Extended application deadline!

Call for Applications - Korean Studies Summer School 2023

(Updated version of March 20, 2023)

Encountering Korean History and Culture in Kwangju and near area A course in SS 2023 and Fieldtrip (August 16-24, 2023)

The deadline for applications is March 31, 2023

 

The Institute for Korean Studies FU Berlin, Germany, is pleased to invite applicants for the 2023 Korean Studies Summer School held from August 16– 24, 2023 in Kwangju (Gwangju) and Seoul, South Korea. The Summer School will bring together students enrolled in BA and MA programs in Korean Studies at Free University Berlin/Germany and other European Universities.

 

The summer school is an academic program with field trips supported by the KDI-School and the National Institute of Unification Education. The objective of the Summer School is to provide students with expert-led, on-site training in Korean history, culture, politics, and North-South Korean relations, in cooperation with History D – Asia Peace and History Institute (Dr Lee Sincheol), Seoul. The program provides a great opportunity to expand knowledge of the diverse fields of Korean Studies.

 

The main theme of the 2023 program is Encountering Korean history and culture in Kwangju and near area. Kwangju and the region all around have played an outstanding role throughout the history of Korea; especially May-18^th Uprising in Kwangju (1980) was a milestone on the way to democracy and human rights in South Korea. From the perspective of art and cultural heritage, Kwangju and the nearby area have abundant treasures: Gwangju has hosted a contemporary art biennale since 1995. Near Kwangju, there are several places of historical meaning, such as the anti-colonial struggle, significant cultural sites with ceramic art and other diverse handicrafts, Confucian and Buddhistic heritage, traces of writers and intellectuals, etc.

 

This program consists of two parts: the first part is a regular course during the Sommer Semester 2023 (Wednesday 16:00-18:00) focusing on the history and culture in Kwangju and near area. The second part refers to the field trip, which is composed of three sections:

 

1. August 16 – 18:	Workshop on national division and unification at National Institute of Unification Education; visit to DMZ or places of national division
2. August 18 – 19:	Temple Stay in Hwa’eom-sa, Experience of Korean Buddhism, the heritage of Buddhist culture
3. August 19 – 24:	Visits of historical and cultural sites in Kwangju and near area

 

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Each participant receives:

-                  Subsidy for flight ticket: € 500

-                  accommodation and meals free for the whole duration of the summer school

-                  travel expenses and entrance fees (museum etc.) during the field trip in Korea (Participation fees for some cultural experiences should be paid by the participants: approximately € 30 in total.)

 

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Credits

The Free University Berlin acknowledges the Summer School course and activities with 10 Credit Points (Korean Studies, Vertiefungsmodul). Full participation in all activities is obligatory. Partial participation is not accepted. The following requirements are essential to obtain credit points.

(1)   Participation in the Summer School course in SS 2023, including Orientation Workshop (Wednesday 16:00-18:00, April 19-July 19, 2023)

(2) Group presentation at the end of the field trip

PowerPoint presentation or video presentation (10 min) is possible.

(3)  Final Paper

-  For FUB students: academic paper on a theme from the Summer School (8-10 Pages)

-  For all other students: Report on the summer school activities (3 pages)

 

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Number of Participants

The total number of students will be limited to 15 (10 students from FUB, five students from Bochum, Paris, Prague, Copenhagen, and Venice). FU Berlin students who do not participate in the student exchange program (Auslandsjahr) are especially encouraged to apply since this program offers an opportunity to be exposed directly to experiences in South Korea.

 

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Eligibility

The students of Korean Studies (major) at the FU Berlin who completed “Aufbaumodul” and passed the language course “Koreanisch I” can apply.

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Application

 

Applicants are asked to submit the following documents (in a single file with the applicant’s family name as the file name) to Dr Choe Hyondok (hyondok.choe@fu-berlin.de) no later than March 31, 2023. Please use the following subject line: Application for Korean Studies Summer School 2023.

 

• CV in English
• Motivation letter (one page) in English outlining the reasons for interest in attending the summer school
• The latest transcript of records (Campus Office)
• Grade of Korean language courses

 

 

For further details or inquiries, please contact Dr Choe Hyondok.