Korean Culture Term Paper Requirements
Paper Title: Neo-Confucianism in South Korea
My paper is on the analysis of Neo-Confucianism in South Korea and must be focused on how “The Three Bonds and Five Cardinal Relationships” of Neo-Confucianism are applied to various aspects of modern South Korean life. My professor needs to see a good amount of critical thinking in this analysis.
The term paper must be typed, double-spaced and 5 to 6 pages in length. Proper MLA citation such as in-text citations with the page numbers referenced and a comprehensive bibliography must be included.
You are required to cite at least 5 different written sources in your term paper (in order to avoid a one-sided view on your topic). If you can find sufficient scholarly literature on the topic that you’re interested in, that would be wonderful. Synthesize the points drawn from the literature and draw a meaningful conclusion on your topic.
The following is taken directly from my syllabus:
If you cannot find much scholarly literature on the topic that you’re interested in, here are some suggestions that I’d like to make. You may have to weave together various available resources to make your thesis (or hypothesis) convincing. If you’re interested in explaining a particular behavioral pattern of Koreans or a particular cultural phenomenon of Korea, you should think about what would have affected such a behavior or cultural phenomenon. You can provide a detailed explanation by focusing on one possible aspect of Korea (one cause), or you can think about multiple aspects (possible causes) and synthesize these aspects for your explanation. For example, if you’re interested in explaining Korean youth’s anti-American attitudes, you can think about historical angles (especially the political history), education system, campus culture, and Korean‘s value system, etc. Since your paper is only 5 to 6 pages in length (double-spaced), you should not include too many aspects (causes). Otherwise, it will become a sketchy overview rather than a meaningful analysis. When you determine which aspect(s) of Korea to use and how to combine these aspects, you need to use some critical thinking and your own sound judgment based on your knowledge of Korea. Only if possible and if it’s appropriate for your research topic, you may want to interview a few Koreans and incorporate one or two paragraphs of the interview results into your paper to give a little “texture.” However, I don’t think that it’s a good idea to base your entire paper on personal interviews or anecdotes, because the sources are not representative. Minimize discussion of your own personal experiences in the paper, and do not use the first person (“I”) in an academic paper like this.
The key is the skillful weaving and synthesis of the resources available that makes your paper convincing, whether or not you have sufficient scholarly literature to use, or whether you focus on one possible aspect/cause or include multiple aspects. Draw a substantially meaningful conclusion based on what you’ve discussed in the body of your paper.
There are faxes for this order.
