East Asian History and Contemporary Affairs (Required)

Inventions and Ideas in China Early Modern Japan

Inventions and Ideas in China

These three short readings are intended to assist you in learning, as well as thinking more systematically, about how Chinese inventions, products, and ideas influenced the West as well as other parts of the world. Many of you who teach various levels and subjects will be able to use parts of the unit in the classroom. Others will have a better understanding of Chinese and world history through this exercise.

Please go to the Asia for Educators Web site on Teaching Units for Inventions and Ideas in China. Read each one of these essays (two are actually pedagogical tools), and answer, depending upon your specific situation, two of the following three questions.

Read these essays:

• Chinese Inventions. Can You Name Them?
• Timeline of Chinese Inventions
• China's Gifts to the West

Questions

Please only answer two of the three questions below. Answers to each of the questions should be approximately 250 words or less. Disregard discussion questions at the end of the essay links above.

1. (required) How has working with these materials broadened and deepened your understanding of both China economic and technological history and its influence on other parts of the world?

2. (optional) What concepts or materials from this unit can you use with students and how might you use the materials?

3. (optional) If you are not able to use this material in your own class, how might you share it with other teachers in your school?