Korean Studies Graduate Student Conference 2000

The Fifth Annual Korean Studies Graduate Student Conference was held on Saturday, April 15 in the Thompson Room of the Barker Center at Harvard University. This year we received a record number of abstracts from over 25 schools and 10 countries. For the first time, all applications were received via e-mail, further evidence of the need and ability to promote Korean scholarship through the internet.

Sixteen presenters were invited and they hailed from an impressive number of institutions including Columbia University, Harvard University, Hitotsubashi University, Kent State University, Konkuk University, Monash University, Oxford University, University of Illinois, University of London, and University of Pennsylvania

The five panels -- State Policy and Public Discourse in South Korea, Tonghak Movement, Literary Imaginations, Representing Pre-Modern Identities, and Colonial Critiques and Post-Colonial Perceptions -- were chaired by Harvard Professors Carter J. Eckert, David R. McCann, and Milan Hejtmanek, as well as Associate Director of the Harvard-Yenching Institute Edward J. Baker and Professor Vipan Chandra of Wheaton College.

Beginning this year the Korea Institute will accept final drafts of papers presented at the conference for consideration for the Harvard Korean Studies Graduate Student Conference Prize Paper Award competition. Results of the competition will be announced in early June. The Prize Paper and all papers awarded Honorable Mention will be announced and published on the Korea Institute web site. All awardees will also receive a copy of the new Harvard Korean Studies Bibliography and a Korea Institute T-shirt.

This year the conference was organized by Andrew Bennett and Jiwon Shin with the help of several Harvard Students, in particular Jongchol Ahn, Sue-Jean Cho, and Chong Bum Kim.

In its fifth year, the Korean Studies Graduate Student Conference has developed into one of the few events that can gather the number and quality of young Korean Studies scholars. The Korea Institute is proud to create the environment for this discussion and debate.

Next year's conference will be held at Harvard University in mid-April 2001. Those interested in applying should send a one-page abstract to the Korea Institute by the end of February 2001. Further details will be posted on-line towards the end of this year.