Thank you to all of the students & professors that took part in the 'Cross-Cultural Communication & Korean Society Online & Live Summer Program.' 

Course Overview:

The five-day program saw 32 students from Hallym University, The Australian National University, Universidade de São Paulo and York St John University participate in live Zoom classes & break out rooms, taught by  Professor Allen Bruce Ray, Director of Korean Studies at Hallym University and Professor Thomas Baek, Master Professor, Hallym International Dormitory . 

Throughout the program the international cohort of students' learned about Korean Society and Culture, whilst comparing and analyzing the information taught each day to their own countries systems. Upon reflection, each student submitted their daily journal in which they evaluated their learning.

Hallym Global School students were able to reflect upon Brazilian, Australian and UK systems of the topics detailed below. 

Following discussion and debate with the international students they were also able to evaluate the various merits and faults of each countries' systems and compare them to Korea.

Hallym students also produced a daily learning journal and gave feedback during their individual presentations during the final day of the program.

The topics covered included:

Day 1: Korean Education System

Day 2: Aging Korean Society and Its Multicultural Future

Day 3: The Changing Role of Women in Korea

Day 4: Korean National Health Care System

Day 5: Individual Student Presentations 

COIL Outcomes:

• - Consolidate Intercultural Learning from the Cross-Cultural Communication & Korean Society Online & Live Summer Program through a series of reflective exercises.
• - Continue relationships with students around the world through social media and other forms of communication (at students' individual discretion).

Below, you can see some of the feedback given during the final student satisfaction survey + Q&A session with three York St John University, United Kingdom students.

Amber from York St John University, United Kingdom

Why did you choose to sign up for the Cross-Cultural Communication & Korean Society Online & Live Summer Program?

I wanted to find out more about Korean culture in more depth and expand my knowledge and perspective by hearing other opinions from people of different backgrounds. I wanted to challenge the opinions I already had that were based on a limited knowledge of Korean culture and form new ones.

What did you hope to achieve or learn from the program?

I wanted to meet new people from around the world, specifically Korea so I could have someone familiar when I visit and talk comfortably with. I also wanted to gain a greater understanding of Korean society and expand my knowledge on topics I'm not so familiar with, such as the Korean health care system.

What did you enjoy the most about the Cross-Cultural Communication & Korean Society Online & Live Summer Program?

I really enjoyed the different topics and how they were interlinked, for example, how the decrease in birth rate is linked to women having more freedom to choose whether they raise a family or pursue a career. I also enjoyed forming opinions on these topics because I don't usually get to actively question my stance on a topic. It reminded me of my RE lessons in that way.

Do you plan to keep in touch with any of the program participants now that the course has finished?

Absolutely, everyone was so friendly and a few people have said we should meet up in Korea.

What excites you most about coming to study in Korea in your third year?

I'm looking forward to seeing Korea in person and looking at the world in a different context and getting to put my Korean skills to use in a real life situation.

Patrick from York St John University, United Kingdom

Why did you choose to sign up for the Cross-Cultural Communication & Korean Society Online & Live Summer Program?

A professor at my university described the course as “an amazing opportunity to learn about Korean culture, make Korean friends, and a great entry to taste the university life in Korea”. These are all things I wanted and already planned to do! The spaces available for the course were also very limited, which gave me the impression that it was a very special opportunity and I shouldn't miss out on it.
 
 

What did you hope to achieve or learn from the program?

My knowledge of Korean culture is fairly limited, so I expected to learn a lot from the course. I wasn't disappointed - almost everything was new to me. I also hoped to meet some students in Korea to chat with online before my year abroad and practice speaking Korean.  
 
 

What did you enjoy the most about the Cross-Cultural Communication & Korean Society Online & Live Summer Program?

I most enjoyed speaking to students in the breakout rooms. Since COVID, meeting new people has been a relatively rare event, and it was exciting to speak to so many new and interesting people all at once.
 
 

Do you plan to keep in touch with any of the program participants now that the course has finished?

Absolutely! I hope they are too. I am quite interested in the possibility of studying at Hallym in my third year and it would be very handy to have a handful of contacts when I arrive if I do.
 
 

What excites you most about coming to study in Korea in your third year?

Eating my first meal in the country and realizing that I'm finally there. This has been a dream for so long and it gets closer to materializing every day.

Heidi from York St John University, United Kingdom

Why did you choose to sign up for the Cross-Cultural Communication & Korean Society Online & Live Summer Program?   

I heard about the course from my Korean lecturer, the course sounded interesting and when I saw the topics that were going to be discussed I knew I would love to take part. I have an interest in learning the customs, laws, dress, architectural style, social standards, religious beliefs, and traditions of other countries, in particular learning their differences, similarities, and historical background.  

I enjoy questioning what is considered normal? What difficulties do they have? What do they exceed in? What do they think of other countries and their normality? Asking these questions about other cultures help me to think more deeply and question my own 'normality', it makes me question things I have never thought about before and make decisions about what I would consider normal or best (if there is ever such a thing ).   

This gave me the opportunity to not only learn the answers to many questions I had from the lectures themselves but also hear directly from other students in multiple countries.  

What did you hope to achieve or learn from the program? 

I anticipated achieving a better understanding of Korean culture both modern and historically. I wanted to understand the social habits and the background behind them. I also hoped to make a few friends from Korea to with any luck have engaging conversations about our opinions, beliefs and what daily life is like.  

What did you enjoy the most about the Cross-Cultural Communication & Korean Society Online & Live Summer Program? 

I enjoyed so much of the course, there wasn't really anything to dislike but if I had to choose one thing, it would be the chance to reflect on what we have learned at the end of the day. There was so much information from the lectures and other participants that at the end of the day taking some time to think through everything and how it impacts you was helpful. We were told it should take about 20-30 minute however I happily sat and talked with other participants for an hour after the lectures ending to discuss the topics and how they made us feel, even after that I would then end up thinking about it by myself for another hour.  

Do you plan to keep in touch with any of the program participants now that the course has finished? 

Definitely yes! In our breakout rooms most of us were quick to exchange details for social media accounts as we wanted to keep in touch, there were a few participants who I felt I got along with best, and we have already discussed meeting up. I have been promised to be shown multiple restaurants in Korea when I come for my year abroad, being a big food enthusiast, I will never say no to being introduced to good food and Korea seems to have some of the (in my opinion) best dishes available.  

What excites you most about coming to study in Korea in your third year? 

It's very hard to pick one thing that excites me most. I want to meet the people and hear about their lives. I want to visit as many attractions as possible in particular the historical sites such as the Hwaseong Fortress, Jeju Volcanic Island, and the historical villages Yangdong and Hahoe. I want to continue studying and practicing my Korean as much as possibly, hopefully make friends that will help me with this and create meaningful relationships with. Of course, I would also love to see attend concerts, experience the nightlife, and eat as many authentic Korean dishes as possible. 

In the end, my main priority is to make sure I have made the most of my time there, I want to be able to look back and be proud of what I have managed to learn and experience throughout the year.  

Thank you once again to everyone who participated in the program!

Interested exchange students: Please feel free to get in touch at any time at iao55@hallym.ac.kr

Hallym is now taking exchange nominations for its spring 2023 semester: 

Nomination deadline: October 1st, 2022

Application deadline: October 15th, 2022

To learn more about Hallym spring 2023 exchange, please click here.

You can also join Hallym incoming exchange Instagram Account here: