Book Review: Please Look After Mom

Title: Please Look After Mom (엄마를 부탁해)
Author: Kyung-Sook Shin (신경숙)
Translated by: Chi-Young Kim (김지영)
Softcover: 256 pages
Publisher: Knopf (April 5, 2011)
ISBN-10: 0307593916
ISBN-13: 978-0307593917

Seemingly effortlessly translated into English, Please Look After Mom unabashedly attacks the heart and leaves the speechless reader in a state that can only be remedied by picking up the phone and calling your mom. Internationally recognized author Shin Kyung-Sook's unforgettably poignant 2008 novel is the recipient of several literary awards. However, is it all just culturally specific schmaltz lost on American readers or is there enough literary substance to warrant its international acclaim?

The story is about an elderly woman who accidentally becomes lost amidst a busy Seoul subway stop and her selfish family's frantic, consequential search. The book is contextually divided into four narratives: the critical eldest daughter, the favorited eldest son, the nomadic absentee husband, and finally the saint-like mother herself. Each chapter delves more into the tender, borderline naive characterization of the mother and the subsequent guilt felt by those who ultimately failed to live up to their proper familial roles. The characters are humanly flawed but forgivingly empathetic. You find yourself criticizing almost each family member for their insensitivity but then apologetically root for their redemption.

Culturally speaking, the setting is a striking contrast between socially progressive Seoul-centered modernization and war-torn traditional country-side values that are more and more lost with each passing generation. The mother's poverty-stricken childhood is but a dim memory to her doted children who knew little of her sacrifice and sorrow. Other than a few culturally contextualized moments, the narration needs very little pretext for the average non-Korean reader to appreciate the depth of this story. After all, everyone has a mother.

That's the general consensus with this touching story. At some part in most people's lives, like the characters in the story, we all have an epiphany and realize that our own mothers were not born mothers but instead chose to be mothers. Even though my own mother's personal sacrifices were naturally different than the ones described in the book, her loving presence is echoed in this story, as many other readers, too, have expressed.

It's indeed a sentimental Korean tear-jerker but thankfully it's also well-written enough to be almost effortlessly appreciated by an international audience. Having read the English version, I'm anxious to read the Korean version in hopes to further pick up on certain nuances that were likely to have been inescapably lost in translation, such as the subtle differences between "Mom (엄마)" and "Mother (어머니)" and the title's ambiguous message (엄마를 부탁해) which could be interpreted as either a dutiful order or a spiritual request.

- - -

This novel doesn't exactly pertain to Korean studies, but it is a work that deserves to be talked about. It's got me wondering what else I'm missing in Korean literature, that's for sure.

Summer Postscript:

It occurs to me, after a faculty member voiced concerns about yesterday’s blog post regarding summer, that I need to make sure you understand how our summer grad offerings typically work.  In the past the department has not received a budget for summer grad courses from the upper administration.  Typically, however, we are able to offer a limited number of summer, one-week workshop courses through the RCDE (Regional Campuses and Distance Ed program).  These courses are offered on faculty initiative and desire to teach, and normally they have to reach a certain enrollment to “make.”  That is the reason Dr. McCuskey originally requested that we assess interest in his potential course (please talk to him directly or other faculty members about potential courses they may offer).

I want to reassure you that I don’t think that Dr. McCuskey’s course will be the only graduate offering this summer.  The Fife Folklore course is a regular offering.  Creative Writing typically offers one or two workshops.  American Studies faculty are presently considering a course.  In the past, PhD students have had courses in Specialized Docs.  There may be others I have not heard about yet.  However, fair warning: this is no guarantee any of these courses will be offered, and we won’t know the final list for summer until some time in January.  As DGS, I do not make decisions about what will be offered, but I will try to keep you apprised of course availability once we have a better sense.  My only goal is to keep you informed as best I can.
                                                                                            --Evelyn Funda, DGS

Book Review facelift

I've been prompted by the failure of Books.LivingSocial to merge my book collection over to LibraryThing. I like it so far. What's more is that I've gone back over my previous reviews and spruced them up a bit. Nothing major, just a few typo fixes and some rephrasing.

I'm happy that I left such detailed notes about how I felt about these books. Rereading what I wrote reminded me that I actually paid attention and cared about the subject matter. I strongly recommend others to do the same. I had almost forgotten that I had read certain titles until I looked back at both my notes on the inside cover and scattered all over almost each margin - let alone the review online. It's inspired me to pick up some new books that have been collecting dust on my shelf.

So, I give you the new and improved book review list.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:

The School of Graduate Studies has just announced that have three tuition waiver awards available for Spring semester.  As is is sometimes the case in academia, this is on short notice and we must forward applications on a very quick turn around.  Please realize these three tuition awards are going out to entire Grad School, so availability is very limited.

If you are interested in applying for one of these awards, follow the instructions in the Call for Applications.

Completed applications are due in Dr. Funda’s mailbox NO LATER THAN MONDAY, NOVEMBER 21 AT 5 PM.

Note:  We anticipate another round of tuition waiver award applications in early Spring semester (for fall semester). Typically, we have a few more waiver available at that time.  Please watch the blog for notice of that application round in January.  Meanwhile, you can consider this as training/practice for that.  

The following is from the School of Graduate Studies:

Tuition Awards:

These tuition awards cover the in-state portion of tuition for master's students that are nominated by the student's academic department. Students must be registered full time, work at least .25 FTE (10 hours/week) as a graduate assistant for the duration of the semester, and have at least a 3.3 GPA. These awards are distributed on a competitive basis.

Criteria of School of Graduate Studies: A 3.5 GPA and quantitative and verbal GRE scores at the 70th percentile or above; awardees must be full-time, matriculated students and must maintain a 3.0 GPA or higher. Students must not have exceeded the 70-credit limit to be eligible for this scholarship.

Berea College Appalachian Sound Archives Fellowships 2011-2012

The Fellowship program's purpose is to encourage scholarly use of Berea's non-commercial audio collections that document Appalachian history and culture, especially the areas of traditional music, religious expression, spoken lore, and radio programs. Awards in support of such research range from one to two months, with stipends of $3,000 per month.
The fellowships must be taken up between July 2011 and June 2012. All Fellowship supported work must be finished by June 30, 2012. Fellows are expected to be in residence during the term of the fellowship and are encouraged to participate in campus and community activities.
Proposals are continuing to be accepted until December 15, 2011 for projects that will be completed by June 30, 2012.

Berea's recordings collections are especially strong in the areas of traditional music, religious expression, spoken lore and radio programs. They include extensive documentation of fiddle and banjo tunes; ballads and songs; Old Regular Baptist singing and preaching; folktales and legends; and related interviews with musicians, preachers, and storytellers, 1950 to the present. Radio material heard in the region for the years 1936 to the mid 1950s, documents a wide range of Kentucky, national, and world political figures and events. Entertainment programs include country music, soap operas, musical variety shows and sporting events.

There is no application form. Applicants are asked to submit a proposal that includes:

1. Identifying and contact information, applicant's background and interest in the particular subject area.
2. A summary of the proposed project.
3. Detailed description of the anticipated use of Berea collections. Please discuss specific collection material and their relevance to the project.
4. Anticipated research outcomes (e.g., teaching, print publication, web-based resources).
5. The length of time needed for the project (one month minimum, two months maximum), and preferred dates of residence. The duration of award is requested by the candidate, but the final decision is made by the Fellowship Committee.
6. Three letters of recommendation from colleagues familiar with the applicant's work and who are qualified to judge the proposal. For graduate degree candidates, the recommendations must include those of the professor directing the applicant's research and the department chair. Applicants are responsible for contacting all persons providing recommendations.

For information about Berea's Sound Archives and other traditional music collections, see http://www.berea.edu/hutchinslibrary/specialcollections/specialsound.aspx

For additional information about Berea's Appalachian Sound Archives Fellowships, see http://www.berea.edu/hutchinslibrary/specialcollections/amfp/amfp.asp

Proposals or inquires should be sent to

Harry Rice
Special Collections & Archives
Berea College, Berea, KY 40404
harry_rice@berea.edu

Don’t forget:

  Tomorrow (Wednesday) is the monthly Brown Bag with Evelyn!
Bring your lunch and your “freak out moment of the month!”
We’ll also talk about whether and how grad students should publish.
Time and Location:  12:30 in Brewer Conference Room (308).  

Are you on target with your paperwork for Spring 2012 Graduation (Plan A or Plan B Thesis or Dissertation)?

Fall Semester:  If you are planning to graduate in Spring 2012, you should have the following done by end of the Fall semester:

1. Supervisory Committee Form (See http://usuenglishgrad.blogspot.com/2011/07/what-is-my-supervisory-committee-and.html)
2. Program of Study Form (see http://usuenglishgrad.blogspot.com/2011/07/what-is-program-of-study-form-and-why.html
3. Proposal Defense Form, if you are doing a Plan A thesis or Dissertation. If you are doing a Plan B thesis, you need to have a defense meeting with your committee, but there is no paperwork that needs to go to the grad school.  http://usuenglishgrad.blogspot.com/2011/10/what-is-thesisdissertation-proposal.html
4. PhDs:  Complete Application for Candidacy form ( http://www.usu.edu/graduateschool/degree_completion/pdf/App_Candidacy.pdf)
5. Recommended:  To get up-to-date on Grad School’s formatting requirements, attend one of the Thesis Workshops. (See http://www.usu.edu/calendar/event.cfm?eventID=7867&show=today&day=16&month=11&year=2011)

Spring Semester Deadlines:

1. If you are doing a Plan C, you need to have in your Plan C Program Completion for to Grad school by Feb 15. (see http://www.usu.edu/graduateschool/degree_completion/pdf/Comp_Req_PlanC.pdf)
2. If you are doing a Plan C, your committee needs to schedule your comp exam for sometime during Spring semester.
3. If you are planning on an MA (rather than an MS), you need to complete language requirements and fill out for before March 1 (see http://usuenglishgrad.blogspot.com/2011/09/what-are-language-requirements.html)
4. If you are writing a Plan A thesis or a PhD dissertation, you need to schedule and hold your thesis/dissertation defense on or before April 4 (if you plan to have your name appear in commencement records).  If you want to participate in commencement, but you don’t care if your name appears in the program, that defense date can be as late as April 27.  HOWEVER, please be aware that a minimum of two weeks before this date (March 21 or April 13), you need to have your paperwork to schedule the exam plus all committee signtures submitted to the School of Grad Studies. This is called the “Appointment for Examination” Form http://usuenglishgrad.blogspot.com/2011/07/how-do-i-schedule-and-prepare-for-my.html. This is a hard deadline, and the grad school holds to it.  
5. You should allow your committee a MINIMUM of two weeks to read your thesis or dissertation before the defense.  Your chair will need to approve your thesis or dissertation before you can ask for the defense, so allow yourself plenty of time to get the chair’s go-ahead on your final draft. (Talk to your chair. They may expect you to submit a final draft of your thesis or dissertation for their approval as early as February).  
6. All students: Graduation paperwork done with School of Graduate studies by April 4 (payment form, student survey, commencement data card, alumni file card—see grad school website)

For the Grad Schools Completion and Commencement Deadlines, see:
http://www.usu.edu/graduateschool/commencement/pdf/Commencement_Deadlines.pdf
Commencement info:
http://www.usu.edu/graduateschool/commencement/

What is the difference between “Non-matriculated” and “Matriculated”

Student Classifications

A matriculated graduate student has been accepted by a department, with the concurrence of the dean of the School of Graduate Studies, to an approved graduate degree program and has enrolled at the University. A student may be accepted on a provisional matriculation basis when (1) information, such as GRE scores, is yet to be received by the School of Graduate Studies, or (2) when a missing prerequisite or academic deficiency must be remedied. The conditions and time limit for remedying these deficiencies must be specified to the student in writing at the time of admission. If the conditions are not met as specified, the student’s participation in the degree program will be terminated. International students cannot be admitted on provisional status.

A full-time matriculated graduate student must be one of the following:

Registered for 9 or more graduate credits; or

Registered for 6 or more graduate credits if employed as a graduate assistant for 15 hours per week or more; or

Registered for 3 graduate credits with all required credits completed (the student’s Program of Study must have been submitted to the School of Graduate Studies); or

Registered for at least 3 graduate credits during the semester of the final thesis/dissertation defense or, in a nonthesis degree program, the last semester of coursework required on the student’s Program of Study.
Note: To defer a loan or to receive student loans, graduate students must be registered for at least 6 credits.

A matriculated-probationary graduate student has been placed on warned status because of inadequate progress in his or her degree program. The conditions to be met and the time limit for meeting them must be specified to the student in writing at the time he or she is placed on probation. If the conditions are not met as specified, the student’s participation in the degree program will be terminated.

Graduate assistants and fellowship recipients must be full-time matriculated students with a GPA of 3.0 or above, and must be registered each semester of the assistantship or fellowship, except
summers.

A nonmatriculated postbaccalaureate student holds a bachelor’s degree, is enrolled for USU coursework, but has not been accepted to a graduate degree program. If an application for graduate studies has been submitted to the School of Graduate Studies, a student may apply through the School of Graduate Studies to enroll as a nonmatriculated student. A letter must be submitted from the graduate department head or graduate program coordinator giving permission for the student to be entered on the computer as a nonmatriculated student. If the student does not intend to pursue a graduate degree, the student should apply to the undergraduate Admissions Office to enroll as a nonmatriculated student. A maximum of 12 semester credits earned as a nonmatriculated, postbaccalaureate student may be used in a graduate degree program, but only if approved by the student’s supervisory committee.

English Department Policy Regarding Non-Matriculated Students:

Our graduate classes are reserved for students who either have been fully admitted to our department or have an active file under-review at least 30 days before the start of classes. Even non-matriculated students must undergo admission review in order to enroll in our courses.  This is to ensure that students have the ability to do the level of research and writing required in our courses.

Students who want to be considered for enrollment as a non-matriculated student must have their file substantially complete and ready for review at least thirty days before the first official day of the semester in which they wish to enroll. To have a file substantially complete, the student would have the following on file: Grad School application form, Letter of Intent,  Transcripts, at least two of three letters of recommendation, Writing Samples, and CV or resume; writing samples and CV or resume are sent directly to the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS). The DGS will then inform the student if the admissions committee has recommended temporary non-matriculated status and if the committee has stipulated any provisions.

If non-matriculated students are admitted, they may enroll on a semester-to-semester basis; typically non-matriculated students are only allowed to enroll for one semester, and they are expected to become fully matriculated by the end of their first semester.  Non-matriculated students are admitted with a clear set of provisions. Provisions may include: completing a course with certain grade expectations, receiving satisfactory scores on the GRE or G/MAT, providing additional writing samples, and/or providing additional letters of recommendation, especially from faculty teaching the course in which non-matriculated students are enrolled.  Non-matriculated students must meet with the Director of Graduate Studies by the end of each semester in which they are enrolled to review their progress.  At that time, they may provide additional documentation and ask to have their file reviewed for a second time and be considered for full matriculation.  Permission to enroll in a course as a non-matriculated student does not guarantee full acceptance to a graduate program at a later date.  

Are there special requirements for international graduate students to enroll?

An international student must be admitted to a degree program and hold a valid F-1 or J-1 visa before enrolling in classes at Utah State University. A student on an F-1 or J-1 visa must maintain full-time student status throughout the degree program. For other information about the University, he or she can contact the International Students and Scholars Office, Utah State University, 0140 Old Main Hill, Logan UT 84322-0140, tel. (435) 797-1124.

Questions

If you have questions about your degree, please see the DGS, Evelyn Funda. You can schedule an appointment through Candi Checketts or Katelyn Anderson.

Video Games as Text, Text as Play

The University of Wyoming is accepting abstracts for its upcoming graduate student conference: Video Games as Text, Texts as Play.  The conference will be held the second weekend of April, Thursday the 12^th to Saturday the 14^th.  Abstracts will be due by January 15^th.  Our keynote speaker will be Judd Ruggill, Assistant Professor, Arizona State.

As many of the growing number of gamers and game scholars could tell you, video games are texts, and these texts that games present are an emerging field of study and an emerging field of narrative.  Video games are growing in terms of size, story, and maturity, and are an important part of modern day popular culture.  This is why we must examine them more carefully in an academic setting.  And those tools used to critique and appreciate video games can also be used on more traditional texts in the context of play, allowing for fresh looks at classic texts.  

Just as video games can be analyzed as forms of narrative or rhetoric, texts can be analyzed via the idea of play.  Play presents itself in a variety of forms, like the association  of novels, comics, and film with leisure, as well as the more serious "play" presented in a variety of theoretical approaches, or any other method of examining how texts and the idea of play could interact.  We would welcome any papers that look at this idea in creative ways.

Video games also offer the academic community new opportunities as educational tools, allowing educators to reach their students in more hands-on ways.  For example, students can examine historical conflicts and controversies from the perspective of those directly involved, choose how they would act in those situations, and see what their actions lead to.  We invite you to submit your conference papers on a variety of topics that will allow us to better understand what, as a culture, we appear to be moving towards as the narrative form of choice.

We also welcome works of creative nonfiction that deal with these topics.

Possible Topics:

            How does the role of first person narrative change in video games?  What does the reader experience while actively undergoing the events of the narrative, vs. passively experiencing them?

            What does the ability of choice in a narrative do for the experience of reading the text?  Is the player more connected to the characters by choosing the actions and outcomes of that character?  Or is a specific, single narrative path that allows all players to experience it in a similar way a better kind of narrative?

            How is sexuality dealt with in video games?  How is sex depicted, and what happens when controversy arises?  How does this differ from more traditional narrative forms?  What about games with all characters being unrealistically bisexual?

            How is feminism handled in video games?  What, if anything, establishes characters like Samus as feminist characters?  Is there a double standard with women with exaggerated female characteristics, like Lara Croft, being attacked as problematic from women, while exaggerated male characteristics in characters, such as Marcus Fenix, are not?

            What impact does race have on games?  Why are so many player characters white; what does that do to the narrative?  How could/should race be used?  Why are games like Resident Evil 5 criticized because the villains are black?

            What is the difference between reading an evil character and actively playing one?  How does that change the experience of the text?

            Why are video games so oriented towards violence?  What about the textual form of video games makes violence such a common choice in game play?  Is this healthy for the medium?  How does this affect games in the larger culture?

You are of course not limited to these.  Also feel free to submit a proposal for a panel at the conference, on any related topic.

            However, we discourage any papers about whether violent video games lead to violent behaviors in children.

Both merit-based and need-based scholarships going toward conference attendance may be available to interested parties.  If you would like to apply for a need-based scholarship, please contact uwplayology@gmail.com for more information.

Please submit your 200-300 words abstracts before January 15 via www.uwplayology.com.  We will let you know no later than February 15.  Please include contact information, your institutional affiliation, and any audio/visual requirements.  Any questions can be answered by contacting the conference organizers using the website or emailing the conference organizers at uwplayology@gmail.com.

Is there a time limit for completing a degree?

A master’s degree must be completed within six years of matriculation. A doctorate must be completed within eight years of matriculation.

Coursework that is more than eight years old may not be used for a graduate degree. If permitted by the departmental or interdepartmental degree program policy, a supervisory committee may allow revalidation through testing, following a plan developed by the supervisory committee and approved by the dean of the School of Graduate Studies. The results must be verified in writing to the graduate dean by the student’s major professor or other person(s) responsible for the testing. Work experience cannot be substituted for out-of-date coursework or used for revalidation.

Graduate credits from another institution that exceed the eight-year limit at the time of degree completion may be transferred to a USU graduate degree only if the student’s supervisory committee provides a justification acceptable to the graduate dean. Then, the revalidation procedures described above apply.

Wait One

Funny how a single belated post updates and at the same time disappoints.

I'm currently serving in the United States Navy so consistency and quality of postings are likely to be even more scant than before. Believe me when I say that not a day goes by when I wish I could devote all of my day to simply studying the Korean language and the history of her people. Unfortunately, bills have to be paid.

Whether this blog falls into further obscurity is irrelevant, really. I use it to track my personal passions and clearly they have been on hold for some time. I'd like to think that one day I'll get back into a routine that allows me to read more about Korea.

Oh and it seems I backed the wrong horse in regards to linking book reviews. Books.LivingSocial.com has ceased operations and with it, all of my online library of reviews. Thankfully, I still have them here. I suppose step one will be to re-create my online library based on my physical library.

Any suggestions?

What are Deadlines for Spring 12 completion of degree?

Please click here to see a table of the deadlines for the 2012 completion and commencement deadlines.

New Things!!

Our November Brown Bag has been set!! Click here for details.