KASA
anonymous student
(ready to use)
Coauthors
EXPLORE
About the ethnographer
Unit Keywords
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kw Korean American students, kw Korean culture |
Partner Projects
| Ethnography of the University |
INQUIRE
Rationale of the Unit
What subculture have you chosen to research and why? What do you know about this group and what do you want to know? List your intial research questions.
I have chosen the Korean American Students Association as the subculture i am going to investigate because I am a member of the organization. It is a lot easier to have access to information when I am a part of that organization. The other subculture I considered was the Asian American Assoication (AAA), but I feel the group is way too big and covers every Asian ethnicity. I want to focus on a specific ethnic group. I assume that the majority of the members are either Korean or have some trace of Korean ethnicity, but seeing as how I'm not Korean nor my big sib, the assumption has only so much weight to it. Based on the weekly emails I receive, KASA has several social events for members to have fun and get to know each other. I want to know if joining KASA is a great way to build life long relationships, whether they have other goals intended for the year besides fun and games, and if the Asian culture is enriched through the activities of the club. |
Project diary
Research Plan
Discuss your initial research method. How will you begin to seek out answers to your research questions? Where will you begin taking field notes? Who are you considering as a possible informant?
I plan on attending the activities proposed in the weekly emails to take field notes and learn more about the organization. My most resourceful informant will have to be my big sib, Kathy, who has been a member for a couple years and is currently the philanthropy chair of KASA. I will gather a majority of my information through her, fieldnotes, and possibly interviews with the executive board. The KASA website will also contribute to my fieldnotes because it is one of the primary sources of communicating with the members and the public. |
Project diary
11/04: I experienced some shocking news as I conversed with my big sib over the weekend because she apparently resigned from her philanthropy chair position. She was my number one informant and a source to other sources as I hoped she would introduce me to other executive officers who holds valuable information. Her reason for the sudden departure from KASA is time management. She cannot keep up with classes and being an RA at Garner Hall while organizing so many activities for KASA at the same time. Therefore, I now plan on emailing Dave Kim (the guy who email members the weekly news) and asking him to be my informant. |
Readings, Keywords, and Constructs
Discuss what sources, other than your own field notes, that you consult for your project.
I have analyzed the KASA website a little bit and noticed many things. The website's color scheme consist of 4 main colors: black, red, blue, and white. All four colors are part of the Korean flag. There is a picture on the bottom right hand corner that resembles the flag. The website is used to post news and events that is going on in the organization. The website also include a section of the club officers , a gallery of pictures of past events, and a guestbook for visitors to leave a message. All members should be aware of the activities to come because the organization does a good job of emailing weekly updates. Weekly updates not only informs us about the events in KASA, but also any other major event(s) in the Asian American community on campus. The emails could be a potential source for my research. |
Project diary
11/04: http://www2.uiuc.edu/ro/kasa/main.nfhtml is the official KASA website. There is no clear author, but the website was definitely created by the webmaster, Paul Park. I assume that all the information was given to him by various executive members so the information should be credible. The website is sponsered by the University of Illinois seeing that uiuc.edu is in the domain of the address. The site was created to acknowledge the community on the campus of U of I (more specifically, the members of KASA) exactly what is happening within the club. The site is probably updated a week in advance of their activites coming up so people could try to fit it into their busy schedules. The pictures in the officers section are the only links that do not work. A possible explanation for the problem is the website where the pictures were uploaded is no longer functioning properly. |
Field Notes
Use this space to discuss what interesting, significant, revealing, and/or strange information you've recorded in your field notes. What are you learning about your chosen subculture? You might also begin to synthesize the information you are getting from your observations and the other sources you consult.
There has only been one general meeting so far, which i didn't attend because I joined after that date. Other than that, opportunities for its group members to gather together is up to the individual's choice to participate in the activities that KASA has presented. KASA Memeber T-shirts are being sold to its members for $8. I have not purchased mine yet, but will make an attempt sometime this week. I believe the t-shirt promotes unity within the group because anyone wearing the shirt will be easily recognized as a member of the group. The section on the KASA website named "Officers" introduces the executive board and chairpersons. Each position has its own sublink where their picture, email, alias, year, major, hometown, hobbies, and favorite quote are posted. However, some profiles are not complete. The Gallery on the website have attached numerous amounts of pictures from socials so far this school year such as the Asian American Association semi-formal dance at the Union and KASA's very own basketball tournament. |
Project diary
Findings
Discuss your findings.
After examining the profile of KASA's President, Caroline Yun, she included her inaugural speech.
It reads as the following:
"I am very excited to be holding the position as KASA President this year, to serve you and the Korean-American community at the U of I! We have a lot of fun and exciting events planned out for this year, so I encourage you to join us and see for yourself what KASA has to offer! Through cultural, social, and community activities, KASA will provide a comfortable and fun atmosphere that will benefit the Asian Pacific American (APA) community and University. Through various events such as picnics, sports tournaments, and philanthropy activities, KASA is a place where you will meet new people that can turn into lifelong friendships. I highly encourage you to take full advantage of what KASA has to offer during your college career."
KASA is a group that tries to enrich the Korean culture of its members by informing them of various events going on in the campus such as Culture Shock, which is a multicultural celebration. Members can be a part of the event after auditioning or just go and watch the
show. After reviewing a few online articles, I found that Korean Americans are "familiar with Korean cultures as well as customs", but are unable to be accustomed to the cultural differences. Koreans look at Korean Americans differently from natives. They don't feel that the assimilated Koreans are a part of the Korean society because Korean Americans are so adapted to American customs and behaviors. In America, Asian Americans are more often referred to by their Asian ethnicity than to be recognized as an American. Therefore, Korean Americans along with other Asian Americans are stuck between 2 cultures where they don't belong. KASA is a place where many Korean Americans could find compassion with one another.
KASA is also big on developing friendships with one another. Their big sib/little sib program is designed for underclassmen to meet upperclassmen and have a good time during the school year. Many social events encourage big sibs and little sibs to come out and have a good time with other big sibs and little sibs. |
Project diary
Refer to other EOTU work
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Users' Comments on this Unit
- He is adressing the fact that his informant can no longer be his informant because of her resignation from the organization. This a problem he has come across that is yielding his project a little more difficult due to importance his informant had for the project. There is not much about the subculture which is understandable considering the way he would have used to get the information has dissappeared. He has e-mailed Dave Kim in attempts to use him as an informant or at least get information about KASA. There is not much reference to characteristics of the subculture, but the problem that arised may bring more fortune and can be used in the paper and something that cause his project to make a turn for the best. Lets just hope that is the case and he ends up with more information about the subculure than he knows what do with; he would know this subculture inside and out. - by ericcoy@uiuc.edu
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