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Hello, <br>
I'd like to post the following message. Thank you, SSM<br><br>
<br>
<u>Notes from the Chair of the Committee on Korean Studies (February
2010)<br><br>
</u>Seungsook Moon<br>
Professor of Sociology <br>
Vassar College<br><br>
As the chair of the CKS-AAS (April 2008 - March 2010), I would like to
report CKS activities and accomplishments during the past one year. Since
the CKS (executive board members) redefined in 2008 its identity as a
professional organization that would connect various forms of resources
to our members to promote your scholarly and teaching interests, we
pursued the following new projects in collaboration with the Korea
Foundation. First, in December 2009, we conducted an on-line survey to
identify contents of multimedia teaching resources on Korea. With the
support of the Northeast Asia Council (NEAC), we sent out this survey to
members who were listed as Koreanists or/and Japanologists and received
very positive feedback from them. We thank you for your participation.
During the 2010 AAS meeting, the CKS board members will review contents
of the audio-visual materials, which the Korea Foundation will produce on
the basis of this feedback, in order to ensure their utility as effective
teaching tools (rather than nationalist materials) for CKS members and
beyond. Second, we will launch a series of professional development
workshops to support advanced graduate students and junior faculty in the
U.S. and South Korea. As a pilot project for this type of workshop, we
will bring together mentors who are CKS members and advanced graduate
students and junior faculty in South Korean universities. This first
workshop intends to enhance these mentees’ skill to present their
scholarly work in the U.S. and thereby expand the body of new scholarly
materials on Korea for CKS members and beyond. This type of workshop can
also facilitate scholarly exchange between those in South Korea and those
in the U.S. During the 2010 AAS meeting, the board members will discuss
logistics for organizing the workshop in Seoul, Korea. Third, we will
compile a list of “recommended” books on Korea that are already published
in English to support CKS members’ teaching about Korea in colleges and
make these resources also available for K-12 teachers and general
readers. We strongly encourage our CKS members to send your lists to the
chair (<a href="mailto:semoon@vassar.edu">semoon@vassar.edu</a>) before
the 2010 AAS meeting. It would be of great help if you can add brief
annotations on the books you recommend. The board members will also
generate concise annotations on these books. <br><br>
I
would like to emphasize that the board members of the CKS have a strong
commitment to build and maintain the identity of the CKS as an
<u>autonomous organization</u> that promotes our members scholarly and
teaching interests and therefore look for various funding sources beyond
the Korea Foundation. So please let us know if you have good suggestions
for potential funding sources in the U.S., South Korea, and beyond.
Please also share your constructive suggestions for project ideas. Our
names (terms of service) and e-mail addresses are: Seungsook Moon
(2007-2010; <a href="mailto:semoon@vassar.edu">semoon@vassar.edu</a>),
Janet Poole (2007-2010;
<a href="mailto:janet.poole@utoronto.ca">janet.poole@utoronto.ca</a>),
Donald N. Clark (2008-2011;
<a href="mailto:dclark@trinity.edu">dclark@trinity.edu</a>) and Michael
Pettid (2008-2011;
<a href="mailto:mpettid@binghamton.edu">mpettid@binghamton.edu</a>). The
three new members elected in the Summer of 2009 are Christopher Hanscom
(2009-2012;
<a href="mailto:christopher.p.hanscom@dartmouth.edu">
christopher.p.hanscom@dartmouth.edu</a>), Joy Kim (2009-2012;
<a href="mailto:joykim@usc.edu">joykim@usc.edu</a>), and Hwasook Nam
(2009-2012;
<a href="mailto:hsnam@u.washington.edu">hsnam@u.washington.edu</a>).<br>
<br>
Next, let me report on some routine activities of the CKS board
administered by myself as the chair in collaboration with the NEAC.
First, we sponsored a panel entitled “the Japanese Seizure of Korea: A
Centennial Retrospective” that focuses on Hilary Conroy’s work. This was
organized by Wayne Patterson and to be held during the upcoming AAS
meeting in Philadelphia. Second, I continued to work closely with the
NEAC in reviewing applications for the following four categories of
Korean Studies grants: 1) Research Travel Grants to Korea and North
America, 2) Grants for organizing workshops and conferences, 3) Grants
for enhancing Korean Studies teaching, and 4) Travel Grants to support
graduate students’ participation in the annual AAS meeting. I urge you,
CKS members, to submit strong proposals especially for the Research
Travel Grants. Please plan ahead and submit your proposals before the
deadlines in the fall and in the spring. Please also pay attention to the
required information on the application form to avoid disqualification
due to inadequate contents.<br><br>
The CKS also has collaborated with the Academy of Korean Studies (AKS) to
sponsor the Fifth World Congress of Korean Studies to be held in Seoul,
Korea in 2010. <br><br>
Let me also report the result of the fall 2009 election of the NEAC
officers. A Koreanist was elected (Kyung Hyun Kim at UC-Irvine, film). He
will join two other continuing Koreanists in the NEAC (Namhee Lee, UCLA
and Clark Sorensen, University of Washington, Seattle). This is a
decrease from 4 Koreanists in the NEAC last year and the parity between
Koreanists and Japanologists in the 9-member NEAC (including myself as an
ex-officio) depends partly on your active participation in the AAS
elections in the future. <br><br>
Finally, let me draw your attention to the General Meeting of the CKS in
Philadelphia during 2010 AAS conference. This meeting will be held from
<b>9:00 pm to 11:00 pm</b> in <b>Room 404 </b>in Marriott Downtown Hotel
on <b>Saturday, March 27<sup>th</sup></b>. I hope to meet you and hear
from you during this meeting. Please mark your calendar if you will
attend the meeting. The CKS identity as autonomous professional
organization to promote its members interests really depends on your
active participation and interest in CKS activities pursued by the board
members you elected. <br><br>
Thank you and best wishes,<br><br>
<br><br>
<br><br>
<x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
Seungsook Moon<br>
Professor<br>
Department of Sociology<br>
(on sabbatical leave, 2009-10)<br>
Vassar College, Box # 507<br>
124 Raymond Ave.<br>
Poughkeepsie, NY 12604<br>
Tel: 845-437-7662<br>
Fax:845-437-7677<br>
<a href="http://www.dukeupress.edu/books.php3?isbn=3616-2" eudora="autourl">
http://www.dukeupress.edu/books.php3?isbn=3616-2<br>
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