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2021 Annual Korean Studies Undergraduate Exchange (hosted by USC)

Friday, April 9, 2021

Each panel will follow the following format:

Student presentation – 7mins
Group Q&A – 10-15mins
Discussant comment – 15-20 mins
Moderator – John Park

9:40-10:00 am PST (12:40-1:00 pm EST) Zoom room opens for early arrivals and optional tech test

10:00-10:15 am PST (1:00-1:15 pm EST) Welcome Remarks from David Kang, KSI Director and Nojin Kwak, UM Nam Center Director

10:20-11:30 am PST (1:20-2:30 pm EST)

PANEL I

  • Si Yun Ee, The Tiger and the Mouse: Two Koreas in Southeast Asia
  • Sarah Kim, Hiding in Plain Sight: Domestic Adoption in South Korea
  • Jane Lee, Cultivating Crops and Christianity: How The Church Came to be the Nucleus of Korean American Settlement and Community in Central California
  • Shania Allen, On Commodifying Identity: The Multicultural Image in South Korean Media
  • Alisha Ko, Garnering Global Attention: Three Cases of South Korea’s Soft Power
  • Discussant: Na Young Lee

11:30-11:40 pm PST (2:30-2:40 pm EST)
Break

11:40-1:00 pm PST (2:40-4:00 pm EST)

PANEL II

  • Kaitlyn King, Hallyu Diplomacy: The Role of Korean Soft Power in International Relations
  • Heather Duval, Kimchi-Nyeo Escapes the Corset: Hashtag Activism as a Liberatory Practice from the Patriarchal Panopticonns
  • Derek Wong, Exploring Political Centrism in South Korea after Park Geun Hye’s Impeachment
  • Promise Kim, The K-Beauty Canvas: A Study of Eyes and Eyebrows in Relationship to Women’s Agency
  • Nina Tanaka, The Globalization of K-Pop in the 21st Century
  • Minjee Park, Korean, Asian, and American: The Struggle of Belonging in the Asian American Experience
  • Discussant: Rory Walsh

1:00-1:20 pm PST (4:00-4:20 pm EST) Long Break 1:20-2:30 pm PST (4:20-5:30 pm EST) PANEL III

  • Jay Lee, Assimilation Challenges to North Korean Defectors
  • Julia Lifton, Gods, Spirits, and the Shadow of Gender Inequality: A Study of Shamanism and Women’s Status in Korea
  • Aileen Kim, Confucianism, Christianity, and Colonialism: How Korea’s Gender Roles have been Shaped by its Unique History
  • Malavika Sabu, Mugwort and Amoxycillin: The Rise of a Dual Pronged Healthcare System in Korea
  • Joyce Jang, Shifts in College Pungmul Groups of Southern California
  • Discussant: Na Young Lee

2:30-2:40 pm PST (5:30-5:40 pm EST
Break

2:40-3:50 pm PST (5:40-6:50 pm EST)

PANEL IV

  • Quin Cho, A History of Korea’s War of National Independence, 1931-1953
  • Alexandra Westman, On an Olympic Scale: the RISING Skyline of Domestic Space
  • Ashley Benhayoun, Silently Struggling, But It’s Not Too Late: Korean-American Student Leaders’ Perceived Wellbeing Needs of College-Enrolled Korean-Americans
  • Patricia Lee, The Role of Culture in Compliance: How Culture Affected the United States’ and South Korea’s Initial Enforcement of COVID-19 Measures
  • Brianna Wren, K-Pop’s Mental Health Crisis: An Analysis of the Cultural Values that Shape the K-Pop industry and its Stigma Towards Mental Health
  • Discussants: Youngkyun Choi and Haely Chang

3:50-4:00 pm PST (6:50-7:00 pm EST)

Award Survey Results and Announcement of Awards Closing Remarks

Faculty and Academic Mentors

  • David Kang, USC KSI Director; Maria Crutcher Professor in International Relations, Business and East Asian Languages and Cultures
  • Nojin Kwak, University of Michigan Nam Center for Korean Studies Director; Chair; Professor, Communication and Media
  • John Park, Director of the Korea Project at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center; Senior Fellow at USC KSI
  • Rory Walsh, Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Michigan Nam Center for Korean Studies
  • Na Young Lee, Ph.D. Student, Political Science and International Relations, USC
  • Haely Chang, Ph.D. Student, History of Art, University of Michigan
  • Youngkyun Choi, Ph.D. Student, Romance Languages and Literature, University of Michigan

Presenters

University of Michigan

Alexandra Westman is a senior majoring in Architecture. Alexandra’s paper is titled “On an Olympic Scale: the RISING Skyline of Domestic Space.”

Heather Duval is a senior majoring in Asian Languages and Cultures. Heather’s paper is titled “Kimchi-Nyeo Escapes the Corset: Hashtag Activism as a Liberatory Practice from the Patriarchal Panopticon.”

Julia Lifton is senior majoring in Political Science and International Studies. Julia’s paper is titled “Gods, Spirits, and the Shadow of Gender Inequality: A Study of Shamanism and Women’s Status in Korea.”

Malavika Sabu is senior majoring in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Biopsychology, Cognition and Neuroscience. Malavika is also minoring in Asian Languages and Cultures with a focus on Korea. Malavika’s paper is titled “Mugwort and Amoxycillin: The Rise of a Dual Pronged Healthcare System in Korea.”

Patricia Lee is a senior majoring in International Studies. Patricia’s paper is titled “The Role of Culture in Compliance: How Culture Affected the United States’ and South Korea’s Initial Enforcement of COVID-19 Measures.”

Promise Kim is a senior majoring in History and Asian Studies. Promise’s paper is titled The K-Beauty Canvas: A Study of Eyes and Eyebrows in Relationship to Women’s Agency.”

Sarah Kim is a sophomore majoring in Statistics and minoring in Asian Studies. Sarah’s paper is titled “Hiding in Plain Sight: Domestic Adoption in South Korea.”

Shania Allen is senior majoring in Asian Studies and Communication and Media. Shania’s paper is titled “On Commodifying Identity: The Multicultural Image in South Korean Media.”

University of Southern California

Aileen Kim is a senior majoring in Business Administration and Global Studies and minoring in Classics. Aileen’s paper is titled “Confucianism, Christianity, and Colonialism: How Korea’s Gender Roles Have Been Shaped by its Unique History.”

Alisha Ko is a sophomore majoring in East Asian Area Studies and Communications. Alisha’s paper is titled “Garnering Global Attention: Three Cases of South Korea’s Soft Power.”

Ashley Benhayoun is a junior majoring in Health and Human Sciences and minoring in Musical Studies - Classical Voice. Ashley’s paper is titled “Silently Struggling, But It’s Not Too Late: Korean-American Student Leaders’ Perceived Wellbeing Needs of College-Enrolled Korean-Americans.”

Brianna Wren is a senior in the World Bachelor in Business program at USC. She is als minoring in East Asian Languages and Cultures. Brianna’s paper is titled “K-Pop’s Mental Health Crisis: An Analysis of the Cultural Values that Shape the K-Pop industry and its Stigma Towards Mental Health.”

Derek Wong is a junior majoring in Political Science and minoring in Psychology. Derek’s paper is titled “Exploring Political Centrism in South Korea after Park Geun Hye’s Impeachment.”

Jane Lee is a junior majoring in Communication. Jane’s paper is titled “Cultivating Crops and Christianity: How The Church Came to be the Nucleus of Korean American Settlement and Community in Central California.”

Jay Lee is a junior majoring in Political Science and International Relations. Jay’s paper is titled “Assimilation Challenges to North Korean Defectors.”

Joyce Seoyoung Jang is a senior majoring in Psychology and East Asian Languages and Cultures. Joyce’s paper is titled “Shifts in College Pungmul Groups of Southern California.”

Kaitlyn King is a senior majoring in International Relations and minoring in East Asian Languages and Cultures. Kaitlyn’s paper is titled “Hallyu Diplomacy: The Role of Korean Soft Power in International Relations.”

Minjee Park is a sophomore majoring in International Relations and East Asian Area Studies. Minjee’s paper is titled “Korean, Asian, and American: The Struggle of Belonging in the Asian American Experience.”

Nina Tanaka is a senior majoring in Music Industry and Health and Human Sciences. Nina is also minoring in Cinematic Arts. Nina’s paper is titled “The Globalization of K-Pop in the 21st Century.”

Quin Cho is a sophomore majoring in History and International Relations. Quin’s paper is titled “A History of Korea’s War of National Independence, 1931-1953.”

Si Yun Ee is a sophomore majoring in International Relations and Global Studies. Si Yun’s paper is titled “The Tiger and the Mouse: Two Koreas in Southeast Asia.”