Hea Young Chun teaches Korean Level I and Advanced Korean.
Before coming to WashU, Chun's course offerings ranged widely, from classical Korean literature and modern Korean literature.
She studied Korean classical literature at Seoul National University where she focused on the poetry of the ruling class (Yang-ban) during the Choson Dynasty (14th – 19th century). During the Choson dynasty when Chinese classical literature had great influence, some scholars wrote poems in Korean, called Gasa. By analyzing these poems, she was able to infer the changes in Choson scholars’ way of thinking.
Hea Young Chun has a strong interest in strengthening pedagogical practice and curriculum development in teaching Korean. She employs a number of different approaches toward second language acquisition that match the diverse needs, motivations, and goals of the learners. In addition, she provides opportunities for interaction, problem-solving, and project-based learning where learners can use Korean. Furthermore, she focuses on the combination of technology and social media for course material development as well as the representation of cultural meaning in all levels of Korean instruction.
To communicate with people in the globalized world, students need to practice within and beyond the classroom. For her next project, Hea Young Chun plans to connect the Korean community in St. Louis to the WashU language class. Specifically, she plans to provide her students with language practice experience in Korean community centers where they will have the opportunity to interview Koreans. Through the whole process of writing articles based on the interview, students will make progress in learning Korean, as well as gain an understanding of the Korean immigration history, culture and point of view.
