one student to record these varied and numerous reasons.
In order to illustrate that this is a complex topic and that there is no one answer, share with students Asia Society’s China Boom Project:
/
. This multimedia oral-history project taps into the insights of 100 China watchers from both sides of the
Pacific by asking one question: Why did China boom? Project this on the screen and explore this site with your students. Click on a few of
the 100 short live interviews. Divide the class into groups of five students and tell them they will create their own “Boom Project.” For this
assignment, each group will need to do the following:
1.
Choose one of the Asian countries (India, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines).
2.
Research their country’s economic development and corresponding themes — education and health initiative, urban/ or rural development,
trade relationships/ and globalization. You might want to suggest they start by Googling their country’s national government/ and press
sites as well as these websites: World Bank, Asia Development Bank, ASEAN, BBC News, BBC Country Profiles, and Asia Wall Street Journal.
3.
Based on this research (and using the China Boom Project model), the students will decide on five themes and/or time periods in order to
present the different insights to their country’s boom. Each theme should include at least five perspectives regarding “Why did— boom?”
4.
As they work on this project, ask students to reflect on these questions: How have development and growth physically and culturally
transformed their country of study? What are some opportunities and challenges that its leaders and citizens face today? Are there ways
for this country to globalize and develop economically and still include all segments of society?
5.
Finally, the students will create a PowerPoint presentation of their Boom Project. Encourage the students to be creative in their
presentation. They can use maps, photos, quotes from articles, or graphs. Live interviews are not required, but they may want to
embed one or two pulled from a website or newscast. Last, each group will present their Boom Project to the class.
