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Korea’s Place in Teaching Social Studies

Korea’s Place in Teaching Social Studies is our sixth book in this series. It marks a slight departure from our previous single-discipline books with its wide range of topics in the disciplines of history, geography, economics and civics, which can be taught to meet curriculum standards throughout the United States. Our target in this book is to meet social studies standards that are typical throughout the United States in the four disciplines that states regard as the core social studies disciplines: history, geography, economics, and civics. This book will maintain the momentum created by our earlier publications for AP curricula and development programs for professional teachers.

In partnership with the National Council for Social Studies (NCSS), the World History Digital Education Foundation offers below a set of free resources for social studies teachers to incorporate lessons on the history, geography, economy, and civic society of the Republic of Korea. The Learning Module is composed of 4 modules:

  • Module 1: History
  • Module 2: Geography
  • Module 3: Economics
  • Module 4: Civics

NCSS logo  WHDE logo

Module 1: History

This module enables students to understand some of Korea’s earliest interactions with other cultures by looking at the history of the Silla Kingdom (57 BCE - 935 CE) and its relation to the Silk Road. Traditionally defined as a network of trade routes that connected China to Europe and other parts of Asia, the Silk Road played a critical role in facilitating economic and cultural exchange between a diverse array of pre-modern states for many centuries. Although Silla has sometimes been left off the most commonly used maps of the Silk Road, a closer examination makes it clear that other societies along the major trading routes had a profound influence on the kingdom’s artistic and cultural development. Buddhism, in particular, reached Silla through india and China via the Silk Road and had a transformative impact on its religion and politics. Moreover, Silla played an important role in the transmission of goods and technologies to neighboring Japan and thereby extended the Silk Road’s global reach.

historical artwork - three men

Full Module (PDF)

History Day 1

PDF | Google Doc

History Day 2

PDF | Google Doc

History Day 3

PDF | Google Doc

Module 2: Geography

This module uses the distinctive geography of the Korean peninsula to enable a broader exploration of how site and situation impact everyday life. South Korea is known for its mountainous terrain, long coastlines, and humid summer climate that brings monsoons. Students are asked to think about how these aspects of site in Korea have influenced developments there. in earlier centuries, Korea’s geographic situation adjacent to China and across the East Sea from Japan facilitated the exchange of goods and culture between the peninsula and the rest of Asia. Today, South Korea remains one of the most globally connected countries. its multinational companies are active throughout the world and its popular culture—especially its music and dramas—enjoy immense popularity in the United States and throughout Asia.

map showing disputed territory between South and North Korea

Full Module (PDF)

Geography Day 1

PDF | Google Doc

Geography Day 2

PDF | Google Doc

Geography Day 3

PDF | Google Doc

Module 3: Economics

How do governments make important economic policy decisions? This module enables students and teachers to engage this important question by looking at South Korea’s remarkable economic growth during the 1960s and 1970s. South Korea affords an excellent case study because wise economic decision making had a dramatic impact on the lives of its people. The country was a war-torn ruin for much of the 1950s and some Americans questioned whether it could ever be viable and self-sufficient. Yet under the leadership of Park Chung-hee, South Korea moved to export-led growth that focused on textiles and light industry during the 1960s, and then launched the “Big Push” in the 1970s, becoming an internationally competitive exporter of ships, automobiles, and other industrial goods.

two people sitting on bench across river from factory

Full Module (PDF)

Economics Day 1

PDF | Google Doc

Economics Day 2

PDF | Google Doc

Economics Day 3

PDF | Google Doc

Module 4: Civics

This module presents a carefully balanced set of materials and activities for teaching about recent economic crises and their impacts. It enables the instructor to draw broad comparisons between developments in South Korea and the United States while also allowing for a deeper dive into specific forms of civic participation. It introduces students to traditions of democratic protest in both countries and how these led to events such as the Occupy Wall Street Movement. The exercises in this unit also provide an excellent window for understanding how citizens can take advantage of elections to precipitate reforms. For instance, the once imprisoned activist Kim Dae Jung won the 1997 presidential election in South Korea on promises to restructure South Korea’s large conglomerates. Three years later, South Korea’s defeat movement capitalized on the rapid growth of network information technologies to unseat corrupt politicians from the legislature. These elections influenced political campaigns globally, including the 2008 campaign of Barack Obama, which made use of technology and social media while promising economic reforms.

Pie Chart: Civic Engagement, Political Participation, Civil Disobedience

Full Module (PDF)

Civics Day 1

PDF | Google Doc

Civics Day 2

PDF | Google Doc

Civics Day 3

PDF | Google Doc