Yonsei News

The news that Han Kang (Korean Language and Literature 89) has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature is a significant honor and a step forward for our university. Large banners celebrating the Nobel Prize were decorated across the campus, and students took great joy and pride in the fact that Han was a Yonsei alumnus. The Department of Korean Language and Literature, Han's alma mater, in particular, is joyfully absorbed in a whirlwind of activity, preparing for various events, including an academic event to celebrate the Nobel Prize in Literature. The subdued mood that prevailed just a few months ago, when we were discussing the crisis of the humanities and worrying about the place of literature in a materialistic, meritocratic society, seems to have transformed into a celebratory mood with the news of the Nobel Prize. The Department of Korean Language and Literature boasts a long history of Korean literature and an enduring reputation as the place where many giants of Korean literature, apart from Han Kang, have studied and developed their skills as writers. We cannot help but wonder what education in the Department of Korean Language and Literature is like having produced the first Korean and first Asian woman to win a Nobel Prize in Literature. Let us take a look at what the Department of Korean Language and Literature is all about and what courses are taught here.

Q. The department became the first in Korea to produce a Nobel Prize-winning author. Which other Yonsei writers have made significant contributions to Korean literature?

The history of the Department of Liberal Arts at Yonhi College goes hand in hand with the history of our university. The nation's favorite poet Yun Dong-ju ("Prologue," "Night of Counting the Stars," "The Sky, the Wind, the Stars, and the Poem"), novelist Kim You-Jeong ("Spring, Spring," "Camellias," "Wretched Lives," "Scoundrels"), and novelist Park Yong-jun ("Mobŏm kyŏngjaksaeng," "Mokhwa ssi ppuril ttae," "Father's Dream") graduated from the Department of Liberal Arts at Yonhi College.

Since its establishment as the Department of Korean Language and Literature in a comprehensive university system, it has produced an uncountable number of writers. Poet Jeon Kyu-tae ("Pomegranate," "White Sheep"), novelist Park Young-han ("Mobŏm kyŏngjaksaeng," "Mokhwa ssi ppuril ttae," "Father's Dream"), poet Ra Heeduk ("To the Roots," "The Words Stained the Leaves," "Dry Fish"), novelist Kim Byeola ("Mishil," "My Inner Pornography"), novelist Kim Yu-dam ("Tambourine," "Relaxed Position," "No Curtain Call"), and Han Kang ("Human Acts," "The Vegetarian," "I Do Not Say Goodbye") are also from our department.

Additionally, Ph.D. students Lee Seung-hoon ("Thing A," "Things," "Portrait of You," "Your Room"), Chung Han-ah ("An Adult Kiss," "Wolf Note"), Lee Ji-a ("Haute Couture," "So Immaculate," "Walking Alongside a Baby Wolf"), and Kim Jong-yeon ("World," "If You Go to the Supermarket") have deepened their literary explorations at the graduate school in the Department of Korean Language and Literature. Many other alumni of the Department of Korean Language and Literature have significantly impacted the Korean literary scene, both as writers and critics.

Q. What are some of the unique features or strengths of our university’s Department of Korean Language and Literature?

The strengths of the Department of Korean Language and Literature are 'diverse thinking' and 'interdisciplinary convergence.' The department offers various majors in accordance with the spirit of the school's founding, which aims to cultivate truth and freedom, which students can freely choose from and shape their own learning.

The Department is divided into four majors: Korean Linguistics, Classical Literature, Modern Literature, and Creative Convergence. Korean Linguistics is further categorized into grammar, Korean pedagogy, sociolinguistics, and lexicography. Moreover, the corpus linguistics emerging from the interactions between these sub-disciplines, which, in turn, expands the creative imagination of Korean linguistics, exemplifies the strength of our department's "diverse thinking.”

The field of Classical Literature teaches students to examine and explore Korean oral traditions, various pre-modern narratives, verse and prose, popular novels of the late Joseon Dynasty, authors and works of Sino-Korean literature, and old songs and stories in their socio-cultural context. In particular, this major continues interesting work exploring long-standing texts from a variety of three-dimensional perspectives, such as critiquing these narratives from a gender perspective or examining culture.

In Modern Literature, the traditional research methods of author theory and work theory for poetry and novels and the newly proposed discourse and cultural studies are conducted together to compensate for their limitations by communicating with each other. Further, it creates new value by learning to cross the boundaries of gendered and minority imaginations on various topics, such as movies, documentaries, web novels, hallyu, and fandom culture. Creative writing classes are offered each semester, providing students with the opportunity to learn about creative writing alongside academic study, thereby allowing them to explore their literary imaginations in a variety of ways.

The Creative Convergence Major, which was created to lead the globalization of the Department of Korean Language and Literature and to innovatively solve social problems, specializes in developing the ability to critique and plan various cultural contents as well as to implement them. It seems that the ability to move freely between such a deep and diverse range of disciplines is one of the greatest strengths of our department.

(Photo: Korean Language and Literature Student Association)

Q. How many members are there, and what subjects are taught in each major?

As of the second semester of the 2024 academic year, there are 16 full-time faculty members, 72 lecturers and adjunct faculty members, 273 undergraduate students (including those on a leave of absence), and 319 graduate students (including those on a leave of absence). There are 34 undergraduate courses, including UT seminars, and 28 graduate courses, including research supervision. The department's research centers include the Yonsei Institute of Language & Information Studies, Yonsei Institute of Korean Studies, Institute of Gender Studies, and Institute of Media Art, and many of its professors are also involved in the on-campus graduate courses, such as the Linguistics and Informatics and the Korean Studies Cooperative Programs.

As mentioned earlier, the department's majors include Modern Literature, Classical Literature, and Korean Linguistics. Undergraduates are not required to declare sub-majors, and, as not many courses are required for graduation is small, they are free to opt for courses based on their interests. The department offers a wide variety of classes across a wide range of disciplines each semester, allowing students to dive deep into their interests. The foundational courses for the major include Understanding Korean Literature, First Steps in Korean Linguistics, What is Literature, and Understanding Classical Korean Literature. Through the foundational courses, students have the opportunity to explore all of the majors.

The common courses in the field of Korean language are Korean syntax, Korean phonology, Understanding of linguistics, and Korean orthography. Courses are offered in each of the following areas: Korean Linguistics, Korean Language Education, Language Information Science, and Language, Society, and Culture. Common courses in Classical Literature include Understanding Classical Novels, Understanding Classical Chinese Literature, Chinese Classics for Classical Literature Majors, Understanding Classical Poetry, Exploring Korean Oral Narratives, Korean Songs, and Korean Classical Literature. The program is divided into classical fiction, Sino-Korean literature, classical poetry, oral history, and classical and cultural studies, and courses are offered in each area. Courses include 'Classical Literature and Gender,' 'Korean Old Books,' 'Korean Popular Songs,' 'Classical Literature and Cultural Contents,' 'Performing Arts Criticism,' and more.
 
Common courses in Modern Literature include Reading Modern Novels, Reading Modern Poetry, History of Korean Film Criticism, Text Analysis and Composition, Modern Society and Literature, and Comparative East Asian Literature. Courses are offered in three areas: Modern Literature, Studies in Modern Culture, Creative Writing and Media. Additionally, courses are offered in the field of Korean language education, such as Korean language education theory, Korean language logic, and argumentation for pre-service teachers.

Q. What kind of research will students be doing in the Masters and Ph.D. programs?

While undergraduate studies have been centered around acquiring knowledge from an introductory textbook, the Masters and Ph.D. studies will involve identifying your own research questions and creating new knowledge. Depending on the field you wish to study, you will choose a major, which can be divided into modern literature, classical literature, and Korean linguistics, but each major will also have sub-divisions.

If you choose to specialize in Korean linguistics, you will study grammar, including syntax and morphology, and applied linguistics, such as sociolinguistics and corpus linguistics, in-depth. The field of syntactic theory studies how to systematically explain the various grammatical phenomena that occur in the construction of sentences. Research topics include the grammatical relations of subjects to other sentence components, such as keywords, complements, and predicates, and the grammatical constraints imposed by the lexical aspect of verbs. Morphology, the study of words, involves exploring not only established words but also the formation of new words that appear and disappear as quickly as fashion trends. The formation and use of new words are often influenced by factors, such as the age, gender, and class of the speakers, and the impact of these factors on language use is a major research interest in sociolinguistics. Sociolinguistics recognizes the importance of language as a social act and studies language as a social phenomenon or behavior. The scope of sociolinguistics is endless: discriminatory hate speech, language policies, such as spelling, gender and language, politeness, and more. Recently, linguistic discoveries, based on objective and hard data, rather than on abstract techniques, have been gaining attention, and corpus linguistics is a field that statistically analyzes real language data to make new discoveries.
 
In Korean language education, students study and research vocabulary, grammar and discourse education, language acquisition, comprehension and expression education, and teaching methods. They also apply and study Korean studies and Korean language education as a foreign language in various fields, such as corpus linguistics and lexicography, as well as cultural studies and digital humanities. Korean language education focuses on learners' language processing and production processes, including how learners acquire language intrinsically, how they learn language in different environments, and what forms of language they express, with the ultimate goal of enabling them to communicate smoothly with native Korean speakers. During each semester, the Korean Language and Education major organizes academic events, such as conferences and colloquia to present research and discuss opinions. The Joint Research Laboratory for Korean Linguistics and Language Education is located in Oesol Building 213 and Widang Building 109, and is open every semester.
 
Modern Literature is not limited to genres, such as poetry, fiction, criticism, and film, but can study a wide range of topics, such as culture and digital humanities. It covers a wide range of periods, from the colonial period to the recent past, using a variety of research methods. This can be examined with a focus on professors' research areas. For example, Professor Hyunju Kim teaches modern prose and discourse studies, culture and media studies, and intellectual history and literary studies, while Professor Moonim Baek teaches video and film literature, film theory and criticism, popular culture and postcolonialism, and gender. Professor Heemo Chong's research focuses on college writing theory, pedagogy, and literacy. Professor Kang Sok Cho's research focuses on contemporary Korean poetry, literary criticism, and image and iconography theory. Professor Yoo Theodore Jun teaches cultural studies, cultural history, and digital humanities. Professor Yukyung Lim's research focuses on contemporary Korean fiction, literary criticism, North and South Korean literary history, and cultural studies. Additionally, the Joint Research Lab is located in Oesol Building 617 and is open for recruitment before the start of each semester.
 
Classical Literature studies a variety of fields, including Sino-Korean literature, classical poetry, classical fiction, classical prose, oral narrative, and oral transmission culture. Works include critiquing classical texts from a gender perspective and exploring and critiquing pre-modern verse and prose as creative resources in the context of cultural creation and convergence. The major focuses on interpreting the contemporary meanings of these ancient texts beyond just reading and interpreting them. Further, in addition to texts, such as Korean poetry and novels, the major teaches and researches diaries, essays, and other writings, as well as popular novels of the late Joseon Dynasty and colonial popular songs.  

 (Photo: Band of the Department of Korean Language and Literature)

Q. Are there any major student activities, such as academic meetings or clubs?

There are four exchange groups for undergraduate students in the Department of Korean Language and Literature to study together. The Sociolinguistics Society, 'I Mean That,' combines sociolinguistics and dialectology studies, research, and dissertations. The Cultural Criticism Society, 'Moram,' engages in various activities, such as watching and critiquing cultural contents, exhibitions, and appreciation events. They enjoy and analyze various cultural contents, such as music and movies, and literary works together. The Korean Language Society ‘Woori (Our) Language Research Society is active in academic activities, such as presentations and discussions related to the Korean language. The Korean Classical Literature and Cultural Content Society, ‘Yally Yally Yally Yalasung,’ examines existing and current works of classical literature with the keyword of contentization of classics, and plans and produces new contents that reinterpret classical literature, such as novels, screenplays, videos, webtoons, and games.

Certain undergraduate clubs have also been formed to help relieve stress from studies. ‘Blue Flame, Cheongbul’ is a band of the Department of Korean Language and Literature, which organizes regular performances in summer and winter, joint performances with other bands, and session-specific studies to share hobbies with students and build communication and harmony among seniors and juniors. Recently, they held a joint performance, called ‘Cheongdongsi,’ with the bands of the College of Liberal Arts and the Department of English Language and Literature, and will also hold a regular concert in February.

The Korean Language and Literature Student Association, 'Donggle,' strives to improve the welfare of its members and make school life more colorful and enjoyable. The Student Association is mainly responsible for media relations, student welfare, and event planning. It delivers information on events and convenience to students in Korean through the department’s social media account and provides various welfare services by collecting student complaints as a communication channel. The department hall provides a variety of snacks, first aid supplies, chargers, and umbrellas, and organizes snack-sharing events during the exam period. They are also promoting mentoring of younger students in various ways, such as interviewing alumni and mentoring for multiple majors. This year, student events included freshman OT and general MT, Hangeul Day event, as well as a campus event (“Kukcam Yomojomo”) to help new students adapt to Songdo, and a one-day pub event with the Korea University exchange class. In particular, on November 1, the Department of Korean Language and Literature organized its first alumni event to enable current undergraduates and alumni to meet and strengthen friendships between seniors and juniors, and end the year in a meaningful way.

(Photo: 2024 Korean Language and Literature Night)

Q. What are the main career paths of graduates?

Graduates of the Department of Language and Literature have a wide variety of career paths compared to other departments. Of course, as in other departments, many students focus on employment or exams, but here are a few examples of future paths that take advantage of the characteristics of the major. First, some want to continue their studies. At the undergraduate level, students opt for either of the three main areas of study, i.e., Korean Linguistics, Classical Literature, and Modern Literature, to explore their interests, and if they desire or have academic interest to continue their studies, they can consider graduate school. At the graduate level, they will delve deeper into a more specialized area of study. For example, a modern literature major might be subdivided into poetry, fiction, or prose. These distinctions are made based on the interests and research trends of the professors in the major, so it is helpful for interested students to consult their professors' recent research and the theses of their graduates.

Recently, a new major, called Creative Convergence, was included in the Department of Korean Language and Literature. This laid the groundwork for an interdisciplinary examination of various cultural areas not covered by conventional genre classifications and new genres, such as web novels and movies. Once you have written a thesis in your field of study that has been approved by your supervisor and committee, you will be able to work in the field as a lecturer, researcher, or critic.
 
Meanwhile, you can plan a future as a writer, such as a poet or novelist. In interviews following her Nobel Prize win, Han Kang studied poetry in a class taught by poet Hyun-jong Chung and won the Yonsei Culture Prize for poetry. As such, the department offers a wide range of literature education, while at the same time providing experiences that enable students to consider how they can connect it to the real world and communicate with each other. This will not only cultivate talent in the field of national literature but also foster the ability to engage in creative activities across cultures, e.g., prominence as game directors or web novelists. With these skills, graduates have proceeded to work in various fields, including education, publishing, journalism, and broadcasting, apart from literary research.

Q. Who should choose the Department of Korean Language and Literature?

Anyone interested in the study of language, including grammar and sociolinguistics, and the literature of the modern classical period can pursue studies in the department. In particular, if you want to pursue cognitively practical skills without being confined to a particular theory, and if you want to explore human beings with a focus on language, you will be a good fit for our department. However, it is also recommended for all students to develop their logical and critical thinking skills and creativity, as these constitute the foundations of the humanities. These skills will be useful irrespective of your chosen career direction, as they are often required in the general workplace, even if you do not necessarily choose to pursue language and literature studies.