IROKS/VOL5/IROKSVolume5.htm

The International Review of Korean Studies (IROKS)

The International Review of Korean Studies (IROKS) is the official publication of Korea Australasia Research Centre (KAREC), The University of New South Wales. The IROKS solicits and welcomes research in all topics related to Korean Studies. The journal’s scope includes Language and Language Education, Literature, History, Anthropology, Political Science, Business and Management, Economics and other Humanities and Social Sciences.

Volume 5, Number 1, 2008

[Articles]

Social Studies Teachers in South Korea and Australia: Their Perspectives on the Nature of Social Studies Education

Pages: 1–36
Hyung Joon Park

Abstract: The purpose of this research was to explore the various ways in which high school social studies teachers in South Korea and Australia understand the nature of social studies education and to compare the views of teachers from one country with those from the other. The data from this study, which was based on a survey of five hundred teachers in each country, was analysed with chi-square tests and cross-tabulation. As in the research done by Vinson (1998), social studies teachers from the two countries were found to have a strong preference for social studies as Reflective Inquiry, Informed Social Criticism and Personal Development, rather than as Citizenship Transmission and Social Science. In the calculated categories the preferences for Informed Social Criticism expressed by the Korean and Australian teachers were highest at 44.9 percent and 34.3 percent respectively. In contrast, there was a different order of preference in the selected categories where Reflective Inquiry (Korea) and Personal Development (Australia) received the highest levels of preference at 52.0 percent and 44.6 percent respectively. These results imply that teachers from both countries may uphold the tradition of Informed Social Criticism unconsciously or implicitly, while supporting the tradition of Reflective Inquiry (Korea) and Personal Development (Australia) consciously or explicitly. A plausible interpretation of the results was discussed on the basis of the two countries’ socio-historical contexts.

Planet Hallyuwood’s Political Vulnerabilities: Censuring the Expression of Satire in The President's Last Bang (2005)
Pages: 37–64
Brian Yecies

Abstract: South Korea’s cinema has recently enjoyed a Golden Age that has opened up new spaces for creative and cultural expression in Korea and probably in the larger Asia-Pacific region. Domestic market share of local films, lucrative pre-sales, a robust screen quota and fresh genre-bending narratives and styles have attracted admiration in Korea and abroad. However, since its peak of success in late 2005 and early 2006, extreme competition between domestic films, piracy and illegal downloading, halving of the screen quota and the erosion of ancillary markets have impacted on the industry’s ability to sustain vitality and profitability. Among the challenges facing the next decade of growth in the Asia-Pacific is ‘censorship’, which was supposed to have been eliminated in Korea in 1996 by a change in government policy. A case study of Im Sang-soo’s The President's Last Bang (2005) illustrates how a representative 386 Generation filmmaker has encountered and resisted startling attempts to suppress freedom of expression. A theoretical framework for exposing and opposing intimidation in defamation and censorship struggles is applied to this case, and the methods used by each side to attain their goals are analyzed. It is hoped this analysis will stimulate a deeper understanding of how Korea’s nascent national cinema engages with sensitive social issues as part of its transformation from a national to a supranational cinema, or what we might call ‘Planet Hallyuwood’ – the fusing of Hallyu (Korean Wave) and Hollywood.

Uncovering the Corporate Growth of the Hyundai Motor Company
Pages: 65–78
Myung Hyun Nam and Yue Wang

Abstract: Business historians from the US and Europe have provided detailed account of the corporate growth of well-established multinational enterprises (MNEs) from Western countries. However, little attempt has been made to document the corporate growth of MNEs from developing economies. Consequently, the field of business history is dominated by the cases of Western firms. We aim to remedy the problem by studying the corporate development of Hyundai Motor Company (HMC), one of the most successful MNEs from the developing world. We trace the development of HMC from a domestic automobile assembler in the 1970s to a global car maker in the early 2000s and uncover the unique characteristics of HMC’s internationalization strategies.

Research on Learning Korean as a Third Language
Pages: 79–110
Sungbae Ko and Gi-Hyun Shin

Abstract: This paper attempts to portray an overview of our research project investigating the learning process of Korean as a third language in classroom settings. The research project consists of three stages and contributes to a broad range of issues surrounding third language learning. In stage 1, we set the analytic lens to focus strongly on detail for micro-level social actions that occur in adult Korean language learning classrooms. We further consider in-depth micro-analysis of a set of peer interactive tasks taking place in the L3 classrooms and make a contribution to a range of issues of language pedagogy in stage 2. Research work during stage 3 provides a better understanding of the role of cognition in the interaction and learning and cross-linguistic influences on L3 learning by employing micro conversation analytic approaches and neurological perspectives.

[Korean Studies Updates]

The Present State and Principles of Developing KFL Textbooks

Pages: 111–130
Dae-Yeon Jin

Abstract: More than 3,200 KFL textbooks have appeared in at least 29 countries over the world since the late 19th century, and as there has been a great development in teaching Korean as an L2, there has also been an enormous improvement in textbooks for learning and teaching the language. In this paper, I first make an overview of the present state of developing KFL textbooks in order to offer constructive proposals for improving them and developing better ones. Next, I report some findings from surveys conducted with 160 teachers of Korean as an L2 in order to introduce the needs of KFL textbook users. Finally, I discuss some guiding principles presented by textbook experts for textbook development; I therefore propose 3 simple but essential keywords: “person-oriented, content-based, and method-focused principles.”

[Book Review]

Review of The Two Koreas and the Great Powers by Samuel S. Kim
Pages: 131–134
David Hundt

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Editorial Office

The International Journal of Korean Studies (IROKS)

Korea-Australasia Research Centre

The University of New South Wales

SYDNEY NSW 2052

AUSTRALIA

Phone: +61 2 9385 4466 or +61 2 9385 3764

Fax: + 61 2 9385 5622