Lesson Plan Library

In this lesson, students will have the opportunity to evaluate primary and secondary sources related to the Japanese occupation of the Korean peninsula. Students will read a document giving background and context to the Japanese occupation of the Korean peninsula. This will allow students to draw connections between this sphere of influence and others throughout the world that Europeans had created. Students can compare and contrast Japanese occupation to that of European in Africa, for example. The activity breaks the occupation into 6 categories of Korean society and how each was influenced or impacted by the Japanese during occupation. Students will have the opportunity to evaluate patterns that might have emerged within these 6 categories, and can determine if certain areas of Korean society were impacted more than others. Students will get first hand accounts of the occupation and what life was like for Koreans during the time period.

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Through analyzing aspects of the Hallyu in American society today, a conversation will be prompted regarding the Korean diaspora in the USA. There will be correlation to broader AP World History themes of migration, push and pull factors, and related contexts of the 19th and 20th centuries (Japanese imperialism, World War 1 and World War 2, Korean War, etc).

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Students will critically analyze Suhi Choi’s article to understand how historical narratives are shaped and the consequences of silencing survivors’ stories. They will discuss the significance of historical memory and how it influences public perception.

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The early Chosun (Joseon) Dynasty established themselves 1392 and lasted until 1912. Within the context of East Asia, the Korean peninsula had established itself as a tributary state as far back as the 4th century CE. This relationship had far reaching effects on Korean society and its internal power structure.

This lesson has two components plus some extensions.
1) Students will learn about the Tributary relationship between China and Korea and how the elites (yangban) maintained power through their adoption of Neo-Confucianism. Students will analyze primary sources to practice those skills and will use secondary sources to find evidence demonstrating the importance of Neo-Confucianism in the Joseon court.

2) Day 2 explores the role of language as a tool of maintaining power. Students will explore King Sejong’s creation of Hunminjeongeum (later called Hangul) as a way of educating the people and will also explore the role of the elites in suppressing the expansion of Hangul. The day includes students creating arguments for either the expansion or suppression of Hangul as well as counter-arguments to help practice the skill of using evidence to analyze.

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The lesson begins with a brief reflection on recent newspaper headlines debating the ownership and location of historical artifacts that were taken from their home of origin to Western Europe during the Age of Imperialism. Students will then explore the significance of the Jikji book in world history. Next students will analyze the circumstances under which the Jikji book was relocated to France using scans of the Jikji cover, a timeline of events, and a secondary source on Franco–Korean relations in the mid to late 19th century. At the conclusion of the lesson students will use their analysis of the historical context to determine whether they think that the Jikji book should be repatriated back to Korea.

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