East Rock Institute

Save the Date!
The Great Give on May 6 & 7, 2026
https://www.thegreatgive.org/organiza.../east-rock-institute

“Dr. Hesung Koh builds communities wherever she goes. The East Rock Institute is working to sustain her global legacy around the world with the Yale Beinecke Library and the Whitney Center Community. This summer students across generations from Korea, Yale and Connecticut will come to work with Dr. Koh and the archives of the East Rock Community to expand the breadth and depth of her global legacy. We ask you to join our efforts by donating to the East Rock Institute in the Great Give of the Community Foundation of New Haven on May 6 and 7th. We also thank you for your support in the past!”

Bob Osborne, East Rock Institute Board President

For more information, please visit our website: https://www.eastrockinstitute.com/

Art Exhibit at Whitney Center "Aging - Global Legacy"

In April, the Yale Beinecke Library confirmed that it will be hosting The Dr. Hesung Chun Koh Family Papers & ERI Records in its collection. The Korean diaspora of America continues to grow, achieve and evolve, creating a deep and meaningful history. ERI is committed to helping preserve and deepen understanding of this history to current and future audiences. We are tremendously honored for the privilege of Yale providing a permanent home for primary resources that capture Korean American history.

Please consider giving to ERI during our spring annual fundraiser to ensure that we are able to complete this project, as well as the education programs we have upcoming this year: https://www.thegreatgive.org/organizations/east-rock-institute

With thanks,
The ERI Team

STARTALK Korean Culture and Language Immersion Through Gaming and Storytelling Program

This program in Korean uses the themes of storytelling and gaming to engage students in a highly motivated learning experience. The program will allow students to explore their own interests and self-understandings within a framework of cultural comparison and deepening cross-cultural competence while completing a series of exciting creative projects. Except for registration fees, the entire program is free.

The program will be divided into three modules, each of which is built around the storytelling and gaming themes that connects one to the others. Students must commit to doing all three modules, including a summer residential program on Storrs campus from July 24 to August 6, 2022 to be considered for the program. For qualified students, the entire sequence can count as the equivalent of 3 college credits.

The first module, which is virtual, will take place on Saturdays during UConn’s Spring 2022 semester (1 hour synchronous contact, plus 1-2 hours of individual project work). It is about identity in culture, and community and includes a unit on perceptions and styles of gaming in Korean culture. The second module is a two-week residential summer program during which students will live and learn on UConn’s Storrs campus. During the summer module, students will create a game design template, develop their own story-worlds, avatars, and game rule seven as they explore the styles and roles of gaming and storytelling in Korean culture. The last module, which will take place during UConn’s Fall 2022 semester, is again a virtual module that meets on Saturdays. Students will be introduced to the techniques of digital storytelling as they create their own documentary, podcast series, extension of the gaming project, or works of short fiction (1 hour synchronous contact, plus 1-2 hours of individual project work).

The goal of the program is to enable students at a low-intermediate level to progress to intermediate-high or higher in a single year. It is perfect for anyone taking intermediate Korean, who is a heritage speaker with basic reading and writing skills, or someone who speaks Korean and has attended Korean Saturday School. The program will focus especially on areas that students typically struggle to master. It will also concentrate on the different needs of heritage speakers and those learning the language for the first time through individual coaching and small-group enrichment, especially during the summer portion of the program. By the end of this program students should consolidate a very solid base as they transition to more advanced content-oriented classes in literature, culture, and media (typically the equivalent of minor- and major-level courses) or other advanced language acquisition opportunities including study abroad.

Note: Except for a small registration fee, the program is free of charge (including the summer residential program at UConn), but all students must commit to completing all three modules in order to be considered.

The application portal will be open by November 5th at the following address: https://startalk.languages.uconn.edu Program dates:

• Module One: January 22, 2022 - April 23, 2022 - One hour virtual class that will take place every Saturday from January – April
• Module Two: July 24, 2022 - August 6, 2022 - Pre-College Summer, a residential program on UConn’s Storrs campus (the weekend of July 30 is included)
• Module Three: September 2022 - December 2022 - One hour virtual class that will take place every Saturday from September - December