Dist. 214 teachers to attend summer conference in South Korea

Erik Hodges and Jeanne Shin-Cooper, teachers at Prospect and Buffalo Grove high schools, respectively, this month will participate in a geography education conference and field study in South Korea.

The geography activities on the Korean Peninsula will enable Hodges and Shin-Cooper to gain direct experience with the Korean people and their culture. Both will attend an one-day conference in Seoul, the capital of South Korea, which focuses on the geopolitics of the Korean Peninsula and the territorial and geographical naming issues that have persisted since the end of World War II.

The field study will include observations at the Joint Security Area of the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea, visits to agricultural and industrial sites, the study of Seoul as one of the world's largest cities, and the historical and cultural heritage sites representing the Korean Peninsula's 3000-year history.

The Delegation to South Korea is made up of 14 teachers from the U.S. Each of the delegates teaches the College Board High School Course Advanced Placement Human Geography, which transfers as college credit to many colleges and universities.

The Northeast Asian History Foundation sponsors the all-expense paid opportunity for teachers to engage in international field study, collaboration with South Korean teachers, and to share their academic expertise in human geography.