Kyung Hee University

The significance of Peace Studies in 2011

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My increased collaboration with the Graduate Institute for Peace Studies at Kyung Hee University, and my work with the Global Peace Festival Foundation in planning the November Global Peace Convention in Seoul has led me to think more deeply about the term “peace” and its significance in our age.

Two things are clear:

First, “peace” is growing in influence as a critical concept for responding to the challenges of our age and an idea with immense intellectual and emotional appeal.

Second, the concept of  “peace” will require a thorough redefinition in light of significant changes in human society that have taken place and the new challenges that we face. We need to build a discourse on peace that is at least as nuanced and authoritative as that used for “security,” or for that matter that used for “economics.”

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What’s This about a Foreigner Teaching Park Jiwon’s Novels?

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This article by 임송이 describes the class for the Department of Korean Literature that I will be teaching next semester. The class is in English and concerns the novels of Park Jiwon, the 18th century writer whose novels I recently translated into English. This class is the first class taught in English in Kyung Hee University’s department of Korean literature and I do not know of any other universities teaching Korean literature in English, but to do so makes sense these days as there are an increasing number of foreign students in Korean literature departments. In graduate school foreigners outnumber Koreans.

By the way, I was interviewed at Korea University for a position in the department of Korean Literature in 2006, but at the time the department decided against hiring a foreigner. Times have changed, and we realize that teaching Korean is not just about some cruel globalization project, but a reality about the very nature of Korea. As Korea’s cultural power increases, we will see more such efforts to bring in internationals.

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Kyung Hee University and the Tuition Hike

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Kyung Hee University recently held a meeting to discuss the proposed raise in tuition. Representatives from various student groups were invited and a serious discussion on tuition rates ensued. I was unable to attend, but my understanding is that Kyung Hee University was the only university to actually engage in such a dialog. I also understand that the raise in tuition was substantially reduced.

Kyung Hee University’s Media Center: People Around Us

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The Media Center at Kyung Hee University recently featured the video interview with Kim Seong-ung (김성운) the guard who stands watch at the entrance to the international campus of Kyung Hee University. The interview falls under the category “People Around Us” and is a thoughtful introduction to a member of the community.

I have been quite impressed by the Kyung Hee tradition of inclusion and respect for labor. I wonder whether any other university would have produced such a video.  You can see the video for yourself here.