Tufts students interested in enrolling in Korean culture courses will soon have to look elsewhere to learn of the Asian country's history and traditions.
As of next year, the history department will no longer offer courses pertaining to Korea - a move that has evoked disapproval among members of the University's Korean Student Association (KSA).
"We are losing our opportunity to learn about Korea," said KSA secretary junior Soo-Young Park. "And that's a problem."
Currently two courses are offered on Korean history and Korean culture: "Korea in East Asia," offered in the fall, and "Modern Korea," offered in the spring. Both courses are taught by visiting professor Sung-Yoon Lee.
Due to a temporary funding setback preventing Lee from teaching as a "chair" in the department, the courses will no longer be offered at Tufts for what Lee predicts to be two or three years.
"When you try to create a new position, you seek to raise funds from outside of the University," Lee said. "Because Korean Studies was not part of the curriculum, we tried to raise money - but we are still not there."
According to Lee, two million dollars must be accrued in order to make his position into a "chair." To date Lee has helped raise approximately one and a half million dollars toward this goal.
His fundraising thus far would not have been possible if it were not for the donations of philanthropists Ho Youn Kim and his wife, the granddaughter of Korean independence activist Kim Koo.
Three years ago, the Kims donated $1.2 million to the Fletcher School of Diplomacy and Tufts University through the Kim Koo Foundation (KKF) in order to "further Korean Studies" Lee said.
Both of the Korean Studies courses have been offered throughout the five years that Lee has taught at the University. Lee, who also teaches at Fletcher, originally joined the history department for one year only, thanks to a donation made by a family from South Korea.
"Fortunately during my first year here I was able to pique the students' interest," Lee said. "There was a demonstrated demand [for more Korean Studies courses]."
According to Lee, the "temporary" cancellation of his courses need not overshadow the University's commitment to Korean affairs.
"The University does recognize the importance of Korean history," Lee said. "In contrast, very few first-rate American universities offer anything on Korea."
According to Lee, supporters for the continuation of Korean studies have ranged from University President Lawrence Bacow to the chair of the history department, Professor Virginia Drachman.
After his first year of teaching, the University took heed of the student interest in Korean studies and did something "extraordinary," Lee said. "[The University] raised its own money - funding - to sponsor my classes for one more year. There are hundreds of courses offered each year and you can't possibly sponsor all of them."
It was after his second year of teaching that Lee received the grant from the Kims and could thus continue teaching for three more years - a trial period established in accordance with the donors.
"My three years are up. At this point it is no longer feasible to spend away the money from the Kims," Lee said.
Nevertheless, Lee will continue to raise money so that a Korean Studies chair can become a permanent position. Should this happen, Lee has expressed interest in applying for the job.
While Lee said he would like to assure students that Korean Studies courses will return to the curriculum, members of the KSA intend to make sure that the administration understands that there is a need for these classes.
"For Korean-Americans who grew up here, they have their backgrounds in Korea but they don't understand deeply about Korean culture," Park said.
KSA vice-president senior Heidi Kim said that recent events surrounding U.S. relations with North Korea have sparked interest among Koreans and non-Koreans alike, especially given the University's reputation for international affairs.
"[The North Korean nuclear threat] is something that we read in newspapers almost everyday," Ho Youn Kim said. "It's pretty amazing how there will be no [Korean relations] course offerings."
According to KSA President junior Sue Kim, the association has called upon other Asian organizations on campus to help them mobilize their efforts. In the meantime, KSA members have written letters to Bacow and Drachman and plan on circulating a petition demanding the continuation of Korean Studies courses.
While Lee said he is "optimistic" that Korean Studies will become a permanent part of the curriculum, he said he does believe that students' efforts will only make the University more aware of the importance of his courses.
"It is good that the students are letting the administration know that they understand and appreciate the importance of Korean studies," Lee said. "We need this gentle prodding to remind people that Korea shouldn't be marginalized."
