Compared to China and Japan, access to educational opportunities about the two Koreas are noticeably limited in the United States. There has historically been no curriculum about Korea in primary or secondary schools outside of some coverage of the Korean War, and only in recent years have a few aspects about contemporary Korea been added to the Advanced Placement World History secondary school curriculum. Thus, college is generally the first opportunity for most American students to learn about North or South Korea in any kind of meaningful way and even then, most East Asia Studies programs in U.S. universities are heavily skewed towards China and Japan, with a disproportionately low number of classes on Korea (North or South). But as the Korean Peninsula’s profile has grown on the global stage, so too has demand among American students for Korea-related courses and programs. As institutions scramble to meet this increasing demand, the question always arises of how to fund such courses in a sustainable way.
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