In the continuation of the CDE lessons, we proceed to studying the difference between the Eastern and Western ideologies and cultures. We did readings on how the historical events shaped the formation of the unique conception and culture of both East and West. We also done researches on how some countries can consist of both Eastern and Western ideologies.
We had done readings on French revolution and how it shaped the new system in France, where everyone is given rights to vote etc.
The class also presented their own ideas on how countries like Singapore, Taiwan and Japan constitute an example of both Confucianism and Western Ideologies.
The contents were mostly similar, in depicting how these countries' government had adapted the Western ideology of freedom of speech, while the citizens still maintained the Confucianism of harmony, loyalty and love.
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Monday, July 16, 2012
Reflective Journal on CDE
I chose CDE as my IHE because i did not want to read Joys Luck Club. When i look through the description on CDE, what caught my attention the most was 'high workload' and
students are required to actively participate in discussion'. I thought there is gonna be a lot of homework, though i like the discussion. I expected the lessons to be very fruitful and interesting because i believe that if the teacher only gives lectures, students are gonna get bored and forget about everything afterwards. However, if the students are allowed to discuss and give their thoughts, they will be more engaged, and also increase the efficiency of knowledge intake at the same time. I was also interested when i know that the teacher will be Mr Karplus, as i have heard from my peers that Mr Karplus is a very humorous person.
After the first two lessons, i was glad that my expectations were met, but my worry didn't turn out to be so bad. The first i would like to talk about is the assignments. The assignments require me to complete readings and watch videos before being able to answer the questions. I felt that this was good for me as it helps me to improve in my vocabulary, reading and comprehending, and also my ability to understand foreign speakers. Although extensive reading is required, the assignments are not boring, in fact they are relatively interesting. The questions were set in a way that lead me to deep thoughts and come out with what i believe to be creative and critical answers. The assignments stimulates my thinking process and helps to understand more of the topic. The workload is high, but not as much as i was worried about, 1 assignment would take around 1hour to complete, which is in the comfortable range for me.
Next, going on to the content of the lessons. As the name suggests, CDE, or Cultural Difference Education, requires me to identify the differences between the Eastern and the Western cultures. Each week we talk about a different topic, and exploring the differences through many case studies. For instance, The Google Way and the Lenovo's Multinational Quandary. Through the readings for different case studies, i widened my perspective of the issues happening around the world, and start to understand why certain things function this way in this country, but that way in another country. In order to understand why there is such a difference, i had to look back in the history, and also understand the present. For example,i have to look back into the governing system in China for the past thousands of years, and also understand how revolutionaries have changed China.I had benefited from the lessons and broadened my knowledge and understanding of the two different cultures.
Lastly, the structure of the lessons. The class is required is give their own comments and answers for discussion. I feel that this is a good way of studying as it includes the exchanging of ideas and concepts. Listening to opinions from my peers allowed to see certain issues from more perspective than before. The discussion also made the students more attentive and interested in the lesson. I like the structure of the lessons, because i feel that it enhances learning experiences and outcomes. The pace of the lessons is just nice, i do not feel that it is too rush to look at a new case study each week, and each discussion on the topic was in depth.
Rounding it up, i like and enjoy CDE, and i believe it is very useful for us, the BSP students, because if we were gonna become the leaders one day, we need to have a global perspective and also an understanding of how each country works base on its unique culture.
students are required to actively participate in discussion'. I thought there is gonna be a lot of homework, though i like the discussion. I expected the lessons to be very fruitful and interesting because i believe that if the teacher only gives lectures, students are gonna get bored and forget about everything afterwards. However, if the students are allowed to discuss and give their thoughts, they will be more engaged, and also increase the efficiency of knowledge intake at the same time. I was also interested when i know that the teacher will be Mr Karplus, as i have heard from my peers that Mr Karplus is a very humorous person.
After the first two lessons, i was glad that my expectations were met, but my worry didn't turn out to be so bad. The first i would like to talk about is the assignments. The assignments require me to complete readings and watch videos before being able to answer the questions. I felt that this was good for me as it helps me to improve in my vocabulary, reading and comprehending, and also my ability to understand foreign speakers. Although extensive reading is required, the assignments are not boring, in fact they are relatively interesting. The questions were set in a way that lead me to deep thoughts and come out with what i believe to be creative and critical answers. The assignments stimulates my thinking process and helps to understand more of the topic. The workload is high, but not as much as i was worried about, 1 assignment would take around 1hour to complete, which is in the comfortable range for me.
Next, going on to the content of the lessons. As the name suggests, CDE, or Cultural Difference Education, requires me to identify the differences between the Eastern and the Western cultures. Each week we talk about a different topic, and exploring the differences through many case studies. For instance, The Google Way and the Lenovo's Multinational Quandary. Through the readings for different case studies, i widened my perspective of the issues happening around the world, and start to understand why certain things function this way in this country, but that way in another country. In order to understand why there is such a difference, i had to look back in the history, and also understand the present. For example,i have to look back into the governing system in China for the past thousands of years, and also understand how revolutionaries have changed China.I had benefited from the lessons and broadened my knowledge and understanding of the two different cultures.
Lastly, the structure of the lessons. The class is required is give their own comments and answers for discussion. I feel that this is a good way of studying as it includes the exchanging of ideas and concepts. Listening to opinions from my peers allowed to see certain issues from more perspective than before. The discussion also made the students more attentive and interested in the lesson. I like the structure of the lessons, because i feel that it enhances learning experiences and outcomes. The pace of the lessons is just nice, i do not feel that it is too rush to look at a new case study each week, and each discussion on the topic was in depth.
Rounding it up, i like and enjoy CDE, and i believe it is very useful for us, the BSP students, because if we were gonna become the leaders one day, we need to have a global perspective and also an understanding of how each country works base on its unique culture.
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