Using the Name Project to Explore Identity and Foster Diversity in Korean Language Classrooms

Abstract

Diversity and inclusion have become increasingly important issues in language instruction and pedagogy, as they serve crucial roles in preparing students to be effective communicators in today’s global landscape. Within this context, multicultural awareness and intercultural competence create a solid foundation for students to foster a deeper understanding of these issues. This paper aims to share a module called “Name Project” that can be employed in Korean language classrooms to provide students with opportunities to explore cross-cultural issues of diversity and inclusivity. Inspired by the famous documentary The Grace Lee Project (G. Lee, 2005), a film chronicling the many different people named Grace Lee living in North America, this learning scenario is designed to examine identity and diversity while exploring ideas and images that are associated with people’s names in different cultures. Multiple examples of learning activities, as well as their teaching implications, are discussed.

Keywords

• diversity and inclusion
• multiculturalism
• identity
• korean language pedagogy