The 16th annual Fall Fellowship in Korean Studies took place in Korea from October 13-24, 2011 for eight American educators, led by Yong Jin Choi, Vice President of Korean Studies at The Korea Society. Participants included three textbook editors and five East Asia specialists in higher education. The first stop upon arriving in Seoul was the sisupje (guest house) at the Academy of Korean Studies where the fellows stayed overnight and enjoyed dinner and conversation with Mark Peterson, Professor of Korean Studies at Brigham Young University, who acted as docent throughout the study tour. During the first few days, the group spent their mornings attending lectures given by some of the best scholars in Korea. The lectures included "Insight into Contemporary Korea," by Dr. Chong Wook Chung, Professor of Political Science (Emeritus), Seoul National University, and "Korean Economy," by Dr. Choong Yong Ahn, Chair and Professor of the Graduate School of International Studies at Chung-Ang University. In the afternoons, the fellows traveled to notable sites, such as Seoul National Museum and Kyŏngbok Palace. Following their exploration of Seoul, the group embarked on a seven-day tour of major cultural and historical sites throughout the southern part of the country, starting with King Sejong’s Tomb in Yŏju and a stopover in Ch'ŏngju and its Early Printing Museum. For the next few days, the participants learned about Korean Buddhism through a visit to Haeinsa and an overnight stay at the Unmunsa Convent outside Taegu. The temple stay gave the fellows rare insight into Buddhism and its impact on Korea. A visit to Yangdong Historic Village and Oksan Confucian Academy helped the participants appreciate the lasting influence of Confucian values in Korea and engaged them in questions of how to incorporate Confucian scholarship into American Social Studies curricula. Following a visit to the Sŏkkuram Grotto and Pulguksa in Kyŏngju, the fellows climbed Namsan. The fellows concluded the trip with a tour of Hyundai Heavy Industries before returning to Seoul.
2011 Fall Fellows:
Heather Blair
Assistant Professor
Department of Religious Studies, Indiana University
Bloomington, IN
Ela Booty
Executive Editor
National Geographic Learning
Evanston, IL
Elaine Gerbert
Associate Professor
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS
Ingrid Hoogendoom
Senior Editor, Social Studies
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt School Publishers
Boston, MA
Mitchell Lerner
Associate Professor of History/Director of the Institute for Korean Studies
Ohio State University Granville, OH
Christopher Rich
Associate Professor of Japanese Language & Culture
Georgetown College
Ibi-gun, Gifu-ken, Japan
Jeremy Strykul
Senior Editor
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt School Publishers
Orlando, FL
Harold Tanner
Professor
University of North Texas-Department of History
Denton, TX
