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<You can be a Good Reader, Writer and Speaker>
On October 12th, 2013, book camp was held for the first time at Dongguk University. This program, initially planned to help students improve their reading, writing and speaking skills, was run successfully thanks to the Central Library and the financial support of National Treasury. Everything was provided free for the students, from admission fee to lunch. Prior to the event, there was a sign publicizing about Book Camp in front of the Central Library and on the website as well. From 9 A.M. to 6 P.M., various programs were held, and the morning session was divided into three parts: Healing stretching lesson, orientation, and speech class. In the stretching lesson, students stood up from their seats and actually moved their bodies around. This stretching is proven to wake the tired body up and clear out the mind. During the orientation, the students were put into two groups and they selected a leader who will be in charge of guiding other team members. Throughout the speech class, a lecture on the basis of speech was given. Students were also asked to stand up and make a short speech about certain topics, such as “Why did you participated in the book camp?” and “What is your view on the study of humanities?” Also, students were given a lot of time to debate with each other, which is not commonly done in classroom. The instructors hired for the program gave excellent lectures related to their fields. The program was originally planned to accommodate 80 students but only 30 students enrolled. Regardless of the number, all students seemed to be actively participating from early in the morning. Students from diverse field of studies had heated debates and various opinions were exchanged.
Hong Ji-hyun, majoring in Journalism and Mass Communication, seemed to be satisfied with the overall content of the program. The reason she took part in this program was that she usually enjoys debating with others about certain topics. She expressed her thoughts in a clear and logical way during debates. When asked what is the secret being a good speaker, she said that reading books and newspaper without bias helps a lot to broaden her perspective and gives her the ability to think critically. She also added "the place matters to a great extent, and it can sometimes be the factor which determines the participation rate,” pointing out the mischoice of location. The book camp will be held once again in November, so students who are interested in the program will need to check the Central Library’s webpage more frequently. Also, even for those who are not confident in their debating skills, it is highly advised to take part in this program and it would certainly be worth the time. By taking good use of the free lectures provided by Dongguk University, students can all be a better reader, writer and speaker.
<Lively Debating Time>
The debate began 1:00 P.M. in the Engineering Building. Participants read an extract from the book Patterns Drawn by Humans written by Choi Jin-seok, and gave their opinions about the book. Some students agreed with the author’s writing, while others did not. The topic was a necessity of a mentor. Some believe that mentors are useful to achieve their goals effectively. Others thought that mentors can be dangerous to people, because they can make people blindly follow them. Many debaters seem to be more independent. The cons believed that the world would provide more freedom think this world would provide more freedom. The others like to live in a “Do what I should” world because it is easier to maintain structure and make a strong base for society. Lee Seok-heon, a freshman majoring in Philosophy said, “My major is Philosophy, but we do not have much time to share our opinions. So I participated in the camp because of the debate. I am very impressed with this program and I think people have a variety of opinions. I love the extract and the debating method.”
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<A Peace Talk through the Eyes of a Nobel Prize Winner>
On October 12th, an International Peace Forum was held in the Jeonggakwon with the prominent figure Jean-Marie Le Clezio, the winner of Nobel Prize in Literature in 2008. The Forum was separated into two sections. The first two hours were taken up by the lecture ‘The Difficult Road to Peace” by Le Clezio, and the rest was asking questions about his books related to peace with Kim Eung-kyo, a professor of Sookmyung Women’s University. Le Clezio explained his own experience of war, describing how he had suffered from hunger, poverty and fear under the threat of Italian and German Army. He said that literature could not be a direct solution to bringing peace but writers should write to touch one’s heart sensitively. He also mentioned that people need religion to cooperate with future generations. Suprisingly, Le Clezio actually knew many Korean writers such as Yoon Dong-ju, Hwang Seok-young, and Kim Ae-ran, etc. and was interested in Korean literature. When asked for some tips to writing, he recommended opening minds and eyes to culture and life. Adding to that, he thought Korea and France have several things in common. First, both countries overcame suffering in the past and created marvelous literature. Next, the two have long histories in terms of art, poetry and monuments. Lastly, to him, both countries seemed to have pleasure in their lives.
After the forum, the Post asked for opinions from people. Jeon In-hwan, an auditor said, “I was a little disappointed to see that Le Clezio was being too cautious about issues related to politics. However, through this forum, I could look back on how much Korean literature developed even in the hard times of colonization.” The forum may have been a rushed event but it was a great opportunity to take time to think about the means of reaching a real peace.
The Story from One-Day Post Reporters
<Meeting with a Novel Experience>
I have long wanted to experience being a journalist. Recently, I saw The Dongguk Post recruiting one-day reporters to celebrate their 400th publication. So I went ahead and took the chance! I received a simple explanation about newspaper coverage, and went to the Engineering Building to cover the book discussion. I became most interested in taking a picture used for my article as I went on with the day.
I took part in the debate and thought that every student who participated in this Book Camp has strong interest in reading. Everybody showed an active attitude and did not mind expressing their opinions. I wanted to take pictures of the students debating, but the camera’s battery unfortunately died out.I felt that covering news is a time-consuming job. I realized making a newspaper requires a big effort.
<A Precious Gift from The Dongguk Post>
One day in early October, on my way to classes,a poster, caught my eyes. It was the poster of The Dongguk Post, saying “One-day reporters, wanted.” Personally, the job of a reporter was very appealing to me and I wanted to find out more about the lives of reporters. Thus, I decided not to be hesitant and told myself to just go for it.
Overall, this was a very valuable experience and I was happy to be part of The Dongguk Post for one day. I strongly believe that nothing can be more valuable than an actual experience. This might seem like a trivial thing but we do not really know how each experience is going to affect us in the future. All of these will become our strength and power. Just as Steve Jobs said, “We cannot connect the dots looking forward but we can only do so when looking backwards.” I would like to thank the members of The Dongguk Post for coming up with this brilliant idea of one-day reporter. This will be an unforgettable memory from my university year.
<After One-Day Reporter Experience>
Although the Post gave a short notice, I decided to participate in the one-day challenge without hesitation. I always wanted to be part of the Post but because I was involved in so many clubs in my major, I could not sign up for it. On the day of the challenge, I attended the International Peace Forum held in Jeonggakwon. I am thankful to the Post for letting me report on such a renowned figure like Jean-Marie Le Clezio. Unfortunately, Le Clezio seemed unwell on the day. However, his ideas proved that he was deeply in concern of bringing peace to this nation, and further, to this world. The forum was interesting and after spending the day being a Post reporter, I now respect the reporters working at the Post. I did not know this was such a hard work with lots of details in each article. If I have the chance later, I would like to be a guest reporter again. Thank you for accepting me to have the opportunity to work here.