What makes an invention successful? A case study on the Jikji

This lesson will have students assess the impact of jikji movable print on Korean society and beyond. Though the Gutenberg Press is credited as being the birth of movable type, the jikji predates the Gutenberg Bible by 70 years. In this focused inquiry lesson, students will focus in on what ideas were preserved within the jikji. This exploration can supplement analysis of the Gutenberg Press, providing students a case study in assessing the factors that hinder or promote different inventions’ influence. Likewise, assessing jikji and other inventions that influence mass communication allow students to grapple with how such mediums can preserve the past or be the mechanism that brings global change.