It’s 4:00 AM and I’m awake, so I though I’d give a quick update on Monday’s activities.
First off I gave a presentation about Simmons GSLIS to the Yonsei LIS students. Despite being in the middle of final exams (I feel bad about being here during exams), about 15 students attended. There is definitely high interest in the dual-degree program, as evinced by the number of questions asked. Jee Yeon had warned me that the students might be very quiet, which is the usual dynamic in a Korean classroom. She and I were suprised and delighted by how many questions the students asked. Interestingly, one of the biggest concerns was about gender. The students had heard that Simmons is a women’s college, and the men seemed a bit nervous about that. I assured them that GSLIS is co-ed, although there are more females because, well, it’s library school.
I had lunch with Jee Yeon, two other professors from the library science program, and the dean of the humanities program (LIS falls under humanities at Yonsei). I appreciated the change to get to know Professor Park, who will be co-teaching the summer 2009 course with Claudia Morner. He will accomany me to some of the libraries I will be visiting this week.
After lunch, Professor Park and I went to take a look at the dormitory Simmons students will stay in next summer. It is quite satisfactory, with a computer room, tv lounge, quiet study room, cafeteria, and laundry facilities. I didn’t get to look into a dorm room, though, because they are all occupied at the moment.
I spent some time walking around campus in the late afternoon. It really is quite a large campus, and very hilly. Students should expect a good bit of walking while they’re here. It is also a beautiful campus, with many quads and lots of green space. I think it will be especially beautiful in the summer.
Yonsei administrative building
Yonsei University Main Gate
From my campus walk, I passed through the main gate for a stroll around the city. I found the goldfish treats that a friend of mine told me to look out for. They’re made in a type of waffle iron and filled with a sweet bean paste. So delicious! Serving size was three (more than I could eat, so I have one more for breakfast) for 1000 won, which is less than $1US.
Activities for today (Tuesday): tour of Yonsei University library, visit with GSLIS alum Hae-young Rieh, who teaches library science at a different university.
Meaghan O’Connor, GSLIS Fellow for Dean’s Initiatives, is spending a week in Seoul to prepare for the 2009 GSLIS travel course to Yonsei University.