Geomancy: The Power of Place

The main focus of this lesson centers on how humans shape and are shaped by the places chosen to develop communities. In Korean culture geomancy plays a major role in shaping communities. Based on a system of beliefs similar to Chinese feng shui, Korea’s pungsu-jiri focuses on creating harmony with nature and is the basis of the formation of what we know today as Seoul. Similarly, throughout the United States and other areas of the world, humans interact with place in a way that illustrates each societies ideals and priorities. In these lessons, the students will examine the similarities and differences between Seoul and Washington, D.C. as they come to understand how physical and human characteristics of places are connected to human identities and cultures.