I am a university student. This is all about my utterly unprofessional iIlustrations, photographies, journals and bunch of other stuffs of my everyday life.
Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, āWe are not makers of history. We are made by historyā.
Yet, here we are.Ā
A violent suppression of university studentsā peaceful anti-ācontrolled-history-textbookā protests within school campus.Ā
Park Geun-hye, the president of democratic country clandestinely entering the school through the backdoor, as if she has been committing something that weighs on her conscience.Ā
Or maybe not. Maybe she just has no scruples at all about offending the majority of the people and the entire history of our nation per se.
What year is it now? 1970s?Ā
Dictatorship is unquestionably something that should never be tolerated, nor repeated.Ā
Statement in Support of Korean Historiansā Protest against Planned Renationalization of History Textbooks ķ“ģø ķźµ ģģ¬ķģė¤ģ ģģ¬źµź³¼ģ źµģ ķ ė°ėė„¼ ģ§ģ§ķė ģ±ėŖ ģ If you are a university/college professor, lecturā¦
If you are a university/college professor, lecturer, or instructor whose research or teaching involves Korea and if you are affiliated with an institution outside South Korea, then please consider signing the following statement which expresses our collective concern over the South Korean governmentās recent announcement that it will replace existing Korean history textbooks with government-issued ones. Please find below (1) list of steering committee members, (2) the statement in English, and (3) the statement in Korean. The committee is working on releasing the signed statement to various media outlets by early next week.
(1) Steering committee members
Don Baker, University of British Columbia, Canada
Remco Breuker, Leiden University, Netherlands
Koen De Ceuster, Leiden University, Netherlands
Hyaeweol Choi, Australian National University, Australia
Namhee Lee, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
Owen Miller, SOAS, University of London, United Kingdom
Hwasook Nam, University of Washington, USA
Albert L. Park, Claremont McKenna College, USA
Eugene Y. Park, University of Pennsylvania, USA
Michael J. Pettid, Binghamton University, USA
Michael E. Robinson, Indiana University, USA
Vladimir Tikhonov, University of Oslo, Norway
Seungjoo Yoon, Carleton College, USA
(2) Statement in English
Statement in Support of Korean Historiansā Protest against Planned Renationalization of History Textbooks
We, the undersigned, issue this statement to express our concern at the plan of the government of the Republic of Korea (āKoreaā hereafter) to replace current Korean history textbooks with government-issued ones. As overseas university and college professors who conduct research and teach in fields related to Korean history, we cannot stress strongly enough that a democratic country should allow national history textbooks produced by a free and open debate, which acknowledge a diversity of ideas and interpretations, and are informed by the research of professional historians. The current plan to replace Korean history textbooks continues government policies in recent years that have witnessed a retreat away from the principles of free speech and academic freedom. The past cannot be undone, but history is permanently changing as new questions are asked. History is not an exact science, but the aggregate of insights produced by professional historians. Imposing a single interpretation does not create ācorrectā history, only the methodologically proper execution of historical research does. Just as a democratic society accepts differences of opinion, so too should history education reflect the multiplicity of historical experiences. In a democratic society, history should not be partisan but inclusive and respectful of all the constituent parts of society. Introducing students to various perspectives on Korean history teaches them the complexity of the past and sharpens their critical awareness so as to make them responsible citizens of the Republic of Korea.
We, the undersigned, wish to emphasize that the legitimacy of the Republic of Korea and its stature as a major player in the global political economy are self-evident to Koreans and to outside observers alike. The governmentās plan to mandate its own Korean history textbooks not only tarnishes Koreaās international standing as a democratic country, it also weakens Koreaās moral standing in the regional dispute over Japanese government historical revisionism.
We, the undersigned professors of Korean Studies at universities and colleges overseas, urge the Korean government to refrain from dictating the content of history textbooks and to work to depoliticize history education by promoting tolerance towards a multiplicity of views. By extension, we also would hope that the Korean government continues to respect academic freedom and thus refrain from interfering in the process of knowledge production and propagation by Korean Studies professors, both in and outside Korea. Many outside Korea are monitoring the ongoing textbook controversy, and it is our sincerest hope that the Korean government will act in a way befitting Koreaās global stature in the twenty-first century.
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via http://jesusfuck.me
What someone is paid has little or no relationship to what their work is worth to society.
Does anyone seriously believe hedge-fund mogul Steven A. Cohen is worth the $2.3 billion he raked in last year, despite being slapped with a $1.8 billion fine after his firm pleaded guilty to insider...
Whatās so funny about this? To understand this joke, you need to be aware of current events happening in Russia and Ukraine. The most significant of these is that Russia recently took away the Crimean peninsula from the territory of Ukraine and annexed or made it a part of Russia. The Crimean peninsula is a large body of land that sticks out into the Black Sea, and has been the site of many wars. The situation is in flux and no one knows what the final results will be. If you look at a map then you can see that to the north, Crimea is still surrounded by Ukraine.Ā However, to the east it is accessible directly to and by Russia. We can only hope that there will be a peaceful settlement to this whole thing. In the meantime Russia, Ukraine, Europe and the US are all making military and diplomatic moves in this giant game of chess. One possible move which Ukraine could make would be to cut off the water supply to Crimea. As the joke points out, Russia would not be too happy about this, nor would the people who live in Crimea. There is an older expression that goes back at least to the mid-20th century and is something you say when you want to sarcastically say ātoo bad.ā The expression is ācry me a riverā. In other words āI donāt care if you cry enough tears to fill a river, I couldnāt care less about your problem.ā But there is a homophonic relationship between the phrase, ācry me a riverā and āCrimea river.ā The latter just means a river in Crimea, which could dry up if its sources are cut off. BTW the Chorna River (or black river) is a Crimean river which flows into the Black Sea. I thought it was a more colorful place. And THATās whatās so funny!
Ā This joke was sent to me by a friend from New Zealand
Iām an advocate for romance as much as the next girl, but thereās only so much frivolity and fluff you can take as itās openly pushed in your face via social media. Amongst the beautifully crafted Instagram photos of roses, chocolates and pretty pink things you have to remember look beyond the filter and see things for what they are:
Whether we choose to admit it or not,Ā in some way, shape or form weāreĀ constantly trying to grab hold of it. The only problem is once we have it, we pick it apart. Itās never grand enoughā¦ So we try to reinvent it. And if we canāt, then we avoid it all together. Because who needs love right?
Wrong.
From one single gal-pal to another, I just want to share this:Ā Yes, today is Valentineās Day, and a good percentage of youĀ wonātĀ be receiving a bouquet of flowers. You wonāt be engaging in witty banter with someone who youāre not embarrassed to make goggly eyes at. You may not even be told that you are loved. But Iād like to hopefully assume that in some capacity, you are not alone. And when you evaluate the current state of your love-life (or lack of), be reminded thatĀ love is as much of a choice as anything else. When you choose to let yourself allow for it, things will change. They wonāt change rapidly or grandlyĀ becauseĀ life isnāt like aĀ Nicholas Sparks movie and love isnāt as sweet as Hersheyās Kisses.Ā
Love also isnāt effortless, and thatās why there is true merit if you choose to wear your heart on your sleeve.
But with that choice, comes timeā¦ So if youāre not ready, or your heart is aching thatās OK too. At the end of the day, all we can really do is try living and loving in the moment.Ā
Subject: Evolving Uniqueness of Scholarships, Good or Bad?
Purpose: Along with introducing distinctive scholarship programs to ignorant students, explaining the several ineffectiveness of the system so as to enlighten students to actually get involve in revising such programs and admonishing administrative offices to consider a matter carefully when putting into practice.
Ā Introduction
Tuitions for universities are skyrocketing. Scholarship programs have become the center of public interest as students are showing keen interests in reducing their expenses on excessive tuition fee to its maximum limitations. Indeed, the keyword, ā2nd semester scholarship applicationā reached a top search word in many portal websites during the application period. Albeit its astronomical tuition fees universities are demanding to their students, the criteria for receiving scholarship, unfortunately, are not at the mercy of the students, many of whom are suffering from paying school fees. Nonetheless, there is always a room for a wing and a prayer in every desperate situation. With growing tuition fees and rising standard of scholarship in presence, trends for scholarship programs are now evolving into more positive changes.
Ā Body1
In parallel with this nation-wide concern, many out-of-ordinary scholarship programs have been introduced along with respectively peculiar purposes. Scholarship programs hitherto introduced were generally in regard to oneās grade or oneās family economic circumstances. So what kinds of circumstances have made the existing scholarship programs to undergo diverse transformations? There were three important social issues spotted that explain the basic ground for these changes. One explanation is a controversy over half-tuition fee policy. Throughout our government history vaguely starting from President Leeās tenure, there were a lot of discussions pertaining to deliberating on actually carrying out this policy. Yet, no perfect measures have been made and the answer for whether to put a plan into practice is still in an ongoing process. Because of this unsettled problem, universities had sought for alternatives to share the burdens of studentsā agonies and those unique scholarships programs are the results thereof.
Another explanation is the pending unemployment crisis in Korea. It is the schoolās job to encourage students to develop their specialties to become more competitive in the field of job search. Using scholarship programs as a way to encourage students to study, not only by their rank in superficial grades but also by various standards such as their self-advancement or efforts they made to better one-self.
Interview with college students
> Have you ever felt the need to help the burden your parents are bearing with your college tuition fee?
> What is your opinion on half-tuition fee policy, do you think it is necessary? If so, in what way can it be implemented? Which sector do you believe should be sacrificing for the reduction in tuition fee?
> (to senior students) what is the biggest concern as for now? Do you already have job waiting for you? Are you considering alternatives besides getting a job? If so, what is it? (Ex. graduate school, studying abroad, etc,.)
> Have you ever received any assistance from school that helped you to develop yourself to be more competitive in field of job search? If so, enumerate experiences you got.
Lastly, schoolsā focus on studentsā welfare has also been changed lately. According to Kyung Hee Universityās administrative office, ~
Interview with Kyung Hee University's administrative office
> What changes have been made in students' welfare sector throughout our university's history?
> Do you consider improvement regarding students' welfare has anything to do with the advancement in scholarship programs? If so, what sort of differences was made?
Ā Body2
Regardless of many efforts made to help those in need, universities are still facing many drawbacks of these programs. Although there are many scholarship programs implemented for students to use, a number of students are still unaware of its presence and unable to enjoy the privileges they could have gotten if were to knowledgeable about it.
> Short questionnaire for students to ask whether they are aware of diverse scholarship programs other than basic scholarship programs that existed for years.
Further, durability problem is also feasible. If universities really want to alleviate the dissatisfaction of students, they should thoroughly tackle event-reminding scholarship programs.
> Research scholarship programs that disappeared shortly after its popularity or durability was questioned. If founded, study reasons for why such scholarship disappeared in the end.
To illustrate programs that has ambiguous criterion, which has imprecise selection of whom to distribute the scholarship, several scholarship programs can be accountable for it. One instance can be āGreen Scholarshipā established by Sang Myeong University. The purpose of this program was to seek after better environment and sublate environmental damages. By converting cost the students have economized or helped to eliminate factors of those damages, the university pays back the converted cost to scholarship. To indicate problems likely to arise is that it is difficult and awfully vague to point out the exact cost the student has saved. Other examples are āGood Morning Scholarshipā in Gang Won University, āSmoking Abstention Scholarshipā in Sae Myeong University and āGood Health Care Scholarshipā in Boo Gyeong University. Former scholarshipās intention was to help students to become more of a āmorning personā by confirming their participation in required special lectures for eight consecutive times and checking e-mails the school sends to students everyday within 4 a.m. to 6 a.m. A credible defect with this program is that it overlooks the harder efforts the students who commute to school have to put to gain perfect participation record. It also includes the risk of studentsā usage of substitute attendance. Two latter scholarships were established to help students who have unhealthy life styles to pursue healthy life. These programs also cannot fully cover studentsā actual abstinence, since students can always re-smoke or restart bad things for their health after they receive scholarship. Plus, those students can always ask their non-smoking, healthy friend to have health checkups instead of them. Granted, such defects cannot be measured precisely given that there are always loopholes to confirming studentsā integrity.
> Ask results of respective scholarship programs in each university and see whether it really changed students' lifetime habit.
> Interview with students who received scholarship programs and get opinion on whether the program was fair enough for everyone.
> Few more interviews with other students who failed to receive it or did not even attempt to participate in it. Get opinions from them concerning fairness issue and whether there are any students who were reversely discriminated by such programs because of their already-pursuing-good-life.
> If possible, look for any chances existing for worse-off students in dead ground who might have involuntarily averted from opportunities to get scholarship due to such unnecessary programs.
Overall, the negative factors existing in these scholarship programs, despite their ingenious and purposeful intentions, are; first, the standard of criterion is equivocal. It is likely to raise risk of letting students to exercise certain acts only temporarily just to receive scholarship, or disgrace themselves by achieving it with devious means. Second, reverse-discrimination might occur due to prioritizing students who failed to maintain āgood lifeā at oneās own disposal. Lastly, it deviates from the original purpose of scholarship, which mostly includes merit-based, need-based method of distribution. By giving scholarships to students who are not in desperation, naturally snatch a chance away from those who are.
Ā Body3
Before we move on to the ways to solve problems previously mentioned, letās look into other scholarship programs that might give us an overview of what can be the good examples of accurate and transparent scholarship programs. āPoint Scholarshipā in Han Shin University, āDong Myeong Mileage Scholarship Systemā in Dong Myeong University, and āMagnolia Scholarship Programā in Kyung Hee University can be the examples for what can be inferred as precise standard-retained scholarship programs.
> Interview with students who received scholarships through these programs and get their opinions on advantages and disadvantages of the system.
> Get more information on each school system after contacting each of them.
A common denominator of such scholarship programs in these universities is that they require students to give specific results and achievements they gained throughout their self-enlightening efforts. By distributing points according to their valid outcomes, it lowers the risk of improper usage and raises more possibility of appointing appropriate candidate for the scholarship.
Ā Conclusion
It is imperative for universities with scholarship programs that needs further revision to strengthen the strong points and make up for the weaknesses. Moreover, they should listen more carefully on listening to opinions of scholarship recipients and policy makers and amend programs with deliberation. There is nothing wrong with drawing studentsā attention. Nonetheless, developing scholarships programs for better cause, such as aiming for students who have ardent passions over it, should be the prioritization for any existing universities. University students have accountability to resolve problems of their own by themselves. Universities meddling in everything studentsā face would not solve the any fundamental problem of anything. By substituting poking their nose into studentsā affair with scholarship is too narrow-minded perspective and thus should be promptly tackled.Ā Those days are way passed; leave meddlers of your life in your past, your high school days, and your elementary days. In lieu of those naĆÆve short-term measures, seeking for long-term plan benefiting both students and schools is rendered indispensably necessary. Again, sustainable as well as distinctive scholarship system should be established for the sake of everyone.
