IU recently inaugurated the University’s Institute for Korean Studies. The institute is designed to promote Korean Studies, advance the learning of Korean language and culture and offer greater engagement in a study that has been less represented on campus.
The institute sponsors research projects, is host to showings of Korean films during Korean film week, offers study materials, hosts community-wide events and contributes to IU’s Korean library collection, according to the institute’s website.
The Institute for Korean Studies hosted its opening ceremony and inaugural conference on Friday, Sept. 9, which featured presenters from universities across the U.S. as well as speakers from museums and other organizations.
This kick off event is one of many events the Institute plans to offer this upcoming year as a part of its campus mission.
“A large part of the mission is to bring scholars from outside to campus to enrich the campus and promote the profile of Korean Studies,” said Susan Blake, assistant director of the institute.
The institute is housed within the School of Global and International Studies but is also associated with IU’s East Asian Studies Center and Department of East Asian Languages an tures.
“This is actually a pretty special thing,” Blake said. “The institute provided here at IU is not common at Big Ten research universities.”
Part of the offerings through the institute this year includes a guest lecture from Bruce Fulton, a renowned Korean Literature professor, and Young-Bin Min, Chair in Korean Literature and Literary Translation at the University of British Columbia.
“He has agreed to come to campus to come to give a lecture on Korean literature,” Blake said about Fulton. “He is a big name in the field. It’s a big deal.”
Undergraduate student Jiheui Lee works at the institute two to three times a week and helps organize events. She also serves as an assistant to the institute director, Seung-kyung Kim.
Lee said that while she is working on a Chinese major, her interest is in international studies. Specifically, she is interested in pursuing Korean studies, focusing on either language or culture, as a career in the future brought her to work at the institute.
“It helps me to see what career I might be interested in,” Lee said.
Blake said the institute serves as a place for undergraduates and community members to come for events, as well as a support system for faculty.
However, in terms of the bigger picture, the addition of the Institute for Korean Studies adds a focus on and more resources for Korean Studies at the University.
“It’s important because it’s an area that hasn’t been as well represented,” Blake said. “IU is now supporting Korean Studies to the same extent as Chinese and Japanese studies. It is important to learn about this vibrant part of the world.”
