The Differences between International Students and Korean-American Students in their University Experience and Future Plans after Graduation

Kang, Katie Sooyeon

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/31540 Copy

Description

Title

The Differences between International Students and Korean-American Students in their University Experience and Future Plans after Graduation

Author(s)

Kang, Katie Sooyeon

Issue Date

2012-05

Keyword(s)

• Korea
• Korean American
• International Students
• University Experience

Abstract

It is important to note that international students are not the only Koreans who are currently attending universities in the U.S. In many cases, some Koreans are ‘Korean-Americans’, or 2nd generation children from parents who immigrated years ago. As mentioned above, the categorization between international Korean students and Korean-American students is very important because while both groups share same ethnicity, they are radically different in both overall university experience and future prospects after graduation. In recent years, a third group that is a sort of hybrid between the two former groups have formed, thus needing observation and research upon students who belong to this ‘hybrid group,’ or most notably known as 1.5 generation. By interviewing and researching the differences between these groups, it will benefit the university in analyzing what is needed for these foreign groups, and what services should be provided to aid the future of these students. Ultimately, this research paper aims to identify the differences between each student group regardless of what group they are categorized into by interviewing individual students, comparing experience in college, and contrasting plans and prospects for the future of each student.

Series/Report Name or Number

• EALC 365 Spring 2012 Contemporary Korean Society
• Instructor, Erica Vogel
• In this course we explore important issues in the study of Contemporary Korean Society and ask how those themes can help us to better understand processes of globalization in East Asia and beyond. Although the Koreas are relatively small countries in Asia, as Michael Robinson writes, “They have played a disproportionately important role in the last hundred years of world history” (2007:1). Their history of colonialism, the Korean War, coming of age in the Cold War, and struggling to rise to the top of the global stage makes them a productive region of the world for thinking about themes such as globalization, nationalism, belonging and modernity. In the first half of the course we look at Korea’s global roots and see how North and South Korea have diverged in their struggle to modernize. In the second half of the course we focus on South Korea’s efforts to define its national identity, and in doing so, have caused many exceptional cases to emerge. We look at issues such as the Korean diaspora, immigration, plastic surgery, and how even as the desire for an English-language education forces South Koreans to travel abroad, the ‘Korean Wave’ of film, TV and music is hitting the shores of most countries in Asia (and worldwide) and has made Korea an enviable producer of global cultural products. We pair ethnographies, historical texts and anthropological articles focused on Korea with key texts in the anthropology of globalization. Additionally we use both documentary and feature film to analyze class themes.

Type of Resource

text

Language

en

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