Workshops in Chinese Medicine and Chinese Opera for First-Year Seminar "China in Ten Words"

Workshops in Chinese Medicine and Chinese Opera for First-Year Seminar "China in Ten Words"

Grant:
Instructional Development Fund (IDF)
Academic Year:
2013 - 2014 (June 1, 2013 through May 31, 2014)
Funding Requested:
$500.00
Project Dates:
-
Applicant(s):
eewilcox
Overview of the Project:
I am applying for funding to offer two guest workshops – one in Chinese medicine and one in Chinese opera – for my freshman seminar course ASIAN 251 First Year Seminar "China in Ten Words: Foundational Ideas in Chinese Culture." The course teaches students to apply key concepts from early Chinese philosophy to understanding Chinese culture today. Students read primary philosophical texts in translation and study secondary sources that explain these texts. In addition, students conduct research on the connections between these philosophical ideas and modern Chinese culture. By holding these workshops, I hope to give students a chance to engage hands-on with two important aspects of modern Chinese culture – medicine and opera – in an experiential learning session that is guided by professionals working in each field. As professionals in these fields, the guest speakers will be able to introduce students to techniques and specialized vocabulary that is outside the scope of the readings and class discussions. For example, the doctors will demonstrate pulse-taking, acupuncture, and cupping methods from Chinese medicine. In addition, they will explain how these treatment methods connect directly to the ideas of "qi" and "yinyang," the two key works covered in the first unit. The Chinese opera practitioners will perform a piece of opera and teach student to enact basic singing and movement techniques. In addition, they will explain how opera performance engages the aesthetic concepts of "yun" (rhyme) and "xiang" (image), which are the keywords for that unit.
Final Report Fields
Project Objectives:

Since the class focuses on how Chinese philosophy impacts contemporary life, the goal of the project was to give students a personal experience with a contemporary usage of Chinese philosophy. In the case of Chinese medicine, they were able to meet doctors who use ideas of qi and yin-yang in their daily work. In the case of opera, they were able to meet young people who practice opera performance for fun, incorporating elements of aestethic theory studied in the class.

Project Achievements:

Numerous students commented on how much they enjoyed both of the seminars. In the Chinese medicine seminar, students volunteered to have their pulses and tongues diagnosed, and they were also able to witness acupuncture first-hand, a new experience for most of them. Moreover, they were able to ask the doctors how their own symptoms and ailments could be explained using the theory of Chinese medicine. The doctors' answers demonstrated how qi and yinyang (two of the "Ten Words" of the course) were integral parts of the scientific system they use for training illness through Chinese medicine. The Chinese opera seminar was equally successful. The guests gave a brief lecture on ideas of "image" and "rhyme" in Chinese poetry and theater, which were two of the other "Ten Words" discussed in the course. Next, they presented a short piece from a Chinese opera performance, with musical accompaniment and costume. The students had a chance to try on the costumes and learn some of the movements themselves. These seminars were important because they added an experiential component to the course. Also, they helped with cohort-building by getting students out of their comfort zones, performing and experimenting with new experiences together in class.

Continuation:
Yes, I have maintained contact with all of the guests who visited my course. When I teach the course in the future, I will incorporate similar workshops.
Dissemination:
I have described the projects verbally to our department's curriculum committee and to my department mentors and chair.
Advice to your Colleagues:
It was very important that I spoke with the guests before the workshop and encouraged them to tailor their presentation to the course content, specifically the "Ten Words." Also, it was important that I encouraged the guests to incorporate a large interactive component in their presentation. Lastly, it was important that I was able to serve as interpreter, as language would have been a barrier for the second presentation otherwise.
PRINTER VERSION
SEND BY EMAIL