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AnonymousKorea is such a hot topic for High School female students. When I told my students that I was taking a course on Asian countries they were more excited then I was. They wanted know more about Korean music, drama and their culture. Many of my students know a few words because of their Korean drama that they watch at home. It was surprising to hear that Korea origins are from Siberia and they do not claim to be the pure race like other countries around them. It was also surprising to hear that you can learn how to read basic Korean writing in less then two hours, many classes are offered for free for those who are interested. I know I was interested since I work near LA and learn how to read some signs would be beneficial for me. I couldn’t find any free classes but I found this website https://www.kccla.org/english/programs_king_sejong.asp that offers classes for a fee. I think if I take a class and learn basic Korean writing I can have my students create their own Sijo poetry and write it in Korean. I know many of my students would enjoy that lesson and by writing it out they would fulfil their visual art standards.
I point that I thought was beneficial for everyone was listening to the lecture without having to type any notes since the instructor said that she was going to provided the PowerPoints for us. However, I still do not see them there, but it made it more enjoyable because we could just listen instead of taking notes. Highly suggest doing that for the rest of the lectures. Lastly, making the presentation interactive by having us do Sijo poetry was nice. Thank you for the presents that we received, it was a nice incentive to participate.
AnonymousI missed this lecture & appreciate your summary @njimenez. I also appreciate the link that offers Korean language lessons. I agree, that one use would be to have students write their own Sijo poetry & then have them write it in Korean.
I did complete the readings & appreciate scholars trouble verifying material that was often written with a bias. As is customary of those in power, they are controlling the media (& therefore what is said about them) and their in-group is often the one doing the writing & would be unwilling to sacrifice their social position by writing something unflattering.
An activity I might chose to do with students is to compare political writings of candidates & leaders today with the images of dynastic leaders presented in early Korean dynasties. The source materials shared by the professor was helpful in comparing the Koryo Dynasty.
AnonymousSession 10- The Story of a Yangban
Yangban is an honorable official and one who is held in high esteem. In this story, the yangban has fallen on hard times and is in debt to the government for grain. After feeling pressure to repay his debt, the yangban decides to sell his title to a rich man in return for him paying off his grain debt. When the Magistrate finds out about this exchange, he becomes displeased with the rich man for taking advantage of the yangban. Reading this story helps to understand the importance that was put on education and being a scholar. Dedicating one’s life to knowledge and trying to pass the exam is the ultimate goal and the highest honor. I find it interesting that the ones who cannot pass the exam are called “lesser ones” and serve as doctors, when in our culture doctors are held in high esteem. At the end of the story, the rich man decides he wants no part of the exchange because he realizes that he has not earned the title of yangban and does not want to be thought of as a thief.
AnonymousMy favorite part of the evening was writing the Sijo poem. I was able to implement writing this type of poem with my second grade students. I was hesitant because of their age; however they really surprised me. Since we sound out syllables, they were up for the challenge of making sure they followed the structure of having 45 syllables. Some followed the theme of humor and others chose to write about nature. Some of them were funny, and had the whole class laughing. We ended the lesson with a YouTube video of Gangnam Style. They got a little out of control, but it was fun.
I was also amazed how easy it can be to learn how to read Korean.
AnonymousI was absent for this session so I viewed & studied the Harada House.
First, I am not a Californian native. To assist with the adjustment process, I attempted to learn as much about my adopted city of Riverside as possible. I was pleased to learn of the Harada House & it's role in general American history but never visited. Coincidentally, I was required to teach Farewell to Manzanar for an English class I was teaching. I was shocked & saddened that the Japanese Internment camps had never been part of my education. I wondered what else was left out of my education. Maybe because I was so alarmed about this, I never sought out Harada House although it was often on my mind.
So because I needed to do a make-up assignment I thought now was the time. Currently it is not open to the public although the Riverside Metropolitan Museum is raising money for its restoration. But just seeing its place in my community was good enough for now. It made me seek out more information about its significance in American history specifically the 1913 Alien Land Grant which prohibited aliens from owning property in the US. This may seem like common knowledge (as it should be) but it filled a huge gap in my education. We just simply never studied this back east. We have a whole other set of history that is emphasized & this just got left out. I am glad I finally made the pilgrimage to Harada House. I feel more competent addressing issues such as civil rights & immigration. This is an important landmark that I appreciate is being preserved for its historical significance. It's a concrete reminder of the civil rights of each of us in accomplishing our american dream
AnonymousOf my pages and pages of notes taken during Jennifer Jung-Kims presentation, I promise not to write about it all. I very much enjoyed the historical and background information which was presented throughout this lecture. I truly felt that she was able to present a semesters worth of historical information in just three hours! I was amazed the information presented went all the way back to paleolithic and neolithic periods in Korean history. The aspect of Shamanism and its origins from Siberia were an interesting connection to the priests/priestesses from early settlements. The mythical origins and creation myth were thought provoking. The Three Kingdoms Period and relation of Paekche being of closest ties to Japan made interesting connections to other readings and lectures we have been presented with. The varying degrees of rule and government make up from the bone rank system, to Hwabaek council of nobles, to Hwarang flower youths, all the way down to the military and feudalistic rule each presented a very different side from historical perspective. From monopolies of government to the Mongolian Rule made me realize what a rich and altered background, culture, and heritage Korea truly has. Although I was previously aware of the Manchu invasions and Neo-Confusianism time periods, I can honestly say the rest of the class enthralled me with new information. the professor even took us all the way to Koreas current global economy. Amazing for only a few hours of time!
AnonymousMs. Jennifer Jung-Kim's presentation taught me various facts from the connection of Siberia to how to write a Sijo poem. I also found it quite interesting that it is possible to learn the Korean language in a shorter time frame than I had assumed. I guess unfamiliar languages always seem so difficult to learn, especially when I hear the Korean language being spoken. I would like to learn more about the Korean culture as I was never been too interested in the past. I feel like their culture is growing and there's a lot more to it than I had thought.
I plan to include Sijo poetry in my art class next semester and have students not only create their own, but also express their poems through their art pieces. This will be an effective way to incorporate cultural connection, as well as creative writing into the arts.
AnonymousI enjoyed Professor Jung-Kim's lecture on the Tale of Hong Kiltong and reading about the story's author and background. My students can relate to the main character as he robs and corrupts aristocrats to provide for the poor. I didn't even have to inform students that it was a story they were familiar with as they immediately made a connection to the story they know of Robin Hood. I really enjoy incorporating different folktales in language arts especially from other countries because students make a connection and are able to compare stories to make similarities and differences. We have also recently read the Korean Cinderella. Comparing and Contrasting is a crucial reading comprehension skill especially in second grade, and we are constantly using Thinking Maps (Double Bubble Map) to compare characters and settings so students can better understand stories, so they can provide a well written constructed response.
AnonymousJennifer Jung-Kim gave a seminar regarding Korea, the sole Korean perspective of the seminar series. An interesting look into the Three Kingdoms and the historical background to Mongolian influence on the Korean peninsula. We also spent time composing a Sijo poem. I found this a useful experience, so that I can offer more than the typical haiku poem writing.
Creative Women of Korea: The Fifteenth Through the Twentieth Centuries offers poetry that can easily be introduced into multiple thematic units of study where students can study poetic forms of Korean poets. “The Story of Yangban” from Anthology of Korean Literature is yet another example of a short story with a moral that can be adapted into different thematic units (finding identity), it does not necessarily have to be included into a Korean Literature or East Asian Literature unit. This seminar, like many of the others in this seminar series, affords the literature teacher to offer different cultural and historical pieces that allows my students to see different perspectives.
AnonymousBased on my notes and from what I remember, this session was led by Professor Jung-Kim. Firstly, I'd like to talk a bit about the readings. The Two readings that caught my attention were, A Tale of Adventure and Creative Women of Korea: The Fifteenth Through the Twentieth Centuries. The first was actually an entertaining story about a coup. I found this reading easy to get through and I believe I can use this in the classroom to teach the themes presented and to keep students engaged. I can see a lesson where I provide the students part of the story and they must then complete based on what they think are appropriate themes for Korean history of that time. The second of the two readings mentioned was also entertaining because it discussed poetry. I enjoyed reading the poems and backgrounds of each poem, but what really made this stick was practicing writing our own Sijo Poem. I was able to make a connection to the readings after I wrote my poem in class. I found when I was writing the poem that I felt silly and didn't want to share, but as more and more classmates shared, I too had the courage to share mine. I think the process of writing a Sijo Poem in class and feeling some insecurities reflect what would happen in the classroom and therefore, would allow me to better prepare for an activity such as this. I would like to include this practice in my class this upcoming school year. I think, that if we practice it enough students will develop public speaking skills and gain confidence in their work.
AnonymousI was so upset I missed this particular session, having spent time leaving an teaching in Korea, I was excited to learn more but I walked in at the very end and missed everything.
I knew from my time in Korea, Korean of the Asian languages is the simplest to read and write, the most difficult part was the pronunciation.
When I came in the discussion had transitioned into the impact of Korea on society and with Korean Dramas and its standards of beauty so much has been passed back and forth between western and eastern cultures both positively and negatively affecting one another’s approach on culture, entertainment and beauty.
The biggest affect on beauty I witness was the western idea of white beauty that translated itself into a cosmetic industry, which promoted, encouraged and included bleaching in most of its products.
Korea has equally impacted western society through their, entertainment, food and fashion.
AnonymousProfessor Jung-Kim presentation was simply great. I enjoyed learning so much about Korea’s history literature and culture. It was very impressive the importance of having hollowed bones to be eligible to the throne and about the wise queen who unified Silla. I found of greater interest to learn about queen Sŏndŏk and her contribution to the spreading of trade and culture. It was very striking to learn that unlike china, Korea gave women equal inheritance rights and that wedding ceremonies continued to take place at the bride’s home even after the Neo-Confucianism of Chosŏn. Though during this period women had to move out of her parent’s home. Moreover, interesting fact that I learned was that Korean invented a phonetic writing system and the woodblock printing. It was very striking to learn about the filicide under the hot summer sun.
The readings were very interesting. The story of Yangban, gave me a clear idea of how important education is for the Korean people. The story of the amazing Hŏ Nansŏrhŏn reminds me of another great woman writer, Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz. I was very glad to learn that these women were very intelligent and talented. They both were self-educated and both wrote great literature. As a Spanish teacher, I love to find similarities between cultures.
The Sijo activity was enjoyable; it was a good example to engage students in creative writing.
edited by edelafuente on 6/20/2016
AnonymousProfessor Jung-Kim was beyond interesting! I found her lecture to be not only very informative but very fun as well. I feel like this is an area that we do not talk enough about in school. I feel like this is an area that I would like to try and incorporate into my curriculum. My favorite part of the lecture was the creation of the Sijo poems. I feel like this is something that I could easily transition into my classroom and that my students would love to do.
AnonymousKorea is the country that I feel I have less knowledge about, therefore this lesson was helpful. As everyone before me has stated, I really enjoyed the Sijo poem, and I can see myself using it for multiple lessons. I like haiku's but they are too short to show learning sometimes; therefore, this is a solid, short length. I enjoyed learning about the role of women during Professor Jung-Kim's lecture, particularly the fact that women in Korea had significant power in comparison to other women in the world at that time. One thing that I am wondering, considering that Korea has one of the most educated populations in the world, is how the role of women in Korea today compares to other women in Asia? Are the roles of women more fluid or generally static when compared to China? Japan? The United States?
AnonymousAs always, the readings provided during this session are great resources to incorporate in the classroom. My English teacher teaches a poetry unit in the middle of the year, so the poetry readings would be useful to help support her unit, as well as introduce students to Japanese poetry. For the "Three Poets at Minase" reading, I would want the students to read the different excerpts with the seasons line removed (like if it is autumn or spring) and have the students infer what season it may be based on the words used. Students would have to justify their responses based on their previous knowledge and from discussions with their peers. This way they are analyzing the poems in a different way, as well as being exposed to the poetry in general.
@cseman I really like your idea about comparing and contrasting the stories by comparing characters and settings. I love using thinking maps, and a double bubble would definitely be great for this. Definitely will use for a future lesson, thanks for sharing!