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Fifteen undergraduate students, from across Faculties and disciplines, travelled to South Korea for a Global Political Studies course designed to immerse undergraduates in the history and culture of the country – both academically and experientially.
Each year, students in the course South Korea: The Politics of Youth and Old Age participate in a unique opportunity representative of York University’s commitment to experiential education.
Beginning with one week of study at York U’s Keele Campus, students in the course embark on a three-week trip to Seoul, South Korea. There, the students “take advantage of every opportunity to understand, and participate in, Korean society,” notes Professor Thomas Klassen, who teaches the annual course.
This year, in addition to absorbing the culture through visiting museums, palaces and temples, the students learned to cook, watched live shows and a professional baseball game. They also met with staff at the Canadian Embassy in Seoul for a presentation on Canadian diplomacy and the life of diplomats. The course – and trip – concluded with a full-day guided tour to the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea. Kavindi Perera, a student in the course, says, “Getting to visit and study in South Korea was a dream come true for me. I was able to learn and experience so much.”
During their visit, students spent two days collaborating with Korean undergraduate students at Chung-Ang University, exchanging knowledge on – and designing solutions to – major social problems in both Canada and Korea.
Each student developed a research project while in Seoul, covering topics such as the K-pop industry, gender inequality, Korean beauty standards, fertility trends, education fever and international relations. Speaking and observing Koreans, seeing local advertisements and clothing, and living in Seoul provided students with a rich knowledge base that would have been impossible to obtain otherwise.
“I learned enormously by being immersed in Korean culture, politics and society," says student Alex Singh. "The knowledge I acquired helped me grow as a person and will be an integral part of my university education.”
Another student, Samantha McConnell, says the course was “the greatest and most fun adventure of my academic career.”
Klassen adds, “The students learned more, not only about Korea but about themselves. They returned with a much deeper understanding of the world around them, but also their place in it, and the possibilities they have to make positive changes."