Korea and Imperialism in the Early 20th Century
for
World History/Literature Class

Korean Studies Conference
for
K-12 Teachers in the Greater New York Area

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

The Korea Society
Eighth Floor
950 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10022

For further information, or to register, download the registration form or contact Jennifer Kim at (212) 759-7525 ext.309 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Free Event: Early Registration Requested.
Deadline for Registration, October 31, 2007.

Schedule

About the Presenters

November 7, 2006

Over 35 educators from the greater New York area spent Election Day 2006 at The Korea Society to learn about Korean literature, history, and how to integrate Korean Studies into their school's curriculum.

The conference got underway with two presentations by Mark Peterson, professor of Korean Studies at Brigham Young University: "Confucian Culture and Society in Korea" and "Women's Literature in Traditional Korea." Peterson gave an overview of the major tenets of Confucianism-benevolence, filial piety, loyalty, fidelity-as well as the major forms of Korean literature-hyangga, kasa, hansi and, in particular, the sijo. The Korean sijo, Peterson argued, is more complicated than its better known Japanese cousin, the haiku. In classrooms, it would be an ideal complement to haiku lessons; and it has the potential to become the next form of East Asian poetry widely recognized by Americans.

After a traditional Korean lunch, the afternoon session got underway with a presentation by Daniel Levine. Levine, a consultant on the development of The Korea Society's online educational materials, outlined the resources available free to educators on the recently launched educational Web site www.koreak12.org.

Mary Connor, president of the Korea Academy for Educators, tied together the day's lecture points with her presentation, "Bringing Korea into the Curriculum: World History, Asian Studies and U.S. History." Connor introduced teaching materials and methods that can make Korean Studies lessons inspiring to students.

May 5, 2006 

This year’s spring 2006 Teachers’ Conference served as a day-long introduction to North Korea for over 30 educators in the greater New York area.

The conference was opened by Alexander Vorontsov, a visiting fellow at the Center for Northeast Asia Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution, who presented a lecture titled “Socioeconomic Reform in North Korea: Achievements, Obstacles and Prospects,” which discussed the impact the collapse of the Soviet Union had on North Korea’s economy. Randall Ireson, DPRK development assistance coordinator for the American Friends Service Committee’s agricultural assistance program gave the second presentation, titled “Doing Aid in North Korea: Glimpses of Ordinary Life.” Ireson did a PowerPoint presentation showing his first-hand experience with aid work in the country. He also discussed how North Korea’s much-publicized food shortages during the 1990s could help spur important agricultural reforms.

The presentations were followed by a screening of Dutch filmmaker Pieter Fleury’s documentary North Korea: A Day in the Life, which took the teachers through a day in the life of a North Korean family. The film was followed by a question and answer session led by Vorontsov, Ireson and Fred Carriere, the vice president and executive director of The Korea Society.

November 8, 2005

This conference explored Neo-Confucianism as a political ideology and tool of governance in three East Asian traditions through the visions of major Neo-Confucian thinkers. Over 45 teachers from the greater New York area were enrolled. The conference got underway with two presentations by Gari Ledyard, King Sejong professor of Korean studies (emeritus), Columbia University: "The Search for a Perfect Society in East Asia" and "Several Confucian Personalities from China, Korea and Japan." As an expert on East Asian cultures, Ledyard shed light on the origins of Confucianism in China followed by its spread to Korea and Japan, and the divergent development and impact of Confucian thought on these three East Asian societies today. These presentations were followed by a movie screening of, Ssibaji (translated into English as The Surrogate Womb). Hyangsoon Yi, an assistant professor of comparative literature from the University of Georgia, discussed the themes of this movie and related them to the impact of the Confucian heritage in Korea. In a critical vein, the movie explores the alleged secret practice among aristocratic Korean families during the Choson period of relying on surrogate mothers to ensure continuity in the male descent line. Whether or not the practice was commonly in use, the movie does serve to highlight the enormous importance of patrilineal descent in the Confucian ethos of late traditional Korea and the suspicions that sometimes surrounded compliance with this norm. The conference ended with concluding remarks by Donald P. Gregg, president and chairman of The Korea Society, who discussed the current political climate in Northeast Asia and the importance of cultural understanding among Americans as a critical means of strengthening ties with this region of the world.