Level Descriptions

Explore our course catalog to see the courses offered in past years.

Beginning Korean I

Korean 3101-3102-3103-3104

An intensive introduction to the Korean language. The course covers most basic grammatical structures and everyday vocabulary items, and introduces Hangul, the writing system. Practices are conducted to develop all four skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) in meaningful communicative exercises.

In order to help beginning students adapt to the intensive Middlebury environment and be better prepared for the Language Pledge®, Level 1 (Introductory) Korean will start online approximately one week before students arrive.

Target OPI rating at the end of the session: Novice High

Level 2 Beginning Korean II

Korean 3201-3202-3203-3204

This course is for students who have completed approximately 150 hours of formal training in Korean. Students must be able to read and write hangul. The course will begin with a review of basic patterns and move quickly to cover new materials of survival language in various situations. In addition to the materials provided by the textbook, authentic materials (e.g., television, films, Internet, newspapers, etc.) will be incorporated into the instruction to enhance all four skills.

Target OPI rating at the end of the session: Intermediate Low

Level 3 Intermediate Korean I

Korean 3301-3302-3303-3304

This course is for students who have had approximately 300 hours of formal instruction at the college level (completion of four or five semesters of Korean in an academic setting). The course is designed to move students across the threshold of the Intermediate-High level of proficiency with ample opportunities to perform at intermediate and advanced levels. Speaking, listening, reading, and writing will be equally emphasized in this course in order to develop well-balanced functional proficiency in Korean. Various authentic materials such as literature, cartoons and movies are integrated into this course to enhance the student’s awareness and appreciation of the culture of the Korean-Speaking world.

Target OPI rating at the end of the session: Intermediate High

Level 4 Intermediate Korean II

Korean 3401-3402-3403-3404

This course is designed for students who have had approximately 400 hours of instruction at the college level. This course aims to develop functional proficiency in Korean at the advance-low level in listening, speaking, and reading and writing. Students will develop competence in fluency, grammatical accuracy and socio-linguistic/cultural appropriateness through a variety of tasks and assignments. In addition, students will learn to communicate with more sophisticated grammatical structures and advanced vocabulary on various topics. This course will integrate Korean cultural themes with language learning to enhance students’ acquisition of Korean language and to deepen their understanding of Korean culture. Selected readings and multiple genres of media such as short essays, poems, newspaper articles, TV commercials, or TV news will be introduced.

Target OPI rating at the end of the session: Advanced Low

Level 5 Advanced Korean I

Korean 3501-3502-3503-3504

This course is designed for graduate students and professionals who have advanced level proficiency in Korean or have at least three or more years of rigorous formal study in modern Korean. This course aims to develop professional proficiency in Korean at the advance-mid and high level in listening, speaking, and reading and writing employing a variety of materials such as scholarly essays, newspapers, short stories, video and audio materials.

The approach of the course is to study several content areas including Structure of Korean Language and Topics in Korean Society, Culture and History. Students will develop competence through project based and research based instruction exploring a variety of topics.

Target OPI rating at the end of the session: Advanced High