Exploring Multiliteracies in Korean Heritage Courses through K-drama

This project received the University of Pennsylvania School of Arts and Sciences (SAS) Language Teaching Innovation Grant (2021–2022)
This project was selected for the 2022 SAS Language Teaching Innovation Grant Best Project Prize.

Project Description

Designed for Korean heritage language learners (HLLs) courses, this project is organized into five modules per semester, with each module completed over a three-week cycle.

Grounded in Cope and Kalantzis’s (2015) multiliteracies pedagogy, each module integrates four learning processes—experiencing, conceptualizing, analyzing, and applying—to promote meaningful language learning.

Through these processes, students engage with authentic Korean media, develop a metalanguage for discussing language use, connect language learning to their own contexts, and participate in multimodal meaning-making. Each module engages students with authentic Korean media, online vocabulary and grammar activities, multimodal discussions, and a culminating presentation.

Example

Prior to class, students watch video clips from the Korean drama series Reply 1988, whose portrayal of intergenerational family life offers rich opportunities for Korean heritage language learners to reflect on family histories and engage in meaningful discussions.

2. After watching the video clip, students complete a vocabulary and grammar activity. If needed, they also take a short Canvas quiz to check their understanding of the video.

3. Then, a discussion question related to the video clip is posted on the discussion board, inviting students to share their experiences and perspectives. Students are encouraged to upload their responses in various formats, including memes, GIFs, and audio or video recordings.

4. In class, students share their responses and engage in discussion about the episode.

5. At the conclusion of each module, students complete a presentational project. Project themes are drawn from the series, such as the 1988 Seoul Olympics, college entrance exams, talent shows, and the lottery. Students create presentations, vlogs, or e-magazines to develop their skills as both producers and critical consumers of multimodal texts.

Going Beyond Just a Listening Assignment

This project received the University of Pennsylvania School of Arts and Sciences Language Teaching Innovation Grant (2018–2019).
This project was selected for the 2019 SAS Language Teaching Innovation Grant Best Project Prize.

Project Description

Designed for Intermediate Korean courses, this project features a series of online listening assignments grounded in a multiliteracies approach using contemporary video clips from Korean media.

Moving beyond textbook-based activities, the project integrates communicative, two-way listening tasks that engage students in multimodal meaning-making across audio, visual, and textual resources. Through interaction with authentic sociolinguistic contexts, students actively construct meaning while developing intercultural awareness and critical thinking skills.

Example

In the assignment, students begin by completing traditional listening tasks (e.g., fill-in-the-blanks) to practice the target grammar structures.

Communicative questions that engage students in expressing their opinions.

Communicative questions for practicing intimate speech styles in social interactions.

Communicative questions for practicing polite speech styles in formal interactions.

2. Students then engage with communicative questions that prompt them to construct their own turns in response to the video, thereby experiencing a variety of sociolinguistic contexts and speech styles. Their responses may take multiple forms, including spoken, written, or visual (e.g., drawings) modes.

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