• Cross-Cultural Studies
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• v.44
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• pp.373-391
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• 2016

Since the 2000's, interest toward Africa in Korea has increased rapidly. Korea's interest in Africa began in the second half of the 1960's. However, this interest in the 1960's was motivated by political and diplomatic necessity at the time rather than the needs of indigenous groups in Africa. Korea had to oppose North Korea's diplomatic expansion in Africa to gain the support of international organizations like the United Nations. This interest in Africa motivated by diplomatic needs vanished quickly after the end of the cold war in the 1990's. Authentic Korean interest in Africa began to emerge in the 2000's. Korea's rising international status based on economic development led to a natural interest in Africa, which was the last frontier on earth. As a result, African studies in Korea increased significantly after 2010. The increase in the number of theses, articles and books was remarkable from 2010-2016, in comparison with 1957-2010. In spite of the increase in the quantity of thesis, articles, and books, the problem with Korea's African studies is above all, its preponderance. Over 75% of thesis and 70% of articles are concentrated in the domain of politics and economics. This reflects the fact that Korea's interest in Africa is based on short term political and economic interest, indicating that Korea's African studies did not deviate from the rudimentary phase in its quantity and quality. Another problem with Korea's African studies is the lack of integration of different types of research. African studies in Korea has three components, government funded research centers, university laboratories and individual researchers. The government funded research centers focus on the overview of African nations and their political and economic information. University laboratories mainly perform research on the theoretical aspects of politics, economics, human sciences and culture in Africa. Individual researchers are concerned with various categories. However, these three groups have failed to achieve a synergic effect on African studies in Korea and most of the research on Africa does not extend beyond each academic area. To overcome this problem, first of all, a live exchange may be necessary between domestic researchers.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.106-119
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• 2012

In order to promote national competition on knowledge based-society in 21centuries, it is important for us to train talented people who have much creativity. Comparing curriculums and contents studied in SECG (Science Education Center for the Gifted) and other organizations is object of this thesis. Finding implications of proper GATE(gifted and talented education) by understanding the present conditions is also a part of this thesis. We select 5 Science Education Centers for the Gifted and devise framework for analysis in order to analyze chemical textbooks in GATE programs. The framework consists of 6 categories including the contents, the level of activities, the opening extent of experiments, and the ability to think creatively. In our study of textbooks, we have found that the contents of chapters are divided properly but lacked the field of frontier and convergence science. Their activity types will have to develop programs which consist of various activities such as lectures and experiments. Precedent studies and study activities to promote scientific thinking were rated highly in general ratio. The level of studies that we analyzed lacked creative activities very much. In the opening extent of experiments, activities in the level 2 and the level 3 were low-rate. And in our study of thinking creatively, activities of promotion for expanded and related-ability to think seemed to lack. In order to achieve specific education for the gifted children, developments of GATE program is required. In the in-depth analysis from the questionnaires of Likert's method's descriptions, narrations, and interviews, it is divided into two answers in depth: contents of program, management of program. These also divided into two answers by attitude: positive answer or negative answer. According to the responses of the contents of program, the result of analysis shows that most respondents have positive reactions to not only contents and the managing method of SECG programs, but also to individual enhancing-abilities overall.

• (The)Study of the Eastern Classic
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• no.62
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• pp.209-229
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• 2016

This thesis is to discover the meanings of boundary through East Asian thought so as to make rooms for discoursing on it. First of all people have their own boundaries of 'Me', and they make others as persons or objects in their thoughts. Originally boundary has represented nation's frontier, and it indicated the worlds of space in Buddhism of East Asian culture. It is represented by loka or visaya in Sanskrit and region, dominion, boundary, border in English, which means the worlds that people would fancy in their minds over domains of politics, societies, culture, arts ect, not to be simple. Accordingly we must not approach to its meaning simply like 'beyond border'. There are many boundaries, which are similar to the sublime, for us to arrive in our lives. Spiritually there are also many boundaries(regions) that are made by our desires, wills and concepts. In a while there are limit or problem in our recognizing things, for example, of human's five senses that would be, to an extent connected with Buddhistic understanding of boundaries. Boundaries resulted from partiality in understanding of objects must be got rid of eventually. In regard of these matters, this thesis discusses the meanings of boundary, those that are inevitably made by human's consciousness, and negative ones to be got over from recognition systems of person or any groups.

• Cross-Cultural Studies
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• v.41
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• pp.7-32
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• 2015

This study started from an interest in the unique history and literature of Okinawa and Jeju Islands. The Battle of Okinawa at a late stage of the Asia-Pacific theatre of World War II, and the indiscriminate violence in the 4.3 Jeju Massacre directly show the shared tragedy of the two islands; furthermore, they are are both located on the frontier of a nation's authority, and thus are symbolic cases. This thesis analyzes Oshiro Tatsuhiro's Island of the Gods and Hyun, Ki Young's Sooni's Uncle, both directly deal with the tragedy of two different but analogous incidents, and question the difference in memory struggle and definitions. Thus, though both novels show a similarity in focusing on and exposing the forbidden memory of mass suicide and massacre, the methods of suggesting the course of memory struggle are different. For example, in contrast to Hyun who took a different approach from the fury, accusations, and violence of South Korea to espoused forgiveness and reconciliation, Oshiro showed the changes in the form of responding to the mainland Japan.

• Journal of Popular Narrative
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.251-276
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• 2020

The purpose of this article is to critically read Globalizing Borderlands Studies in Europe and North America to examine trends in border studies conducted so far in Europe and North America and to discuss the expandability and limitations of the narrative. It introduces a variety of case studies covering the borderlands of Europe and North America from ancient to modern times. It consists of a total of 10 chapters, in addition to the introduction chapter to clarify the purpose and definition of the collaboration and the short conclusion chapter on the prospects for the future of borderlands studies. This volume has some important implications for current borderland research in two main respects. First, it can introduce us we the areas and targets that the leading researchers from European and North American academia (usually the United States') have paid attention to. It also examines the current status of borderland research and predicts whether it will be possible to study various border areas where exist in other regions (especially in Asia) based on accumulating academic achievements, as well as the possibility of expansion of so-called 'globalization'. Second, it introduces the borderland as a conceptual space, beyond the border area as a physical space that is commonly thought of when it comes to 'border'. Cases of "conceptual borderlands" can be applied to a number of topics ranging from an individual's identities to the methods of governance, religions, economies, social institutions, families, labor issues, public health services and gender issues. There are, however, also some questions to be noted in the volume: the lack of consistent use of terminology, which can be considered general problems of collaboration studies; the fact that the authors still tend to understand borderlands within the imperialist discourse, perhaps because of their academic background is situated mainly in Europe and North America; the borderlands cases described here as the areas of conflict and struggle only. Nevertheless, the book is of significance in that it suggests a possibility of various borderlands studies and helps us to have better understanding of the current geopolitical situation imposed on the Korean Peninsula, which is located on the borderland between the continental and maritime powers.