Korea IT Times
Wednesday, January 25th, 2012
Raise expectations for Korean Language Competency in International Students
Emanuel pastreich
The world has witnessed a remarkable boom in the study of Korean language over the last five years. There are an increasing number of international students enrolling in Korean universities, often taking all their courses in Korean. I taught a course in Korean literature this year at Kyung Hee University and found many students from abroad were enrolled.
Korean Organic Farming: “The Jewel of Great Price”
Emanuel Pastreich
The Asia Institute
January 25, 2012
The Flower of the Dharma Sutra (Fahuajing 法華經) includes a remarkable tale entitled “The Jewel of Great Price” (無價寶珠) that describes quite accurately the state of organic farming in Korea today as a forgotten treasure.
In “The Jewel of Great Price,” a man is given a jewel by a friend as a present. But because the friend sews the jewel safely into the lining of the man’s jacket while he is sleeping and does not have the chance to tell him about it before parting early the next morning, the man suffers through terrible deprivations over years, unaware that he has this priceless jewel right in his own jacket. Only later when he meets up again with his friend does he learn of the treasure that he was carrying with him.
KOREA HERALD
Emanuel Pastreich
Korea’s tradition of propriety: Godsend for network age
2012-01-25 19:05
In this age the complex relations developing between individuals outside of the workplace or the family, whether those that develop through online communications within organizations, or those found in social networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, are having a profound impact on our society. Connections between people from vastly different
Presenting rural Korea to the World as the “Provence of Asia”
When I lived in Daejeon for four years, I was struck by the beauty of the surrounding landscape. The old hills covered with pine trees, the rivers and canals that surrounded luscious fields of rice were infinitely appealing. I found many delightful villages that produce unique agricultural products in the countryside. The older farmhouses were simple, but beautiful, reminding me of some of the farm houses I had seen as a child in Europe. In rural Korea, I felt, I had encountered something equivalent to Tuscany or Provence in Europe, an idyllic region which could attract tourists from around the world to enjoy its villages and its agricultural products.
This article in the Munhwa Ilbo Newspaper argues that the Korean Wave of today must evolve into the “Korean Dream” of tomorrow. Like the American dream of the 1950s and 1960s, Korea is in the position to influence how people around the world conceive of themselves and their societies by promoting a “Korean Dream,” an model for thinking and behavior. I suggest that Koreans have to take the full responsibility that comes with great influence and put forth a new vision of the world and the role of individuals that will have a positive impact. Such a dream must go beyond consumption to engage with spiritual issues and issues of sustainability. The concept of “Korean Dream’ was first introduced to me by the GPFF (Global Peace Festival Foundation” and I have been much impressed by their efforts to create a new model for activity by youth.
The magazine “Country Living” (정원생활) has taken on a new level of sophistication in its design and its content. In a word, “Country Living” presents an appealing image of rural life that is tempting to Koreans in their 30s and 40s. It is hard to imagine such an image of rural Korea previously, a place most Koreans wished to escape for the modernity of the big city (usually Seoul) but things are changing rapidly in Korea these days. Most magazines about country life tended to be rather drab descriptions of agricultural activities with older women in bright colored outfits.
There has been quite a lively debate in Korea, and throughout the world, concerning the importance of the humanities. I most certainly think the debate is most welcome and most healthy. I fear that often, however, the argument for the humanities is not made in a manner that will be convincing to undergraduates.
The argument tends to be that the humanities are essential for assuring a more complete human experience, for making you spiritually and ethically more satisfied. Although I certainly would not deny that logic, The fact is that most youth do not think in such terms. For most youth the main issue appears to be survival and there is not much space for living a more perfect spiritual life.
The remarkable emergence of women as the critical political force in Korea is best embodied by the meeting on January 17th, 2012, between Representative Park Geun-hye, chairwoman of the Grand National Party’s emergency committee, and Han Myeong-sook, chairwomen of the Democratic United Party. Needless to say, it is the first time that the leaders of two major Korean parties are both women.
The meeting was filled with no small degree of irony. Park is the treasured daughter of the late President Park Chung-hee, well known for his efforts to suppress by any means his opponents. Han was one of the victims, spending two years in jail in 1979 for political reasons. Her husband spent 13 years in prison.
I will present a paper entitled “The Future of the Research Institute” on Friday, January 27 at 4:20 PM at the Nano-Bio Convergence New Technology Research Center of Kyung Hee University.
Please do attend if you have time.
See the attachment for details about the talk
Article published January 5, 2012 in ET News (전자신문) advocating that scientists should work together with artists.
전자신문
2012년 1월 5일
“연구소에 예술가 활동공간 생기면 풍부한 상상력얻을수있어”
임마누엘 페스트라이쉬 (경희대학교)
현대는 융합연구가 대세다. 최근 떠오른 고령화와 기후변화 문제도 인간 유전자와 지구 환경만을 파고든다고 해서 답이 나오는 것은 아니다. 문제 발생이 복합적이기 때문이다. 학제 간 융합은 과 학기술 만이 아니라 인문사회 분야교류까지 접목 영역을 확대시켜놨다. 생명공학연구실 옆에 화가나 조각가 공방이 있다면 자연스레 서로 어울리며 식사도 하고 교류를 통해 창의적인 연구 아이디어를 공급받을 수 있다. 연구원 과 예술가의 만남은 서로에게 좋은 자극이 될 수 있다. 미국 뉴욕시에 소호 라는 마을이 있다. 처음엔 황폐했지만 지금은 지식문화 중심지로 변모해 있다.1970년대 소호 동네에는 텅빈 창고가 많았다. 가난한 예술가들이 모여 공방을 열었고 성공한 예술가들이 나오기 시작했다. 사막 같던 길거리에는 멋있는 카페가 생기기 시작했고 결국 이 예술가들이 동네를 교육문화 중심지로 탈바꿈시켜 놨다.
연구기관도 마찬가지다.연구기관 내에 예술가 활동공간이 생기면과학자들에게 영감을 주는 창의적연구의 시발점이 될 수 있다.예술창작이라는 것이 과학기술 연구와다소 거리가 있어 보이지만 예술창작의 생태계는 기관 전체에 상상력을 부여할 것이다. 연구원들의 여가와 활기찬 생활을 만들어 가는 데 크게 기여할 수밖에 없다 과학기술계가 예술가로부터 얻을 수 있는 이득은 또 있다. 사실정보의 시각적 표현의 중요성 을 인지하는 과학자는 한국에 거의 없다. 하지만 이는 생물의학 분야나 다른 기술 분야에서 매우 중요 한 이슈 중 하나다. 나노 수준의 물질 분자 그리고 원자 분석은 갈수록 어려워지고 정보도 복잡다단해지고 있기 때문이다. 분자의 3차원적 특성을 이해하는 것만 해도 그렇다. 입체적인 이해에는 시각예술과 접목이 큰 도움을 줄 수 있다 세포와 원자 분자 단백질을 시각적으로 잘 나타내면 그 특성과 정보를 좀 더 쉽게 깊이 있게 이해할 수 있다. 쉽게 이해하게 되면 그만큼 깊이 있는 단계로 몰입하는 데 도움을 준다.
요즘 과학기술계가 생성하는 정보는 말 그대로 엄청난 양이다. 이를 처리하는 것도 과학기술계 과제다. 이 정보처리에는 애니메이션이나 영화그림 등이 효과적일수 있다.정보 축적과 표현법을 빌려올 수 있기 때문이다. 전문가들은 앞으로 10년간 정보를 시각적으로 표현하는 것이 R&D와 사업화 성공의 중요 변수가 될 것으로예측하고 있다. 한국의 강점인 IT를 잘 활용한다면 과학기술도 예술도 모두 한 단계 업그레이드될것으로 믿는다.