Fifteen New York City teachers attended an intensive, six-day course on Korean history, religion, literature, film, politics, language, and pop culture at The Korea Society. The goal of this in-service course was to immerse educators in the history and culture of Korea and provide them with the tools necessary to bring this knowledge into their classrooms.

Sixteen New York City teachers attended an intensive, five-day course on Korean history, religion, literature, film, politics, language, and pop culture at The Korea Society. The goal of this in-service course was to expose educators to Korea and provide them with a framework for bringing this knowledge into the classroom. All teachers successfully completed the course assignments and were awarded 3 credits from the NYC Department of Education’s After School Professional Development Program.

March 6, 13, 20 / April 17, 24, 2010

Twelve educators from the New York metropolitan area learned about Korea in this introductory course for teachers held over the course of five Saturdays in March and April. Offered in conjunction with the New York City Department of Education's After School Professional Development Program (ASPDP), the in-service course focused on exposing educators to Korea and providing a framework for bringing Korea into the classroom. The teachers began their studies with Korean cultural geography led by Gail Ludwig, professor of geography from the University of Missouri–Columbia. Jin Young Choi, professor of American literature (emeritus) at Chung-Ang University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, provided an overview of Korean culture with lectures on Korean stories and folktales, holidays and festivals, and Korean families through literature. Shin-hark Suk, a former Korean-language instructor at Queens Community College and The Korea Society, introduced the teachers to written and spoken Korean while Grace Park, calligrapher and artist from Potomac, Maryland, led participants through a hands-on brush painting and calligraphy workshop. Angela Cleveland, guidance counselor from Auten Road Intermediate School in Hillsborough, NJ, brought the course concepts alive for the classroom with her presentation, "Sharing Teaching Ideas," while Patricia Rosof, adjunct instructor of history at St. Francis College, worked with teachers across multiple sessions to mold the academic into classroom content. The course ended with an interactive lecture and discussion on Korean history with Gari Ledyard, Sejong Professor of Korean Studies (Emeritus) at Columbia University, followed by a Korean lunch at Busan Korean restaurant and a lesson plan presentation by participants. The participants were impressed with the quality of instruction offered at The Korea Society. One teacher wrote, "This was absolutely the best P-credit course I have taken. The information and presentations were amazing." 

August 3–7, 2009

Twenty-one metro New York teachers attended an intensive, five-day course on Korean history, politics, culture, geography, religion, language and literature at The Korea Society. The goal of this in-service course was to expose educators to Korea and provide them with a framework for bringing it into the classroom. All teachers successfully completed the course assignments and were awarded 3 credits from the NYC Department of Education’s After School Professional Development Program. Gari Ledyard, Sejong Professor of Korean Studies (Emeritus) at Columbia University, presented a rich overview of Korean history. John Goulde, director of the Asian studies program at Sweet Briar College, explained the religious and philosophical beliefs that shaped modern Koreans' worldview. Shin-hark Suk, a former Korean-language instructor at Queens Community College and The Korea Society, introduced the teachers to written and spoken Korean. Evans J.R. Revere, president of The Korea Society, spoke about Korea's division, its role in the Cold War and current inter-Korean politics in his lecture, “Two Koreas: Crisis and Cooperation.” Teachers also drew on the experience and knowledge of Mark Peterson, professor of Korean studies at Brigham Young University; Gail Ludwig, professor of geography at the University of Missouri-Columbia; Patricia Rosof, adjunct instructor of history at St. Francis College in Brooklyn Heights, New York; and Daniel Levine, senior director of communications at The Korea Society. Between lectures, participants immersed themselves in Korean culture by watching the award-winning film Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring, and enjoying a traditional Korean buffet lunch.