We will usher in an era of truly global and holistic education.
Noh Dae-hwan, Dean of the College of Humanities
The Dongguk University College of Humanities is a renowned center for studying humanities in Korea. It has produced many literary figures and authors, including Jo Ji-hoon and Seo Jeong-ju, who have made outstanding contributions to philosophy, history, and studying foreign languages and literature. These individuals will leave a lasting impression on the development of Korean literature. It has been crucial in passing down and fostering our people's spiritual culture. As the Dean of the College of Humanities, let me congratulate you on joining this illustrious tradition and express my hope that you will assist Dongguk Humanities in taking bold leaps forward in the world.
Humanities investigate fundamental principles and universal truths about people and the world. Pursuing an essence unbound by perceptual change and diachronic universality makes humanities a model of basic science. Basic science lays the logical foundation and theoretical basis for applied technology or science created to address the practical requirements of particular domains in the real world. Humans would not be able to enjoy today's advanced intellectual and cultural life without literature, history, and philosophical ideas, just as there could not be a modern advanced information industry and biotechnology without mathematics and physics. If applied technology and science are the branches and stems of a tree, basic science is its root and trunk. Political, economic, and social systems that uphold human values and advance more equitable and peaceful interactions among people can only flourish on the fertile grounds of the humanities.
In addition, humanities make up most of the general education universities offer as institutions of higher learning. General education is distinct from vocational education, designed for graduates to enter a specific industrial field or expert training courses to satisfy the different demands of the constantly shifting market, since it is education that everyone who receives higher education must receive regardless of their subject of study. Humanities education aids individuals in developing their perspectives on life and the world and societies in creating communities where people live just and peaceful lives through a process of reading, debating, and reflecting on area of the classics such as religion, history, philosophy, literature, art, and science, which are the treasure troves of human culture. If a vocational education prepares students for a successful profession, a humanities education prepares students to become morally upright people. Which workplace may be decent in a society where human resources are scarce and people are poor?
Some people question whether it is necessary to major in humanities such as history, philosophy, and languages in a world where the primary function of universities is to supply excellent human resources to improve national competitiveness, and where the purpose of going to university is to secure a well-paid and stable job. This may make sense, given the employment situation in Korea. In the United States, the top nation for higher education, this question is not always understood in this manner. Because humanities education is primarily used to achieve this goal, undergraduate education in the United States primarily focuses on developing reading skills in various fields, good writing, logical and creative thinking skills, sound judgment according to circumstances, and practical adaptability. Due to this, many top institutions in the United States do not provide undergraduate programs comparable to the business, law, and medical schools in Korea, instead focusing their offerings on courses for specialized graduate programs. Korea is the tenth-largest economy in the world now. National industries place a high value on information and culture, and inventive and creative skills are in high demand.
It is time for Korean governmental institutions and general businesses to set up a macro-level supply and demand mechanism for human resources that chooses college graduates with a background in the humanities and develops them into experts. That time should arrive as soon as feasible, I hope. Being a college student is not for everyone, especially since not everyone has the chance to plan and prepare for the future by studying and exploring the great concepts of Eastern and Western literature, history, and philosophy. Youth who have a high level of intellectual awareness, courage, a strong sense of adventure toward an uncertain future, and a free and independent spirit that refuses to grow complacent by following the crowd are those who benefit from this privilege. You are qualified to use such a privilege because you came to the prestigious hill of learning. Take full advantage of that privilege.
