South Korea

1. South Korea Brittany Colavito Lindsay Spinner Grace Morgan

2. Culture/Religion Highly regard the values of family- Family is always the most important aspect of their lives Father is the head of the family and is responsible for everything, then the eldest son “To be shamed as an individual is nothing compared to bringing a family shame” Koreans are very careful and sensitive to others Clothing: brilliant, flowing lines, hides body shape Marriage: joining of two families rather than two individuals, long and elaborate ceremonies, bows and symbolic gestures

3. Culture/Religion • Christianity: 29.2% • Buddhism: 22.8% • No religion: 46.5% • Confucianists: 0.2%

4. People and Job Market Language Korean Population (July 2011): 48,754,657 Life expectancy (2010): Men ~75 years; Women ~82 years Total labor force (2010): 24.62 million Labor force by occupation (2010): Services--68.4%; industry--24.3%; agriculture--7.3%. Interview with Young He

5. Government Republic (powers shared between the president, legislature and courts Liberation: August 15, 1945 Nine provinces, seven administratively separate cities (Seoul, Busan, Incheon, Daegu, Gwangju, Daejeon, Ulsan) Political Parties: New Frontier Party, Democratic Party, Liberty Forward Party, Unified Progressive Party, Renewal Korea Party

6. Economy Unemployment rate (2010): 3.3% Natural Resources: coal, tungsten, graphite, molybdenum, lead Industry: electronics, telecommunications, automobile production, chemicals, shipbuilding, steel

7. Technology • Sent 10 satellites using foreign rockets and overseas launch pads • In 2009, the government announced plans to build robot-themed parks • Developed the world’s second walking humanoid robot • Plans of creating English-teaching robot assistants to compensate for the shortage of teachers were announced in February 2010 • The first successful cloning of a dog and the cloning of two females of an endangered species of wolves

8. Interview Questions What are the differences between your school in South Korea and The University of Scranton? What are the similarities between your school in South Korea and The University of Scranton? What do you like the most about The University of Scranton? Is your family supportive of you coming to America for school? In your culture, how do people define intelligence? Are extra curricular activities enforced? Is school/work the main focus?

9. Education • Public education structure: • six years of primary school • three years of middle school • three years of high school • Primary education is compulsory- once entered into primary school, students automatically advance to the next grade level • Upon completion of primary school, students advance to middle school, which comprises grades seven through nine. The curriculum consists of 12 basic or required subjects, electives, and extracurricular activities

10. Education • School year runs from March to February • Divided into two semesters: March to July; September to February • School for all children between the ages of six and fifteen is free • Tuition is charged for senior high school students aged fifteen to eighteen in order to supplement government funding • School funding is centralized

11. Typical Primary School day • Typical school day runs from 8am to 4pm-most students will stay later • Students remain in the same room while the teachers rotate throughout the day • Primary classes cover the Korean language, math, science, physical education, social studies, moral education, music, fine and practical arts • begin receiving English instruction in third grade for two hours a week

12. Typical High School Day • Typical day begins at 8:00 A.M. • Classes run for 50 minutes each, with a morning break and a 50-minute lunch period. • The afternoon session resumes at about 1:00 P.M., and classes continue until about 4:00 or 4:30, followed by the cleaning of the classroom. • Students may then take a short dinner break at home, or they may eat at school. • Teachers typically move from room to room, while students stay in one place. • Students return to the school library to study or attend private schools or tutoring sessions until between 10:00 P.M. and midnight. • They return home where they may have a snack, listen to music, or watch television before going to bed. • Elementary and middle school students have similar but somewhat less rigorous days with shorter hours and more recreational activities.

13. USA vs. South Korea

14. TIME Magazine • In 2010, 74% of all students engaged in some kind of private after-school instruction, sometimes called shadow education, at an average cost of $2,600 per student for the year • There are more private instructors in South Korea than there are schoolteachers, and the most popular of them make millions of dollars a year from online and in-person classes • students who fail to get into top universities spend the entire year after high school attending hagwons to improve their scores on university admissions exams • After a year of 14-hour days, about 70% gain entry to one of the nation's top three universities

15. Works Cited http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2800.htm http://www.pixbnb.com/images/10560.html http://www.communitrip.com/asia/korea/culture.html http://www.lifeinkorea.com/culture/marriage/marriage.cfm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Korea#Science_and_technology http://www.ncee.org/programs-affiliates/center-on-international-education-benchmarking/top-performing-countries/south-korea-overview/south-korea-system-and-school-organization/ http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/1400/South-Korea-EDUCATIONAL-SYSTEM-OVERVIEW.html http://www.truthfulpolitics.com/http:/truthfulpolitics.com/comments/u-s-education-statistics-compared-to-south-korea-and-other-countries/ http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2094427,00.html http://www.infoplease.com/world/statistics/school-years.html http://asiasociety.org/education/learning-world/south-korean-education