뉴스레터

My visit to my homeland last summer break was special. Accompanying me to Korea were 21 high school teachers selected from around the United States. The visit was an onsite historical survey program organized by the NCTA (National Consortium for Teaching about Asia), an initiative to promote and facilitate learning and teaching about Asia, and the Northeast Asian History Foundation for American high school AP (Advanced Placement Program) World History teachers.

Founded with the support of the Freeman Foundation, the NCTA is an authoritative U.S. institution that provides systematic training in Asian history and culture to middle school and high school teachers. The teachers who participated in the onsite historical survey program had already completed a semester of NCTA's Asian history seminar at universities affiliated with the NCTA in their local areas. They had also taken part in workshops for developing curriculums in Asian history/culture and other similar programs or had visited China and/or Japan.

The Korea onsite historical survey program was meaningful given that the participating teachers had never been to Korea before and had been more familiar with China and Japan. That is, the program served as an opportunity to present the historical issues of Northeast Asia from Korea's perspective and provide an understanding of Asia through Korea's historical experiences. The program was very hands-on, setting itself apart from the survey trips organized independently by the NTCA.

American teachers can choose their own textbooks and develop their own curricula

The educational curricula in the United States differ from region to region and from state to state. Nevertheless, when it comes to history, most schools teach U.S. history, ancient history, and medieval history through social studies classes at the elementary and middle school levels. It is when students enter grade 8 or 9 that they start learning the history of world civilizations, history, and geography in a more systematic manner through subjects such as world history, history of world civilizations, and world history. AP history courses are offered to students who received good grades in middle school history classes—e.g. U.S. history. Students can start taking AP courses in grade 9. AP history courses use college-level textbooks and follow a similarly rigorous curriculum. AP World History generally follows a 2-year curriculum spanning the history of the East and the West from ancient times to the present. At the end of the course, students take the World History AP Exam administered by the College Board, a private membership association.

In the United States, teachers enjoy a lot of freedom, from developing their own curriculum to the manner in which they conduct their classes. Therefore, the personal propensities of individual teachers play a major role in how the courses are structured. There also exists a large textbook and educational publishing industry that can cater to the individual preferences of the teachers. While there are some variations depending on the textbook used, most AP World History classes devote about three sessions to Korean history as a separate subject of study. Regarding ancient Korean history, there is brief mention about Korea, along with Vietnam, in the discussion of the spread of the Chinese civilization. There then is a huge leap, and Korean history is not mentioned again until the peninsula's division and the Korean War after World War II. The final coverage is of South Korea's postwar economic growth.

Under each theme, most AP World History textbooks allot 2-3 pages of text and photos to Korean history. However, given that the textbooks run between 600 and 800 pages, Korean history receives very scant coverage. This is made especially more evident when we compare it with the coverage of China and Japan. China and Japan appear frequently as the two major civilizations of Asia. In many instances, Korea is depicted as a small country wedged between and greatly influenced by China and Japan. Also, there are quite a few inaccuracies concerning Korea, including the use of the wrong toponym for the East Sea. In effect, within this very limited scope, the coverage of Korean history in U.S. AP World History textbooks focuses heavily on the modern period. Indicative of this focus on modern Korean history, many teachers were very excited when we visited the DMZ and Tunnel No. 3, buying souvenirs to use as classroom material.

Heightened interest expected to lead to expanded coverage of Korean history in classrooms

One of the participating teachers told me that s/he allots 10 class hours a year (2 weeks) to Korean history and culture irrespective of the organization of the textbook. Another teacher said s/he studies Korea-related topics not covered in the textbook on his/her own and buys hanbok (Korean traditional dress), Korean fans, and other Korea-related materials from local Korean stores to use in the classroom. Against such a backdrop, the onsite historical survey program was a success given that the participants shared the photographs they had taken during the trip via the internet upon their return to the United States. They also ordered video materials from Korea, materials they had not been able to purchase during their visit. Most of the teachers said they would develop teaching plans on Korea-related topics in which they feel most confident and share them with the other participants.

As the organizer and guide of the onsite historical survey program, my ten days with the American world history teachers served as a valuable opportunity that reminded me of the importance Korea history/culture education for American students. Moreover, in the constant barrage of questions the participants posed and the endless discussions in which engaged, I could catch glimpses of today's Korea as reflected in their eyes; this gave me much food for thought. As with the "blue-eyed foreigners" that came to Joseon a century ago, most of the participating teachers were captivated more by the old and aged rather than the new and developed. In observing Seoul's flashy high-rises and the neatly groomed palaces, it was commented that the city smelled like "new money" rather than a 600-year-old capital.

What got them worked up in photo frenzy was none other than the rice paddies lining the entrance to Hahoe Village. The plain old rice paddies turned into an object of fascination and admiration for the American participants who had only taught about Asia's rice cultures but had never seen a rice paddy firsthand; it was the miracle of cultural diversity in action. The teachers also took part in a 1-hour meditation session, which took place at 5 a.m. on a hardwood floor in a mountain temple in Gangwon-do. They said it was a life-changing experience, and when we returned to Seoul, they each got the grey shirt and pant set worn by Korean Buddhist monks. I heard from one of them a few days ago: "I have my coffee every morning in my Buddhist monk attire. Who would have thought Korea would become such an important country to me?"

The onsite historical survey program was personally very rewarding, well worth all the effort I had put in over the past year making frequent trips back and forth Korea and the United States. As demonstrated by the controversy over So Far From the Bamboo Grove a few years back, Korean history and culture cannot be properly taught in America without the interest of individual teachers.