Reflective Essay - Abby D.

        Throughout our stay in South Korea, almost every day we attended to at least three hours worth of kpop lectures. These classes taught content ranging from Joseon dynasty to how k-pop and korean advertising are connected. I gained a lot of understanding and knowledge on the history of Korea as a country and their society, and at the same time the Korean music and overall entertainment industry that from my point of view I may have never learned if I hadn't taken this class. Even though it may have consisted of traditional history lectures, there was balance between those lessons and the more modern based lessons and supported each other well.

         One particular lecture that had changed my worldview and understanding was the one surround the topic of masculinity and the mandatory military conscription. Generally, to me, the topic is really interesting and new to someone like me who lives in America and doesn't have a country with the same beliefs or values. Also being female I'm not able to relate to the male view on this topic so again it's something that was new and surprising. It changed how I think of masculinity and really made me think on different cultures definitions of masculinity where it's hard to learn that when you were stuck in one place your whole life. This expanded my thoughts on the issue and allowed me to think about how someone's perception of masculinity can be based on the stereotypes they believe in or what influences them.

            Concluding, I'm really grateful I got the chance to attend the classes and listen to the lectures on this trip because they covered really important topics that I would have never gotten exposure to in the states. Also because of the environment, being in Korea I learned and got taught in a different point of view than if i was to take the class in America so learning with different surrounding was really interesting and a huge impactful learning experience for me.