Semester Summary

Urbanization, one of my favorite chapters this semester, especially our focus on current urbanization. (Picture of downtown Tokyo.)

One of the first things we covered this semester was the elections in Afghanistan.



This semester I have learned so much! From August to December, we have covered many important subjects such as Afghanistan, the spread of disease and its effect on the formation of civilization, among other factors such as the use of technology and agricultural resources. We also discussed urbanization (my favorite chapter we covered because we got to discuss different cities of the word), and we did a section on nationalism. I now have a better perspective on how the civilizations of the world came to be in the position that they are, due to the factor of geography. I really liked that we did not follow a traditional history course, and instead, went more into the subjects we learned about rather than just memorizing a bunch of facts that we probably won't remember later on. I think the thing that frustrated me most was when we had to write too many letters so close to each other during some parts of the year, and of course the occasional note taking that we had to do. I really preferred the study guides that we received, and I think that they helped me to learn much easier than taking notes. I also really liked when we incorporated movies into our course of study because it helps us to see what life was really like back then instead of just reading about it. I think one of my favorite things about this semester is that we included current events in our study, and I would really love to see more of that in the second semester.





Picture sources:

http://www.sonyinsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/shinjuku_at_night_tokyo_japan.jpg
http://scrapetv.com/News/News%20Pages/Everyone%20Else/images-3/afghanistan-election.jpg

Unit 4: Nationalism

Nationalism can be used to promote cross-cultural sharing by using it to teach others about your own culture and learning about theirs in return.


Otto von Bismark, master of Realpolitik

Recap

Nationalism is a strong felling of pride in and devotion to one's country. Nationalism first developed in France during their revolution in about 1793. Nationalism had a great effect on Europe. It was a great motivational factor to the people of Europe, and it led many of them to revolt in the pursuit of their own nation. An example of this is Greece. Many rulers also exploited nationalism to gain the people's trust and support, such as Bismark did.

Review

My group told the story of Otto von Bismark, the Iron Chancellor. In our presentation, we showed how nationalism was exploited by powerful leaders, such as Bismark, to accomplish their needs and gain the support of the people. This did not always go as planned, however; as in Bismark's mission to control the Catholic Church and the socialist party. The parts that we focused on the most were concerning Bismark's actions and the people's reaction to them. This is a similar approach to what the other groups did in their plays, albeit with different leaders. We also discussed the economic conditions of Germany as described in the first part of section 2. Overall, I think that my group did a very good job in portraying our section to the rest of the class.

Bismark used the policy of Realpolitik, which meant that he put the needs of the state first, power over principles. This tied in with section 1 in chapter 10. He used it to help unify Germany under the seeming pretense of satisfying the desire of the people to become a united nation, but he really wanted to give more power to the Hohenzollern dynasty of Prussia. This section differed greatly from that of the section about nationalism in Russia where it was oppressed and discouraged by the authorities, instead of exploited like in Germany. Minorities like the Jews in Russia were attacked because of such differences caused by extreme nationalism and many Jews had to flee to the United States or elsewhere.

Reflect and Re-invent

I think that nationalism can be good in some ways, but very detrimental if taken to the extreme. By no means should a country think that it is better than another just because the people there look different or have a different culture. This is taking nationalism to the extreme, and it causes discord and disharmony among peoples. However, nationalism can be used to help foster a national identity of a country, something that it is known for that it can share with other nations and promote cross-cultural exchange. Examples can be customs, foods, and products that a particular country is known for. Sort of like a "global nationalism."

Picture Sources:

http://digitalmedia.worldbank.org/tenthings/eca/images/azer-photo-1.jpg

http://www.wwnorton.com/college/english/nael/images/20thc/Bismark.jpg

Unit 3: Urbanization and Industrialization

A textile factory in the late 1800s.



The amazing city of Tokyo, Japan.

Recap

In chapter 9, we learned about how urbanization was taking part across Europe and other parts of the world with the help of technology and innovations. One of the most important fields in which these innovations was field of energy. New inventions and discoveries helped to use electricity instead of steam power and steel instead of iron to make building and working more efficient. However, these innovations also led to longer work hours because workers could now use electricity to work after dark. Many important innovations were made in the medical field also. Many new vaccines were discovered and new ways of treating patients were put into place. Also, education grew due to the fact that the government set up a public educations system to produce more intelligent and informed citizens. There were also new movements in art, such as the romanticism and realism movements.

Revisit and Reflect

In my opinion, Tokyo, Japan would be the most interesting city to live in. The culture and history of this city is just amazing. It also has something for everyone. The city is divided up into about 23 different wards, called ku, that each have a distinct specialty and atmosphere to them. For example, the Shibuya ward is known as one of the most popular shopping and entertainment centers in Tokyo, while the Akihabara ward is known for electronics and anime. The transportation system in Tokyo is also very advanced and includes a city-wide network of subway trains and a system of buses and cabs throughout the city. The people here are also extremely friendly and will do their best to assist you if need something. One of the only things that would be bad about living here is how crowded it can be sometimes. This of course being because Tokyo is the most populated city in the world. Despite this fact, Tokyo would be an amazing city to live in and a wonderful place to experience.

Sources:
http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/regional/tokyo/index.html
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2164.html

Picture sources:
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~lees/alees1843/nottinghamlacetradenew/nottslacemachines.jpg
http://www.photoeverywhere.co.uk/east/japan/tokyo_light182155.JPG

Video Source:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inA-36YRV0Y&feature=player_embedded

A crowded wave pool in Tokyo during the middle of the Obon holiday week.

Unit 2: Guns, Germs, and Steel

Cape Town, South Africa, near where the Europeans first setteled the country.

A map showing the highest risk areas for malaria in South Africa.

Recap

In Guns, Germs, and Steel, I learned that geography can and did play a major role in how the world's resources and wealth were spread around. The resources in that certain area, and the local climate can play a major role in how fast the people lived there developed and prospered. The ideal climate gave the people that lived there an advantage because they could develop farming and animal herding easier and faster. I have also learned that the somewhere's geography can determine what diseases that are found there, which can greatly affect the civilization there by limiting areas that can be lived in and tying up resources to deal with the disease.

Revisit

One of the countries that needs assistance in Africa is South Africa. There are many problems that face this nation, among them being disease, lack of food, and unemployment. South Africa is the second highest nation in terms of HIV/AIDS infections. They also face a large problem with malaria. Some of these problems with diseases stem from the first encounters the South African people had with the Europeans. When the Europeans first arrived in South Africa hundreds of years ago, they reworked the civilizations that they found there and caused the native people to do things that they were not accustomed to, such as living near water. This caused them to become more susceptible to malaria because they lived nearer to mosquito habitats. The Europeans also passed on their own disease of smallpox onto the natives. There are still problems with solving the malaria crisis today, and it is one of the top priories of the South African government.

Sources:

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sf.html#Econ

http://www.southafrica.info/about/history/history.htm
http://www.mapsofworld.com/south-africa/society/poverty.html

http://www.pbs.org/gunsgermssteel/variables/malaria.html

Reflect

I think that the impact of "geographic luck" is still very prominent in our world and many countries are still feeling its effects in the negative sense. While it is much easier to overcome this type of barrier in the modern world where vast quantities of natural resources can be imported and exported, many countries still feel the sting that years of disease and poverty have brought upon them, and it is harder for them to come out of this cycle of poverty without outside help. This is part of our obligation as one of the countries who are geographically lucky to help those who are not, along with the poor people in our own country. We also need to help in stopping the spread of infectious diseases so that all people will be more safe from this threat. In this modern world, we are so connected that an epidemic of infectious disease can spread the entire world through the use of air planes, cars, and other forms of transportantion.

Picture Sources:

http://theriverreporter.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/cape_town1.jpg

http://www.malaria.org.za/Malaria_Risk/images/RiskZones_Jan07_100sm.jpg