At a glance
Dates:
June 25–August 4, 2012
Application deadline:
The application period is now closed.
Cost:
$6,200
Accommodations:
Dorms
See also
Contact
- Catherine Glover, e-mail
Harvard Summer Program in Seoul, Korea
Harvard Summer Program in
Seoul, Korea
Korean culture and language study in the South Korean capital
Faculty: Young Shik David Chung, Haden Guest, David R. McCann, and Sang-suk Oh
This program, offered at a major university in Seoul, examines Korea’s contemporary and historical place in the world through the lenses of literature, cinema, and cultural history, combining the critical study of seminal films and literary texts with practical training in documentary filmmaking.
Students will create films engaging and expanding the larger themes explored in class screenings, readings and during a series of visits to major cultural and historic sites across Korea. This course of study will be balanced with multitrack instruction in Korean language.
No prior knowledge of Korean is needed to participate.
Courses: Korean Culture and Language Study in the South Korean Capital.
Prerequisites: none.
Course of study
KORE S-Ba Study Abroad in Korea: Elementary Korean (32194)
Sang-suk Oh.
(4 credits: UN, GR) Limited enrollment
This course is designed for students who have no prior knowledge of Korean. The objective of the course is to equip students with communicative skills in speaking, listening, reading, and writing at a basic level. Students learn how to express simple ideas such as identities, locations, time, daily activities, weekend plans, and desires; combine simple ideas in a variety of ways; and become familiar with various aspects of Korean culture, history, and daily life.
Prerequisites: none.
KORE S-120a Study Abroad in Korea: Intermediate Korean (32195)
Sang-suk Oh.
(4 credits: UN, GR) Limited enrollment
KORE S-120a is designed for students who have already taken elementary Korean (Ba) or students who have an equivalent proficiency level. This course aims to increase their ability to communicate in Korean in a wide range of daily life situations with an equal focus on expanding their knowledge of the fundamental grammar of Korean. Students are introduced to reading materials of increasing complexity on a variety of topics in modern Korean society and culture.
KORE S-130a Study Abroad in Korea: Pre-Advanced Korean (32646)
Sang-suk Oh.
(4 credits: UN, GR) Limited enrollment
KORE S-130a is the first half of the pre-advanced course and is designed for students who have completed Intermediate Korean 120 or have the equivalent proficiency level. Students consolidate previously learned grammatical patterns and vocabulary through written and audio-visual materials on a variety of topics. Emphasis is placed on developing abilities to present opinions and elaborate on ideas through discussion and writing. Chinese characters are introduced in this course.
KORE S-140a Study Abroad in Korea: Advanced Korean (32196)
Sang-suk Oh.
(4 credits: UN, GR) Limited enrollment
KORE S-140a is designed to provide students with greater reading skills and socio-cultural knowledge of Korean beyond the high-intermediate level. They develop skills in reading authentic materials from contemporary Korean media and fiction, and aural comprehension of contemporary television documentaries, news, and drama with decreased reliance on pedagogical aids. The course also aims to enhance their speaking and writing skills to discuss various issues of modern Korean society and culture.
KORE S-150a Study Abroad in Korea: Advanced Korean (32642)
Sang-suk Oh.
(4 credits: UN, GR) Limited enrollment
KORE S-150a is designed to provide students with advanced reading and speaking skills beyond Kore S-140. The goal is to equip students with a superior proficiency level, via in-depth reading and discussion. Various prominent issues in modern Korean society and culture are the topics for the reading, discussion, and writing activities.
VISU S-194 Study Abroad in Korea: Engaging Korean Culture Through Film (32866)
David R. McCann, Young Shik David Chung, and Haden Guest.
(4 credits: UN, GR) Limited enrollment
This course combines a critical and practical introduction to filmmaking, using historical Korean theatre scripts as subject and inspiration. Students will study a range of different theoretical and historical approaches to filmmaking, guided by weekly screenings and close discussion of key examples of different styles and approaches to cinematic engagements with historical literature, cultural traditions, and myth—from period costume dramas to investigative documentaries to avant-garde and experimental interpretations of the past. At the same time, students also learn the basics of digital filmmaking through weekly instructional sessions focused on the basics of camera operation, editing, sound, and post-production. This 'practical learning' is applied to a study of stories from a thirteenth century Korean compilation known as Remnants of the Three Kingdoms; in Korean, Samguk Yusa.
For one week the class travels to areas in the south including the city of Ulsan, famous now as the location of the Hyundai shipyard and automobile manufacturing plants, but historically a key region of interactions with the worlds beyond Korea's shores. Students apply their new skills and knowledge through video assignments, experimenting with different approaches to engaging and interpreting historical drama, theatre, and music as ways to explore Korean culture and history while also registering their present-day resonances. Far more than practical or technical exercises, this extended "field trip" project engage a series of questions which will be debated and discussed throughout the class. What are the possibilities and limits of the cinema as a way to interpret and understand the complexities and contradictions of 21st century Korea? How has film traditionally grappled with capturing not only the readily visible dimensions, but also the "invisible" experiential dimensions of cultural life? How did historical texts such as the Samguk Yusa seek to accomplish similar objectives? How, finally, can the thirteenth century scripts and such twenty-first century cultural phenomena as the Korean Wave be made to illuminate each other?
Course credit
See Study Abroad Credit Information.
Faculty
Young Shik David Chung, MFA, Professor, School of Art & Design and Core Faculty, Center for Korean Studies, Universityof Michigan
Haden Guest, PhD, Director of the Harvard Film Archive, Harvard University
David R. McCann, PhD, Korea Foundation Professor of Korean Literature, Harvard University
Sang-suk Oh, PhD, Senior Preceptor in Korean and Director of the Korean Language Program, Harvard University
Application
The application period is now closed.
Students must be at least 18 years old, have completed at least 1 year of college or be a first-year student, and be in good academic standing to apply.
The application materials, outlined below, are due February 3:
- A completed online application that includes:
- A $50 nonrefundable application fee
- A statement of interest in the program, including information on relevant coursework and travel experience abroad (previous travel is not a prerequisite)
- Transcripts (student record accepted for Harvard students
Students will be notified of admission decisions by mid-February.
Cost
There is a nonrefundable $50 application fee. The cost of the program is $6,200 and includes the following:
- Tuition
- Room and some meals
- All scheduled excursions and extracurricular activities
In addition to the program fee, students are responsible for:
- Textbooks
- A health insurance fee ($195; waived if students have US insurance that provides coverage outside the United States)
- Transportation to and from Seoul
- The cost of passports and visas (if the latter is needed)
- Any immunizations
Suggested budget
See a suggested budget for estimated expenses.
How to pay and funding options
See Funding and Payment for payment deadlines, deposit amounts, and more information, including funding options for Harvard College students.
Accommodations
Students stay in coed dormitories at a university in Seoul. All rooms are doubles and include breakfast.
Additional information
Contact Catherine Glover, cglover@fas.harvard.edu.
Students with disabilities should contact the disability services coordinator as soon as possible. See Students with Disabilities for more information.
