Syllabus (S22)

HST259 History of Korea

Instructor: Dr. D’Haeseleer

  • Contact me!
    • e-mail: tinekedhaeseleer@muhlenberg.edu
    • Office phone: 484-664-3324 [leave a voice mail, it will be forwarded to my email]
    • Office: currently not in use but maybe useful later in the semester: Ettinger 300A

Table of contents

Class meeting time:

Wed and Fri 11am–12.15pm, Discord Server (part 1 of the semester); Ettinger 212 (part 2 of the semester)

Tea Room/ Get Stuff Done Club

(What actually is Get Stuff Done Club?)

  • Tue: 2PM-3PM
  • Wed: 10AM-11AM
  • Or by appointment. Check my Google Calendar to see my availability and make an appointment. (Check out this video or the guide “Add someone else’s calendar” (using an e-mail address))
    • Please remember I am 6hrs ahead of you for the foreseeable future: Muhlenberg AM meetings work better for me!
  • Changes and cancellations to the regular scheduled Tea Room times will be announced via the Discord Server and via email.

About the course

Co-directed syllabus

Do you have comments, questions, suggestions for the syllabus? Is something here not representing what we discussed in class in the first weeks of the semester? Do you see areas where we can make improvements? Use they Hypothes.is group HST259 and share your ideas!

If you have a lot of ideas, add your thoughts to the shared Google Doc and leave a comment, because that will trigger an email notification.

There is a lot of stuff that the College requires me to add to the syllabus:

This includes grading guidelines, course attendance policy, course goals, info about Academic Integrity Code, the class’s Covid-19 Policy, course unit instruction, info about the Academic Resource Center, info for students with disabilities and special needs, info for students experiencing financial hardship, incomplete grades, and a course recording statement. For some of this there is official language, which I have indicated in italics.

A note about official language, and issues which I have already decided:

The college has given us official language to use in our syllabus (indicated in italics); for other items I have made an executive decision. Here is the list:

The class’s Covid-19 Policy, course unit instruction, Academic Resource Center, info for students with disabilities and special needs, info for students experiencing financial hardship, incomplete grades, and a course recording statement.

Course contents

This course surveys the history of Korea from the earliest times to (just before) the present day.

With a focus on primary sources (in translation) this course explores changes in Korea’s long history in society, politics, economy, culture, literature and arts. Topics include origin myths, the spread of Buddhism, the complex relations with China and Japan through the centuries, as well as the Korean war (1950-53) and the split between North and South Korea, and the globalization of Korean pop culture.

You don’t need to know Korean language, and you don’t need to have taken history courses at college level before to be successful in this course. You do need to be curious and be ready to work hard: we will read a lot of material, learn how to analyze it, and write about it or otherwise present your findings to a wider audience of “newbies” to Korean history.

Course goals

My promise to you: at the end of this course you will:

  • be more familiar with important places moments in time and the names and of major historical figures (“geographical and temporal framework of Korean history”)
  • have developed a better understanding of the main debates between historians (“understand the historiography”)
    • as they interpret the same events differently;
    • as they identify the problems and limitations of the source materials.
  • know how to use primary source materials for crafting a historical argument, including documents in translation, paintings, archaeological objects.
  • have developed your analytical skills as a historian and will be able to identify major trends, continuities, sudden or gradual changes in Korea’s social, political, economic and cultural history, and will be able to assess their impact on the Korean people in the past and the present.
  • understand how Korea’s social and cultural practices in combination with different intellectual and religious traditions shaped its history in ways different from history in the West.
  • have improved your oral and written communication skills by taking part in discussions in small and large group settings, short presentations, and by writing short pieces to generate discussion as well as longer reflection pieces and a chapter for an OER student-authored textbook.

Course unit instruction:

This class is taught in hybrid format and meets at least 1x per week online in the first part of the semester, in addition to various asynchronous activities. In the second part of the semester, we revert to a tradition schedule of meeting for 3 hours (=2 sessions) per week. Additional instructional activities for the course include conferences with the instructor, librarians, DLAs and Writing Center Assistants distributed across the semester, as well as specified College lectures and events, or film screenings (dates and times TBA). These activities will add an additional 14 hours of instruction.

Recommended text

Seth, Michael J. A Concise History of Korea : From Antiquity to the Present. 3rd ed. Blue Ridge Summit: Rowman & Littlefield, 2019.

Note: three readers can use the textbook simultaneously through Trexler library (using this link)

I encourage you to get a copy of the textbook, but I understand if it doesn’t fit in your budget. We will find a way to work around it.

Language of instruction

The entire course is conducted in English, all materials are provided in English and all work will be submitted in English.

You may consult materials in other languages, and use those in your work, with proper referencing to these sources. We can work together on how to put in references in an English language paper to primary and secondary sources in East Asian languages, for instance.

All about grades:

  • This class is part of a Gradeless Classroom movement; the assignments are invitations to demonstrate your learning of Korean history and your progress in understanding the job of a historian.
    • Your goal is to be a good team member for your classmates, and to contribute to the OER textbook for Korean History.
  • In a mid-term and final conference with the instructor, the student reflects on their progress and identifies their strengths and opportunities for growth. In these conferences, the student and instructor will agree on a grade to be submitted for the mid-term and for the end of the semester. This will be a realistic reflection of the student’s work, effort, and growth over the course of the semester, illustrated with ample evidence of their portfolio of work (blog posts, reflections, and any other work they choose to share for that purpose). If a student’s self-assessment is wildly off the mark (either above or below the value of the produced work and progress that can be demonstrated), the instructor reserves the right to adjust the final grade.

Busywork: “work that keeps a person busy but has little value in itself”

(Source: The dictionary on my computer)

There is no space in this course for busywork. If a task seems pointless or you cannot see the value of it, please speak with me. I can clarify what the value is from my point of view, and if you feel it is still of no use to your development as a historian, you can suggest an alternative way to demonstrate your engagement with the course material or your peers’ research. Life is too precious to spend it doing pointless things.

Course work

Everyone uses a Bergbuilds Domain, where you will create a WordPress site to run your own website and blog. Much of your writing for the course, you will share with the class through the blog.

  • Weekly 5-15 reports, incorporating “Reading Journals” as weekly blog posts
  • Contributions to the  Zotero group library to collect references to texts we read, books, articles etc. Your contributions help us to build a bigger, and better annotated network of knowledge related to Korean history.
  • Feedback on each other’s writing, and on course readings using a small tool called Hypothes.is for “social annotation”: this means we leave comments on each other’s websites (yes, you can comment on this site!) in our own private group (HST259), rather than open on the web.
  • Small bites building towards the final contribution for the student-authored textbook
  • Three reflections spread through the semester
  • At least two check-ins with the instructor (15 mins each), one is at the end of the semester to determine your grade together.

You may always add more posts or projects to your website, e.g. reflections or comments on materials you read in addition to the class materials, responses to news items, etc. You can treat your website as an online portfolio, and reflect on and discuss your progress in becoming a better, more confident historian, by showing how you do research and shape and change your ideas in response to your findings, and how you learn new ways or hone your skills to present your findings (in written pieces or other formats).

Best-before dates

Often called deadlines (*shudder*) or due dates, best-before dates indicate that you are invited to complete tasks before a specific time for a good reason, and to make your and my life a bit easier:

Pick topic 2/18/2022
Gather literature 2/22/2022
Refine topic 2/25/2022
Write abstract 3/11/2022
First draft 3/25/2022
Peer review 1 3/31/2022
Second draft 4/13/2022
Peer review 2 4/15/2022
Tidy up notes and citations 4/20/2022
Add internal links to chapters inside book 4/22/2022
Ready for publication 5/5/2022

  • Reflections due in week 5, 10, and 15; conferences with instructor in week 7 (for “mid-term grade) and finals week (for “final grade”)

I space best-before dates so that you have enough time to complete the tasks and work with the feedback on earlier tasks. Best-before dates also help me to stay on top of the feedback throughout the semester, so it can be relatively prompt. Missing a best-before date means you are crowding your work closer together, and I may not be able to turn around feedback as fast as you would like, or in a timely manner for you to apply to the next task. Maximize your chances for good feedback and stick to the best-before dates if possible.

I understand that life and personal issues can get in the way of your learning, or producing your best work. In that case, I invite you to communicate with me, so I know what to expect, and (more importantly) when, and I will create space in my schedule. You can let me know in the following ways: see me in class, e-mail me, or drop by in the Tea Room during Get Stuff Done Club and propose a new Best-Before Date which fits your schedule better. I will confirm this new date in writing within 24 hours.

If you fall ill suddenly, or are otherwise unable to complete tasks by the best-before date due to circumstances beyond your control you may not be able to arrange a new best-before date in advance. In that case, let me know ASAR (as soon as reasonable). If this is part of something bigger, get in touch with the Dean of Academic Life or the Dean of Student Affairs, or the Health Center. They can help you to coordinate care to see you through a rough patch.

If you habitually and routinely miss best-before dates, I will ask you in for a virtual cup of tea and a chat, so we can address what the underlying problem is and how I/the College can help you. This does not mean you fail. It only means that I really care about your performance as a student and your wellbeing as a human. To help you find the right balance, we need to communicate.

Incomplete Grade

Please check the College policy. Note that YOU request an incomplete grade for the course, I cannot initiate this process.

Grades

  • A= strong
  • B= satisfactory
  • C= weak
  • D= very weak
  • F= unsatisfactory

Thoughtful participation in the Learning Commons

A “Learning Commons” is a virtual and physical space that aims to optimize learning, exploring, discovering, and fosters curiosity through collaborative effort. Only if all of us do our bit, will the learning happen.

To create such a space, I request your thoughtful participation, inside the classroom (virtual and physical), in the various online spaces connected to this course (Discord, blogs, and other), and in your head. Thoughtful participation requires more than just being in the room. Here is how you can bring your best self to each class to make the Learning Commons come to life:

1. “Traditional” active participation:

As we learned over the past couple of years, being together in the same physical space is special: it allows us to focus better on the work at hand, it’s easier to communicate, and to “read the room”. In the first part of the semester, however, we will be back in a virtual space but I hope that our Discord server allows you to be yourself. In the second part of the semester, let’s make sure we make the most of our precious time when we are physically together, by actually showing up. And of course, we always show up ready to learn!

Here is how you can bring your best self to each week, to make the Learning Community come to life even in course with asynchronous components:

  • Prepare the assigned readings by taking notes. Make a summary or list of what you think are the most important points of materials for that week. Mark passages that you don’t (quite) understand, and be ready to explain precisely what the question is. Likely you are not alone! You can ask questions in the #hst259-classroom channel, or in the synchronous video conferences.
  • Throw yourself into the Hypothes.is discussion! You cannot simply state “I like it” or “I did not like it”. If you have read the materials, you will be able to say something meaningful about your fellow student’s post, and about how you see your ideas fit in with the other materials and their interpretations. At the very least, your reading notes will give you a couple of ideas.
    • use the reply button, and make sure to check back on your discussions if someone has responded. Don’t just post post and run.
    • Embrace the fact that we are on the Internet: include hyperlinks, add pictures, GIFs, and memes; whatever brings your message across!
  • When you come to the synchronous “class”: I treat these not as a lecture, but more like an open tutorial, and this only works if you participate, either verbally, or in the text chat. Come prepared with some talking points or questions, based on the course materials, and the weekly central question. “Filling airtime” with contributions that wander aimlessly off-topic is not thoughtful: we have only a limited amount of time together, let’s use it wisely. Remember that you’re not there to “score points”, but to seek clarification and increase your understanding, or help others to do that.

If video conferences scare you, because just like a regular face-to-face class you feel uncomfortable speaking in front of a large group, please read the document This course is hard (Gdrive link), for a few tips and quick-win strategies that work for most courses. There are also tips for other problems, such as how to deal with difficult assignments, and where to get started if you are “organizationally challenged”. (Been there, done that, got the T-shirt and burned it!)

Other ways to participate in the Learning Community:
  1. Sharing materials: e.g. link to a news report on a recent archaeological discovery, a great video you found that helps you to understand the course material better, a useful website or podcast.
    • You can e-mail me a link, or alert me to a blog post you created. Include a brief comment on why you think that material is interesting for our course.
  2. Use hypothes.is to comment on your fellow students’ work on their websites, and continue the discussion beyond the basic requirements as you find yourself engaged in topics. Make thoughtful contributions: be specific, concrete and kind; you can also provide links to examples or further information.
    • TIP: you may find that these discussions spark an idea for a later project. Keep track, and let me know!
  3. Respect each other: There are many different ways you can show your respect for your fellow students, but one of the best is to help create an environment that’s conducive to learning, and that minimizes disruptions. Think of arriving in timely fashion for meetings (online or mask-to-mask), being prepared, and having your materials with you, treating micro-assignments with appropriate earnest (e.g. a closing exercise, peer reviews), but also helping others, not intentionally distracting others, not just being there for the instructor, but being there for and with your classmates.

What if class is canceled?

In the event I cannot make it to class, due to illness or other circumstances beyond my control, I will cancel class, and I may reschedule it for a later, mutually convenient date and time. I will send a message via e-mail, and in the Discord channel. Once I’m back and the course is “mask-to-mask”: if you commute to campus, please check your e-mail before setting off on a journey that may be wasted, or set up an alert system with your classmates to pass the message via your preferred medium (text, WhatsApp, Facebook,…).

In the event I am out of action for a few weeks: there will be a syllabus to let the course run for a couple of weeks as it currently stands (“gradeless and co-directed”).

If I am out for the entire semester, I have a back-up syllabus along the more traditional format. This is so that a colleague who takes over can step in easily with pre-set course contents and assignments. You can, of course, discuss with that new instructor the option of running the course in our negotiated format, but I cannot guarantee what the outcome will be. (But as we say back home: You have a no, you may get a yes.)

Covid-19 policy and course attendance

  • When we teach and learn in a physical space together: masks are required in class, at all times. Aim to wear a KN-95 or N-95.
  • Make sure your mask
    • fully covers your nose and mouth
    • fits snugly
    • filters well (to combat Omicron: preferably a KN95/N95 type respirator, no valve)
    • review Dr. Bachynski’s video if in doubt.
  • If you are Covid-positive and have symptoms, don’t come to a class meeting that requires your physical presence.
    • If you are vaccinated and test positive but don’t have symptoms (“asymptomatic”), you may choose not to attend class in person and join us via Zoom instead (This is above what the CDC and College recommend, but this is what I will do if it happens to me!) [this may change as the rules keep changing and I honestly can’t keep up]
  • If you’re ill with something else that’s infectious, please don’t come to class. Germs are best kept to yourself!
  • If you are well enough to attend class but contagious with something, and we are meeting physically, you can join remotely (Zoom or Discord, depending on the set-up of the room)
  • If you are not well enough to attend class, we (as a learning community) will make sure you can catch up asynchronously.

Useful information

Academic Integrity Code

My guess is that “cheating” is the result of students finding the need for a shortcut, or not understanding why academic integrity matters. I strive for prevention rather than a cure, so tell me what would stop you from trying to cheat (or push you to do it). Here’s what I used to tell students. What do we need to change about this?

I consider it my duty to uphold academic integrity and to teach my students how to do this. I will not hesitate to forward a case to the Dean’s office if I suspect dishonesty. In this course, this will mainly concern references (“citations”) to sources. I will always give you feedback on your work and a chance to correct any issues before doing so. If, however, you do not make the required changes, or in later assignments still do not heed the warnings, I interpret your behaviour as disrespecting the Academic Integrity Code, and will report the case to the Dean of Academic Affairs. The penalty varies on the seriousness of the offence, but you will at the least receive a 0 for that particular assignment. Muhlenberg College takes academic integrity very seriously, so please read in detail and with great attention through the College’s policy. May I in particular draw your attention to this sentence: “The College puts the burden of responsibility on students for knowing what plagiarism is, and then making the effort necessary to avoid it.”1

(past syllabi)

The citation/reference format we use in this course is Chicago “notes and bibliography”.

[Info for] Students with Disabilities or Special Needs

To ensure that you get the most out of this course, I welcome accommodations if you have a disability or special needs. The College strongly encourages you to make arrangements with the Office of Disability Services, which then legally entitles you to certain accommodations and levels of support . The process to get fully tested and an accommodation plan set up is lengthy, so please get in touch with the Office as soon as you arrive on campus, or even earlier. You can tell me in private what specifically I can do to help your learning process, without disclosing your disability or condition. Past examples of changes I made include adding presenter notes to slides, creating handouts for lecture structures (when I still lectured), flexibility with due dates (with mutual agreement in advance of the due date) and seating arrangements. I hope to learn from you how to create a truly inclusive/less excluding classroom.

The College’s official language: Students with disabilities requesting classroom or course accommodations must complete a multi-faceted determination process through the Office of Disability Services prior to the development and implementation of accommodations, auxiliary aids, and services. Each Accommodation Plan is individually and collaboratively developed between the student and the Office of Disability Services. If you have not already done so, please contact the Office of Disability Services to have a dialogue regarding your academic needs and the recommended accommodations, auxiliary aides, and services. I look forward to learning how I can best meet your educational needs.

[Info for] Students experiencing Financial Hardship

If you are experiencing financial hardship, have difficulty affording groceries or accessing sufficient food to eat every day or do not have a safe and stable place to live, and believe this may affect your performance in this course, I would urge you to contact our CARE Team through the Dean of Students Office for support. The webpage is: www.muhlenberg.edu/main/aboutus/deanst/careteam/. You may also discuss your concerns with me if you are comfortable doing so.

Academic Resource Center

The Academic Resource Center (ARC) offers individual and small-group tutoring, course-specific workshops, peer mentoring, and professional academic coaching for all currently enrolled Muhlenberg students. Students may request to be assigned to work on a weekly basis with a tutor for the duration of the fall semester starting on Wednesday, September 8, 2021. A link to the online tutor request form is available on the ARC website: www.muhlenberg.edu/arc. Questions regarding the ARC or any of their services may be directed to arcstudent@muhlenberg.edu.

Class Recording Statement

Please talk with me before recording a class session. This is usually not something instructors allow unless you have an accommodation through the Office of Disability Services. There are a lot of reasons for this, but one is that we like to keep the classroom a space where students and instructors feel safe exploring ideas as we’re learning, in the knowledge that there is no permanent record. Even if you have permission to record, you should never share your recording with others, post it online, or keep the recording after the course is finished without discussing it with the people in the recording first.

Course schedule

A suggested course schedule is available on the Course Schedule webpage (also on the tab at the top of the webpage), and is subject to change based on student input, availability of guests, weather (snow days!!), and potential mayhem with a certain disease.