EWHA WOMANS UNIVERSITY
Course Syllabus (subject to change)
Course Title
[10993] Language and Culture of Korea
Course Schedule
9/3/2012– 12/18/2012
Instructor’s Name
Heisoon YANG, Sang Yee CHEON
Telephone
82-2-3277-2653/6905
E-mail Address
hyang@ewha.ac.kr, scheon1967@gmail.com
Alternate Contact Info
gem516@yahoo.co.kr
Availability
Available via messages in e-class for this course. For urgent need,
please contact one of the instructors via emails or telephone. We
will respond as soon as possible within 48 hours.
Course Location/Times
Online/Asynchronous
Web Access to Class
Ewha Global Online http://global.ewha.ac.kr
Students are required to use Internet Explorer 7 or higher as their
primary web browser.
Course Description
This course is designed to introduce students to a wide variety of socio- and cultural topics
specifically treating the important role of language in Korean culture and society. Specifically,
the invention and use of the Korean alphabet, Korean in contact with Chinese and Japanese,
and Korean socio-cultural vocabulary (such as sound symbolic words, proverbs, and kinship
terms) will be discussed, followed by discussions on Korean honorifics, address & reference
terms, and other related issues. In the later stage of this course, Korean advertisements and
other popular texts will be dealt with. Finally, students will be introduced to salient linguistic
features of the Korean language.
Course Objectives and Expected Outcomes
The specific objectives of the course include:
1. To understand invention and use of the Korean alphabet
2. To sensitize students to change of Korean in contact with Chinese and Japanese
3. To recognize Korean socio-cultural vocabulary such as sound symbolic words, proverbs,
and Korean kinship terms
4. To understand and use correctly Korean honorifics and address & reference terms
5. To understand Korean advertisements and other popular texts
6. To have knowledge on salient features of the linguistic structure of the Korean language
Syllabus
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[10993] Language and Culture of Korea
EWHA WOMANS UNIVERSITY
At the end of course, students are expected to attain a comprehensive and thorough
understanding of various important socio- and ethno-linguistic aspects in which the Korean
language interacts with tradition, cultural perspectives and social contexts of Korea.
Textbook and Required Readings
1. Sohn, Ho-min (ed.) 2006. Korean Language in Culture and Society. Honolulu: University of
Hawaii Press.
Students are responsible for purchasing or renting the textbook. It can be purchased on-line
through the following websites:
www.kyobobook.co.kr/product/detailViewEng.laf?ejkGb=ENG&mallGb=ENG&barcode=97808
24826949&orderClick=LAI
www.yes24.com/24/goods/1636397
www.amazon.com/Korean-Language-Culture-Society-Textbooks/dp/0824826949
2. Additional reading materials will be provided on-line by instructors.
Course Requirements and Expectations
A beginning level of proficiency in Korean is required in order to understand the Korean
examples with facility.
1. Online Attendance (10%) and Participation (10%)
Attendance (10%) and Participation (10%) on line will be taken very seriously in this
course. All students are expected to visit the course website every week, and participate
actively in all of the class activities. Throughout the semester, students are encouraged to
ask questions and make comments or feedbacks regarding lectures, materials, and
questions & issues raised by instructors and other students. The online system
automatically keeps track of your attendance and participation.
2. 10 Quizzes (20%, 2% each)
Students are required not only to read the assigned reading materials but also to study
them thoroughly in order to be ready for quizzes. A quiz will be short, mostly consisting of
true/false, multiple choice, and short answer questions, regarding basic terms from the
assigned readings which students are asked to define and exemplify with actual language
data (either from the reading or of their own invention). For each chapter (except Chapters
7 and 20), a quiz will be posted up by Tuesday, 11 AM Korea Standard Time (KST), and
each student is asked to complete the quiz and submit it by Saturday, 11 PM KST of the
same week.
3. Midterm examination (20%)
Midterm exam will be conducted in a given time period. It will include essay questions,
true/false, and short answers, covering everything (including quizzes) students will have
studied up to that point.
Syllabus
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[10993] Language and Culture of Korea
EWHA WOMANS UNIVERSITY
4. Writing assignments (20%) and final term paper (20%)
Two writing assignments (20%, 10% each) and one final term paper (20%) will be an
important means of evaluating students’ performance in the course, making up 40% of a
students’ grade. From the outset, students will be encouraged to see the crucial
importance of their individual writings, since their writings will be integrated into basic parts
of class material, structure, and management. Each of the submitted short writings will be
given a feedback from instructors, and students are encouraged to submit a revised
version to boost their grades. The revision process may involve individual online
conference with instructors. Students must adequately complete all the writing
assignments to pass the course with a D grade or better. Topics and detailed guidelines
for two writing assignments will be posted in advance during the semester, whereas the
topic of final term paper must be selected by students and can be consulted with
instructors in advance.
Each of the two short writings must be a minimum of 2 pages, and the final term paper
must be 6-8 pages, double-spaced, Times New Roman, 12. For citation and referencing, it
is recommended that students follow APA or MLA style. If you are not familiar with any of
these two styles, please consult online writing guidelines at www.apastyle.org (APA) or
www.mla.org/style (MLA).
Academic Honesty: No Plagiarism
It is ultimately each student’s responsibility to understand the rules regarding plagiarism and to
learn how to avoid such violations. Common punishments for such violations include failing the
assignment or failing the course.
Plagiarism includes but is not limited to submitting intentionally or knowingly any work that has
been copied in whole or in part from another individual's work without attributing that borrowed
portion to the individual; neglecting to identify as a quotation another's idea; submitting the
same written material in more than one course without obtaining authorization from the
instructors involved; or obtaining and using experimental data from other sections of a course or
from previous terms.
Grading
The final course grade will be determined based on the followings:
Requirements
Ratio
Online Attendance and participation
20% (10% each)
10 Quizzes
20% (2% each)
Midterm examination
20%
2 writing assignments
20% (10% each)
Final term paper
20%
Total
100%
Notes
Policy on missed quizzes and exam: There will be NO individual re-scheduling for quizzes,
midterm exam, and submission of short writings and a final term paper, unless provided
with an official proof for a justifiable reason.
Syllabus
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[10993] Language and Culture of Korea
EWHA WOMANS UNIVERSITY
Late assignments: Late assignments will be penalized with a 10% grade deduction for
each day late unless you have made prior arrangements with instructors.
Incompletes: A student who experiences unanticipated circumstances and fails to
complete all course requirements must contact one of the instructors prior to the end date
of the course.
Students who speak English or Korean as a foreign language (EFL/KFL): This course
requires command of English and beginning level proficiency of Korean at the same time.
For this reason, the course may be rather challenging for many of EFL and KFL students
due to their (possibly) low proficiency in English and/or Korean. Nevertheless, all of those
students are strongly encouraged to participate actively in class based on readings and
class videos. Also, please understand that only a small number of students in class would
be proficient enough to understand and produce the two languages. The assessment of
students’ performance will be based more highly on their motivation and quality of their
performance rather than their proficiency in languages.
Points and Grades
Grades will be based on a curve adjusted according to the level of the students.
Top
Top
1-10%
A+
61-80%
B
11-25%
A
81-90%
B-
26-40%
A91-100%
C+, C
C-, D
F
41-60%
B+
Course Schedule (subject to change)
Weekly schedule for the course goes from Tuesday to Monday (KST), starting on the first
Tuesday (KST) of the semester and ending on Monday of the last week. The schedule is
tentative and subject to change as we proceed through the semester.
Week #
Topics
1
(9/4~
10)
Course Overview
Romanization System of Korean
2
(9/11~
17)
 Language, culture, and society
 Evolution of the Korean language
in relation to culture and society
 Socio-cultural dynamism in the
Korean language
Syllabus
To Read
Chap. 1
Introduction
Page 4
To Do
Due Dates
(All KST)
Introduce
yourself
11 PM
9/8(Sat.)
Quiz 1
on Chap. 1
[practice]
11 PM
9/15(Sat.)
[practice]
[10993] Language and Culture of Korea
EWHA WOMANS UNIVERSITY
Topics
To Read
To Do
Due Dates
(All KST)
3
(9/18~
24)
 The invention of han’gŭl
 The design principles of the
han’gŭl letters
 The use of han’gŭl
 Orthographic principles
Chap. 2
The Invention and
Use of the Korean
Alphabet
Quiz 2
on Chap. 2
11 PM
9/22(Sat)
4
(9/25~
10/1)
 The origin of Sino-Korean verbs
 The three layers of SK words
 Sino-Korean pronunciation
 The enrichment of the Korean
vocabulary
 The obliteration of native words
Chap. 4
Korean in Contact
with Chinese
Quiz 3
on Chap. 4
11 PM
9/29(Sat)
5
(10/2~
8)
 Ancient contacts
 The colonial period
 Coping with the aftermath
 Japanese in Korean today
Chap. 5
Korean in Contact
with Japanese
Quiz 4
on Chap. 5
11 PM
10/6(Sat)
6
(10/9~
15)
 Changes of initial consonants
 Vowel changes
 Changes of final consonants
Chap. 6
Sound Symbolism
in Korean
Quiz 5
on Chap. 6
11 PM
10/13(Sat)
7
(10/16
~22)
 Definition and history of proverbs
 The formation of Korean proverbs
 Ethnic characteristics of Korean
proverbs
Chap. 7
Korean Proverbs
Writing 1
(No quiz on
Chap. 7)
11 PM
10/20(Sat)
Mid-term
Exam
11 PM
10/27(Sat)
Week #
8
(10/23
~29
Mid-term Exam [No Lecture]
9
(10/30
~11/5)
 Modern standard Korean kinship
terminology
 Kinship terms of address in a
rapidly changing society
Chap. 9
Korean Kinship
Terminology
(up to p. 111)
Quiz 6
on Chap. 9
11 PM
11/3(Sat)
10
(11/6~
12)
 Addressee-related honorifics
 Referent-related honorifics
 An integrated picture of
honorifics in Korean
Chap. 11
The Structure and
Use of Korean
Honorifics
Quiz 7
on Chap. 11
11 PM
11/10(Sat)
11
(11/13
~19)
 Power and solidarity
 Korean address-reference terms
 Comparison between Korean and
English address-reference terms
Chap. 12
Usage of Korean
Address and
Reference Terms
Quiz 8
on Chap. 12
11 PM
11/17(Sat)
Syllabus
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[10993] Language and Culture of Korea
EWHA WOMANS UNIVERSITY
Topics
To Read
To Do
Due Dates
(All KST)
Chap. 15
Korean Cultural
Values in Request
Behaviors
Quiz 9
on Chap. 15
11 PM
11/24(Sat)
12
(11/20
~26)
 Communicative differences
among KFL learners, Korean
native speakers, and American
native speakers
 Cross-cultural values reflected in
request behaviors of the different
groups of speakers
13
(11/27
~12/3)
 Characteristics of advertising text
in Korean
 Advertisements in Korean cultural
context
Chap. 18
Advertisements in
Korean
Quiz 10
on Chap 18
11 PM
12/1(Sat)
14
(12/4~
10)
 Sound patterns
 Word structure
 Sentence structure
 Honorifics
 Macro-micro structure and
discourse-orientedness
Chap. 20
Linguistic
Structures of
Korean
Writing 2
(No quiz on
Chap. 20)
11 PM
12/8(Sat)
15
(12/11
~17)
Wrap-up of the course [No Lecture]
Final Term
Paper
11 PM
12/20(Th)
Week #
Syllabus
Page 6
[10993] Language and Culture of Korea