#  A Graduate Student Perspective: Pauline Hamilton, G1, RSEA, KI Graduate Summer Language Grant, Summer 2026 

 





September 02, 2026

 

 

     ![Pauline Hamilton Photo](/sites/g/files/omnuum10896/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2026-09/DSC00331%20KI%20Hamilton%205.JPG?itok=NcbTPtXm) 

 



 

Pauline Hamilton, G1, RSEA, KI Graduate Summer Language Grant, Summer 2026  
Inter-University Center (IUC) for Modern Japanese Language-3d Year, Yokohama, Japan  
  
Thanks to the Korea Institute's generous support, I was able to participate in the Inter-University Center (IUC) for Japanese Studies’ 2026 summer program in Yokohama, Japan, to improve my Japanese language skills. Focusing on Korean literature published during the colonial period, my research necessitates the use of Japanese, so developing strong Japanese reading comprehension to conduct research was a central concern before beginning the program.  
  
After being divided into small groups of students based on level and desired area of development (speaking, writing, reading, etc), each class focused on individualized curriculum that progressed these desired skills. By reading pre-chosen and student-chosen curriculum—in my case, the Japanese-written story Into the Light by Korean author Kim Saryang—students worked together with instructors to ensure adequate comprehension of material and partake in thought-provoking discussions of content in Japanese. The introduction of new readings with a less than 24-hour discussion turnaround also allowed for consistent repetition, greatly aiding in my retention of linguistic concepts and vocabulary. Through this personalized learning style, I was able to progress in areas of both language and research at the same time.  
  
In addition to language development throughout the program, the curriculum culminated in a mock research conference where each program participant presented their individual research in Japanese. As such, I was able to present a previous research project examining Korean author Ch’oe Yun’s The Gray Snowman entirely in Japanese, as well as answer questions during discussion. From this experience, not only have my Japanese speaking and reading abilities improved substantially, but I have also gained the confidence to be able to share my research on Korean literature with a whole new population—Japanese-speaking academics. From these experiences, I have gained a new excitement, as well as the language ability, to complete holistic research that considers the interdisciplinary nature of Korean colonial period literature.  
  
Lastly, while the program is a strong language institution in and of itself, its ultimate benefit is its location in Japan. Aside from language study in the classroom, I was able to gain face-to-face reading and speaking practice through daily interactions at restaurants, stores, and especially the climbing gym. Having long realized that every word, phrase, and utterance I know was learned through years upon years of English exposure, being physically in Japan enabled me to enter these very same environments ad infinitum. So now, in addition to discussing and conducting research at a much higher level than before in Japanese, I am able to yell hoshii! (close) to friends on the climbing wall when they almost complete a route and fail, and ganba! (you got this) to those giving it their all.



 

 

 



 

 

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