Application Deadline: closed

The Institutes for Korean Studies at the George Washington University and Indiana University Bloomington invite students to apply for the annual GW-IU Undergraduate Research Exchange Program. We are seeking to select students who are interested in conducting research about Korea. All students receive mentoring from faculty at the Institute for Korean Studies.

Selected students participate in research workshops during the fall and spring semesters, take part in a mini-conference, and present their papers at the annual GW-IU Korean Studies Undergraduate Research Exchange Conference in the spring semester. The conference alternates locations between Washington, DC, and Bloomington, IN. This academic year’s conference will be held at Indiana University.

Benefits of the Program

• Get close mentoring by faculty through monthly meetings
• Produce a 15-20 page research paper on any Korea-related research topic such as politics, inter-Korean affairs, literature, film, K-pop, history, sociology, anthropology and more!
• Participate in a mini-research conference and the annual GW-IU Korean Studies Exchange Conference in March 2020
• Opportunities to volunteer at the Institute for Korean Studies events

Eligibility:

• Undergraduates (juniors and seniors preferred)
• Research proposal on any Korea related topic

How to Apply:

IU students send an email to kjseidel@indiana.edu with resume and one-page research proposal with the following information:

• What is the title of your project?
• Research questions: What questions will you be asking in your research?
• Methods: How are you going to conduct your research? Using what data?
• Significance: Why is your research important?

Participants of the 2020-2021 GW-IU Undergraduate Research Exchange Program have been selected and started research on their projects. These six outstanding students will produce a research paper and present their research at the GW-IU Undergraduate Research Exchange Conference held at IU in March 2021. Congratulations to all of the participants!

Natalya Cohen is a senior majoring in East Asian Languages and Cultures and International Studies. Her research project is titled “The Migrant Worker Experience in South Korea.”

Mikayla George is a senior majoring in Media and East Asian Languages and Cultures. Her research project is titled “LGBTQ+ K-Pop Fandom and Gender Performance of K-Pop Idol Celebrities.”

Riley Marshall is a senior majoring in East Asian Languages and Cultures. Her research project is titled “The Adaptability and Accessibility of Hangul: How Hangul Helps Language Learners.

Sierra Sanders is a junior majoring in East Asian Languages and Cultures and Linguistics. Her research project is titled “South Korean Figure Skating Under Western Influence.”

Katharine Lawrence is a senior majoring in East Asian Languages and Cultures and minoring in Linguistics. Her research project is titled “Cultural Identity through Food Media in Contemporary Korea.”

Veronica Coffey is a junior majoring in International Studies and East Asian Languages and Cultures. Her research project is titled “The Influences of Feminist Literature on Women’s Rights in Korea.”

IKS hosted the second annual GW-IU Undergraduate Research Exchange Conference online with the George Washington University Institute for Korean Studies on May 13, 2020. While we couldn’t meet in person, it was a great opportunity for the students to share their research. Five students from IU and five students from GW worked with faculty throughout the academic year to produce a research paper and presentation on a Korea-related topic.

The presentations and discussions can be found on IKS’s YouTube page. Click the links below to see them:

Panel 1:

Toby Huter (Indiana University): The Transformative Effect of Hallyu on Korean History

Shea Savage (George Washington University): “Our Only Weapon is the Truth”: An Analysis of Protest, Patriotism, and Justice in Post-1987 South Korean Cinema

Panel 2:

Yuchen Dai (George Washington University): Divided Memories on Park Chung Hee and Chiang Kai Shek: Root Causes and Legacies on Post-authoritarian Society Today

Summer Snyder (Indiana University): The Developmental State of North Korea and Its Reluctant Marketization

Panel 3:

Caitlyn Ranieri (Indiana University): A Shift in Reunification Sentiment

Mark Thomas-Patterson (George Washington University): A Republican View of Rhee: The Chicago Tribune’s coverage of Syngman Rhee between 1945-1950

Panel 4:

Jeniffer Tse (George Washington University): Evolution of Konglish Based on the Current Prevalence and South Korean Public Attitude Towards Konglish

Callie Rhoades (Indiana University): Perfectly Imperfect Koreans: The Return of Superman’s Park family and Multicultural Representations in South Korean Media

Panel 5:

Yvonne Thomason (Indiana University): The Sampo Generation: Socioeconomic Contributions and Repercussions

Sarah Moon (George Washington University): Analyzing Japan-South Korea Relations: The Impact of Sociocultural Interactions on Public Attitudes

IKS held the third annual Korean Speech Contest on March 7th. 23 students participated. Winners were chosen from Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced Levels. IU K-pop dance group “Unison” also performed at the event. Congratulations to all the participants and winners:

Beginner

1st Place: Fatin Rahim
2nd Place: Daniela Gaspar
3rd Place: Emma Liu

Intermediate

1st Place: Farihah Alim
2nd Place: Yiqi Wang
3rd Place: Audra McFerran

Advanced

1st Place: Evelyn Sun
2nd Place: Rye Yu
3rd Place: Lirui Yang

IU K-pop dance group (Unison) performing at the event.

Indiana University’s Institute for Korean Studies and IU Cinema presented two film Korean film series from February 1 – 10, 2020. The first, “Recent Coming of Age Films by South Korean Women Directors,” featured films from two Korean women directors: Yim Soon-rye and Bora Kim. The two films in this series, Little Forest and House of Hummingbird featured woman protagonists and focused on the transition from girlhood to adulthood. Director Bora Kim was present in Bloomington for the screening of House of Hummingbird.

The second series, “Emerging Korean Storytellers: Bora Kim and KyungMook Kim,” showcased young Korean directors: Bora Kim and KyungMook Kim. This series was part of IU Cinema’s Jorgensen Guest Filmmaker Seris and featured House of Hummingbird and Stateless Things. Both directors participated in the program.

IKS Scholar-in-Residence and prominent film critic and scholar Darcy Paquet introduced each film and moderated Q&A sessions and other programs.

Following the film series at IU, IKS director Seung-kyung Kim accompanied Director Bora Kim and Darcy Paquet to the University of Kentucky and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where House of Hummingbird was also screened. Students, faculty, and community members at these partner institutions were able to meet and interact with the film director.

Directors KyungMook Kim and Bora Kim and film critic Darcy Paquet

The award ceremony for the 2019 Korean Literature Essay Contest based on Han Kang’s The Vegetarian was held on November 9, 2019, at 10:00 am in the Korea Conference Room. Dr. Susan Hwang, one of the judges, gave feedback to the participants via videoconference.

You can read the winning essays here.

1st Prize: MacBook Pro

Mikayla George: “Contemporary Visions of the New Woman in Korean Literature”

2nd Prize: iPad Air

Veronica Coffey – “The Power of Dehumanization”

3rd Prize: Apple Airpods

Ria Talukder – ” Veganism over Humanity: Han Kang’s The Vegetarian and the Flaws in our Society”
Toby Huter – “Han Kang’s The Vegetarian as a Confucian Critique”

2019 Korean Literature Essay Contest Award Ceremony

Ria Talukder accepts her award from IKS Director Seung-kyung Kim.

Toby Huter accepts her award from IKS Director Seung-kyung Kim.

Congratulations to the winners of the 2019 Korean Literature Essay Contest:

1st Prize: MacBook Pro

Mikayla George: “Contemporary Visions of the New Woman in Korean Literature”

2nd Prize: iPad Air

Veronica Coffey – “The Power of Dehumanization”

3rd Prize: Apple Airpods

Ria Talukder – ” Veganism over Humanity: Han Kang’s The Vegetarian and the Flaws in our Society”

Toby Huter – “Han Kang’s The Vegetarian as a Confucian Critique”

The awards ceremony will be held on Saturday, November 9, at 10:00 am in the Korea Conference Room (GA 2015).

On October 25^th, the Institute for Korean Studies held its fourth annual conference, entitled “After the Miracle: The Present and Future of Korea’s Economy and Society.” The conference was co-organized with the Korea Economic Institute of America, and was made possible with funding from the Dr. Lee Se Ung Distinguished Lecture Series on Korean Global Affairs.

As reflected in the phrase “Miracle on the Han River,” South Korea experienced unprecedented growth for over three decades from the 1960s. While the rapid economic development propelled the country into the ranks of advanced nations, it also brought sweeping changes to Korean society. Furthermore, many social phenomena and issues have emerged or intensified as a result of a lag in social adjustment after the period of intensive growth and with the introduction of neoliberalism, hyper-globalization, world economic crises, etc. This conference discussed the relationship between economic changes and social conflicts, examined current trends, and looked at the prospects for the future.

IKS fourth annual international conference brought together leading scholars from Korea and North America to discuss current issues facing the Korean economy and society. The conference commenced with a keynote speech by Daeil Kim of Seoul National University on the topic,  “Economic Growth and Demand for Equity: The Case of Korea.” This was followed by academic presentations by Jinill Kim of Korea University on “Macroeconomic Performance: What Lies Ahead?;” Yoonkyung Lee of the University of Toronto on “Labor in Post Post-industrial Korea;” Yongseok Shin of Washington University on “Korean Business Groups;” Myungji Yang of the University of Hawaii on “From Miracle to Mirage: The Making and Unmaking of the Korean Middle Class, 1960-2010;” and Sharon Yoon of Ewha Womans University on “The Organizational Culture of the Chaebol and Workplace Inequality: Stunted Mobilities of Korean Chinese Employees in a Beijing Subsidiary.”

After the academic presentations there was a musical performance featuring jazz adaptations of Korean songs presented by an ensemble consisting of Peter Pendowski on electric guitar, Gregory Wang on electric piano and John Valdez on drums.

Finally, Lee Feinstein, dean of IU’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies and former U.S. ambassador to the Republic of Poland, moderated a policy discussion. The panelists were Darcie Draudt of Johns Hopkins University, Taejoon Lah of Yonsei University, Wonjae Lee of Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and Troy Stangarone, Korea Economic Institute in America.

Dae Il Kim, Seoul National University, Professor, Department of Economics

Jinill Kim, Korea University, Professor, Department of Economics

Yoonkyung Lee, University of Toronto, Associate professor, Department of Sociology

Yongseok Shin, Washington University, Professor, Department of Economics

Myungji Yang, University of Hawaii, Associate professor, Political Science

Sharon J. Yoon, Ewha Womans University, Assistant professor, Department of Korean Studies

Jazz Ensemble: Gregory Wang, electric piano, John Valdez, drums and Peter Pendowski, electric guitar

Policy Panel: Dean Lee Feinstein, Indiana University, Ms. Darcie Draudt, Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Taejoon Lah, Yonsei University, Dr. Wonjae Lee, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and Mr. Troy Stangarone, Korea Economic Institute in America

Participants of the 2019-2020 GW-IU Undergraduate Research Exchange Program have been selected and started research on their projects. These five outstanding students will produce a research paper and present their research at the GW-IU Undergraduate Research Exchange Conference held at IU in March 2020. Congratulations to all of the participants!

Toby Huter is a sophomore majoring in East Asian Languages and Cultures and International Studies. Her research project is titled “Historical Tourism in Seoul, South Korea.”

Caitlyn Ranieri is a junior majoring in East Asian Languages and Cultures and International Studies. Her research project is titled “An Economic Fallout: Research on the Negative Ramifications of Reunification on South Korea’s Economy.”

Callie Rhoades is a senior majoring in East Asian Languages and Cultures. Her research project is titled “Media Representations of Multiculural South Korea.”

Summer Snyder is a sophomore majoring in East Asian Languages and Cultures and Political Science. She is also majoring in Southeast Asian Studies. Her research project is titled “North Korea’s Reluctant Marketization through the Rise of Black Markets.”

Yvonne Thomason is a senior majoring in Biochemistry and East Asian Languages and Cultures. Her research project is titled “South Korea’s Sampo Generation: Contributing Economic and Social Factors.”