Summer 2025: May 25th, 2025 – June 7th, 2025
The GW Insitute for Korean Studies is proud to present the 2025 Summer Study Abroad Program in South Korea! By visiting various sites in South Korea, we will use the border as a lens into exploring four main themes: Korean identities, culture, division, and reunification. We will treat these themes not as mutually exclusive but constitutive entities. Thus, these four themes will be reflected in readings, discussions, on-site lectures, and site-visits. In addition, the concept of the border will be the prime into the larger political, economic, social, and cultural conditions that enabled its metamorphosis. In particular, we will trace the transnational processes of modernization, imperialism, colonization, the Cold War, decolonization, and neoliberalism that have shaped and continue to shape Korean identity and culture. Our interdisciplinary inquiry draws from history, literature, anthropology, business, film, media, and performance studies.
Take a Look at the 2024 program (PDF)
Application Process
Tuition & Fees: This is not a credit-bearing program so you don’t pay tuition for the program. Selected students will be provided with two-weeks lodgings, partial meals & transportations, admissions & fees. Students will bear their round-way flight tickets (about $2,000), insurance (about $40), public transportation (subway/bus), and personal expenses.
Requirements:
- All participants will give a portfolio presentation or create a video at the end of the program. They will have the chance to win a $200 award for the best presentation.
Application Instructions:
Selected students will be contacted for an interview in March.
Disclaimer *: Please note that summer program is subject to change/cancellation pending external circumstances.
Application Deadline: February 9th, 2025 11:59 PM EST
For more information, visit the GWIKS website or email gwiks@gwu.edu.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: I don’t know how to speak the Korean language. Can I apply?
A: Yes, All programs will be provided in English. In addition, there are no prerequisites for this program. This program aims to invite students interested in studying Korea to explore the country by connecting virtually for professional site visits and lectures.
A: This is not a credit-bearing program so you don’t pay tuition for the program. Selected students will be provided with two-weeks lodgings, partial meals & transportations, admissions & fees. Students will bear their round-way flight tickets (about $2,000), insurance (about $40), public transportation (subway/bus), and personal expenses. In the unlikely event that the program needs to switch to a virtual format, there is no cost for students to attend and GWIKS covers all the program and materials costs.
Video created by the previous participant, Donna Yang
