'World history is about connections between countries'

American history teachers and textbook writers, from left, Patrick Whelan of Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School, Barbara Ozuna of Paschal High School and Jay Harmon of Houston Christian High School, speak during an interview with The Korea Times at the Press Center in central Seoul, April 27. / Courtesy of Academy of Korean Studies

American teachers learn history from Korean perspective

By Kwon Mee-yoo

The cover of “Ways of the World,” a world history textbook published by Bedford/St.Martins

Eight world history specialists, including professors and teachers from the United States, visited Korea last week and had an opportunity to better understand Korean history.

The Academy of Korean Studies (AKS) runs fellowship programs to correct wrong descriptions of Korea in textbooks around the world and raise awareness about the country.

The institute invited the textbook specialists to a seminar after an AKS researcher met them at the National Council for Social Studies in the U.S. last year.

Among the participants, three are history teachers in Texas who took part in creating resources for the world history textbook “Ways of the World” published by Bedford/St.Martins.

The three teachers ― Patrick Whelan of Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School, Barbara Ozuna of Paschal High School and Jay Harmon of Houston Christian High School ― sat down for an interview with The Korea Times, April 27.

“In the 21st century as we all come closer together because of the Internet and social media, it is important that we understand each other better,” said Harmon.

“Increasingly, world history is about the connections between countries. It's not about each country's history in isolation, but those things tied together,” Whelan said. “World history is a wonderful vehicle with which to teach students how to think critically. Looking at the past and coming up with ideas of how things happened and why, that kind of thinking can be applied to any discipline and profession.”

Ozuna also emphasized the importance of acknowledging the diversity in cultures and different perspectives.

“Trying to understand the world from different perspectives is one of the reasons why we are here in Korea. It is critically important to be citizens of the world,” Ozuna said.

Whelan, whose father served in the Korean War (1950-53), said it is important for them to understand the Korean perspective.

“In the United States, we do not receive enough education about Korea. So we do not teach very much about Korea, but we do often teach from perspectives outside of Korea such as those of Japan or China. There are errors because of misunderstanding,” Whelan said.

“As faithful world history teachers, we make sure we cover East Asia. But sometimes we forget East Asia is big but small at the same time. In that sense, we lose the idea of Korea being a bridge ― sometimes willingly and sometimes not so much,” Ozuna said.

Harmon said some American textbook descriptions of Korea are stuck around the Korean War.

“I try to teach that Korea is an independent country and about its toughness and resilience,” Harmon said.

Student interest about Korea is also increasing as the world gets smaller. “My students watch Korean dramas through Netflix and listen to K-pop music. They are familiar with Korean culture and that makes them curious about the country,” Harmon said. “During classes discussing the world's current events, students worry about South Korea when North Korea launches a missile. It shows their respect and interest in Korea.”

Ozuna said she has experienced how rapidly Korea developed during this visit. “This society seems to be very upwardly mobile,” she said. “One of the fascinations about being here is that I think Americans are much more interested in the North-South relations. I think Korean people seem to be going about their business instead of worrying about the enemy 20 miles away.”

The teachers were positive about the seminar and what they learned during this visit.

“I will certainly think more of Korea when thinking of examples in the classroom. When I teach an idea, I think of examples and that I know so many of them now that come from Korea,” Whelan said.

Ozuna referred to Korea as a perfect example of syncretism, bringing many different cultures together and yet creating its own culture.

“Cultural blending is a big theme in world history and specific examples can be found anywhere. We went to a Korean palace and it has its own specialness. That is one example of how you bring in architecture and the arts in teaching by hanging photos in classroom,” Ozuna said.