Session 4 - Pre-1800 Korea, 3/11

[Anonymous]

This class session really opened my eyes to how interesting Korean history is, and how there is so many stories that can enhance a lesson. Most importantly, we spend time teaching about ancient china and japan, but skip over korea too quickly, and there is more culture and history that can be incorporated, especially in a compare/contrast way to the surrounding societies, as well as around the world - to the indus river valley, babylon, and how ancient stories shaped society.

[Anonymous]

There was a lot of information presented in this session that one can use to introduce certain periods of Korea in the 1800’s to the pre modern era. One that I found facinating was before the Joist era when [font=Arial]Korean woman had a lot more freedom because they lived with parents therefore had equal treatment in inheritance.[/font][font=Arial] Women were encouraged to be more liberal and still benefited from the rights their brothers benefited from.[/font][font=Arial] This is most cultures was and still continues to be quite the contrary. [/font][font=Arial]Unfortunately throughout cultural shifts they lost their roles.[/font]I also really enjoyed creating the sijo poetry activity because I was able to see how creative people can be. Some things I can bring to the classroom are sijo poetry or artwork to introduce Korean culture. Using Korean fairy tales to compare and contrast other similar stories can be an engaging way to expose them to different cultures specially that of Korea.
edited by jmartinez on 4/2/2017

[Anonymous]

The expeience of writing our own original poem was great. I would have students write their own Korean poem reflecting on their thoughts, knowledge, facts, history and culture of Ancient China and Asia.

[Anonymous]

For such a large population of Koreans and such a large "Koreatown", there is very little Korean history taught in Los Angeles. I know in my school this is not a group that is represented demographically and so to my student's detriment, I do not have much to contribute historically. However, we are just 10 blocks from Koreatown...and the world! This particular class and early Korean history showed me the importance of representing Korea along with China and Japan as major players of Asia.

[Anonymous]

Coming from an English perspective, I think I'd have my students categorize the characters of our novels/texts in these three categories. I would provide the historical context of how these categories are also used for royalty like the Korean kings.

[Anonymous]

This was the first year I thought World History. I am already gearing up for the following school year and thinking of how I can incorporate poetry writing in my Asian studies unit. Now that History aligns with Common Core standards, I've been having students write more in my classroom in order to help them become effective and critical thinkers. Although most of my students struggle with writing, I've noticed that they become more excited to write when I present a "fun" writing assignment like advertisement posters, itinerary tours of a specific country, and many other "fun" projects. I am excited to incorporate certain topics from this lesson to my future assignments.

[Anonymous]

I read this, but then didn't write about it, so I read some of the poems again today to refresh my memory. When I came across her poem about losing her son and daughter, I knew that I must read some of her poetry in class tomorrow, and have my students write some poetry as well. One of my students was suspended today, and another one lost his father two days ago. One of the gifts we give our students is to teach them ways to cope with the difficulties of life. The more avenues of outlet we can introduce them to, the better. Journal writing, poetry, music, exercise....whatever makes sense to them as a way to find good in the midst of not so good. I will share some after we write.

[Anonymous]

The founding of the Koryo Dynasty is awfully complicated to share with my students, but as I was reading I was taking notes so that I could create a timeline for myself. I am going to show them my notes and why I took them as I did, specifically to create a timeline. It will mesh their understanding of the topic of history with what we just learned about plotting a data set (in a line plot). "After reading everything, what did I find to be the earliest date and the latest? How is a line plot different from a timeline?" In the process, they will be hearing bits and pieces about the founding of the Koryo Dynasty.

[Anonymous]

A rich man gives grain to a poor called Yangban to exchange his status to be a Yangban. The magistrate appraised, " How superior the rich man is! How yangbanlike the rich man is! To be rich without being stingy is righteousness. To be anxious about another's difficulties is goodness. To despise the mean and desire the honorable is wisdom." But when the contract terms were not as he expected, he went way and never mention the word "Yangban" again. The rich man thought to be yang ban was to be immortal. He wanted to turn his wealth into more profitable fortune. The rich man's "noble" ideas contradicted the yangban culture.
edited by Lin ZhaoDavison on 6/6/2017
edited by Lin ZD on 6/15/2017

[Anonymous]

“The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” is an interesting look into the myths that cling to the origins of Korea’s national identity. As Cameron Hurst III explains, “In all ages, even our own (perhaps especially our own), history has been used to serve the needs of politics and nationalism rather than to stand as an impartial record of the past.” Just as Wang Kǒn, Kung Ye, and Kyŏn Hwŏn were all “necessary actors in a predetermined historical script, cast in roles to achieve specific political goals in the time of the compilers,” so too have the words and deeds of our “founding fathers” been used to further the aims of disparate political groups in the United States. Both the Union and the Confederacy laid claim to the American Revolution as moral authority during the Civil War. Today it is the Tea-Party and Trump’s empty platitudes about “making America great again” who are the chief abusers of our mythic past. Historian Jill Lepore calls this condition “historical fundamentalism,” and describes it as “the belief that a particular and quite narrowly defined past –the ‘founding’—is ageless and sacred and to be worshipped…and that political arguments grounded in appeals to the founding documents, as sacred texts, and to the Founding Fathers, as prophets, are therefore incontrovertible.”

[Anonymous]

I am really amazed by Ho Nonsorhon's story. Despite the Confucian prinicple of namjon yobi ("the elevation of men and subjection of women"), she rose above her position as a woman and became an accomplished poet. She could not have done this without the support of her older brother who actively taught her poetry and literature, despite it being "morally wrong." I think her poems about women would make a great lesson. I would divide students into groups and give them "Poor Woman," "Married Woman's Sorrow," and "Always Thinking of You," and ask students to write a portrait of what these women might be like and what they are feeling. It would can turn into a good characterization exercise.

[Anonymous]

Five days a week I teach
and students sit and read and write
Their eyes on words and hands in ink
they shake out their hands in tired strife
But when the notebooks are collected
the pages are blank.
edited by cgao on 7/13/2017

[Anonymous]

I think students would be interested to learn about the intricacies of the bone rank system. The name is just so cool! It would also make for good comparison to other hierarchies. The point that women could become a ruling queen was really surprising to me! It's unfortunate that this didn't continue, in my humble opinion!

[Anonymous]

Sometimes creation myths involve animals. Romulus and Remus were famously suckled by a she-wolf and water animals in the Iroquois creation myth save the Sky Woman from falling into the ocean that covered the Earth. Korea has an animal founder as well. Tan’gun Wanggom was the legendary founder of Choson, the first-ever Korean kingdom in the year 2333 BC. Tan’gun Wanggom was reported to be the product of a bearess, turned human by the grace of Hwanung “the heavenly king.” Not surprisingly, North Korea's Kim Il-sung insisted that Tan’gun Wanggom was not merely a legend but a real historical person. As consequence, North Korean archaeologists were compelled to locate the purported remains and grave of Tan’gun Wanggom.

[Anonymous]

There were so many beautiful poems created. I was inspired to really dig deep for mine bacuase I normally dont like doing things like that. I hope to continue to practice of reflection and writing poems.

[Author]

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