Hankuk Academy of Foreign Studies

Articleissues
advert=December 2007
COI=March 2007
OR=April 2008
unreferenced=October 2007
wikify=April 2008Infobox Secondary_school
name = Hankuk Academy of Foreign Studies
한국외대부속외국어고등학교

established = 2004
type = Private
principal = Nam, Bong-Chul
vice principal = Park, Ha-Shik
academic dean = Kim, Hak-Jin
faculty = 113
students = approx. 1050
city = Yongin
state = Gyeonggi province
country = South Korea
website = [http://www.hafs.hs.kr www.hafs.hs.kr]
grades = 10-12

Hankuk Academy of Foreign Studies or HAFS is a private school located in northern part of Yongin, South Korea.

tudents and staff

The school received its first students in 2005, a total of 355 students: 153 boys and 202 girls. Currently the principal is Bong-Cuhl Nam, former principal of Daewon Foreign Language High School, while the vice principal is Ha-Shik Park, former vice principal of Korean Minjok Leadership Academy.

Faculty

The majority of the Korean teachers have PhDs or Master's degrees. Non-Korean teachers in conversation-based courses have a range of qualifications, from Ed.D. in home countries to 10+ years of teaching experience. Native-speaking teachers include three from China, six from English-speaking countries, two from Japan, one from Germany and one from France.

Academic information

There are 5 language departments, which are often referred to as "majors": English, French, German, Chinese, and Japanese. One staff member is appointed as the head of each department. Although minors do not exist, taking a third language course is required. In every grade, each department is designated into numbers; classes 1 - 3 are English majors; class 4, French majors; class 5, German majors; classes 6 - 8, Chinese majors; classes 9 - 10, Japanese majors. There are approximately 35 students per class.It has also been selected as the PSAT, SAT, AP and ACT test centers by the College Board. Renowned for its great facilities, many Korean students choose HAFS as the best test-taking center.

The English Major

Sometimes referred to as the International majors, students in the English major study almost exclusively for Universities abroad, most of these in the U.S. The curriculum for these students differ greatly from those in the Eurasian major. Precalculus, Economics, English Literature, U.S. Government and Politics and Debate are some of the classes offered only to English majors.

Eurasian Majors

Students in the Eurasian majors largely aim for admission to Korean universities, while a few seek admission to foreign universities in Europe, Japan, or China. The curriculum, unlike that of the English majors, follows the Korean standard education system.

*French Major (Class 4): Most of the students are beginners in the language, with a few students having lived in France, Quebec, or another Francophone country. There are, as of 2008, two Korean French teachers and a French conversation teacher from France. French Majors comprise one class (Class 4 at each grade level) ranging from approximately 30 to 38, depending on the grade level.

*German Major (Class 5): Like the French major, there is a Korean teacher and a German native speaker. The German major consists of one class (Class 5 at each grade level) with student numbers ranging from approximately 30 to 38 , depending on the grade level.

*Chinese Major (classes 6, 7, and 8): Consists of Three classes, the largest number of classes in the Asian-European majors.

*Japanese Major (Classes 9 and 10): Consists of Two classes, the second largest number of classes in the Asian-European majors.

Policies

HAFS is the 2nd high school in Korea (after Korean Minjok Leadership Academy) which requires students to speak english or another foreign language at all times on campus. However, this policy is not well kept, considering the lack of surveillance and simply because the majority of students just communicate better in their native language. The official name of this policy is the EBC policy(English Based Campus). The acronym bears stark similarity with that of KMLA's English Only Policy (EOP).Eurasian majors, who take most of their classes in Korean, practice the EBC policy during recess and lunch. However, English majors, considering their goal of being accepted to U.S. Colleges, take most of their courses in English. The exceptions are classes in Korean Literature, Korean History and Ethics.

The Global Leader Monitor(GLM) team members are elected at the start of semester by their fellow students and are ratified by the teachers. The Global Leader Monitors regulate school policy, especially the EBC. They participate in GLM conferences, the results of which are notified to the Class Representative Council. They take active part in forming the policies of the school.

Another unique feature is the strike system. Students at HAFS are given a strike, a penalizing physical slap for misconduct on the premises of the school or in the dormitories. Three strikes lead to an 'out', unless the student participates in 'voluntary work' instead of the strikes. Otherwise, he/she will be expelled from HAFS upon gathering three outs. To remove a strike, a student must perform special duties such as informing others not to break the school rules. But since the dorms have adopted a similar penalty system, the two have been confused by students in the first times of administration. Home-runs do not exist.

External links

* [http://www.hafs.hs.kr/default.asp?Lang=en Hankuk Academy of Foreign Studies]