The program began in Seoul with lectures on Korean politics, economics, and architecture interspersed with guided tours of Leeum Museum and Kyongbok Palace. The program continued with the group traveling south, making a stopover at the Samsung Electronics History Hall in Suwon. The next day, the group visited the Early Printing Museum in Ch'ongju, where the first moveable type, invented in Korea in 1377, was on display. They also visited Wonpoyong Middle School for a tour of its facilities and classrooms, followed by a traditional Korean lunch with students in the cafeteria. The next stops on the tour were the Haein Buddhist Monastery, where the group visited the repository of the Tripitaka Koreana and Kyongju, the capital of Silla during its golden age. In the Kyongju, the group also visited the Yangdong traditional village for a two-hour, informal discussion with Jirak Lee, a clan elder. This discussion provided a unique opportunity for the participants to understand how Confucianism continues to influence rural Korean communities today. The group then visited Hyundai Heavy Industries and Hyundai Motors facilities. During the next two days, the group visited the National Museum of Kyongju, as well as several historical and cultural sites, to learn about the history of the Silla kingdom with Jong-Wook Lee, professor of Silla history at Sogang University in Seoul. The Kyongju tour ended with a hike up Namsan Mountain. As the program drew to a close, the group was given a day to explore Seoul on their own before departing for the U.S. on April 10. One of the participants writes: "What a thrill to stand on the hilltop overlooking the Silla territory and listen to Professor Lee's presentation imagining the alliance of chieftains and the foundations of a kingdom. How amazing to sit discussing philosophy in the Yangong Village with the living representative of a Confucian scholarly lineage. How moving to climb to the Buddhist mountain shrines and be guided through the gateways at Haein temple. Mark Peterson's wonderful history, stories, and poetry recitals made even the bus travel fabulous."
2007 Spring Fellows:
Annette Wallach Cohen
School Psychologist
PS 146
New York, NY
Michele Delattre
Outreach Coordinator
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA
James E. Faulconer
Professor, Department of Philosophy
Brigham Young University
Provo, UT
Michelle M. Herczog
Consultant-in-Charge, History-Social Science
Los Angeles County Office of Education
Downey, CA
Frances L. Kidwell
Director of Curriculum and Instruction
Trinity County Office of Education
Weaverville, CA
Marlene M. Johnson
Social Studies Consultant
Iowa City Community School District
Iowa City, IA
Sharon Goralewski
Social Studies Consultant
Oakland Schools Intermediate School District
Waterford, MI
Daniel B. Levine
Consultant
The Korea Society
New York, NY
Bradley J. Parker
Assistant Professor, Department of History
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT
Vernon Daniel Tillman
Global Studies and U.S. History Teacher
Stuyvesant High School
New York, NY
