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.

The course explored 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 through 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 Emeritus of Korean Studies, 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.

Course Material:

Richard McBride - Globally Oriented Sillans

August 4-6, 9-10, 2004

This year a second summer institute was offered for K–12 teachers in the greater New York City area as a general introduction to Korea and the Korean American community. The course met for five days from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM for a combination of lectures and guided field trips. It drew an enrollment of 20 teachers. The lectures and instructors were: “Overview of Korean History” by Gari Ledyard, King Sejong Professor Emeritus of Korean Studies at Columbia University; “Traditional Korean Thought and Values” and “Religion in Contemporary Korea” by John Goulde, professor of religion, Sweet Briar College; “Korea’s Globalization” by Samuel Kim, adjunct professor of political science at Columbia University; “Family and Society” by Linda Lewis, director of Asian/Pacific Studies at the School for International Training; “Korean Art” by Richard A. Pegg, an independent East Asian art historian; “Speaking Korean” by Shin-Hark Suk, Korean language instructor, Queens College and The Korea Society; “Korean Literature” by Helen Koh, an independent writer; “The Korean American Community in New York” by Sung Soo Kim, president of the Korean American Small Business Service Center of New York, Inc.; and “The Two Koreas: Past and Present” by Donald P. Gregg, president and chairman, The Korea Society. Other activities included a screening and discussion of the film YMCA Baseball Team and field trips to a Korean restaurant and a private Korean art gallery (Kang Collection). Three graduate credits were awarded by the New York City Department of Education to enrollees who completed all the required reading assignments and passed a comprehensive final examination.

July 26-30, 2004

A new addition to the summer institute program, this course drew an enrollment of some 25 teachers from the greater New York City area. It met for five days from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The lectures covered all major Korean literary genres, including hyangga and sijo poetry, the literature of the Chosŏn kingdom (1392-1910 C.E.), works by female writers and modern literature. The course also included lectures on Korean history to provide a context for understanding these various literary genres.

The lectures and instructors were: “History of the Three Kingdoms and Koryŏ” by Mark Byington, post-doctoral fellow at the Korea Institute at Harvard University; “Literary Forms of the Three Kingdoms and Koryŏ” by John Goulde, professor of religion at Sweet Briar College; “History of the Chosŏn Kingdom” and “Literary Forms of the Chosŏn Kingdom” by Mark Peterson, assistant professor of Korean studies at Brigham Young University; “Invention of Hangul and its Development” by Gari Ledyard, King Sejong Professor of Korean Studies (emeritus) at Columbia University; “Folklore and Folktales” by Heinz Insu Fenkl, author and director of ISIS, New York State University at New Paltz; “Korean Women” by Linda Lewis, director of Asian/Pacific Studies at the School for International Training; “Women’s Literature” by Helen Koh, an independent writer; “Modern Literature” by Ann Y. Choi, assistant professor of Asian studies and cultures at Rutgers University; and “Literature of the Korean War” by Ji-moon Suh, professor of English literature at Korea University.

February 7, 28, March 13, 20, 27, 2004 

This course, which was offered under the auspices of the New York City Department of Education’s professional development program, drew an enrollment of 20 educators from the greater New York City area. It met on five Saturdays from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM for lectures and discussion sessions in the mornings and a variety of hands-on activities or field trips in the afternoons. It offered an introduction to Korea’s history, geography, culture, society, art and language. The instructors and their topics were: Charles K. Armstrong, associate professor of history, Columbia University (history); Mark Bokenhauer, professor of geography, St. Norbert College (geography); Linda Lewis, director of area studies, School for International Training (culture and society); Heinz Insu Fenkl, director of interstitial studies, New York State University at New Paltz (folktales); Cathy Spagnoli, a professional storyteller (storytelling); Grace Park, an independent artist and calligrapher (calligraphy and painting); Shin-Hark Suk, Korean language instructor, Queens College and The Korea Society (language and the Korean alphabet); Kyungwon Ahn, an independent artist (traditional handicrafts); In-young Sohn, a Seoul-based choreographer and professional dancer (celebrating holidays through dance); and chefs at the Korea Palace Restaurant (Korean cuisine). Three graduate credits were awarded to the enrollees who attended all the sessions, completed the required reading and submitted a satisfactory comprehensive final assignment.