The programs use the themes of storytelling and gaming to engage students in a highly motivated learning experience. The programs allow students to explore their own interests and self-understandings within a framework of cultural comparison and deepening cross-cultural competence while completing a series of exciting, creative projects. The entire program is free. This includes all expenses for the summer residential program, including room and board.
The program will be divided into three modules, each of which is built around the theme of legends and heroes, whether they are mythic or contemporary heroes, whether they are historic or pop culture legends. The skills in storytelling and gaming will still play a prominent role throughout the program. Participants admitted in the Spring semester must qualify before being admitted to the summer program through evidence of their commitment to academic success. The year long program begins in January 2024 and runs through December 2024. The Spring and Fall modules will take place entirely online, in a hybrid modality that meets Saturdays for 1 hour of synchronous learning in the Spring and every two weeks in the fall (they will also include 1 to 2 hours of online activities/project building per week). The centrepiece of the program is a 60-hour, t wo-week intensive in-person summer residential program at UConn in Storrs, Connecticut. For qualified students, the entire sequence can count as the equivalent of 3 college credits.
The first module, which is virtual, will take place on Saturdays during UConn’s Spring semester (1 hour synchronous contact, plus 1-2 hours of individual project work). Traditions in Legends and Heroes,” will invite students to explore the foundational legends of three different periods of Chinese and Korean history, focusing on the values they represent and why new periods inspire the need for new heroes. The second module is a two week residential summer program (from June 23 to July 6) during which students will live and learn on UConn’s Storrs campus. During the summer module, “Contemporary Legends in/through Gaming and Storytelling,” will continue to build on the heroes theme with a major project related to gaming. The last module, which will take place during UConn’s Fall semester, is again a virtual module that meets every second Saturday. Wtudents will create a multimodal profile of a hero with which they have become interested or a hero of their imaginations in this module called “My Hero & Me.” They will include biographical details, describe what feats or accomplishments have led to their renown, and why this figure is, or should be, considered important.
The goal of the program is to enable students at a low-intermediate level to progress to intermediate-high or higher in a single year. It is perfect for anyone taking AP Chinese or ECE CHIN 1114. Students of Korean should have some experience with the language, and ideally be close to the intermediate level. The program will focus especially on areas that students typically struggle to master. It will also concentrate on the different needs of heritage speakers and those learning the language for the first time through individual coaching and small-group enrichment, especially during the summer portion of the program. By the end of this program students should have consolidated a very solid base as they transition to more advanced content-oriented classes in literature, culture, and media (typically the equivalent of minor- and major-level courses) or other advanced language acquisition opportunities including study abroad.