If you find yourself in an art museum this week,FIRST - keep your ticket stub (you are REQUIRED to turn that in). Then, visit their Asia art collection. You can take pictures without a flash (take pictures of art you are intruqged by AND of the curator's notes of that art, so you can remember what you saw). You can also take notes (with a pencil). I'll ask you to write a refection about what you saw, abotu the experience and connections to the class for either an extra grade or as an optin for the exam. Here are possibilities: Worcester Art Museum is open from Wed - Sundays. It's free from 10-12 on the first Saturday (this year Jan 5) of every month. Right now, there are two special exhibits (one on Persian books and one on Contemporary Japanese Ceramic art) along with their regular Asain art displays. Museum of Fine Arts in Boston is open 7 days a week, except for holiday closings, and they have an extensive collection, including the Japanese Buddha Temple. They are free after 4:00 on Wednesday afternoons. The Peabody Essex Museum in Salem is really the place to go, if you can get there. They have an exhibit of art from the Empresses of China's Firbidden City, an exhibition of the global interest in Japan's pop art, and the Ying Yu Tang house. They are open Tues through Sunday, although they will be closed on Christmas and New Year's.
12/21: Godzilla!
12/20: Godzilla!
12/19: HOMEWORK: On the back of the notecard: what values do you see expressed in the myths and wy? Write about the diferent aspects of the stories and tell me what they tell you about Japan, its culture and its people. Fill the back of the notecard.
We worked with the two essays and with a Japanese creation myth.
12/18: HOMEWORK: On the front of the notecard: list the most important contrasts between today's essay and Cousins' essay about Hiroshima using the three categories we have been using (please make sure to write 3 points for each category). 1) view of Japan, its culture, its people, 2) the destruction and its aftermath, 3) America's role/responsibility.
In class, we met in book groups and wrapped up by thinking about the books and the essential questions of the course for the exam.
12/17: HOMEWORK: Reading groups for Tuesday AND please finish reading the Cousins' essay. Everybody, please bring books with you to class tomorrow.
In class: in preparation for Godzilla, we talked about Hiroshima today and read Norman Cousins' "The First Citizens of the Atomic Age." Mark up the text for places where you get insight into 1) his view of Japanese people/culture, 2) His view of the damage done, and 3) His "messages" to the American people.
12/14: HOMEWORK: Reading groups for Tuesday. In class, we looked at and discussed the art from Wednesday.
12/13: HOMEWORK: Reading groups in G to meet on Tuesday.
In class: reading groups and discussion of the art from yesterday.
12/12: HOMEWORK: Reading groups meet next class. Keep up with your group.
IN CLASS: To start, I want you to take some time exploring Buddhist art across Indian, Chnese and Japanese cultures. The art is important and I think it might help us to think about how culture influences Buddhist practice and vice versa. Go to the MFA site and type "Buddha India" in the search bar in the upper right hand corner ofthe page). Several pages should load (you can move from page to page with teh arrow at the bottom). Please scroll through and choose 4 images (one should be a painting rather than a sculpure). Click on the image - you'll be able to see a larger photo of it and also get some information about the piece (the search engine is not perfect, so please chcek to make sure that the art was created in India before you proceed). For each, write down the title and other identifying info (you can do this in your notebook, not in a google doc) and describe what you see (you can bullet). When you are finished with these, search for "Buddha China" and repeat the process. Do the same for a search of "Buddha Japan." Please take some time to scroll through the possibilities for each search before you choose, so that you can see a variety of work.
When you are finished, look back over your notes in search of similarites and differences by culture. Pair up with someone from your book group and compare notes. Together, create a google doc that you share with me (cathy_nicastro@wrsd.net) and with each other (title it Buddha art and include your names). Tell me what you discovered - what smilarities you see across cultures (and any ideas you might have about why those similarities matter) and especially the differences (by culture) and make some educated guesses about why those differences, what do they tell you about the culture, about the focus of the practice, etc. (tell me why you think what you do).
When you finish working with the art, return to the Zen stories we started looking at yesterday. Using our practice story yesterday, our discussion about Zen and the video, and what you just discovered through your examiniation of the art, work with the stories in the spirit of Zen (do this with your art partner first, then bring it all together as a group). Take notes, so that we can talk them through as a class.
Finally, if there is time, ask Mrs. McTigue for the haiku packet and read the introduction. Make note of the 4-6 ideas in that intro that strike you as important. With ALL that you've done today in mind, read through the haikus, marking the ones that shake you out of your complacency.
12/11: HOMEWORK: Please try to watch at least the first 10 minutes or so of this video to give yourself some footing in Zen and Zen koans.
G Block: We met in book groups today. We also worked with the mustard seed Buddhist story and started in on Zen stories. I handed out notes about Shintoism.
A Block: We met in book groups today. I handed out notes about Shintoism. We looked at Zen gardens and at haiku. We also worked with the mustard seed Buddhist story and started in on Zen stories. We watched the first 10 minutes or so of this video to gain some footing in Zen and Zen koans.
12/10: HOMEWORK: continue to read. Book clubs meet tomorrow.
We discussed the Buddhism packet (especially the 4 Noble Truths + 8-fold path, differences between desire and attachment, the change in karma and dharma from Hinduism, the middle way, the 5 precepts, etc. Then we looked at Japanese art in an effort to understand what is central to Japanese life (nature, kami, etc.) and we talked about the use of empty space.