[모임공지] 10/21 Topics

[Alex Jung]

추석 연휴와 집안 행사로 2주를 쉬었네요.

모레 토요일에 만나요 ^^

small talk

•Who is the best actor/actress?

•What is the best all-time movie?

•What is the best movie of 2015?

•Who is the best singer?

Topic 1. University districts hot spots for young Koreans
  

“Let’s go to Hongdae -- Hongik University” is commonly heard in Seoul, although it doesn’t mean they are going to the campus. They go to the place stretching out from the university to dine out, go shopping and enjoy concerts. 
 In Seoul, some entertainment districts featuring cafes, theaters, cinemas and concert venues are formed near college campuses, although the mood is slightly different from place to place.

 The busiest college district is the Hongdae area in western Seoul. Located near Hongik University, which has one of the nation’s top fine arts colleges in South Korea, the place is known for its urban arts, indie music culture and clubs. Walking the street, visitors can easily spot street musicians -- singers, guitarist and dancers. 

 Male guitarist Jung Sung-ho, who has done street performances in Hongdae for five years, said, “Hongdae is a good place for musicians. I regularly have performances here, hoping to be spotted by music-related people and to jump-start my career.” It was Wednesday night, but around 50 people were watching him play.

 Hongdae is also known for its indie scene, live clubs and underground musicians. On the last Friday of every month, “Live Club Day” is held in multiple clubs with a variety of genres including rock, jazz, hip-hop and electronic music. Visitors can get access to any of the clubs with one ticket for 20,000 won ($17). 

 About a 20-minute walking distance from Hongdae, there is another busy college district called Sinchon near Yonsei University. The cafes and bars in Sinchon are less expensive than in the Hongdae area, as most customers are college students hanging out to eat, drink and enjoy nightlife. The place is recently becoming more family friendly after the district office designated the place as a “streets without cars” area on the weekend. 

 “The ‘streets without cars’ have brought an increase in the number of street performances and events here,” Chun Yoo-jeong, an official at the district office, said. 

 Last month, a 350-meter-long water slide and water gun festival on the street attracted tens of thousands people to the district. 

 Daehangno, near Sungkyunkwan University, is another popular college district. Students from Seoul National University used to gather here before the school moved near Mount Gwanaksan in 1975. Since SNU moved, Marronnier Park, where street artists are easily spotted now, was formed and many cultural arts organizations related to plays, movies, concerts and musicals have moved in.

Q

1. What is your general impression of Hongdae area?

2. What are the pros and cons of having entertainment districts around universities?

3. Which places/areas do you go to when hanging out with friends?

4. Which places/areas do you go to when you are on a date?

5. Share your favorite restaurants or cafes.

Topic 2. New research says living together before marriage doesn't lead to divorce

It's often said that that living together before marriage puts couples at greater risk for divorce later on -- but it turns out that may not be the case at all.

A new study by associate professor Arielle Kuperberg from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro found that there is no correlation between cohabiting before marriage and divorce; instead, what may predict divorce in those who cohabitate before marriage is the age at which they choose do so.

Kuperberg explained that couples who shack up before marriage tend to be younger, and because marrying at a young age increases the likelihood of divorce, it appeared in previous research that cohabitation did as well. But Kuperberg says that's not the case; once you control for the age variable, the correlation between divorce and cohabitation disappears.

"The problem is that the couples are settling down at an earlier age, and settling down too young is what leads to divorce," she told The Huffington Post.

Kuperberg came to this conclusion after studying data on thousands of married women in the U.S. from the National Survey of Family Growth from the years 1995, 2002 and 2006 to 2010. Her findings were recently published in theJournal of Marriage and Family.

The research is especially important, Kuperberg told The Huffington Post, because "it turns conventional wisdom on its head."

"For decades research has shown that cohabitation leads to divorce, and for the first time we can definitively say that cohabitation doesn't lead to divorce and never did -- that those earlier findings were a result of an incorrect measurement," she said.

It's important to note that the study does not delve into whether or not living together before marriage could lead to better marriages; it simply says that it won't make them worse.

What do you think: Is living together before marriage a good or bad idea?

Q

1. What is the advantage of living together before marriage?

2. What is the disadvantage?

3. Do you agree that cohabitation could prevent divorce?

4. Do you think cohabitation helps us to judge a future life partner?

5. Is this trend controversial in our society now? Do you think this trend will be more common in next 10 years?

[Alex Jung]

내일 기존 멤버 5명 / 신입 3명 참여 예정입니다.