Mapae Grant Award
World History Digital Education Foundation [WHDE]
Korean War Legacy Foundation [KWLF]
The World History Digital Education Foundation and the Korean War Legacy Foundation are honored to have a cadre of dedicated educators sharing information about Korea and the Korean War to teachers throughout the United States. To recognize the outstanding work of these teachers, we created the Mapae Award.
The Mapae Award is based on the medallion used by officials of the central government during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). The King’s hand-picked special officials, called “Eosa” (literally meaning the official dispatched by the King) traveled through regional areas on public duties and primarily prosecuted corrupt officials in the provinces. In most instances, the King secretly appointed Eosa, who were often the first prize awardee in Joseon’s national civil service examination called Gwageo. Eosa were given a medal, the Mapae, which identified their special status as the King’s appointed secret prosecutor and gave them the right to conscript horses for transportation to the provinces. Eosa with Mapae were allowed to have a special access to saddle horses kept at government-run post stations upon presenting their Mapae medal. The bearer of the medal, which was issued by a government agency called the Sangseowon (Office of Seals and Badges), was entitled to use the number of horses carved on the badge and was typically accompanied by a station attendant who guided him to the next station approximately 16 kilometers away. The attendant returned to his home station with the horse under his charge, while the traveler continued on his journey via other stations to his final destination.
Similar to the Joseon officials, teachers who have been awarded the medal will be provided resources, based on the number of horses on their medal, to help them share knowledge throughout the United States about Korean history, South Korea’s simultaneous rapid economic development and democratization, and the Korean War.
One Horse
Qualification
- Attend a WHDE or KWLF workshop and successfully complete all workshop requirements
Available Resources
- Up to $500 to host a workshop for at least 12 teachers. Teachers may also propose a special project related to Korea or the Korean War.
- Funding may be used for food, speaker honorariums, materials and/or room rental.
- Teachers must submit a budget and be pre-approved before making any expenditure. Receipts or invoices must be produced before any payments are made.
- NOTE: We are happy to assist in developing a workshop program.
Two Horses
Qualification
- Successfully complete a workshop or special project at the one horse level.
Available Resources
- Up to $1000 to host a workshop for at least 15 teachers. Teachers may also propose a special project related to Korea or the Korean War.
- Funding may be used for food, speaker honorariums, materials and/or room rental. Teachers at the two-horse level may use $250 of the grant funds as a personal honorarium.
- Teachers must submit a budget and be pre-approved before making any expenditure. Receipts or invoices must be produced before any payments are made.
- NOTE: We are happy to assist in developing a workshop program.
Three Horses
Qualification
- Successfully complete a workshop or special project at the two-horse level.
Available Resources
- Up to $1500 to host a workshop for at least 20 teachers. Teachers may also propose a special project related to Korea or the Korean War.
- Funding may be used for food, speaker honorariums, materials, room rental. Teachers at the three-horse level may use $350 of the grant funds as a personal honorarium.
- Teachers must submit a budget and be pre-approved before making any expenditure. Receipts or invoices must be produced before any payments are made.
- NOTE: We are happy to assist teachers in developing a workshop program.
Four Horses
Qualification
- Teachers at the four-horse level are trusted regular consultants for the foundation. All teachers at this level will go through an application and interview process.
Available Resources
- Teachers at the four-horse level will be tasked with special projects and will be given an appropriate budget to complete all tasks.
Five Horses
Qualification
- Teachers at the five-horse level are project managers who have shown excellent leadership qualities.
Available Resources
- Teachers at the five-horse level will develop special projects and workshops and will be given an appropriate budget to complete all tasks.
2025 Discover Korea Research Visit Fellowship Application
Date
The 2025 Discover Korea Research Visit will take place from June 30th - July 10th (tentative- dates may change slightly). Fellows should use June 29th as a travel day.
About the Application
Our application requires the following: short answer responses, a recommendation letter from a colleague, a recommendation letter from a supervisor, copy of your resume, and a short video (no more than 2 minutes).
Cost
Fellows are required to pay a $400.00 deposit by March 1st, which will be refunded once a fellow has completed their requirements to the foundation. Fellows are also responsible for paying half of their total airfare (domestic and international) by April 15th. Participants will purchase their airline and half of the cost will be reimbursed at the end of the travel in July upon completion of requirements.
Trip
Although this fellowship is listed as a trip, the commitment is more than just travel to Korea. Fellows complete four cycles to fulfill their requirements to the foundation.
The pre-trip cycle focuses on preparing fellows for their trip by building content about Korea while at the same time building knowledge of the foundation. In this cycle, fellows will enroll in an online class in which they will have assigned readings about Korean history and culture, participate on class discussion boards, and attend webinars pertaining to themes covered in the readings. At the same time the fellows will participate in completing a task for the foundation. In the past, those tasks have included transcribing interviews, conducting interviews with Korean War veterans, and field-testing educational material.
The second cycle is the trip cycle which will last from June 30th - July 10th. The trip will include daily excursions that require fellows to dig deeper into the complexity of the history, culture, and development of the Korean peninsula, and specifically South Korea. This includes travel to important sites of the Korean War such as the Demilitarized Zone, historic sites such as Geyongbokgung Palace, and unique experiences such as staying at a Buddhist temple. Each excursion is intentional and looks to build on fellows’ knowledge and understanding of Korea with the purpose of impacting education.
The third cycle, or post-trip cycle, is focused on fellows sharing what they have learned. In this cycle, fellows are required to do two tasks that highlight how their experience will impact their educational practice. The first will have fellows provide proof of a presentation about their travel experience to a district, state, or regional organization. The second task will have fellows develop a lesson plan that focuses on Korean culture and/or history. A template will be provided by the foundation for this exercise. The presentation and lesson plan are both due by 12/31/24.
The fourth cycle of the trip is the eternal phase. After completion of the lesson plan, participants will become members of the Korean Fellows Alumni Association. This community group will receive newsletter and e-mail updates from the foundation with information on teaching Korean history and culture. Furthermore, alumni fellows will be added into the Korean Fellow Alumni Association Facebook page in order to stay connected and share ideas with other fellows.
Any participant who does not complete the required tasks will be considered to be unsuccessful and will not be considered a foundation fellow. Unsuccessful participants will forfeit their $400 deposit and will be invoiced for an additional $300 to help defray any loss to the foundation.
About World Digital Education Foundation
The advent of digital technology challenges conventional ways of educating students and creates unlimited opportunities deliver digital educational materials. In this transition from the analogue era to the digital era, the World History Digital Education Foundation will lead at the K-12 level in the study of global history by:
- Creating innovative digital resources in world history education such as story maps, multi-media curriculums, interactive websites, and virtual reality experiences.
- Developing one-to-one technology capability programs for high needs schools lacking the financial capacity for digital educational technology and equipment.
- Training social studies teachers in the use of technology and engaging them to write new curriculums and lesson plans.
- Developing a collaborative online community of educators who will share best practices in social studies education.
- Educating students on the use of digital resources for research and learning
About the Korea Foundation
The Korea Foundation was established in 1991 to promote awareness and understanding of Korea and to enhance goodwill and friendship among the international community through its cultural, academic and intellectual exchange activities and programs. Some of its major works include: providing support for Korean studies overseas, organizing/supporting international forums, assisting research institutions/think tanks around the world in their research, conferences and publications, and establishing Korean galleries in museums abroad. Currently, the foundation has two branch offices in the United States: the Washington D.C. Office and the L.A. Office, which opened in 2005. Both offices serve as liaisons to the main headquarter in Korea and overseas and manage the foundation’s projects and programs in North/ South America and the Caribbean Islands.
Trip Director
Bobbie Downs Research Trip Director
Foundation Leadership
Dr. Jongwoo Han President, World History Digital Education Foundation
Joseph Karb Executive Director, World History Digital Education Foundation
If you have any questions, please contact: Bobbie Downs at bdowns@worldhistoryde.org.
Participants will actively engage in activities and instructional materials that have been developed in collaboration with the Korean War Veterans Memorial Foundation and the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) to honor the sacrifices made by service personnel during the Korean War. Teachers will learn about lessons aligned to academic disciplines of Literature, History, Geography, Art, and STEM-H. This interactive conference empowers teachers to use and consider how they might adapt materials for the courses and students they teach. .
Come explore the evolution of sacrifice in literature from Thucydides to modern Presidents and discover approaches to art analysis that can be used to analyze not only war monuments but any work of art as evidence. Use oral histories and primary source materials as part of a geographic inquiry exploring the experiences of Korean War veterans. Specific attention is given to the process that is followed to identify MIAs through forensic science and historical research. The concept of sacrifice is also analyzed through primary sources and the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.
This collection of instructional materials provides guidance for social studies teachers as well as opportunities for interdisciplinary instruction and learning. Teachers will have time to adapt and create instructional materials as part of this two-day conference so they will leave with materials that can be immediately implemented in their classrooms.
Schedule
Thursday, April 24th 2025: Arrival
Friday, April 25th, 2025: Conference Day 1
Saturday, April 26th 2025: Conference Day 2
Sunday, April 27th 2025: Departure
Eligibility
Social studies teachers for grades 6-12 may apply to attend the conference. Preference will be given to participants who have never attended in-person events hosted by the Korean War Legacy Foundation or the World History Digital Education Foundation.
Registration Fee: $75
The $75 registration fee will be refunded to participants after the successful completion of the pre-conference task and the conference.
Travel Stipend
Participants can receive a travel stipend of:
- Up to $200 mileage reimbursement for participants who are driving. A printout of Google Maps directions from your home to the Hilton Tuscany must be provided. Mileage will be reimbursed at the IRS rate of .67 per mile up to $200
- Up to $300 will be reimbursed for air travel. All tickets must be economy class and receipts must be submitted before the conference.
Reimbursement
The KWLF will provide the following to participants:
- Three nights accommodation at the Hilton Tuscany Resort in Orlando
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner on April 25th and April 26th
- Travel stipends and the registration fee will be given to participants, on site, after the successful completion of the pre-conference task at the conclusion of the conference.
Pre-conference Task
We need your help to improve our veteran archive. Conference participants are required to complete a pre-conference task. The task must be completed before any reimbursements are made. You may choose one of the following options:
- Complete a transcript for one of the interviews on the KWLF page
- Interview a Korean War Veteran
- Interview a Korea Defense Veteran who served in Korea from February 1, 1955 to the present.
(KDV are any U.S. service personnel who served in Korea after the war)
After you select your choice on the registration page, you will be sent guidance on how to complete the task.
Hotel Rooms
Hilton Grand Vacations Tuscany
8122 Arrezzo Way
Orlando, FL 32821
Hilton Grand Vacations Tuscany Information
- Hotel check in time is 4:00 PM and check out is 10:00 AM
- Parking is available on the hotel property at no charge.
- Transportation from the airport to the hotel will not be provided.
- Wi-Fi is available at no charge.
All meetings will occur at
Spotx Hotel
12235 Regency Village Dr, Orlando, FL 32821
(7 minute walk from the hotel)
General Information
- It is required that participants bring a laptop and headphones for independent work.
- Dress is business casual summer for the entire event.
- Participants are required to attend all sessions and meals. Guests may not attend any conference sessions.