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Nothing can advance without the basics.
However, the nation’s academic field has been neglecting the basics _ the humanities.

Last month, 121 professors at Korea University’s college of liberal arts issued a statement to assert that Korea’s study of the humanities has been neglected and to call for a solution.

The humanities are social sciences related to mankind, such as philosophy, literature and history.

"The humanities, which search for human values and the ultimate meaning of life, are valuable cultural assets that we should keep forever. But in Korean society where a blind faith toward market principle and effectiveness prevails, the foundation of humanities study and the reason for its existence are threatened," the professors said in the statement at a symposium held in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the humanities college’s establishment.

People have talked about the "humanities in crisis" since the 1990s. But it is the first time for humanities professors in Korea to collectively proclaim the crisis, reflecting the seriousness of the situation.

The professors cited two major reasons for the situation: universities’ commercialization as a consequence of a blind faith in market principles and effectiveness, and humanities scholars’ inactivity in coping with the situation.

"Following the commercialization of universities, study and teaching activities are being degenerated into a subject for measurement and a commercial product," they said.

Fewer and fewer university students have been applying for humanities majors, instead preferring majors directly related to employment, such as management, medicine and engineering.

The government’s support also concentrates on practical majors _ financial support for humanities majors accounts for only 0.7 percent of the total support for research and development projects. Many universities have abolished humanities departments and are instead setting up law schools, graduate business courses and medical graduate schools.

The professors also noted that scholars feel responsible for not actively developing proper methodology to adapt humanities to changes in society.

"Humanities scholars need to boost their creativity in criticizing what is wrong in society and present detailed alternatives," they said.

A renaissance of the humanities, however, does not seem easy, as the discipline, unlike science and technology, would not bring tangible results in the short term, although the study is supported financially and in other ways, experts said.

Sociology professor Lim Hyun-chin at Seoul National University (SNU) said the nation needs to approach the issue from the viewpoint of ``cultural assets,’’ rather than the viewpoint of a national strategy, to boost the humanities.

Korean history professor Cho Kwang of Korea University, who organized the professors’ statement, said their move did not mean to present detailed countermeasures but to boost public understanding that the humanities are the basis of all sciences.

On Sept. 26, deans of 80 universities nationwide, including SNU, Yonsei University, Sogang University and Hanyang University, also delivered a statement at Ewha Womans University to urge the nation to increase its support for the humanities.

Question
1. What is your major? Why you choose that major?
2. Many people are not conscious of this phenomenon.
Then, Have you heard about 'crisis of Humanities'? If so, how did you feel?
3. Why The humanities is faced with crisis?
(There are some reasons.- People avoid to enter The humanities course because it is useless for employment. Or that is the internal problem of The humanities. Because Humanities academy is so conservative, academy should endeavor to attain free atmosphere. And so on.) Tell us your opinion freely.
4. To solve this problem, What kind of efforts are needed?

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