Ever wanted to learn a new language, explore a new culture, or watch some Korean dramas for class credit?

In the independent study portion of this summer, Dr. Yunjae Hwang, an assistant professor of Deaf Education, decided to provide all of those things combined to students, presented as the Learning Korean Language and Culture through TV Dramas independent study. Dr. Hwang started this independent study in the summer of 2022 due to the rising interest in Korean pop, better known as K-pop, in American society.

“I think it’s a good experience for me and my students to explore and discuss new languages and new cultures,” said Dr. Hwang about his class.

In this independent study, students watched the “Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha” Korean drama, a show highlighting the differences between country and city cultures in Korea. The differences between the collective, community driven culture of Korea and the individualized culture of America were also discussed at length, becoming one of the key parts of this course.

Dr. Hwang didn’t forget the main objective of learning the language, however, and by focusing on the basic grammar of the Korean language, they were able to dissect syllables and translate them back into English.

Dylan Guillen, sophomore Psychology major, took the independent study and had glowing reviews of it and Dr. Hwang. The “Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha” was also very interesting to Guillen, as it coincided with the culture discussions during lecture.

“Because Dr. Hwang is a native speaker, he tended to have a better grasp of the mistakes that the students would make, and how to handle them,” said Guillen.  “He’s a very activity-based instructor, loves participation, and kept us engaged with a lot of writing during the lectures.”

Dr. Hwang said he greatly enjoyed the independent study, and fully intends on continuing it next year. He said that the five-week course is not enough time to fully learn a language, but it did allow students to spark an interest in the language and culture.

He said he also greatly enjoyed sharing pictures of Korean foods with his students, and encouraging them to try to find some locally. Everything was over Zoom due to Dr. Hwang being in Korea during the independent study period, but that didn’t lessen the experience for Guillen and the other students.

“It’s just the way he teaches with his charisma and persona, he’s super high energy and interesting. I’d highly recommend this course to others,” said Guillen.

Bea Bourland is a second-year Biology and Environmental Science major at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.