• Korea, 1600-1800 A.D. [Timeline of Art History, The Metropolitan Museum of Art]
"The Manchu invasions of the Korean peninsula and the subsequent establishment of the Qing dynasty in China during the first half of the seventeenth century shape the Chosŏn elite's view of its own culture. Scholars and officials increasingly take an interest in Korea's history, geography, agriculture, literature, and art." With a period overview, list of key events, and eight related artworks.

• Korea, 1800-1900 A.D. [Timeline of Art History, The Metropolitan Museum of Art]
"The nineteenth century is a period of significant political, social, and cultural change as Korea lurches into the modern era and world order. Much political jostling occurs among the royal in-law families, creating drama but little stability or visionary leadership." With a period overview, list of key events, and ten related artworks.

• Korea, 1900 A.D.-present [Timeline of Art History, The Metropolitan Museum of Art]
"The first half of the twentieth century in Korean history is marked by two grave and painful experiences: the Japanese occupation between 1910 and 1945 and the Korean War of 1950–53. These events dominate the collective national psyche for generations." With a period overview and list of key events.

Lesson Plan • Unequal Treaties: The Treaty of Chemulpo (1883) [PDF] [Korea Society]
For grades 9-12. Learning objectives: 1) Understand the political situation in both Korea and the U.S. that prompted the need for a treaty; 2) Identify the conflicting national interests of Korea, China, Japan and Russia; 3) Analyze the events leading up to and following the first treaty between Korea and the U.S.; 4) Define the term "unequal treaty."

• Korea at the Crossroads of Civilizations: Confucianism, Westernization, and the 1894 Kabo Reforms [Reacting to the Past]
This class role-play situates students in the great debates over reform that swept East Asia following the irruption of Western imperialism in the second half of the nineteenth century. The game is set in the Deliberative Council, a body established by the Korean court in the midst of the Sino-Japanese War to discuss and implement measures to restructure government, economy, society, and education. Members of the Deliberative Council represented a wide range of opinions.

Primary Sources w/DBQs • "The Old People and the New Government," by Komatsu Midori [PDF] [Asia for Educators]
In order to understand Japanese colonial rule in Korea, and the reactions of Koreans, it is useful to see the ways in which Japanese officials sought to justify the takeover to Koreans, to themselves, and to the rest of the world. The article excerpted here is a transcript of a talk given by an official of the Japanese foreign ministry, Komatsu Midori, to resident foreign members (mostly British and American) of Seoul’s Royal Asiatic Society shortly after annexation. Both history and civilization are called into service.

Primary Sources w/DBQs • Declaration of Independence (March 1, 1919) [PDF] [Asia for Educators]

Lesson Plan • Famous Koreans: Six Portraits: Yu Kwan-Sun (1904-1920) [PDF] [Education About Asia, Association for Asian Studies]
Lesson plan designed "to provide an opportunity for students to learn about famous Koreans through readings and/or dramatizations." Brief overviews of the lives of six nodiv figures in Korea's history, including Yu Kwan-Sun (1904-1920), a student organizer in the March First Independence Movement. Each overview is imagined as a first-person narrative written by the historical figure.

Chŏng Yagyong, 1762-1836
Primary Source w/DBQs • Excerpts from the Yŏyudang chŏnsŏ: Chŏng Yagyong on the Roots of Royal Authority [Asia for Educators]

Yi Hangno, 1792-1868
Primary Source w/DBQs • Excerpts from the Hwasŏ sŏnsaeng mujip: Yi Hangno on "Sinifying the Western Barbarians" [Asia for Educators]

Ch'oe Cheu, 1824-1864, and the Tonghak Uprising (1894-1895)
Primary Source w/DBQs • The Tonghak Religion and Uprising: Ch'oe Cheu on Learning Truth and Twelve Reforms Proclaimed by the Tonghak Overseer's Office [PDF] [Asia for Educators]

The Independent (Tongnip sinmun), 1896-1899
Primary Source w/DBQs • Editorial on "Nation and Civilization": A Periodical for the Korean People [Asia for Educators]
Primary Source w/DBQs • Editorial on "Nation and Civilization": Seoul's Water Supply [Asia for Educators]

• Kabo Reforms in Korea, 1894: Korea at the Crossroads of Civilizations: Confucianism, Westernization, and the Kabo Reforms [Reacting Consortium]
Korea at the Crossroads situates students in the great debates over reform that swept East Asia following the irruption of Western imperialism in the second half of the nineteenth century. The game is set in the Deliberative Council, a body established by the Korean court in the midst of the Sino-Japanese War to discuss and implement measures to restructure government, economy, society, and education. Members of the Deliberative Council represented a wide range of opinions. Those pushing for radical reforms included men who had studied in Japan under Fukuzawa Yukichi and men who had studied at schools in the United States. There was also a significant conservative Confucian group of the Eastern Way, Western Machines persuasion who, following the example of Qing China, sought to strengthen the traditional order by selectively adopting Western technology. The Council was presided over by the erstwhile isolationist, the Taewŏn'gun, who was also the father of King Kojong. The Council's deliberations took place amid palace intrigue and foreign pressures. Students will have to consult a wide range of writings from Korea, including Yu Kilchun's Observations from a Journey to the West, as well as key documents by Japanese and Chinese thinkers, in constructing their arguments for and against reform.

Ch'oe Cheu, 1824-1864, and the Tonghak Uprising (1894-1895)
Primary Source w/DBQs • The Tonghak Religion and Uprising: Ch'oe Cheu on Learning Truth and Twelve Reforms Proclaimed by the Tonghak Overseer's Office [PDF] [Asia for Educators]

Lesson Plan • Famous Koreans: Six Portraits: Yu Kwan-Sun (1904-1920) [PDF] [Education About Asia, Association for Asian Studies]
Lesson plan designed "to provide an opportunity for students to learn about famous Koreans through readings and/or dramatizations." Brief overviews of the lives of six nodiv figures in Korea's history, including Yu Kwan-Sun (1904-1920), a student organizer in the March First Independence Movement. Each overview is imagined as a first-person narrative written by the historical figure.