Over the course of this semester, I was able to expand my Korean vocabulary while also increasing my proficiency in reading and writing. My main goal, which was to improve my speaking, was very minimally improved due to the absence of a language partner. I believe this was the greatest difficulty that I faced since I was unable to practice communicating in a formal manner with someone who would be able to correct my pronunciation, intonation, and grammar. However, through the many resources I was provided with from this course such as voki, vocaroo, and diigo, I was able to utilize many new tools in helping me improve my Korean. Furthermore, I believe I was able to improve my reading and informal writing abilities through the use of the HelloTalk app. Through HelloTalk I was able to meet many native Korean speakers who helped me understand the way younger Koreans communicate. This included learning the younger generation's "style" of messaging with the use of aegyo, jargon, and etc. The presentations that we did for class were also very helpful and enjoyable since I got to learn many different aspects of Korean culture in greater depth such as plastic surgery, traditional Korean architecture, school violence, blood types, and much more.
Overall, I believe my knowledge of Korean culture improved vastly from the cultural posts, presentations, and final cultural project. My improvement in the Korean language itself however, consisted mainly of increased vocabulary knowledge and a better understanding of informal communication which will both be very helpful for my travel to Korea this summer.
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