Travels, languages shape professor's view

The duty of undergraduate students is to immerse themselves into their chosen field of study while, at the same time, exploring other interests and broadening their perspectives. Dr. Choonwon Kang, the Korean Professor at Hopkins's Center for Language Education, does just that as her knowledge is not only limited to the Korean language and culture.
From the start, Kang has had a love for languages. Growing up in Seoul Korea, she studied English in her undergraduate years.
"I became interested in linguistics because I liked languages since I was young. My major was English language and literature. But in my department there are more literature course than language courses. But, I want more of a language part, and that is why I studied linguistics from graduate school on," Kang said.
Kang recalled reading a lot of books during her college years. Although she knew she wanted to major in English from the start, she used reading as a way to acquire knowledge about other academic and nonacademic disciplines.
"I read a lot of books outside of my major during my college years. This broadened my perspectives," Kang said.
She also noted that the Korean college experience is significantly different from what she sees at Hopkins.
"The college life in Korea is more lively and active," she said. "They have a lot of activities outside of the classroom, such as various events. Hopkins is very academic and serious."
After graduating from college, Kang taught English in Korea for two years. Afterwards, she ventured to the states where she got her Master's degree at George Mason University in Virginia and her PhD at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. This time, however, she did not limit herself to a single language, but concentrated in Linguistics, the study of languages and theory of how they develop.
"Linguistics is the study of languages," Kang said. "Not specifically studying different languages, but the theory of languages. I apply my theory of linguistics to explain the grammar topics better. Able to show the authentic pronunciation of certain words."
While a graduate student, she started to teach Korean during Hopkins's intersession in 1986, as Korean was only offered during that time. Later, the Center for Language Education was established and then starting in 1998, Korean joined the department and became a course offering every semester. Now, Kang is the only Korean professor at Hopkins teaching the First Year, Second Year and Third Year levels.
"What I like most about Hopkins, is a good environment to study in and do research. There is a lot of diversity as well, in terms of student make up. I love to deal with the students who are younger than I am. I get a lot of energy, and sometimes new ideas through working with younger people. Hopkins students are all good students," Kang said.
Kang has always wanted to be a teacher and shows a passion and enjoyment in the Korean Language. The language is unique and offers a great way for students to widen their scope on different academic fields.
"Students should choose Korean as a language, because it is so different from English," she said. "It provides some diversity. When you used to take a foreign language, it was predominantly French and Spanish, but if you want a different language Korean suits you best. Considering all the characters in Chinese and Japanese, Korean is probably the easiest to learn. Grammar wise, there are many characteristics, however."
The rise in popularity of Korean culture - as K-pop gains a wider audience and Ajumma remains a prominent establishment - has also increased curiosity in the language.
"Currently, there are a lot of Korean pop-cultures, such as dramas, songs, dances and movies. Some people are interested in those areas, and take Korean for that purpose," she said.
Kang notes that as a Korean professor, she does more than teach a language. Rather, she introduces a whole other society to her students.
"I also teach culture as a language professor, that is the good part of the job," she said.
Kang's knowledge is not only limited to Korean. Outside of the classroom, she enjoys reading, hiking and travelling. An avid traveller, she knows a bit of Spanish, French, Chinese and Japanese on top of her proficient Korean and English.
"During the breaks, I travel to places like Europe and usually to Korea probably every other year," she said. "Travelling is also another way to broaden one's perspective. Whenever I travel I try to speak their language. If I'm not proficient I try to learn some basic phrases so that I can at least try converse with the local people."
This summer, she will be going to Spain and brushing up on her Spanish.
Although she continues to enjoy exploring the world, Kang always enjoys coming back to Hopkins.
"I have had a good time at Hopkins," she said. "The people I deal with mostly are only the students. Of course there are workshops with my colleagues, but I mainly interact with the students. It was satisfying and rewarding. After my classes, sometimes students come back to see me. And they speak Korean much better than in classes, I feel satisfied."
After many years of schooling and teaching, Kang certainly has a panoramic perspective of life as a student, immersed in one's studies and academia. She encourages students to take advantage of the youthful energy college students have to learn and to realize that a year or two is only a small proportion of one's life.
"If students want to continue studying, it is better to do it when you are younger," she said. "I have studied almost 10 years for my PhD and as I get older it gets harder to concentrate. It is better to do it when you are younger. There are a lot of uncertainties in the undergrad years. Sometimes one year doesn't make much of a difference in the course of an entire life. If you need to take a break or leave of absence, for your goal, that is alright as well. When you are going through difficult periods, taking a break isn't a bad idea."