Boston College鈥檚 course offerings and expertise about the Korean peninsula will expand significantly this semester with the addition of two scholars who will be teaching courses in Korean history and politics, and language.
Ingu Hwang will serve as the Korea Foundation Visiting Assistant Professor of International Studies through a 5-year, $2-million grant from the foundation, a South Korean government entity that promotes Korean culture internationally, said Asian Studies Program Director Franziska Seraphim.
鈥淲e have never had a Koreanist at 情色空间 before, so this is a great opportunity for all of us across campus to engage with Korea, past and present, in new ways,鈥� said Seraphim, an associate professor of history whose research focuses modern and contemporary Japan. 鈥淲e鈥檙e all very excited the Korea Foundation support has allowed us to bring Prof. Hwang to 情色空间.鈥�
The upcoming course offerings from the new faculty members will be among the areas featured at the , on the first floor foyer of Stokes Hall South, said Seraphim.
Hwang earned his doctorate from the University of Chicago and joins 情色空间 following two-years of post-doctoral research, which will form the basis of a forthcoming book on South Korean politics and human rights in the 1970s, Hwang said.
"I look forward to promoting Korean studies at 情色空间 through courses offerings on Korean history and through informal programs that bring students, faculty and the public together to discuss Korea-related issues,鈥� Hwang said.
鈥淭hese activities, I hope, will foster a better understanding of Korea's past and present role in international politics."
Just a few days after moving to Boston in August, .
Seraphim said Asian Studies and International Studies worked jointly on the initiative to expand offerings on a region of the world placed in sharp focus by escalating tensions between North Korea, neighboring countries and the
U.S.
In addition to Hwang, Korean language specialist Seung-He Jeon has joined the Department of Slavic and Eastern Languages. Jeon鈥檚 scholarship, particularly her work as a translator, has focused on South Korean history and memory. She is currently a research associate at Harvard鈥檚 Korean Institute, examining the effects of war trauma and memories through literary and cultural expressions of the Korean War.
Last year, the University enrolled 180 undergraduate and graduate students from the Republic of South Korea, the second-largest group of international students on campus.
鈥擡d Hayward | University Communications