earticle

영어

This paper introduces the current status and future prospects of the Korean language and culture program at the embassy of the Republic of Korea in the U.S.(KORUS). Furthermore, this study is the first of its kind to address this topic. Since 1995, KORUS has offered Korean language classes to the public as a means of publicizing the Korean culture in the United States. Classes offered at KORUS consist of three levels: beginning, intermediate, and advanced. In this study, those classes are explained by the system and curriculum, and then are analyzed in terms of the needs of students who participate in the program. The fact that these classes are now expanding is very encouraging. However, as an attempt to contribute to further improvements of the Korean language and culture program at KORUS, I would like to suggest some future enhancements to the program at KORUS by carefully performing students' need analysis. The need analysis is conducted in three ways: questionnaires, class evaluations, and interviews. The questionnaire is composed of 10 questions inquiring students' background, class goals, needs for classes, and the like. The class evaluation, conducted by KORUS, reveals students' assessments for the future improvements of the program. Last, but not least, the interview, conducted one-on-one, directly examines students' personal needs as well as their opinions about the program. The results of these three elements are carefully analyzed and discussed with an eye towards helping KORUS improve its Korean language and culture program. This analysis could be helpful in developing non-regular programs in U.S.A..