KF뉴스레터-Korean Studies at the University of Rouen, France

Korean Studies at the University of Rouen, France

Currently, about ten institutions of higher learning in France offer Korean-language courses. The University of Paris 7 and INALCO offer a formal degree for Korean Studies at the institutional level, while other universities, such as University of Le Havre, University of Aix-en-Provence, University of Lyon 3, and University of Bordeaux, maintain Korean-language courses as required or elective subjects with credits. With the adoption of a common framework for academic degrees, the LMD system (Bachelor [License] 3 years / Master 2 years / Doctorate 3 years), and the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) in 2005, the University of Rouen designated Korean as a general elective course for undergraduates, thereby allowing students of any major to enroll in Korean-language classes.

Korean Language Instruction
The University of Rouen is located in Rouen, the capital city of Normandy, France. The university, with a tradition of some 700 years. The University of Rouen comprises six faculties (UFR) of Science and Technology; Psychology, Sociology, and Educational Sciences; Letters and Human Sciences; Physical Education; Law and Business Administration; and Medicine and Pharmacy. There are also University Institutes of Technology, of Evreux and Rouen, University Institute of Professionals, and Institute of Enterprise Administration. The total number of enrolled students amounts to some 25,000.
The desire of faculty members with an interest in Korea, and other French and Korean people outside the campus, was realized when an Institute of Korean Society and Culture was established in 1996, under the leadership of Dr. Jean-Luc Nahel, then dean of the Faculty of Psychology, Sociology, and Education Sciences, and Dr. Kim Yang-hee, Honorary Ambassador of Korea to the region of Normandy. In its early stages, the institute mainly carried out seminar-related activities. In 1998, however, the institute opened a Korean-language course, with a focus on basic grammar and conversation. In 2000, it received a three-year grant from the Korea Research Foundation. Dean Germain and Honorary Ambassador Kim assumed joint directorship of the institute in 2002, when Dr. Nahel was appointed President of the University of Rouen.

Development Strategy
Upon my appointment as part-time lecturer of the Korean Studies program at the University of Rouen, I first sought to assess the status of the Korean-language course and subsequently formulated a short-, mid-, and long-term strategy, related to a three-part process.
First, the Korean-language course at that time was a non-credit, elective subject. After meetings with university administrators to rectify this situation, it was agreed that the Korean-language course would be offered on a credit-eligible basis.
Second, there was a need to conduct research on the students who enrolled for the Korean-language course. They regarded the course as a chance to discover a new language, named Korean, and learn about Korea's history, economy, and society in general, rather than a program to educate translation specialists or Korean linguists. So, I decided to promote Korean culture-related activities, to encourage students of Korean Studies.
Third, a strategy restricted to the campus of the University of Rouen will face limitations in its efforts to promote Korean Studies over the long term. It is thus necessary to circumstances in which the elite of Korean Studies are educated on the campus so that they can play the role of a citizen diplomat representing Korea. A strategy to strengthen the partnership relations between Korea and France, beyond the City of Rouen and Normandy, in various fields, and to broaden the common ground between the two countries will greatly contribute to the sustained development of Korean Studies.
The number of students enrolled in the Korean-language course was about 20 in the first semester of 2004, and 47 in the second semester. In 2005, the Korea Foundation agreed to provide support to the University of Rouen for its Korean-language program. The total number of Korean-language students surged to 142 last year. The university plans to limit the number of students to 35 per class this year, and to offer separate classes for Korean language and Korean culture.

Seminars and Culture Activitiesbr

Korean Calligraphy Class
The university invited three visiting Korean calligraphers and opened a class on Korean calligraphy in the second semester of last year. The class is designed to enable Korean Studies students to acquire basic knowledge of calligraphy and the Korean script, and also help them to develop a deeper appreciation of Korean culture and thought.

Korean Studies Seminar
This seminar, which is designed to enhance understanding of Korean culture and history through Korean film, requires active student participation. They are required to decide on a specific theme, select an appropriate Korean film, produce posters, distribute leaflets, conduct a seminar before the film screening, and engage in open discussion after the screening. Seminar themes have included the Korean War and North-South Korea unification policy, related to a seminar on "JSA: Joint Security Area" (director: Park Chan-wook); Japan's colonial rule of Korea, Korea's independence movement, and post-colonial Korea-Japan relations, based on "2009 Lost Memories" (Lee Si-myung); and Buddhism and religious, philosophical and cultural aspects of Korean society, through "Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter...and Spring" (Kim Ki-duk).

Korean Film Festival in Rouen
The aforementioned seminar series served as momentum for efforts to organize the first Korean Film Festival in Rouen. The festival, held for seven days at Gaumont Theater from November 30 to December 6, 2005, marked the first Asian film festival in Rouen. The inaugural festival of Korean films noticeably boosted awareness of Korean cinema among local film buffs and general audiences. Of even greater significance, however, was the fact that the Korean Studies students were so eager to participate, well organized, and closely united to conduct such a major event.

Korea-France Exchange
Rouen and Jeju established official sister city relations when Mayor Albertini and Mayor Kim Yung-hoon signed an agreement for exchanges between the two cities on October 14, 2005. A delegation led by Cheju National University President Bu Man-geun made an official visit to the University of Rouen to conclude an MOU between the two universities on January 17, 2005. A formal exchange agreement was concluded in May 2005, when University of Rouen President Nahel attended ceremonies to commemorate the 53rd anniversary of Cheju National University. To promote exchanges between the two institutions, Cheju National University organized a two-week-long program of Korean-language instruction and tour of Jeju, in the summer of 2005, which included the participation of 16 students from the University of Rouen. In June 2006, 19 students from Cheju National University visited Rouen to attend a special summer program on French language and culture hosted by the University of Rouen. This reciprocal language and culture program has been so successful that the two sides have agreed to regularly conduct the project every other year.
Value of Positive Criticism
If criticism is an element necessary for the improvement of a system, the virtue of positive criticism and encouragement serves as a catalyst for its advancement. The most important aspect in the process of planning and implementation is to encourage a sense of calling and pride as a group with a common interest. The Korean fever in Rouen is all the more noteworthy due to the fact that the students of Korean language and culture assimilate a sense of calling as a group, which contemporary French society seems to lack, into a kind of collective solidarity.
The Korean Studies program of the University of Rouen offers two credit-eligible courses of Korean Language and Korean Culture to undergraduate students of the Faculty of Psychology, Sociology, and Education Sciences and the Faculty of Physical Education. Although offered as a non-credit course for undergraduate and graduate students of other faculties, many do enroll in the classes on Korean language and culture. Under the current situation, it is difficult to establish an independent Korean-language department with just two classes, despite the dramatic increase in student enrollment. Korean Language and Korean Culture are the only classes offered at the University of Rouen as Asian Studies subjects.
The competitiveness of a country in the 21st century will be determined by its standing in the world market of culture. The support for Korean Studies overseas that the Korean government actively provides not only lays a foundation for Korean culture in the world and broadens awareness of tangible and intangible Korean products, but also fosters foreign students of Korean Studies who will serve as the elite of citizen diplomats for Korea.
The Korean proverb isimjeonsim refers to heart-to-heart communication, without a need for the spoken word. More than 100 French students busily participated in the Korean film festival and organized the Korea Studies seminars. Rather than talking about dedication to a cause of enhancing national prestige, as a Korean, by teaching Korean and increasing awareness of Korean culture, I promise myself to do my best to help the efforts of my students at Rouen bear fruitful results, on the ground laid by those who have devoted their lifelong endeavors to having Korea stand proudly as a culturally advanced country of the world.