Cultural understanding between the United States and Korea will be a focus of a conference being held on campus Friday-Sunday, April 8-10, that will feature talks by noted scholars, teacher training workshops, and musical and dance performances.
Titled "Bridging Cultures: Trailblazers and Visionaries," the event is the 50th anniversary conference of the East Rock Institute, a New Haven institution dedicated to promoting understanding between the East and West. Other co-sponsors are the Yale Korean Graduate Students Association, the Korea Foundation, the Overseas Koreans Foundation, the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, the Korea Daily and the Academy of Korean Studies.
One topic of discussion at the conference will be Teach Korea Corp, a national pilot project designed to further the study of Korea in American classrooms. In conjunction with this, there will be discussions of the state of Korean studies in the United States and a town hall meeting on the subject.
"The current Connecticut high school curriculum contains no more than a page-and-a-half of general information on this highly important country," says Hesung Chun Koh, chair and president of the East Rock Institute. "We wish to correct this omission while promoting a positive understanding between the United States and Korea. Such a mutual understanding is urgent, due to North Korea's status as the most dangerous country in the world.
"With this national pilot project, we can help both teachers and students to gain cross-cultural competency, which is becoming increasingly important due to the rapidly paced globalization taking place in the world today," she adds. "After the initial project is launched, we expect this enhancement to set the standard in high school curriculums."
New Haven Mayor John DeStefano Jr. will offer welcoming remarks at the conference at 9 a.m. on Friday, and the keynote address will be delivered on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. by Dr. Howard Kyongju Koh, associate dean and the Harvey V. Feinberg Professor of Public Health Practice at the Harvard School of Public Health. His topic will be "Leadership Themes for Korean Americans."
Other conference topics include "Studies on Korea and the Korean Diaspora in the Global Age," "The Korean-American History, Identity and Community," "North-South Korea Relations in Films," "Power and Love in Korean Culture," "Korean Americans in Business: Profiles in Leadership," "A New Look at Women's Roles in Korea: The Cheju Women," "Civil Engagement and Activism Within the Korean-American Community and Beyond," "Personal Empowerment and Overcoming the Bamboo Ceiling" and "Adoptive and Multicultural Families: Challenges and Rewards." Other talks will explore Korean contributions to world culture and the role of the East Rock Institute in bridging American and Korean cultures.
Among the other conference speakers and moderators are Harold Hongju Koh, dean of the Yale Law School; Moon-Hwan Kim, professor of aesthetics at Seoul National University and former director of the planning and executing committee for opening and closing ceremonies for the 1988 Seoul Olympics; noted architect Tai Soo Kim of the West Hartford firm Tai Soo Kim Partners; and Helen Cha-Pyo, music director of the Empire State Youth Orchestra.
The weekend activities also include a performance of Korean folk songs and another featuring Korean mask drama; performances by the Biava Quartet and by the Yale a cappella group The Duke's Men; a performance by a composer and performer of Korean traditional string music and Western jazz; and a dance performance by the award-winning quartet Buddhist Dance. A complete schedule of conference events is available at www.ericonference.org.
Registration is required to attend the event. Those interested in receiving meals through the weekend must register by April 1. Discounted rates are available for Yale students. Yale undergraduates interested in attending should send e-mail to chan.pak@yale.edu. Yale graduate students can register by sending e-mail to jawook.koo@yale.edu. For general registration or for further information about the event, contact Debra Tillolson or Leo Youngjun Kim at (203) 624-8619 or via e-mail at eri3@pantheon.yale.edu.
T H I S
W E E K ' SS T O R I E S
BPA in plastic food containers harmful to brain, says study
FORE! Scientist's invention helps add zing to golf swing
Festival offers family fun and cultural activities
Lynch uses technological know-how to create . . .
ENDOWED PROFESSORSHIPSRonald R. Breaker appointed to Henry Ford II Professorship
Anna Marie Pyle is new William Edward Gilbert Professor
Daniel E. Rosner is named to Llewellyn West Jones Jr. chair
Paul Van Tassel designated as Lee Associate Professor
Research sheds more light on brain's role in face recognition
Former Mexican president Ernesto Zedillo to give a public lecture
Activist Peruvian theater troupe in residence during April
Olympic soccer star to talk about 'Going for Gold' as Kiphuth Fellow
Grants support special initiatives of the Yale Library
Conference participants aim to re-envision . . .
'Simply Ming!' chef will give campus talk
SCHOOL OF MEDICINE NEWSResearch: For many smokers, potential risks of quitting . . .
Symposium will offer latest news on risks and treatment of stress
Study finds low levels of anti-clotting proteins early in pregnancy . . .
Investigators discover that a molecule important in cell . . .
Regionalizing care for heart attacks in U.S. problematic
Symposium will address the 'disconnect' between research and policy . . .
Conference to explore Korean-American relations . . .
Conference to explore wide-ranging impact of parliamentary rule
Yale Press book co-authored by F&ES scholar . . .
Scholars explored the themes of tradition and modernity . . .
Improved relations
Campus Notes
Bulletin Home|Visiting on Campus|Calendar of Events|In the News
Bulletin Board|Classified Ads|Search Archives|Deadlines
Bulletin Staff|Public Affairs|News Releases|
E-Mail Us|Yale Home