August 7-11, 2006

Twenty-eight metro New York teachers attended an intensive, five-day introduction to Korean history, culture, geography, religion and language at The Korea Society beginning Monday, August 7. The goal of the course, titled Korea for Beginners, was to expose educators to Korean Studies-a first, for many-and provide a framework for bringing it into the classroom.

With 5,000 years of history to cover in two lecture sessions, the first day's schedule was necessarily packed. Participants had top talent at their disposal however: Gari Ledyard, Sejong Professor of Korean History Emeritus at Columbia University, presented them with a rich overview. Daniel Levine, an information-systems professional, introduced the new educational web site of The Korea Society, www.koreak12.org. On Tuesday the participants were immersed in Korean language. Shin-hark Suk, a Korean language instructor at Queens College, brought the fundamentals of spoken Korean into the classroom. Mark Peterson, head of the Korean section at Brigham Young University's Department of Asian and Near Eastern Languages, spoke on the classic works of Korean literature; his lively lecture concluded with teachers composing their own sijo poetry. Wednesday was reserved for philosophy and religion: John Goulde, assistant professor of Religion and Director of Asian Studies at Sweet Briar College, discussed the beliefs that had shaped modern Koreans' worldview. Hyunsoo Woo, associate curator of Korean Art in the East Asian Art Department of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, catalogued the stylistic development of various Korean mediums. The academic program was closed, on Friday, with a lecture on Korean geography by Gail S. Ludwig, professor of Geography at the University of Missouri. Between lectures, participants learned how to integrate Korea into their school's curriculum, hearing from educational consultant Patricia Rosof and Ane Lintvedt from the McDonogh School.

The educators were also exposed to Korea more directly, watching the Korean film Way Home, and enjoying traditional fare at the Korea Palace restaurant in Manhattan.

Korea for Beginners earned plaudits from participants. V. Daniel Tillman, a teacher at Stuyvesant High School in New York wrote afterwards that he was "spellbound" by the presentations, adding that he was considering taking introductory Korean-language lessons.

February 5, 12, March 5, 12, 19, 2006

This course offered a general introduction to Korea for primary grade (K-7) teachers. Classes met from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM on five Saturdays during February and March 2006 . Sessions included a varied program of lectures, classroom activities and a cooking demonstration at a Korean restaurant. Mornings were devoted to lecture/discussion sessions on history, language, folktales, family, society, arts and geography. Afternoons were reserved for hands-on workshops involving storytelling, handicrafts, dance, painting and calligraphy. Heinz Insu Fenkl, director of the creative writing program and Interstitial Studies Institute at SUNY New Paltz, gave a presentation on Korean folktales. Gari Ledyard, Sejong professor of Korean history (emeritus) at Columbia University, lectured on Korean history. Linda Lewis, director of area studies at the School for International Training in Brattleboro, Vermont, covered elements of Korean culture and society. Finally, Sang-oak Lee, professor, Korean Language and Literature, Seoul National University, provided an overview of han'gul, the Korean alphabet, and traditional Korean housing. The participants were required to complete reading assignments and create lesson plans based on the material they had studied, as well as pass a final exam. Educators who successfully completed the course were eligible to receive 3-G credit from the New York City Department of Education.

August 1-5, 2005 

This was another new course in the Summer Institute series. It drew an enrollment of 29 educators from the New York City area. The course met daily from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The course examined issues relevant to Korean family, society, history, culture and religion as portrayed through the medium of film. On most days, films were screened during the morning session, while the afternoon session was reserved for lectures and discussion. The objective of the lectures and discussion sessions was to help teachers make better use of the films in their classrooms by giving them an enhanced understanding of their cultural context. Film and lecture topics included "House Guest and Mother" with John Goulde, associate professor of religion and director of Asian studies, Sweet Briar College; "YMCA Baseball Team" with Gari Ledyard, King Sejong professor of Korean studies (emeritus), Columbia University; "2009: Lost Memories" with Heinz Insu Fenkl, director of the creative writing program and Interstitial Studies Institute at SUNY New Paltz; "Chunhyang" with Laurel Kendall, curator for Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History; and "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and...Spring" with Hyangsoon Yi, assistant professor of comparative literature, University of Georgia. In addition, the teachers were given extensive reading assignments and a final exam to enable them to better understand the subject matter of the films.

July 25-29, 2005

This course was a new offering in the Summer Institute series. It met daily from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. A total of 28 teachers were enrolled, including nine from outside the tri-state area who were able to participate due to scholarships provided from re-programmed Freeman Foundation funding. Korea's place in the long and complex history of cultural exchanges and trading relations with neighboring countries through the nexus of the Silk Road was explored in presentations focused on art, history, archeology, linguistics and religion. The lecture topics and presenters were as follows: "Korea and the Silk Road" by Jonathan Best, professor of art history, Wesleyan University; "Origins of Koreans and Their Culture" and "History of the Three Kingdoms" by Mark Byington, post-doctoral fellow, Korea Institute, Harvard University; "Silk Road Treasures from Ancient Korea-Glass and Gold" by Insook Lee, director, Pusan City Museum, Pusan, Korea; "Origin of the Korean Language" by Gari Ledyard, King Sejong professor of Korean studies (emeritus), Columbia University; "Globally-oriented Sillans in the Silk Road World" by Richard McBride, Visiting East Asian Professionals Program, Washington University; "Korea's Role in the Emergence of Agriculture and State Formation in Ancient Japan" by Song Nai Rhee, research associate, Museum of Cultural and Natural History, University of Oregon; "Art in Korea and Japan" by So Young Lee, curator, Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York; "The Diffusion of Cultural Ideas in East Asia" by John Goulde, associate professor of religion and director of Asian studies, Sweet Briar College; and "Hands-on Workshop: Introduction of Curriculum Materials" by Marjorie Bingham, consultant and textbook author. This course was designed to be very intensive and most of the participants appreciated the unique learning opportunity it afforded.

pdf Richard McBride - Globally Oriented Sillans