Our goal is to promote an enhanced understanding of the nations of East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Islands.

Academics

Korea Studies

In recognition of the growing economic and political importance of the Korean Peninsula, the Asian Studies Center, in cooperation with the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures (EALL) has launched an initiative to expand the course offerings and research study on Korea at the University of Pittsburgh.

The Korean language has been taught at the University of Pittsburgh for over 15 years. Recently, the Korean language courses were moved into EALL from their home in the Less Commonly Taught Languages Center in the Department of Linguistics. In the spring of 2003, we launched a new course focusing on the cultural history of Korea. Currently, there are 10 faculty who either teach about Korea in their courses and/or do research on Korea. There are a number of graduate students in various disciplines who are pursuing research on Korea and intend to focus on Korea in their dissertations.

Recently, the Asian Studies Center sponsored the 2-day conference The United States & the Koreas: A Critical Relationship on November 9-10, 2007. This special symposium brought together members of the Pitt community and special guests from Seoul National University of Technology, the Korean Council for University Education, the Korean Association of International Studies, the Korean Ministry of Patriots & Veterans Affairs, the Korean Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and Gwangju National University of Education. As part of the conference activities, Chan E. Park, Associate Professor of Korean Language, Literature, and Performance Studies at The Ohio State University, presented a traditional story-singing performance of "Song of the Underwater Palace" on the p'ansori.

In addition, as part of the Asian Studies Center Fall 2007 Asia Over Lunch lecture series, Eun-Young Jung, Japan Korea Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Pittsburgh, presented her lecture "Transnational Popular Cultural Traffic between Japan and Korea" on November 1, 2007.

The Graduate School of Public and International Affairs is currently building an exchange program with Seoul National University of Technology focusing on a master's degree program in public policy and public affairs.

Academic Programs and Degrees

The University of Pittsburgh's Korean Studies Program has faculty members in the following disciplines: political economy, education, history, language and linguistics, public and international affairs, and security studies. Korean content is part of a number of survey courses on Asia. Also, the Asian Studies Center grants an Interdisciplinary Master of Arts in East Asian Studies that combines a focus on Korea with language training and an integrated course of study in the social sciences and humanities.

Undergraduate and graduate certificates in Asian studies can be earned by students enrolled in regular departmental majors by fulfilling requirements in Korean language study and area studies course work related to Korea.

Language Study

The undergraduate Korean Language Program comprises two years of course offerings. Each level offers training in speaking, reading, and writing. Classes are small, and instruction is provided by native speakers. A third year of study of Korean is scheduled to be implemented in fall 2004.

Korean Language and Culture Courses

First Year Korean 1 (Fall)
First Year Korean 2 (Spring)
Second Year Korean 1 (Fall)
Second Year Korean 2 (Spring)
Third Year Korean 1 (Fall)
Third Year Korean 2 (Spring)
World of Korea: Past & Present (Fall)

To find additional details (course numbers, time, place and professor) please visit the courses section of this site.

The Korean Studies Endowment

An endowment fund for Korean studies has been established at the University. The principal of the fund currently stands at approximately $130,000, yielding a modest amount in support of the language program. A special effort is underway to raise additional funds for the endowment, as well as attract external funding to support our faculty and library initiatives in support of Korean Studies.

Library and Other Resources

The East Asian collection of the University Library System has been ranked as one of the 14 top East Asian libraries in the United States. As part of our Korean Studies Initiative, we have earmarked a special acquisitions fund to strengthen the Korean collection, and have hired extra staff to catalogue the materials.

Korean Information Specialists

Donghee Sinn

Korean Collection Specialist
dosst22@pitt.edu
(412) 648-8185