Fulbright Forum presents:

A very special joint forum:

K-pop Mirroring Korea or Korea Mirroring K-pop?
by Emilie Chu

-and-

Haenyeo, Jeju, and the Future of Marine Conservation
by Grace Ha

6:00pm on Friday, September 16th, 2011

RSVP by Wednesday, September 14th, 2011

The Korean-American Educational Commission warmly welcomes you to our eighth Fulbright Forum of the 2010-2011 program year with 2010 Junior Researchers Emilie Chu and Grace Ha.
 
Open to all, the Fulbright Forum serves as a periodic gathering for the Fulbright family at large, including past and present grantees and friends of the Commission. To R.S.V.P., please CLICK HERE and complete the registration form. You may also R.S.V.P. via e-mail to Jim McFadden (executive.assistant@fulbright.or.kr). Regrets need not reply.
 
This Forum will be held at 6:00 P.M. sharp on Friday, September 16th on the 6th floor of KAEC's Mapo-gu building. Following the presentation, a light reception will be held. Please visit the KAEC website for maps and directions (http://www.fulbright.or.kr/xe/map).
 
To respect both the audience and presenters, guests are asked to please mute or turn off all cell phones before entering.

--6:00pm--
PART 1: K-pop Mirroring Korea or Korea Mirroring K-pop? by Emilie Chu

Summary:
Like the country itself, South Korean popular culture and music has grown to take on an international presence over the past ten to fifteen years. Cultural figures, from Seotaiji to g.o.d to TVXQ to Big Bang, have been making waves in steadily increasing extents, to the point of becoming a dominant force and current standard throughout Asia. Yet there are a number of lesser known factors behind the words they sing and the images they present, as well as the implications of such works. Thanks to Fulbright, this past year Emilie Chu has been able to study the relationship between Korean pop music and Korean culture through its history, society and industries by examining Korean songs within their local context, and has found some very interesting connections between cultural expression and representation.

Biography:
Emilie has spent time on both coasts of the United States and became exposed to Asian and South Korean culture after living in Southern California. Later at Rice University, she further developed her interests and graduated in 2009 with a B.A. in Asian Studies and English. Her personal experiences of encounters with popular music and love for language and the arts has led her to investigate the roots and ramifications of music that moves on a large scale, as in her Fulbright project. She hopes her work will contribute to a greater understanding of the makings and significance of popular music, as well as stimulate critical awareness and cultural sensitivity regarding Asia.

--7:00pm--
PART 2: Haenyeo, Jeju, and the Future of Marine Conservation by Grace Ha

Summary:
On Jeju Island, fisherwomen, known widely today as haenyeo (해녀), have a long-standing tradition of free-diving into the ocean for seafood such as abalone, kelp, seaweed, sea cucumber, turban shell, and octopus. Over the past year, Grace has been researching these women and the Jeju fishing villages, focusing largely on their traditional ecological knowledge and resource management techniques. Grace has been specifically investigating what implications this disappearing way-of-life may have on future marine conservation efforts.

Biography:
Graduating from Cornell University with a biology degree in 2010, Grace developed a deep interest in marine biology and environmental conservation during her undergraduate studies. While reading a marine biology textbook (for fun) one summer, she happened upon a small paragraph about haenyeo that piqued her curiosity and consequently led to her Fulbright project on traditional ecological knowledge. In the future, she hopes to earn her doctorate in marine ecology and to become a scientist and teacher working towards a deeper understanding of our ocean ecosystems.