Korean: Jeonju, South Korea


Location: Jeonju, South Korea
Dates of program: June 14 - August 14, 2012
Hosting institution: Chonbuk National University’s Korean Language Education Center
Language offered: Korean
Levels offered: Beginning, intermediate and advanced

Program Structure

The CLS site in Jeonju, South Korea, offers students the opportunity to learn Korean in the cultural center of Korea’s Jeollabuk-do. The eight-week language and cultural program compares to about one year of academic study in a U.S. classroom, and is designed to meet the needs of students from a variety of language levels and backgrounds, including advanced students and those learning the language for the first time.

Formal classroom instruction consists of four hours per day of language classes, five days per week, in addition to cultural classes and lectures led by local artists and professors. Extracurricular activities are designed to supplement the formal curriculum, including regular one-on-one meetings with peer tutors for conversational practice, as well as cultural activities and excursions designed to expand students’ understanding of Korean life and culture.

Students in Jeonju are placed with host families, who give them an opportunity to experience life in a Korean family and develop their language skills outside of class.

CLS students gather at Mihwangsa Buddhist Temple
in Haenam during a cultural excursion.

The CLS program in Korea is operated by the Korean Language Education Center at Chonbuk National University. Founded in 1947 with a mandate to foster rigorous and ethical academic research, Chonbuk National University is one of the largest universities in South Korea. Chonbuk University offers a wide variety of courses in the arts, humanities, social sciences, medical sciences, as well as nationally-renowned programs in agriculture and the natural sciences. The university’s mission is to cultivate leaders and to promote excellence in teaching and research. Located in Jeonju, the university offers students the opportunity to explore life in a city known for its traditional food, historic buildings, sports activities, and festivals.

Find out more about Chonbuk National University.

Outcomes

In 2010, the CLS Program adopted the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) developed by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) as an additional measure of the effectiveness and quality of the institutes overseas. Before the program, students take a diagnostic OPI test; at the end of their 8-week course of study, they take an ACTFL-certified post-program OPI assessment. The scores on these tests give students a concrete, widely-recognized measure of their speaking skills in Korean.

Student Activities

Students on the Korean program were able to participate in a variety of activities during their time on the program. Gregory Pavone, a student at the U.S. Naval Academy, planned a visit to the Korean Naval Academy and wrote about his experiences.

Students Katey Foran and Kimberly McKee worked with institute staff to connect with a local orphanage. Once per week, they volunteered with the young children at the center.

In 2011, students took an excursion to the southern township of Haenam to stay at the peninsula’s southernmost Buddhist temple.

Alumni Highlights

2010 alumnus David Fields traveled to North Korea with Canadian NGO the Pyeongyang Project immediately following CLS. There he was part of a cultural and linguistic exchange delegation to Kim Il Sung University.

2010 alumnae Cody Klock interned at the State Department’s Korea Desk following her study in CLS.

2008 alumnus Brandon Marc Higa writes about life after the CLS program in this interview. He worked in the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs following his program, and currently works as a Grants Development Specialist at Kapiolani Community College in Honalulu, Hawaii.

Program Highlights

View videos, read highlights, and more on the CLS Blog!

Alumni Ambassadors



Elizabeth O’Grady, '09	Katey Foran, '11	Lisa Poole, '10