[KS] Message for members of the Committee on Korean Studies-Association for Asian Studies

[Seungsook Moon]

Dear webmaster:
I am Chair of the CKS-AAS and I'd like to post the following message 
for CKS members and Koreanists in general.
Can you kindly post it as soon as possible?

Thank you,
SSM
__________________________________________________________

Notes from the Chair of the Committee on Korean Studies
Seungsook Moon
Associate Professor of Sociology & Director of Asian Studies Program,
Vassar College

As a new chair of the CKS-AAS (April 2008 - March 2010), I would like 
to convey a concise report about the status of the CKS and its 
renewed activities. First, the CKS is currently in a better position 
to strengthen its function as an independent organization that 
promotes various interests of its diverse members. For the past 
decade, one of major activities of the CKS Executive Board was the 
administration of graduate students fellowships funded by the Korea 
Foundation but this function moved to a new organization that the 
foundation created last academic year (2007-2008). This change 
created an impetus for the CKS board to focus on direct communication 
with its members to learn more about your professional needs and 
interests and provide you with useful resources. Therefore, I would 
urge you, individual members, to convey your ideas to the CKS 
Executive Board members. Our names (terms of service) and e-mail 
addresses are: Seungsook Moon (2007-2010; 
<mailto:semoon at vassar.edu>semoon at vassar.edu), Theodore Hughes 
(2006-2009; <mailto:th2150 at columbia.edu>th2150 at columbia.edu), Sun Joo 
Kim (2006-2009; <mailto:sjkim at fas.harvard.edu>sjkim at fas.harvard.edu),
Janet Poole (2007-2010; 
<mailto:janet.poole at utoronto.ca>janet.poole at utoronto.ca), and Jun Yoo 
(2006-2009; <mailto:yoojun at hawaii.edu>yoojun at hawaii.edu). The two new 
members elected last fall are Donald N. Clark (2008-2011; 
<mailto:dclark at trinity.edu>dclark at trinity.edu) and Michael Pettid 
(2008-2011; <mailto:mpettid at binghamton.edu>mpettid at binghamton.edu).

Second, there are several projects that the CKS has been involved: 1) 
Co-sponsoring the creation of James Palais Book Prize, of which fund 
raising is currently on the way. As of December 31, 2008, $12,325 was 
raised and an additional $ 7,000 was pledged. The Palais Prize 
Committee is actively pursuing the goal of $ 20,000 prior to the 2009 
AAS meeting to secure the matching grant from the Korea Foundation. 
We thank you for your generous contributions.  2) Efforts to 
reestablish the Korean Studies Distinguished Lecturer Series and 
reorganize its administration for the effective use of resources. I 
was informed that when the Northeast Asia Council (NEAC) submitted 
the Korea Foundation 13 Grant (which covers three years from October 
1, 2008 to September 30, 2011) in the fall of 2007, this category was 
temporarily eliminated because of its underuse during the preceding 
years. During the General Meeting of the CKS (open to all members) 
held in 2008 AAS meeting in Atlanta, a majority of members who came 
to the meeting appeared to support the revival of the series. The 
Executive Board agreed to reinstitute the lecture program and has 
been discussing the best ways to use it to promote Korean Studies in 
the United States. Robert Snow, Development Officer of the AAS, and I 
have been working to persuade the Korea Foundation for funding. I 
will follow up on this in the next round of communication with you. 
3) Organizing a professional workshop or a roundtable session to 
mentor junior faculty and graduate students during the annual AAS 
meeting (see the list of 2009 AAS panels). 4) Initiating the 
establishment of the Korean Studies Dissertation Workshop 
administered by the Social Science Research Council with the support 
from the Korea Foundation. 5) Facilitating the Hanmun Workshop to be 
held in the Academy of Korean Studies (AKS) in S ngnam City, South 
Korea, in June-July of 2009. This workshop is designed to support 
advanced graduate students and junior scholars in Korean Studies. The 
preparation for the workshop has been well underway and we would like 
to thank the AKS for its enthusiastic support.

Third, I as the CKS chair continue to collaborate closely with the 
NEAC and have been involved in administering 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 AAS. I urge you, CKS 
members, to submit strong proposals especially for the Research 
Travel Grants. There have been far more applications for spring than 
fall. So please plan ahead and submit your proposals in the fall cycle.

Fourth, in the fall 2008 election of the NEAC officers, two 
Koreanists were elected (Namhee Lee, UCLA and Clark Sorensen, 
University of Washington, Seattle). Along with the current members 
(Hyaeweol Choi, Arizona State University and Edward Shultz, 
University of Hawaii), they will make four Koreanists represented in 
the NEAC. This is good news because Koreanists have reached parity 
with Japanologists in terms of representation in the NEAC. I hope 
that this continues to be the case. This election result would not 
have been possible without active participation from you, CKS 
members.  So I urge you to continue your active participation in AAS 
elections in the future.

I hope to meet you at the General Meeting of the CKS in Chicago 
during 2009 AAS conference. This meeting will be held from 9:00 pm to 
11:00 pm in Mississippi Room in Sheraton Hotel on Friday, March 27th. 
Please mark your calendar if you attend the annual meeting.

Thank you and best wishes.



Seungsook Moon
Director of Asian Studies;
Associate Professor
Department of Sociology
Vassar College, Box # 507
124 Raymond Ave.
Poughkeepsie, NY 12604
Tel: 845-437-7167(AS); X-7662(Soc)
Fax:845-437-7204(AS); X-7677(Soc)
http://faculty.vassar.edu/semoon/professional/vitae.html
http://www.dukeupress.edu/books.php3?isbn=3616-2
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