October is a month when Ewha students slowly start to prepare for major assignments and presentations. Submitting papers and engaging in group projects seem to be what students typically do for assignments at Ewha. However, there are some classes that assign projects that make students raise their eyebrows.
Clothing and Modern Society is one class known for giving out unusual assignments. Students have to find the best and worst dressers on campus to prepare a report on their definition of campus wear. The interesting part is that photos of those people must be included in the report and thus students have to ask for permission to take photos of strangers.
Hwang Hye-sook (International Studies, 2) who took the class last semester said, “The most difficult part about this interesting project was asking for photos of people whom you thought were the worst dressers on campus. Who would give out their picture if you tell the truth about selecting her as the worst dresser? Despite the difficulty I had in taking candid shots, the class was so interesting that it was memorable to me.” In addition, Hwang suggests that those unique assignments may be more effective for students in obtaining real knowledge than writing an academic thesis of 20 pages. Although her classes dealt with the forms of clothing, she said she was able to gain a lot from applying that background to real life.
Introduction to International Development this semester cannot be left out when talking about unusual assignments. Students in that class get to experience what it is like to live under extreme poverty. They must survive a day with only one dollar or 1000 won, excluding transportation fee, and submit a famine 24 project paper which is a paper on their experience.
Hong Yoon-ah (International Studies, 1) said, “Millions of people live under less than a dollar per day, but we Koreans hardly ever experience starvation or lack of money for medical care. I think this project will provide me with a valuable lesson.”
Hwang Sun-jin (Korean Literature, 2) who took 21st Century Culture and Imagination during her freshmen year says, “The class still remains a memorable one in that it opened up my perspective. We were assigned in groups to interview a person whom we think is a trend leader in the 21st century. Preparing for a presentation on the source of his creativity and how he made a reality of what he had imagined, I came across a new perspective to judge the world I live in.”
Hwang interviewed Kang Kyung-taek, the chairman of
“Classes that assigned unusual projects not only provided me with the motivation to willingly participate but also gave me living lessons which enriched the quality of my life—contrast with conventional classes at Ewha. I hope to take more such classes in the semesters to come,” said Hwang.