Graduate Schools of International Relations
Only in graduate schools of international relations can one learn quality English up to world standards in Korea. Only students who are fluent in English, getting around 900 TOIC points and about 630 TOEFL scores and aspiring to advance in the international arena are admitted. Classes are conducted in English, discussions are done in English, and theses are prepared in English. Ordinary conversation is not taught by native speaking teachers who instead teach students to attain an excellent command of English who, upon graduation, may be assigned to posts in international relations, diplomacy, business and trade. They came into being a few years ago when "globalization" was on everyone's lips with the ambition of sending droves of Koreans to international agencies like the United Nations and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. In light of the original aim, however, they still fall far short in the number of foreign professors and students.
Such graduate schools were established in March 1997 at the nine campuses of Seoul National, Yonsei, Korea, Ewha Womans, Sogang, Chung-ang, Hanyang, Korea Foreign Studies and Kyunghee Universities. For the purpose of nurturing experts in international trade, cooperation and research, the government decided to grant them 100 billion won in financial support over five years. In the first year of their founding, however, the schools invited the criticism of "having no English classes, no foreign professors and making tourism-oriented overseas tours their goal." They began to change after the Education Ministry warned them of a possible cut in support funds to poorly-performing institutions. An evaluation committee, commissioned by the ministry, said in a report submitted last January, "Graduate schools of international relations have achieved encouraging results."
But English and other language classes are far from perfect. Lectures on regional studies are mostly given in Korean. "Lectures in local languages are important depending on regions. But since their purpose is to produce people of ability who can advance into the international arena, lectures should be given in English, that is becoming a world language," say Education Ministry officials. "It's problematic that they are conducted in Korean."
The Education Ministry has set the goal for graduate schools of international relations to make 30% of their staff foreign professors and 35% of their student base overseas graduates. Both goals remain mere targets. At the end of last year, foreign students numbered 196 out of a total 1,093 students, accounting for 17.9 percent. Most of them are ethnic Koreans at that. The number of foreign professors is in the single digits. The Graduate Schools of International Relations at Seoul National University and Yonsei University have no foreign professors other than ethnic Koreans.
Why should foreign professors and students be essential at graduate schools of international relations? Most ethnic Korean professors at Yonsei University's Graduate School of International Relations, having graduated from prestigious foreign universities and lectured at foreign colleges, command English no less proficient than their native-speaker counterparts. Foreigners are needed to foster a school environment where "one has to use English."
"Graduate schools of international relations are places producing people with specialities, rather than teaching knowledge," explains Cho Dong-sung, dean of Seoul National University's Graduate School of International Regions. "To fulfill our objectives, we plan to conduct not only lectures, but also faculty meetings and school events in English only. To do so, we need foreigners. If Korean students mingle with Korean professors, they are liable to talk in Korean." "Having only had English lecturers from time to time, I think I had little chance in improving my English proficiency," confides Ms Lee Hui-sung, 28, who has landed a job at an international investment bank upon graduating from Ewha Womans University's Graduate School of International Relations.
English proficiency of Korean professors is satisfactory in general, according to Education Ministry officials, but there are variations between schools. Twenty-eight-year-old Han, a graduate student at K university, comments, "Frankly, the professors' English proficiency is disappointing." He has chosen K university because of "a bigger scholarship." Another graduate student Kim, age 26, attending a different school, says, "Many students seem to have registered on account of scholarships and to prepare for further studies abroad."
Government subsidies to these graduate schools terminate this year. Concerns are voiced as to how the graduate schools, which are already in straits over employing foreign professors, will be able to fulfil their missions by raising funds for incentives such as scholarships when the annual provision of W20 billion by the Education Ministry ceases. "Most of the nine graduate schools would function as they are now for the time being," predicts a graduate school dean. "Frankly, however, it's a question how many of them would be able to survive on a long-term basis."
