Heading to Korea!!!

I am heading to South Korea for a month with the Rotary Club’s Group Study Exchange Program. Here is the basic info on the program from the Rotary web site.

“The Rotary Foundation’s Group Study Exchange (GSE) program is a unique cultural and vocational exchange opportunity for businesspeople and professionals between the ages of 25 and 40 who are in the early stages of their careers. The program provides travel grants for teams to exchange visits in paired areas of different countries. For four to six weeks, team members experience the host country's culture and institutions, observe how their vocations are practiced abroad, develop personal and professional relationships, and exchange ideas.

In a typical four-week tour, applicants participate in five full days of vocational visits, 15 to 20 club presentations, 10 to 15 formal visits and social events, two to three days at the district conference, three to four hours per day of cultural and site tours, and three to four hours per day of free time with host families.

For each team member, the Foundation provides the most economical round-trip airline ticket between the home and host countries. Rotarians in the host area provide for meals, lodging, and group travel within their district.” (Link for more info)

While I’m in Korea my students will be engaged in role play from Brown University’s Choices program (Link).

I taught one of their programs about Mexico at the School of Public Service at St. Albans in Washington, DC (LINK) last summer (I'm part of the program's summer faculty) and found it quite effective. The students will study the history of the Korean Peninsula in general and then specifically the history of North Korea and South Korea relations in regards to the North Korean effort to become fully nuclear. They students will role play the stake holders in the region and what should be done. (Japan, Russia, United States, China, North, and South Korea). They will then write a five paragraph research essay about their personal opinions based on research. In addition I’ll be Skyping with them the entire month. I will communicate and discuss the topics with them with this interactive blog. I also have set up a Facebook fan page titled, “Mr Steph in Korea”.

Later Hutch, I'll be Skyping soon!!!!