The Portrayal of Korea: A Critical Analysis of Korean History in American Secondary Schools
Journal Title: International Journal of Korean History - Year 2000, Vol 1, Issue 1
Abstract
This paper attempts to review Korean history as depicted in world history textbooks for American secondary schools. Since Korean history presented within these textbooks will have a great influence on how students perceive Korea and understand Korean history, they should be written in an accurate and coherent manner, and well-integrated with supplementary texts to effectively promote reader comprehension. It is therefore essential to select and narratively reconstruct core historical events and to organize chapters in consideration of their educational impact on the comprehension of Korean history. This study thus attempts to analyze the depiction of Korean history in terms of coherence, topic selection, accuracy, and perspective with attention given to the coherence and effectiveness of supplementary sections, in contrast to previous studies that focused only on examining historical accuracy. The four world history textbooks examined are considered representative textbooks, are the most widely used in the U.S. secondary schools to date, and cover ancient through modem world history. Pedagogical problems proliferate in the historical accounts and supplementary sections on Korean history in textbooks. Outright errors and bias in the selection and interpretation of history have been noted that will unintentionally mislead students in their interpretation of the Korean past that may be largely determined by the Eurocentric perspective that informs the narration of Korean history.
Authors and Affiliations
Seon-mee Kim
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP26245
- DOI -
- Views 578
- Downloads 27
Global History and East Asia : A Late Chosŏn Perspective
Some Asia historians have recently argued for a new understanding of global history by reexamining how the European countries took the lead in making modern civilization and capitalism, specifically concentrating on hist...
East Asian Regionalisms and Korea in the 1940’s
This paper seeks to consider the various types of regionalisms in East Asia during the 1940’s, and Korea’s position in the United States’ “Great China Policy” and demilitarization and democratization plans for Japan. Aft...
Numerical Perception and Statistical Desire of Postwar Japan towards Resources in Korea
After defeat in the Second World War, Japan was faced with the issue of how to reconstruct its economic relationships with the regions of the East Asian regional economy of the Japanese Empire, i.e. relationships with Ja...
Ssangsŏng Ch’onggwanbu as the Border between Koryŏ and Yuan Dynasty
According to the annotations of Sanguo zhizhu (三國志注) written by Pei Songzhi (372-451), there were exchanges between Kogury? and Sun-Wu through a sea route, a record originally from Wushu that cannot be seen in other...
Hydraulic Theory and Hydraulic Engineering Projects of the Wusong River (吳淞江) Basin Between the Sixteenth and Nineteenth Centuries
This paper attempts to explore the significance of the overall water control system and numerous water control projects in the Jiangnan region. Through a series of large-scale dredging projects, the Ming and Qing Dynasti...