Korean Minor, Learning Outcomes
Statement of Purpose
Korean is a language spoken by about 75 million people, ranking just ahead of French in numbers of native speakers. The purpose of the Korean minor at BYU is to help students develop competence in the language in the four major areas of language function—speaking, listening, reading and writing.
Students in the minor will learn Korean language, literature, and culture. The program aims to help students acquire sufficient competence to use the language as a tool in such areas as law and business, or to work for the government in translation or analysis, or to use the language in support of skills in business, legal, government, or other professional settings in Korea.
In specific ways, the Korean minor can be a useful tool for an employee in government or business, or in general ways, the minor will help the student develop understanding and respect for Korea and Korean people. The program also supports the mission of Brigham Young University and its sponsoring institution, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter–day Saints, by helping students develop academic skills and competencies in a faith–based setting which is also committed to the development of personal character and integrity.
Learning Outcomes
- Korean minors will speak and understand Korean proficiently in routine social and business environments.
- Korean minors will read han'gul texts with facility and will read Sino–Korean mixed–script text with reference to dictionaries.
- Korean minors will be able to write over 400 Sino–Korean characters from memory and will develop character–attack skills that will give them the lifelong confidence and means to improve their ability to read mixed–script texts.
- Korean minors will demonstrate knowledge of the major historical genres of modern and premodern Korean literature.
- Korean minors will demonstrate some proficiency at translation and will show critical reasoning in essays and research papers.