Showing posts with label ewha. Show all posts

Book Review: Pathfinder in Korean II - Low Intermediate

No comments , , Wednesday, February 3, 2010


Title: Pathfinder in Korean II - Low Intermediate
Author: Ewha Language Center
Paperback: 480 pages
Publisher: Ewha Womans University Press (January 1, 1999)
ISBN-13: 978-8973004607 

If you want to study Korean by yourself, this isn't the book to buy. However, you you're studying Korean at Ewha Women's University, you don't have much choice. Thankfully, this book is leaps and bounds better than the one that it followed (Level I).

Like the other textbooks in the series, It's written in 99% Korean so get ready to freak out if you're a true beginner. However, unlike the previous book, the illustrations and layout has changed slightly; thankfully all for the better. The cartoons look more sharp and the textbook now includes a common sayings section that focuses on three new expressions surrounding one common word. For example, three new phrases revolving around the Korean word for 'foot'.

Ultimately, the textbook is a reference book to be used with slides, board work and other worksheets to be passed out in class. The authors have carefully written just enough in the book to be useful in class but not enough to be useful out of class. The accompanying translation reference book fills in some of the gaps, but make no mistake - you have to go to class to get the full treatment.

Another new addition, albeit kind of inappropriate for lower intermediate learners, is the writing section. Of course I think writing is important, but the writing samples are much too difficult for the level stated. Perhaps after a rewrite (read: watering down) the writing section could be more useful.

Other than that, this book is much more useful and easy to follow than the previous but it still has a ways to go. However, as of this writing (Feb 2010) I believe that the books are being revised so this might all be irrelevant.

http://elc.ewha.ac.kr/

Book Review: Pathfinder in Korean I - Beginning

No comments , ,

A post long time coming, today will be a four-part post covering four self-study books that I would like to talk about briefly. These resources were mentioned in the entry full of advice: Korean Self-Studying Advice.

The Ewha books (Pathfinder) aren't complete garbage but they get the job done. Use them in class and forget about them later. The real pearls I want to share are the KLEAR books used at the University of Hawaii. Those are self-study gems. What I didn't mention in the review was the free online audio files available for those who want them.

Readers of my other blog will notice a familiar book review layout. Enjoy!

Title: Pathfinder in Korean I - Beginning
Author: Ewha Language Center
Paperback: 360 pages
Publisher: Ewha Womans University Press (January 1, 1999)
ISBN-13: 978-8973004560 


If you want to study Korean by yourself, this isn't the book to buy. However, you you're studying Korean at Ewha Women's University, you don't have much choice. But, that doesn't mean that this book is no good. It just won't blow you out the water.

However, if you only have three weeks in the summer to fit in a formal (albeit intensive) Korean language course, then this book along with the class at Ewha is not bad at all. It's written in 99% Korean so get ready to freak out if you're a true beginner. The class is intense but the book follows the coursework logically. The textbook has cute little cartoon drawings to help you understand what in the world your teacher is talking about while the workbook is challenging but not overwhelming.

Ultimately, the textbook is a reference book to be used with slides, board work and other worksheets to be passed out in class. The authors have carefully written just enough in the book to be useful in class but not enough to be useful out of class.

I had a great experience doing the short-term summer class back in 2008 and felt that the textbooks got the job done. My biggest gripe is that the book is written in the most formal polite language possible. You will be sound like you're talking to the president of Korea but what's more important is that you'll be actually talking. Also, the cultural propaganda is pretty high but it's easy to see through all of it with a well-trained eye.

If you have been studying by yourself for a while and find that your speaking skills are not exactly up to par, the course with the book set will help for sure. The book isn't perfect but it's cheap (less than 35 bucks for the whole set - four books) available to purchase at Ewha's language center (where you take the language class).

However, as of this writing (Feb 2010) I believe that the books are being revised so this might all be irrelevant.

http://elc.ewha.ac.kr/

Learning Korean at Ewha Women's University

21 Comments , , Friday, December 11, 2009

originally posted elsewhere

My thoughts on the Korean Language program at Ewha Women's University.

Someone emailed me yesterday and asked me my thoughts on Ewha. What a great time to write about it seeing as how class just started again.

I've written about Ewha before and I would recommend reading those posts first. Also, I recently participated in a podcast recording over at LanguageCast that deals with my experiences at Ewha. I highly recommend listening to this mp3 if you're wondering what it's like to be a guy at a women's university. UPDATE: link up and running ^^

But like other people on the internet looking for a good 오학당, I was disappointed to only find info on Yonsei (연세) and Sogang (서강). Surely there must be others? Like you, I was disappointed about the lack of info on Ewha. I could only find reviews of Sogang and Yonsei.

While I can't speak directly about those university programs but I have friends who went to both programs and said "it was good, but..." as in good for speaking but not for writing and vice versa. When prompted to speak about Ewha, I have only good things to say.

In my opinion, Ewha is well-balanced. The program focuses on all four parts of language: speaking, listening, reading, writing. The textbooks is in all Korean with a lot of supplemental material in class. This means that 100% self-study is not possible through the textbook itself - you must attend class to get the point. The facilities are clean and accommodating. The textbooks are cheap (under 50 USD for textbook, workbook, and study guide) and are clearly laid out. The homework is mostly relevant. The daily work is very helpful. The in-class speaking activities are especially helpful. I have no real complaints about the program. It's very comprehensive and is of the highest quality in my opinion. Studying diligently on your own and taking the classes seriously has a strong possibility to produce some seriously fluent speakers.

Of course the classes are available to both men and women as the language center is separate from the actual university. The teachers are well-trained and clearly take their job seriously. Don't expect just some native speaker - these are qualified instructors who value your interest in learning Korean.

Since the classes are small, having no more than ten students at a time in my experience, the teachers are able to address each student individually. This small class atmosphere also helps to build good relationships with your fellow students, whom I ended up hanging out with plenty after class. Learning to only use Korean with fellow students (who may or may not speak English) was a great way to keep me on my toes.

Now for the good part - have I learned anything? As of this writing, I have been studying Korean for two and a half years (coming from no prior knowledge of Korean) and I'm able to speak conversational Korean. My accent isn't the best, my grammar isn't always perfect, and my vocabulary is limited. However, it's a process and I've seen huge levels of progress since last year.

So am I perfect? No way. But I have noticed crazy amounts of improvement from the classes. I highly recommend anyone in Seoul to take classes at this language school versus a 학원 or some other language school.

If anyone reading this blog has taken classes at Ewha also, please post your thoughts, too ^^

Which brings me to the present.

I'm in level three (3) now. How did I go from level one to level three without going through level two? Not sure but I like my class. I'm understanding at least 70% of all that my teacher is talking about at all times which is amazing for me. I like my classmates and it looks like this semester will be a productive one. Now, if I can just pay my tuition on time...


UPDATE: Night classes are tough but very productive. I highly recommend taking a class or two. Worth every penny.

« Older Entries