Yale University, a prestigious Ivy League school, is drawing attention for expanding its Korean language and culture studies.
Recently, Yale News, the Yale University newspaper, reported in an article titled “Riding a ‘Wave’: Yale’s expansion of Korean language and cultural studies” that the university has introduced new courses and expanded its faculty as interest in Korea grows.
First, Yale News reported that the global craze known as the Korean Wave has spread to Yale University. Students who have come into contact with Korean music, movies, literature, and Korean cuisine are looking for related lectures to gain a deeper understanding of Korea.
In fact, the East Asia Institute at Yale University held a conference on November 14~15 last year on the theme of “K-Pop Production and Consumption.” At the event, numerous attendees shared their diverse opinions on the current status of K-pop and the secret of its global popularity.
During the same period, Yale University’s Office of International Affairs hosted the “Yale-Korea Week,” the first of its kind at the university, and hundreds of attendees broadened their understanding of Korean culture and the Korean diaspora.
Aaron Gerow, who chairs the East Asian languages and literatures department, has given meaning to the fact that research and programs on Korea are on par with those on China and Japan.
Currently, Yale University has hired Professor Eunkyung Yeo of Kyung Hee University in Korea to expand its Korean studies, and has also hired a history professor, a professor of popular music and religion, and a librarian for the Korean Studies Library.
The number of students taking Korean language classes is also increasing rapidly. The number of students taking the course, which teaches Korean language and Korean literature, has increased from 100 students per year in 2017 to an average of 300 students per year in the last three years. In particular, last year, Han Kang became the first Korean writer to win the Nobel Prize, which has increased students’ interest in Korean literature.
Meanwhile, the Yale News reported that securing budget for Korean studies is going smoothly thanks to active support from the university and donations from Korea. Last year, the Jogye Buddhist Order, the largest Buddhist lineage in Korea, donated $1 million to the university.
BY HYOUNGJAE KIM [kim.ian@koreadaily.com]
