For my teaching portfolio, click here: https://www.thekoreanvictorian.com/ 

Current Courses/Future Courses being Taught at Texas Christian University (TCU) 

Spring 2025

ENGL 20403: Major British Writers entitled, Un-disciplining British Literature

This course serves to enhance one’s understanding of British Literature from the early 19th century to the 21st century, whilst thinking of the terminology, “un-discipline.” What does it mean to undiscipline the discipline and canonical British works of major British authors? This course will allow students to freely reflect on both canonical and non-canonical aspects of British Literature by exploring the identity of Britain across gender, class, and race when terminologies such as queer or feminism do not exist. 

ENGL 20803: Writing as Argument entitled, Asian American Rhetoric

In the renowned Netflix series, Never Have I Ever (2020), Devi Vishwakumar says, “some[one] was telling me that I’m too Indian, and some other people think I’m not Indian enough. And honestly, all I want to do is eat a doughnut.” Historically, Asian Americans have always fought against the rhetoric of being too much or too less of something, caught between two cultures. This course examines both the racially positive and negative stereotypes that Asian Americans have faced. By looking at Asian American representations in news articles, Hollywood films, netflix series, short stories, and novels, we will explore how Asian Americans are depicted in various media forms (print, visual, oral, digital). Students will learn to write argumentative essays on these depictions, aiming to address and rectify their misrepresentations. The course encourages students to work individually and collaboratively to read, research, and compose effective arguments on issues of local and national importance.

Fall 2024

ENGL 10133: Introduction to Literature entitled "Shaping British Identities," This course focuses on analyzing the evolution of British identities in literature from the eighteenth century to the twenty-first century. By examining major works by British authors, this course aims to enhance our understanding of identities in the context of race, gender, and class. From the Pre-Raphaelites to Oscar Wilde to Virginia Woolf, and contemporary authors, we will explore historical and literary texts that have influenced the transformation of identities over time. Students will become familiar with interpretive strategies and will analyze course texts concerning literary antecedents, literary analysis as a research method, and the cultural circumstances of composition.

ENGL 10803: Writing as Inquiry

This class is a writing workshop focused on how we can use writing as a way to learn more about how we and others make sense of ideas, things, and culture. We’ll practice invention, critical reading, drafting, revision, and editing as we complete writing projects that come from what you’re curious about. As we work together on our writing, we’ll discuss everything from getting a first sentence on the page to revising a last draft. If we all do our part, together we’ll learn more about ourselves as writers, readers, and thinkers in order to write more effectively through college and beyond

Course Descriptions of Courses I have Designed and Taught at Texas A&M University:

ENGL 232: Survey of English Literature II entitled, Romanticism to Postmodernism, The Making of the "Self"

This course is a survey of British writings ranging from poetry to novels to non-fiction prose from the late eighteenth century to the present. Whilst becoming familiar with major works of British authors, this course serves to enhance our understanding of the “self,” and how it transformed over centuries. Looking at works of Mary Shelley to the Pre-Raphaelites to Virginia Woolf and to contemporary authors, we will explore historical and literary texts that influenced how the “self” was shaped.

ENGL 322: Nineteenth-Century Literature (Victorian) entitled, “Radical Victorian Narratives”

This course serves to examine the poetry and prose of major Victorian authors within nineteenth century England. It will particularly be focusing on the theme of “radical Victorian narratives” in which we explore the various types of radical characters that were present within Victorian novels and poetry. The Victorian era was an age of continual transformations and it was not limited to the industrialization and change of religious and moral values, characters too fought against the grain of variant changes as they tried to understand themselves as individuals. As a class, we will critically analyze and write about the charismatic and peculiar nature of Victorian narratives that were present in the wake of radical change in nineteenth century England.  

ENGL 203: Writing About Literature entitled, "Approaching Different Selves/Sexualities" 

This course serves to enhance communication and persuasive skills in writing, by learning how to analyze and write about literature. How can the "self" be understood in terms of sexuality, starting from the early nineteenth century to the present day? We will look at a range of types of literature such as short stories, novels, and film, to understand how people understood themselves sexually, by writing about them. The course will look at texts such as Frankenstein, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and My Beautiful Laundrette. 

ENGL 203: Writing about Literature entitled, "Re-visiting Jane Eyre"

This course serves to enhance communication and persuasive skills in writing, by learning how to analyze and write about literature. It will particularly be focusing on how to understand Jane Eyre and its adaptations to it, in surveying appropriate genres and thematic issues related to it. From the time Jane Eyre was originally published from 1847, there have been a range of adaptations, both film and novel which makes us, readers, question: why is it still so relevant? As contemporary readers, we as a class, will respond to this question by learning how to think critically, analyze, and write about some form or adaptation of Jane Eyre.

ENGL 210: Technical and Professional Writing

Technical and Professional Writing. (3-0). Credit 3. Focus on writing for professional rhetorical situations; correspondence and researched reports fundamental to the workplace—memoranda, letters, electronic correspondence, research proposals and presentations; use of visual rhetoric and document design in print and electronic mediums; emphasis on audience awareness, clarity of communication and collaborative team-work.

Sample Syllabi

(Anonymous) Notable Student Feedback from ENGL 322:

• I personally loved my experience with your class and I am grateful I had this class for my first semester of college. It was challenging but encouraging enough to allow me room to explore my own ideas while learning about others. The discussion based lectures are fun and I think the interactive components of your class helps me remember the material much more than if it was a silent lecture. Your feedback is especially helpful in composing our essays and writings.
• I've always been one of those people that doesn't think too deeply into what I am reading but I feel that this class has helped me because after reading a section I take a moment to analyze it and break it down if I feel I need to. It also helped me realize that context about the time period and life in general matters to understand what prompted the author to write it and what certain things mean in the book.
• I loved this class! I thought the format was highly effective. Class discussions helped increase my knowledge about the text and contextualize my own thoughts. Also, i really like how you would write our thoughts down in the powerpoint. It helped reassure me that my thoughts and ideas matter, and it was nice to see everyone else's thoughts. I also enjoyed the group discussion with worksheets, it was nice that they were typically on Friday as well. It was a great way to relax and work together to analyze the text.
• I really enjoyed your teaching/lecture style and how open minded you were because it helped me to realize that there are no wrong answers when it comes to reading analyzation and that even if someone's interpretation of the text hasn't been thought of before it does not mean they are wrong. I liked the way you took excerpts from the reading for each class and used discussion questions to guide the class conversation because this helped give us ideas about some things we could use in our papers or general ideas for discussion posts going forward. Also, it gave me perspectives on the scenes that I had not thought about before. Analyzing the readings in each class enhanced my understanding of the novels much much more.
• This class is by far one of my favorite classes i have taken in college. The format was organized and clearly allowed for me to learn so much about Victorian Literature. I genuinely looked forward to class every week and will definitely miss this class. Considering i plan to pursue Victorian Literature in grad school, i couldn't have asked for a better introduction to Victorian Literature! Thank you so much!!

Collected Portions of Letters that Students wrote:.

• Professor Kim’s class and style of teaching had a profound impact on me as a student. Something about the way she declined to solely lecture us for an hour, the way she allowed us as college students to speak our minds on the subject matter; it was inspiring. I felt, for the first time in years, like a real English major, because I actually had things to say and time and room to say them. It was an atmosphere that allowed us not only to learn as much as possible from her, but allowed us to learn as much as possible from our peers.
• The best part about these discussions was that there were no wrong answers. As long as what we believed the author was trying to say or do didn’t come out of left-field, she more than validated our beliefs about the novel. It was so refreshing to have a class so open to interpretation, and it really had an impact on me. 
• The way Professor Kim facilitates her course balances both the rigorous understanding of Victorian stories and language with individual curiosity and the expansion of literary writing and comprehension. Professor Kim does an exceptional job of being a teacher who encouragingly challenges our abilities to scaffold on our knowledge of the literary world, especially in the field of radical Victorian narratives. Not only does she actively engage the class in discussion to ensure concrete understanding, but she encourages her students to think beyond the pages of any novel read. For a genre that entails hefty, difficult reading, she made every effort to accommodate our needs and make every novel enjoyable with new light and liveliness in every chapter.
• Professor Kim is a highly effective professor who is able to help her students and push ideas further. Her lecture format was clear and organized. During lecture, students were able to discuss their own thoughts over the text. Open discussion was welcomed, which not only allowed for more teamwork and an increase in ideas, but it also helped students, including myself, to feel that their voices and their ideas matter.
• Professor Kim would often check in and make sure students were keeping up and was understanding of how external forces, for instance the pandemic, can affect everyone. As a student, I felt motivated to grow academically due to the safe environment Professor Kim created. As a result of Professor Kim’s class, I have grown significantly as a critical thinker and her attention to close reading has aided my own approach to dissecting a novel.