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  South Korea

• Seoul: 
Seoul

Term: Summer 
Dates: 6 weeks: mid-June - mid-August

Description: The goals of this program are to support students interested in the culture, business practices, and language of Korea while they increase their knowledge about South Korean society and its recent role as one of the major industrialized nations in the world. Through elective courses in English, options for Korean language study, site visits, and the Cultural Reimbursement Program, students gain considerable knowledge about Korean culture and Korea's modern role in Asia.

Academic Program
Established in 2006, the CIEE Study Center at Yonsei University provides students with a supportive environment in which to study at a top-ranked Korean university and experience life in Seoul. The six-week summer program at Yonsei University, added to the CIEE portfolio in 2008, introduces students with little or no background in Korean studies to Korea through language studies and an area studies curriculum. CIEE resident staff organize a special orientation and various cultural activities to introduce students to different facets of Korean society. Students enrolled in the summer may also take part in an optional non-credit global internship for five-weeks prior to program. This component is free for students that locate private accommodation on their own prior to the start of the CIEE program. For additional information, please contact us.

Academic Culture
In order to complete a full semester's study in six weeks, YISS (Yonsei International Summer School) courses are intensive and fast-paced. Korean language classes meet 4 days a week for 3 hours each day (72 in-class hours); other classes meet for 2 class hours each day (48 in-class hours).

Highlights:

• Extensive range of courses in international business, humanities, social sciences, and the arts
  
• Site visits to Korean organizations, the North/South border, and places of historic and cultural significance
  
• Optional Korean language course at any language level

Culture
Cultural Activities and Field Trips
Complementing the classroom work are cultural performances and visits to Korean organizations, museums, temples, and historic sites, a trip to the DMZ, and other locations of great natural and cultural significance. Non-credit activity courses are also offered each Wednesday morning. Students may only take one of the courses because they are offered simultaneously. There is a materials cost for some of the courses which may include: bojagi (Korean traditional wrapping cloth) making; taekwondo; calligraphy and painting; danso (bamboo flute); geomdo (traditional martial art); Korean cooking; ceramics; samulnori (Korean percussion music); and traditional Korean dance.

Cultural Reimbursement Program
As a means of encouraging students to enrich their study abroad experience in Seoul, CIEE offers the Cultural Reimbursement Program, allowing students to be reimbursed for their participation in local cultural activities. This may include Korean movie screenings, Korean traditional music concerts and theater, and visits to local museums and historic places of interest within Seoul.

International Buddy Program
Yonsei University organizes an International Buddy Program to promote interaction between international and Korean students. During the fall and spring sessions, a mentor, a local Korean student volunteer, is matched to interested international students who would like to exchange their experiences, culture, and general perspective with a local Korean student on the Yonsei campus. The Global Lounge organizes several activities for the buddies, but buddies are free to organize their own activities as well. Although there are no formal community service activities on this program, volunteer opportunities can be arranged by CIEE staff.

CIEE students can join regular Yonsei University student clubs catering to every interest. A sampling includes music, dance, art, photography, martial arts, hiking, and sports. There are also a number of service groups that student can join.

Subject Areas: Art History, Asian Studies, Business Admin. & Mngmt., Economics, History, Intensive Language, Political Science/Politics, Religious Studies and Sociology

Cost in US$: See below for CIEE Fees

Cost Includes: CIEE Fees Summer 2008: available 2008 The CIEE fee for 2008 includes an optional onsite airport meet and greet, tuition, full-time program leadership and support, housing, orientation, site visits and cultural activities, and a CIEE iNext travel card which provides insurance and other travel benefits.

Experience Required: yes

Overall GPA 3.0

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants. .

Typical Living Arrangement: Group living

Participants Travel to South Korea Independently

Scholarships Are Available. - We have several scholarships that students can apply for. Contact CIEE for details.

Application Process Involves:

• Letters of Reference
• Other
• Transcript
• Written Application

CIEE's Mission Statement: Since 1947, the Council on International Educational Exchange, known as CIEE, has been in pursuit of its mission, "to help people gain understanding, acquire knowledge, and develop skills for living in a globally interdependent and culturally diverse world." Our services to young people studying, working, teaching, and traveling abroad are more important than ever. As we look ahead, we reaffirm our commitment to the principles and values that guide this mission statement.

Year Founded: 1947