The Department of Korean Language and Literature aims at the creative inheritance and development of Korean culture though the study of Korean language and literature. To achieve this aim, the department studies the structure and history of the Korean language, attempts to understand and evaluate the past and its literary products. As Korean life is intertwined with its language, and the spirit of that life is contained within Korean literary works, the study of Korean language and literature lies at the core of Korean humanities.
The aim of the Department of Chinese Language and Literature is to foster a renewed appreciation of the traditions of East Asian civilization through the study of the language and literature of China. As Korea shares a common cultural background with China, an adequate understanding of Chinese culture can provide students with insights into Korean culture as well. An objective understanding of China is all the more important in today's age of political and economic blocs, where the role of East Asia is increasing steadily.
The Department of English Language and Literature trains students in English language skills necessary for scholarly research, and provides students with in-depth knowledge of a broad range of subjects in the fields of English linguistics and literature. Students may specialize either in English linguistics or English and American literature. Undergraduates are required to take a broad range of courses in both linguistics and literature in order to build up their language skills. The literature concentration consists of courses in poetry, novels, drama, and literary criticism.
The Department of French Language and Literature has played a pioneering role in the study of French language and culture in Korea. The department operates a systematic and diverse curriculum that enables students to achieve these goals. General education courses offered by the department include courses in elementary French and general introductions to French literature and society that provide students with a broad knowledge of France.
The Department of German Language and Literature seeks to understand German culture through the study of the German language and literature, thereby contributing to the development of those disciplines and cultural aspects which may benefit from connections with Germany. The department thus aims at training future scholars of German language and literature, as well as cultivating men and women of talent and ability who are able to rise up to the challenges of the global communications era. With these two goals in mind, the department provides students with a curriculum that balances the need for practical German language skills (conversation practice with the aid of audio-visual equipment, writing, reading comprehension exercises) with training in the academic subjects of German linguistics and literature (research on classical literature, various genres of German literature of the different periods, modern German linguistic theories).
The Department of Russian Language and Literature seeks to cultivate graduates with both knowledge and experience in Russian politics, economy, society, and culture. To achieve this goal, language fluency is a must. Major students first focus on Russian language and then move on to literature and culture.
The department aims to instill in its students an appreciation of Hispanic linguistics and literature. The curriculum consists of courses on conversation and grammar for the lower-level undergraduates and more comprehensive and wide-ranging courses on the literature of Spanish-speaking countries and comparative studies on Spanish and other Romance languages for upper-level undergraduates.
The department undertakes a research trip every autumn to a particular region of Korea to conduct fieldwork on the state of the local dialect. Such fieldwork enables students to come into contact with a living language outside of the classroom, to heighten their feel for the nuances of language, and to foster their ability to analyze language. Fieldwork also contributes to the recording of precious dialects that are in danger of disappearing altogether.
The aim of the Department of Korean History is to provide students with well-grounded knowledge of Korean history and culture, so that they may acquire an undistorted historical consciousness regarding the past history of Korea and a balanced insight into Korea's future. A wide range of courses are offered by the department, including lectures and seminars on the various historical periods and others on the history of specific subjects. The courses on the historical periods help students build up overall interpretive skills in analyzing the history of particular time periods, and the courses on specific topics enable them to gain professional knowledge in various fields. As a result, students are taught a comprehensive and systemic approach to the study of history.
The Department of Asian History teaches the history of various regions and their traditions, as well as the history and culture of Korea in its Asian context. The subjects of research include the histories of China, Japan, North Asia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia and the history of interaction between eastern and western civilizations. The department, the first of its kind in Korea as an independent department of Asian history, aims at improving the standards of research in the field of Asian history, and at serving as the focal point for various outside projects. The nature of work in the field of Asian history is such that it requires fieldwork done in diverse regions of Asia, and specialists from the various Asian countries are regularly invited for lectures.
The educational aim of the Department of Western History is to delve into the history of western civilization and its import for world history, and to seek an autonomous understanding of western cultures and their relationship with those of East Asia, especially Korea. The curriculum covers selected topics in western history from different time periods and regions and examines important issues in the history of western civilization. Students are given training in theoretical tools and methodologies for studying history, which are then applied to the study of the connections between Western, Asian and Korean history.
The Department of Archaeology and Art History has its beginnings in the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, which was established in 1961 and was subsequently divided into the Departments of Archaeology and Anthropology respectively in 1975. In 1982 the Department of Archaeology was re-organized as the Department of Archaeology and Art history.
Graduates generally choose one of two career paths upon graduation. The first is to continue with graduate studies to serve eventually as professors of philosophy at the university level. The other is to work in the fields of education, journalism, politics and business. In doing so, graduates often occupy positions of leadership in their chosen fields, thanks to their keen analytic ability.
Graduates either go on to further studies in graduate school or serve in religious circles. Many graduates also find employment in journalism and the cultural sphere. In an increasingly pluralistic world, those imbued with a deep understanding of culture and humanity are urgently needed in all fields.
Graduate are active as scholars of theories of art and culture. Many graduates play key roles as cultural experts responsible for devising cultural policies designed to foster research into Korean aesthetic thought and to promote the development of Korean culture in general. Many others may be found serving in critical capacities at institutions and firms dealing with culture and art.
The Department of Mathematical Sciences All major areas of mathematics are represented at the dept on major areas of mathematics: Algebra, Analysis, Topology, Geometry, and Applied Mathematics. It is in charge of education in basic mathematics for non-math majors as well as more specialized mathematics for math majors. The Research Institute of Mathematics is a center of active research on diverse areas of mathematics.
Statistics is a branch of studies identifying current situations by scientific analytical methods on data collected in the fields of natural phenomena, social phenomena, and economic phenomena, and providing a means of predicting the future based on them. Therefore, statistics is applicable to all areas in which meaningful data has been collected and hence, serves a critical role in every field of academia.
The aims of physics are to discover the fundamental principles of nature, to understand various physical phenomena using basic priciples and eventually to contribute to scientific and technical innovation. We provide undergraduate education to foster an a
The Astronomy Program in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, Seoul National University (SNU), located at Gwanak-Gu, Seoul, offers courses in a broad range of astronomical and astrophysical topics for both undergraduate and graduate studies as well as a number of introductory astronomy courses for non-astronomy major students. The undergraduate program emphasizes a strong foundation in astronomy, physics, and mathematics, while the graduate program is designed to provide students with observational and computational skills as well as the theoretical background needed to carry out original research in various fields of astronomy.
Chemistry is the molecular science that attempts to understand the properties and changes of substances from the molecular perspective. Chemistry is considered to be a central, useful, and creative science. In the Department of Chemistry, pioneering research is performed by the cooperative efforts of molecular scientists, who are involved in basic studies with the aim of understanding the fundamental properties of molecular world, and molecular engineers, who pursue creative applications of knowledge in the behavior of molecular systems. These research activities require a close connection with physics and biological sciences.
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