Conference Aims

The aims of the Korean Graduate Studies Conference are:

1. to provide a forum for graduate students and researchers devoted to the study of Korea, to share their findings in a supportive and encouraging environment, including also a broader regional context; and
2. to promote scholarly interest in Korea in Australia, New Zealand and the region

Participation in the Korean Graduate Studies Program will enable students to:

• Meet and exchange ideas with their peers around Australia;
• Forge networks with other postgraduate students from around Australia;
• Establish links with key ANU scholars as informal on-going mentors;
• Gain feedback on work in progress;
• Develop techniques for conducting effective fieldwork in Korea;
• Strengthen insights into key theoretical challenges for Korean Studies today; and
• Draw on the knowledge of the expert Korean specialist librarians ANU and NLA.

Eligibility

The KGSC at Asia-Pacific Week 2006 will primarily cater for graduate students of Korean Studies in Australia, New Zealand, East Asia and Southeast Asia. We would particularly encourage those graduate students who have just finished their MAs, and are now considering continuing their PhD studies, to take this rare opportunity to present a paper and engage in academic discussion.

• The KGSC therefore invites applications from research higher degree students currently enrolled in any University in Australia, New Zealand, East Asia and Southeast Asia. See application process below.
• Students in all disciplines within the humanities and social sciences are eligible.

Application Process

Places in the KGSC are not limited at this stage.

Applicants need to apply to participate in KGSC by email to Dr Hyung-a Kim (see details below) at hyunga.kim@anu.edu.au, providing the following details:

• Name and contact details including email, postal address and telephone number
• Current university affiliation and discipline/area
• Name of supervisor
• Anticipated thesis submission date
• Brief outline of your research project (1-2 paragraphs)
• Title of presentation (where relevant)
• Details of anticipated travel costs (airfares/bus fares).
• Whether you require accommodation at John XXIII
• Whether you require halal food.

The deadline for the submission of applications is COB 15 October 2005. Applicants will be advised of the outcome of their applications by 5 November 2005 [2 weeks after deadline for applications].

Conference Program

The Conference will include the following elements:

• Korean Studies graduate students will deliver papers (maximum duration of 20 minutes) in which their topics, findings, challenges and achievements will be presented, followed by discussion. The talks will be chaired by established academics drawn from the region, who will also serve as discussants of the papers delivered, commenting on disciplinary and methodological matters arising.
• Because the Conference will be held in conjunction with the ANU's Asia-Pacific Week, at which graduate students studying other Asian countries will be presenting papers, the Korean Studies graduate students will not only have the opportunity to network with a much broader academic community, but also to learn directly of approaches and methods employed in pursuit of topics similar to their own.
• The Korean Studies graduate students will be given tours of the ANU Menzies Library and the National Library of Australia, which hold a combined total of some 40,000 volumes of works on Korea in Korean. This is the largest Korean collection in the entire region, and ranks among the top 8 collections outside Korea around the world.

Keynote Speakers

• Dr Hak Joon, Kim, President of Dong-A Ilbo, Seoul. The title of his keynote speech at the Plenary Session of Asia-Pacific Week is: "The Future of the North Korean Nuclear Issue and Its Implications Upon the Asia Pacific Region."
• Professor Byung-Kook, Kim, Director of East Asia Institute. Title of his keynote speech at the Korean Conference is: "The Politics of National Identity and Foreign Policy in South Korea."

Discussion and Workshop Leaders will include:

Dr Enyoung Ahn, Dr Heike Hermanss, Dr Kim Hyung-a, Dr Duck-Young Lee, Professor Andrew McIntyre, Professor Peter Drysdale, Professor Tessa Morris-Suzuki, Professor John Ravenhill, Professor Stuart Harris, Dr Robert Cribb, Dr Shin Gi-Hyun (UNSW), Song Changzoo (Auckland) and Korean-language specialist staff from the ANU and NLA libraries.

Accommodation

Out-of-town participants in Asia-Pacific Week, including those in the KGSC, will be housed at John XXIII on ANU's campus. A continental breakfast is provided as part of the accommodation package.

Travel

Applicants selected to present papers will be provided with a subsidy, to be advised, for travel costs.

Location

The venue will be the Staff Common Room, on the 4th floor of the Baldessin Precinct Building (No. 110), ANU.

ANU Asia-Pacific Week

The 2006 KGSC is to be held in conjunction with summer schools in China Studies, Thai Studies, Indonesian Studies, Vietnam Studies, Pacific Island Studies, Asia-Pacific Cultural Heritage Studies, Japan Studies and South Asia Studies. The Asia-Pacific week will feature special events such as keynote speeches, films, performances and exhibitions. Participants at the KGSC will interact with participants from other summer schools in combined social functions.

Contact

Enquiries to be directed to:

Dr Hyung-A, Kim
Fellow
Department of Political and Social Change
Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies (RSPAS)
Australian National University
Canberra 2000

Tel: +61 2 6125 2174
Email: hyunga.kim@anu.edu.au