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Korean Language Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University

Jawaharlal Nehru University was named after the Indian independence activist and first prime minister of India, Pundit Jawaharlal Nehru. Founded in 1969, it is India's top national university, and as primarily a graduate school its undergraduate courses are within the School of Language, Literature, and Cultural Studies only. The other schools of the Univer-sity, which only offer graduate-level education are the schools of international studies, environmental science, social sciences, life sciences, computer and systems sciences, and physical sciences. There are also independent centers: a center for informatics and a special center for molecular engineering.

Korean Language Section
The Korean language section is officially a part of the Center for Japanese and Northeast Asian Studies in the School of Language, Literature, and Cultural Studies.

The three-year undergraduate course (B.A. in Korean) was established in July 1995 with the support of the Korea Foundation, and the two-year graduate course in 1998 (M.A. in Korean). It is now a five-year integrated B.A./M.A. program. In May 2000, the program produced its first batch of eight graduates who received master's degrees. The fact that the Korean language program is included in Jawaharlal Nehru University's curriculum reflects the recognition of Korea and the Korean language on the part of the Indian government and Indian scholars.

Jawaharlal Nehru University is India's leading graduate university and unique among the 237 universities and about 7,000 colleges in India in offering Korean language courses. This makes it the sole institute of higher education in South Asia where Korean language is taught. The School of Language, Literature, and Cultural Studies offers courses in Hindi, English, French, German, Chinese, Russian, Arabic, and Persian, as well as one-year diploma courses in Italian, Portuguese, Mongolian, Indonesian, Hebrew, and Greek. With the active image of Korean companies investing in India, the Korean language and Korean studies are seen as academic areas with strong potential.

Since the undergraduate degree program in the Korean language was established at Nehru in 1995, it has maintained an almost unbroken record of top rankings in terms of applications and admissions among the University's ten foreign language courses. Thanks to the positive recognition of Korea in India, the University authorities are aware of the need to establish M.Phil and PhD programs in the Korean language. This is one of the serious demands of the student union and in a few years it is likely that a doctorate course may be introduced.

The University? Korean language curriculum covers such areas as conversation, reading, translation, interpretation, grammar, history, geography, politics, economics, literature, linguistics, and international relations, with computer courses as an option. After completing the course, graduates become Korea-related experts in India or pioneers in the fields of Korean relations and promoting Korean culture. Each semester, undergraduate students are required to complete 18 credits while graduate students complete 16 credits. From 1995 to 1998, 25 students were admitted each year to the undergraduate program, while in 1999 and 2000 this number was limited to 15. Students are selected from all over India through special admission tests, and so far 75 students have enrolled for the program.

Because they have a proper understanding of Korea and highly competitive skills, many graduates are employed by local branches of Korean companies that regularly deal with Korea and are also welcomed for their overall high-level of competence.

With financial support provided by the Korea Foundation in 1995, the program appointed one professor, while a second professor was supported by the Ministry of Human Resources and Development. There are a total of seven teachers for the undergraduate and graduate programs, including five Koreans, one contract professor, and three lecturers. Administratively, the Korean language program is a part of the Center for Japanese and Northeast Asian Studies while I assume the role of de facto chairman of the program. In 2000, the university appointed Mr. Tewari and Mrs. Jayanti Ragavan as assistant professors of the program, while Mrs. Kim Young-soon was reappointed as a contract professor.

The language text used by the program is the same as that used by the Korean Language Institute at Yonsei University in Seoul. Last year, however, I published two new texts for Indian students, Korean Language I and II, which are currently in use, and I hope to publish additional basic instruction textbooks in the future.

On Hangeul Day each year, the program hosts a commemorative event. Last year's event on October 9 was celebrated by over 400 people, including Nehru University? vice chancellor Prof. Asis Dutta, H.E. Mr. Chong Moo Lee, the Korean ambassador to India, Korean businessmen in India, Korean residents in India, and students of the university. The program included presentations of the play "Heungbujeon," Korean songs, traditional dance, and farmer's music. The local offices of LG Electronics and Hyundai Motor Company sponsored the event and provided the costumes, while Asiana Airlines shipped over necessary props from Korea, all of which was reported in the local media.

Jawaharlal Nehru University enjoys sister relations with several Korean universities, including Chonnam National University, Dongguk University, Inchon University, and the Pusan University of Foreign Studies. It is very much hoped that similar exchanges will continue to take place in the future.

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