The Florida State University community was treated to an authentic Korean experience as the Center for Global Engagement at FSU hosted Global Café: Korea, on Friday, Oct. 27, in tandem with the FSU School of Communication’s Media, Communication, and Cultural Studies: Asia-Pacific (MCCAP) Conference.
The inaugural conference, which took place Oct. 26-27, focused on the phenomenon of Hallyu (the Korean wave of pop culture) and its impact on the global industry and encompassed the popular Korean cultural forms that have attracted global audiences in the past decades. The menu for Global Café: Korea featured a variety of Korean food for the FSU community and conference attendees to enjoy.
“The conference was an interactive and exciting way to learn about the wave of Korean culture from experts in the field,” said Jaejin Lee, conference organizer and associate professor in the School of Communication. “Students had the opportunity to broaden their understanding of media from an international lens and find a basis for more research endeavors on the topic.
Conference attendees gained insights into the planning, creation and marketing of popular culture as well as genre, media production, advertising and promotion practices, media portrayals and audiences’ perceptions of the Korean wave.
New York-based journalist Regina Kim served as the keynote speaker on Oct. 26 and presented on how Korean culture swept the world. She was followed by performances by Seoula System, a Tallahassee-based K-pop dance group.
On Oct. 27, attendees heard from closing keynote speaker KyongYoon, a professor at the University of British Columbia in Kelowna, Canada, on rethinking the cultural hybridity of K-pop.
“People at this conference engaged with the fascinating cultural phenomenon that is sweeping the globe,” said Steve McDowell, conference organizer and the John H. Phipps Professor of Communication, and assistant provost for International Initiatives at FSU. “From K-pop dances to guest speakers from South Korea, NYC, and Canada, there were many fun ways to experience the culture firsthand.”
After the closing remarks at the MCCAP Conference, attendees received a Korean lunch in collaboration with the CGE’s Global Café: Korea. For $10, guests received a plate of dwaeji bulgogi, ssam (lettuce wraps), bean sprout salad, kimchi, steamed rice, a yakgwa (honey cookie) and a glass of boricha (barley tea), providing an opportunity for the FSU community immerse themselves in Korean culture. The event was hosted by Global Noles, a volunteer group supporting Global Exchanges, and the Center for Global Engagement.
“Global Café is an exciting opportunity for students to experience and learn from other cultures through food, especially as we celebrate the importance of global experiences during International Education Month,” said Cindy Green, director of the Center for Global Engagement at FSU. “The collaboration with the MCCAP conference allows us connect our campus through internationalization and highlight FSU’s international community.”
Applications to host a Global Café in spring 2024 are now open. International and multicultural groups interested in applying should email cge-programs@fsu.edu for more information.
To learn more about the Center for Global Engagement and Global Café, visit cge.fsu.edu.
For more information about the MCCAP conference, visit comm.cci.fsu.edu.
