EWIS Course Finished!

I started this EWIS course with sixteen students but lost six within a week - four of them after two days. They wanted a faster pace, apparently. After two weeks of the course, another four no longer came, though I later learned that they remained enrolled, which usually bespeakes an intention to attend.

My class attracts mostly graduate students, who often find that their graduate duties - for example, caring for white rats or doing somesuch similar labwork - dominate their time and bring them to attend only sporadically.

Anyhow, I had six who attended regularly, though two of them couldn't make our last day Tuesday, so I needed treat only four to coffee, as the photo below indicates (the hidden photographer being a Writing Clinic TA):

The four students - clockwise from upper left - are Set-Byul, Kamila, Bora, and Eun Young, and they're flashing the typical peace through victory sign so beloved here in Korea . . . though Bora appears to be enforcing the victory with pistols.

In the second picture, we are shown standing our ground, guarding the peace won through hard victory(,  which Eun Young continues to signal), and you can probably figure our identities out by now:

Same goes for the third photograph below:

Except that Eun Young no longer shows the sign so beloved by Koreans . . .

I suppose I should add a few words concerning a decision I've reached. This was the last time I'll teach EWIS. My style of teaching doesn't fit the expectations of about half of the class at the onset, so they withdraw. I've come to see that many Koreans really expect to be inundated with exercises from the first class on. They understand the "I" in EWIS - which stands for "Intensive" - to mean "Inundated," whereas I take the "I" to mean "In-depth." Mine is thus an English Writing 'In-Depth' Seminar. I might (and often do) therefore have a student write and rewrite a thesis statement several times. Or a paragraph. About half the students appreciate this approach. The work isn't fast-paced, but it's effective . . . for those who remain. Anyway, I've come to realize that I'll never retain an entire class with my 'slow-down-and-think' method, so I made the decision to stop teaching EWIS.

Farewell, EWIS, you've been a learning experience for me.

Message in a Bottle

Nice Email
A Lifesaver

I was worried about my EWIS course after a few students dropped, but this e-note is encouraging:

I am so glad that I . . . [am taking Professor Hodges'] class. When I talk to him, I get to know what I want to write about. He has insights that take me beyond what I previously had in mind. I have always struggled with coming up with thesis statement because I thought I have to read all related articles before knowing what I want to write about. But in fact, I figured out today that I already know what I was interested in. Also, comments he makes in class are changing my perception that writing is difficult. Simple sayings - like, "There is always something to write about" [or] "Don't despair if you find an article dealing with issues you wanted to discuss" - give me confidence that I can do this! . . . I am glad that I took EWIS and look forward to end product of this course!

I now just have to reach some other students . . .

For literary advice . . .

Proud Student
Google Images

A young writer I've sometimes advised on writing fiction sent me an email yesterday:

I just completed the Iowa Young Writers' Studio yesterday . . . The past two weeks have been a really enlightening experience. I was at first intimidated by the other students in my workshop group, . . . and most spoke very intelligently. As the workshop progressed, I was able to make many close friends and received a lot of good comments and helpful critiques on my stories. Those in my workshop group found my stories about different aspects of Korean society quite intriguing, and seemed eager to read more of them . . . . [T]he Kenyon Young Writers Workshop that starts tomorrow afternoon. Thank you so much again for helping me with my applications.

Yeah, I give practical advice, too. All  I need do is reflect on my own past decisions and advise that you do the opposite.

Chance Encounter with Student

Victorious Student in Accidental Encounter

I finished my Monday class at 3:15 in the afternoon and hurried to the subway, where I -- to my great astonishment, for I walk fast -- saw a student from that same class board the same car of the same train as I had just boarded.

She was deep in conversation on her smartphone and didn't notice me, so I left her to her business until my transfer station was coming up, when I waved my hand before her face and got her attention. She looked up and appeared greatly surprised to see me.

A few moments later, she was standing beside me, and we both realized that we were transferring at the same station, Wangsimni. Even more surprising, we were to board the same next train, the one on the Jungang line!

To celebrate all these coincidences, my student took a selfie of the two of us, as you see above, now at Wangsimni Station, but just shortly before our train arrived, and we boarded it for the final stretch.

I soon got off at Mangu Station, leaving her on the Jungang line and homeward bound . . .

He's a stud-stud, stud-stud, stud-stud, study machine . . .

Kim Chung-woon
Photo by Chung Hee-cho
The Korea Herald

Korea Herald reporter Kim Hoo-ran interviews Kim Chung-woon on how "Studying is the key to owning your life" (February 5, 2016):

Kim Chung-woon, formerly a psychology professor and who now calls himself a "creator," is perfectly at home in his basement office in Nonhyeon-dong, Seoul . . . . Kim's office is a veritable man cave: . . . Walls lined with massive bookshelves holding volumes and volumes of books; a long desk from Japan that is crafted out of a very old tree trunk; a little nook with an easel and painting paraphernalia; a complex high-end sound system and a couch positioned just so you can appreciate the full impact of whatever may be blasting out of monstrous speakers . . . . "Well, this is a best-selling author's place," Kim says nonchalantly . . . . when I remark that visitors must envy this space. His latest book . . . has been top of the best-seller's list at a major online book store for three consecutive weeks. Several of his previous books have also been bestsellers.

One might then expect Kim to respond that writing is his most enjoyable activity, but:

For Kim, studying is the most fun thing. "Studying involves defining something that you like, giving it depth, clarity," he explains. Perhaps it is only natural that an academic scholar would cite studying as fun. "From my experience, intellectual achievement is the most fun thing. There is an ecstasy in learning something you didn't know before," he says.

Well, that's fine for him, but I'd rank studying second among "fun" things to do. My first is writing, but I can add that only when I'm writing do I really learn.

Hence this blog.

Another Student's Gratitude . . .

Professor Hodges Reads from Novella

English Lounge Literary Event

Photo by Chung Yun-jo

Some time back toward the onset of this semester, a DIS student came to see me in the English Lounge to give me a gift along with a note of thanks:

I would like to express my sincere gratitude for everything you have done for me over the last semester.

First of all, thank you for being such a wonderful professor in World History class. At the beginning of the semester, I was really worried about writing the research paper and I (and my teammates) struggled while writing it. But we could successfully finish the paper as you kindly gave advice every time I visited you in you office hours and even on the days when you did not have office hours.

Also, thank you so much for taking your time to look at some of the papers that I wrote for College English class. I would not have been able to correct or even notice all the grammar mistakes I had made without your help. (And I would have received a terrible score.)

Finally, thank you for sharing your poems, book, and your personal stories. To be honest, I did not expect to have this close interaction with professors in university.

I am so glad to have taken your class and to be listed as one of your "unforgettable . . . . and intelligent students."

Thank you once again.

The poems this student refers to are a couple that I recited in my class on World History, in which I also mentioned my book The Bottomless Bottle of Beer - and I think I told in class of how I met my wife on a train in Germany . . . so this student must have asked more questions about me and my interests when she came to my office hours in the EEC . . .

A Student Leaves a Nice Note

Student Note Maker
Google Images

A nice note recently arrived from a student whom I advised on writing:

I learned a lot from your great advice. I am very happy to meet a professor like you! I have not taken any writing course before but this semester I think I can learn very much about writing.

Just to continue being helpful, allow me to revise a bit:

I learned a lot from your great advice. I am very happy to meet a professor like you! I have not taken any writing course before, but I think I can learn very much about writing this semester.

Glad to be of help! Too many Korean students never come to office hours because they don't want to bother the professor. Those who do come often first ask permission. As if that were required!

Don't worry about bother or permission. Come see me for help . . .

Another Teacher Appreciation Day Card from a Student

Floral Thank You Card
Dolce Press

Another student has given me a Teacher's Day card, similar to the one above, and she wrote:

To Professor H. J. Hodges

Happy Teacher's Appreciation Day!

It is a joy to be in your class this semester. I am learning a lot on various topics and developing my writing skills as well. Thank you for making the class enjoyable, especially through discussions.

P.S. Hope you'll enjoy the chocolate.

[Student's Name Redacted]

I did indeed enjoy the chocolate. So did my wife. Maybe I should treat this class to coffee . . .

Teacher's Day Card!

Teacher's Day
Hoover Web Design

One of my students gave me a card for Teacher's Day - though not the card above (offered in lieu of mine, not found online) - and wrote:

Dear Professor Hodges,

Happy Teacher's Day!

It has been more than a year since I first met you in Academic English class. Time indeed flies. I can't believe that I'm a senior now . . . . Anyway! It is usually a carnation flower, not a clover [and the original card, as already noted, is not the one above, so no clover], but I wanted to thank you and wish you good luck, so I picked this [clover] card. But I put a flower here so you wouldn't feel bad about not having a flower.

Thank you for a good discussion class that gives us opportunities to actively think and discuss. I also wanted to thank you for kindly helping me whenever I went to ask for your help on Wednesdays - it always took longer than I expected, so I felt sorry but grateful at the same time.

I hope I have no grammatical errors here, but even if I do, I hope you don't mind. I also hope you have a great day today - and Happy Teacher's Day.

Sincerely,

[Student name redacted]

I always appreciate such cards since I'm not a recipient of dozens of such, and I like pretend that other students were also involved in selecting the cards that I do receive . . .

Thanks, student!

Night Out With Former Students: Craftworks Taphouse

Craftworks Taphouse

At the Taphouse yesterday evening, I spent over four hours talking with two former students of mine from the time when I taught a few courses at Yonsei's Underwood College. They enjoyed my approach to classtime activities - discussion based rather than lecture debased - and insisted that I was one of the few professors who used that approach,

Here they are, with me in the middle:

Hazhir Afzali and Raymond Rohne

These two were special students - inquisitive and curious - and they worked hard to do well, which they did do, too. Moreover, I've lately learned that both intend to pursue doctorates - Hazhir in business, Raymond in art. We didn't really talk so much about those plans, but I hope they accomplish what they set out to do.

They want to treat me do dinner next time, which is generous of them - if I can only find time before the semester begins  . . .

Ewha Writing Intensive Seminar (EWIS) - One Student's Feedback

Brain Science
"To get ahead, you gotta have connections!"

Here is some feedback from one of my EWIS students - a wonderful student who worked very hard improving her brain science article:

I am sure your class is the best English class that I've ever taken. While making [my] portfolio [now], I am feeling a sense of satisfaction for the article. There are so many corrections. Even though it differs . . . [from] your field, I am impressed [by] your interest in my article. Through the . . . [corrections,] I le[a]rned a lot . . . . I think writing a good article is the hardest thing in the world. I didn't even know that great writing skill . . . in English is the most important qualification to be a good scientist . . . . I realized that in order to write a good article it is important to read a lot, think a lot and write a lot. I've been learning a lot from you . . . . I already miss our EWIS class [now that it's over]. I feel like . . . I should write a new paragraph and attend the class tomorrow morning! . . . Thank [you] for [the] EWIS class.

Other students also wrote kind emails to me, but this student said the nicest things. I call her a "student," but she finished her doctorate in biology last year, so I suppose she's really more of a colleague.

Student Appreciation . . .

Good Student
Google Images

I received the following "Thanks" from a student:

I'm an Ewha Womans University student . . . who have taken your Advanced English . . . class.

Thanks to your class, my writing and speaking skill highly improved. Now I can say and wright more fluently. Thank you for teaching me during this semester.

Merry christmas and happy new year!

A nice email to receive! You can see, however, that I still have much to do in educating my students! See my corrections to the above here below:

I'm an Ewha Womans University student . . . who has taken your Advanced English . . . class.

Thanks to your class, my writing and speaking skills have highly improved. Now, I can speak and write more fluently. Thank you for teaching me during this semester.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

As you see, there remains much to be accomplished, but receiving thanks is always pleasant.

Sometimes, one finds out years later . . .

Terrance Lindall
I wish this were in color!
1979 Warren Awards for Creepy and Eerie

My artist friend Terrance Lindall sent the above image in an email and remarked:

This was in Creepy #119. Never knew I got this award from Warren Communications until now!

In the book Ghastly Terror: The Horrible Story of the Horror Comics, Stephen Sennitt credits Lindall with the attempt to save the line of Warren horror magazines from extinction through his new style of cover art.

But, Terrance adds:

They went under anyway!

Such such is life. But the following anecdote from me to Terrance helps make up for all that:

I had a pleasant surprise the other day. In my position here at Ewha Womans University, one of my duties is to advise students in Professional English and assist them in finishing their senior thesis, usually 20 pages plus bibliography.

The student this year had written a shorter paper in another class and wanted to rewrite it into 20 pages. I saw that her argument was worthless and told her so. I had her explain the drama that she wanted to analyze, and I found a sentence that had a deeper theological meaning and told her that this was a key for unlocking the text's meaning.

She finished the paper in time, and I gave her a pass.

She was happy and wanted to give me a gift. I told her she could just purchase a copy of my novella on Amazon - and then buy me a coffee. Over coffee, she told me that she had visited the Amazon site but didn't know how to use it. She also hadn't understood the "Look inside the book" feature, so she hadn't seen the story's beginning.

But she did see the cover image, and asked me, "How did you get Terrance Lindall as illustrator?"

"You know this name?" I asked in surprise.

She said yes and explained that she spent two years in the States when she was 11 and 12, and to entertain herself, she read a lot of comics and remembered your name from some of what she came across in her reading.

I was much impressed. Terrance, consider yourself famous!

He replied:

That's terrific. A Christmas present to hear it!

All's well that ends well!

Former Student's Card: Congratulations

Gracebell Cards

A former student of mine named Agnes Loh came to my Tuesday evening reading and handed me a card of congratulations before my 'performance.' Agnes hails from Singapore and speaks very good English, as you can infer from her Facebook page and from what she wrote in her card:

Dear Professor Hodges,

Congratulations on your recently published novella, The Bottomless Bottle of Beer! Being a huge fan of you, I'm so excited and thrilled for you upon knowing about your new book. May your book top the charts of Amazon and New York Times' bestseller! Who knows, our "Professor Dumbledore" may be the next famous author of our contemporary time! Looking forward to your literary reading at the English Lounge later around 5:00 p.m. See you there!

Yours Sincerely,

Agnes Loh

Agnes calls me "Professor Dumbledore" because of my half-lens glasses, partly, but because I am old, mostly.

I can only hope her wish comes true about my novella hitting the bestseller lists . . .

The Heffalump Strikes Again!

Elephant Smack!

One of my former students sent me this photo of her altercation with an Asian Elephant, and she wrote:

I'll send you an amusing picture of me in Phuket which was taken during my family trip this summer!

Hope this picture makes you laugh. ;)

Seeing nothing funny in this attack by a wild elephant, I responded:

Did that elephant really punch you in the mouth?

Jae Youn replied:

Wow! I thought of it as more of a kiss . . .

But that's an interesting interpretation ;)

You are always funny!! ha-ha :D

But that's obviously no kiss! It's a hard smack on the lips! There could be blood-uh! Not funny!

Hyewon Ryu: "The Metropolitan Body in the Rise of the Early English Novel"

Intelligence
Google Images

A few years back, though not many, Professor Julie Choi here at Ewha Womans University asked if I could assist with one of her doctoral students in English literature, an especially gifted student, Ms. Hyewon Ryu (류혜원), who was working on the emergence of the English novel, and since I'm interested in literature, I agreed to serve as proofreader and occasional adviser.

That was a good decision, for I enjoyed working with Ms. Ryu, mostly offering editorial suggestions, but occasionally referring her to a book, e.g., Martin Jay's Downcast Eyes for the line Jay draws between Christianity's stress on God's clear, corrective vision of the individual and modern regulation of the body through observation that has been internalized. Whatever I might have contributed through such suggestions -- and there was little improvement for me to suggest -- Ms. Ryu recently submitted her thesis, "The Metropolitan Body in the Rise of the Early English Novel," and found it approved, making her now "Dr. Ryu." Here's the first paragraph of her "Abstract":

This thesis examines the eighteenth-century English novel in terms of the metropolitan body, molded in and by the discursive space of London. Viewing the body as both specific and collective, somatic and discursive, this thesis traces the interrelation between the construction of the novel and the body, particularly with regard to the city of London. The analysis is based upon the assumption that many strata coordinate the construction of the body as a nexus of discursive, spatial, and somatic operations. The eighteenth-century novel not only reflects the physicality of the body but shapes it through the production and consumption of discourses about the body. How the disruptive corporeality of the metropolitan body and its discipline configure the topography of London in the new form of the novel is the main concern of this thesis. Extending the Foucauldian framework of changing technologies of discipline, and incorporating the critique of everyday lived experience to the literary domain of the novel, this thesis views the structure of the eighteenth-century novel as corporeally and topographically figured.

Abstracts are always abstract. Her main point is an extension of Foucault's analysis of the way in which Modernity disciplined the body by subjecting it to continual observation, but she also draws upon the insights of Norbert Elias on the civilizing process. Now that I think of it, I ought to have directed her to Marcel Mauss's 1934 essay, "Techniques of the Body," in which he observes, "We no longer know how to squat." Well, I cannot think of everything, and perhaps not of this point in particular because, like modern folk everywhere, I'm too preoccupied with standing tall. Actually, I tend to slouch, but my teenage son, who stands straight, is working on disciplining my body by subjecting me to continual observation -- a domestic variant of Foucault's panopticon -- and correcting my slouching lack of discipline through his endless observations! Speaking of discipline and its lack, I've gotten off-topic. I wanted to add that despite the abstractness of Dr. Ryu's "Abstract," the thesis is in fact very easy to read -- well written, well supported, well done! And in spite of my inadequacies as informal adviser, Dr. Ryu mentions me in the "Acknowledgements":

I also appreciate the time and effort Horace Jeffery Hodges has spent carefully reviewing my thesis.

Dr. Ryu didn't really need much of my help, but anyway, if others out there are interested in the rise of the English novel, this thesis is a good place to start. I suppose it'll be in Ewha's library.

Oh, that image above! Ned Ward's London Spy is one of the early texts Dr. Ryu analyzes . . .

Software to Grade Essays?

EdX
Photo by Gretchen Ertl

NYT

Here's an exciting, maybe alarming, development reported by John Markoff: "Essay-Grading Software Offers Professors a Break" (New York Times, April 4, 2013)

Imagine taking a college exam, and, instead of handing in a blue book and getting a grade from a professor a few weeks later, clicking the "send" button when you are done and receiving a grade back instantly, your essay scored by a software program.

And then, instead of being done with that exam, imagine that the system would immediately let you rewrite the test to try to improve your grade.

Maybe we won't have to imagine much longer, because . . .

EdX, the nonprofit enterprise founded by Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to offer courses on the Internet, has just introduced such a system and will make its automated software available free on the Web to any institution that wants to use it. The software uses artificial intelligence to grade student essays and short written answers, freeing professors for other tasks.

That sounds too good to be true, but I'll leave the article for interested readers to follow up on. Even if the EdX system can deliver, I doubt the software will be able to handle essays by Korean students for a good while. Of course, I've been known to be wrong.

If only there were a software program to check for that sort of wrongness . . .

Coffee with my EWIS Students . . .

EWIS Graduate Student Composition Class

Tuesday the 22nd was the final day of the course I've been teaching for the past five weeks in a writing program called the Ewha Writing-Intensive School (EWIS), so I treated my students to coffee at the Starbucks on level B4 of the Ewha Campus Complex (ECC), a convenient location since the course took place on level B1, and we therefore needed only to ride the elevator down and then walk across the enormous hallway to the other side of the ECC, thereby avoiding the wet, dismal, cold outdoors.

Perhaps you'd appreciate an introduction? Counterclockwise, starting at the near left, are Sulgi, Jeonghyun, Hyun-Kyung, EunBin, Mr. Grim Teacher, So Young, Shokhan, and Farah. Except for the last two, all the students were Korean. Shokhan and Farah were Iraqi: Kurd and Arab, respectively. Two other regular students were unable to attend class that day, nor could a fairly regular medical student. Too bad . . . though the upside is that my pocketbook suffered less damage.

If you're curious about what these students study, I'll tell you. Sulgi studies philosophy, focusing upon Nietzsche. Jeonghyun is interested in the social responsibility of corporations. Hyun-Kyung is struggling with the multiple voices in Morrison's novel Beloved. EunBin is looking at descent versus consent in The Merchant of Venice. So Young is working on the perfect aspect of English verbs. Shokhan is investigating the consolidation of democracy in Iraq. And Farah is defending universal human rights against cultural relativists, so as to ensure women's rights in Iraq.

If you click on the photo to enlarge, you'll see a large can of candy that we smuggled into the Starbucks. This was a special Iraqi candy made with nuts (pistachio and almond, if I recall) bound together by a sticky, chewy gum derived from the sap of the tamarisk tree (Tamarix gallica) and called "min al-sama" or "mann al-sama" -- and it tasted like manna from heaven . . . because it is. Literally. In the etymological sense, anyway. Maybe. Anyway, Farah contributed this delicacy, to our delight.

If you look closely and carefully, you might also see a few scattered doughnuts, courtesy of the EWIS organizer, Soo Kyung, but smuggled into the Starbucks by a volunteer student who shall remain unnamed to protect the guilty. We're fortunate not to have been caught, arrested, beaten, and incarcerated! But we weren't even reported for our contraband sweets, despite boldly devouring it all in plain view of the entire Starbucks staff. Maybe the staff was lenient because I bought so many drinks. Anyway, we stayed there by the window, drinking our coffee or tea and eating our snacks for a couple of hours, from about 10 to around 12, when I had to leave for an EWIS luncheon and business meeting organized by Soo Kyung.

Sorry, no photos of that second get-together, but it was just as much if not more fun, and very informative as we began to plan our still-distant-but-nevertheless-upcoming summer break EWIS courses . . .

New Year's Greeting from Student

ECC Building

Google Images

You see above the Ewha building where I work, namely, the ECC, an abbreviation for "Ewha Campus Complex" (I think). It reminds me of the parting of the Red Sea . . . not that I'm old enough to have experienced that! Anyway, I teach there, and this is where I encounter most of my students, some of whom even remember me with positive feelings, such as one who sent me this message yesterday:

I am . . . [a student] from your Research Writing Class in the year 2010. It's been [a] few years since I . . . [wrote] a painful and yet fruitful paper under your guidance. But the first long paper I have written since entering university became quite unforgettable. As a greeting for the New Year, I wanted to once again thank you for giving me the opportunity to learn from you. It was a wonderful experience and a new motivation for leading my academic path in the right direction. I will continue to work hard to build upon what you have given me. I hope everything goes well in 2013 and I wish you a happy new year!

I think I recall this student -- she supplied her name -- but I wanted to be sure, so I wrote:

Thank you for the New Year's greeting. I'm trying to recall your research paper . . . and (given my faulty memory) your face. I'm terrible with names, but I think that I know which student you are. Did you write on North Korean refugees in South Korea? Or something else? Do you have a photo to jog my memory. I almost always remember faces. Just last week, I was getting a coffee in Ewha's ECC Starbucks, and a student greeted me happily. I recalled her face, but not the course . . . till she reminded me.

Anyway, I'm grateful to hear that my teaching was of some use. I'm sure that most of the credit goes to you, and I wish you the best in this new year!

And I meant my words about the credit going to the student. All I can do is try to supply students with the proper academic equipment and help them find their way along the scholarly path best suited to them. The students are the ones who carry the burden and tread the path . . .

Card from a Former Student

A former student treated me to coffee last Thursday morning and gave me a card that she'd made for me as a Christmas present. I don't know how she made it, for it's actually two images, one on paper (above) and the other on a translucent cover (below). I speculate that she colored the paper first, then pressed the cover onto it. She's quite good, especially since she's been drawing and coloring for only about three years, usually illustrations for stories.

I still have a lot of grading to do, so this is all for today . . .