Contemporary Society and Philosophy

This course introduces and examines the cultural, political, and ethical aspects of a number of important social issues in contemporary society. Issues to be considered include the following: animal rights, environmentalism, genetic engineering, human cloning, euthanasia, conscription, censorship, and the role of the media in shaping public opinion. Topics will be introduced through newspaper articles, documentaries, and contemporary films; philosophical aspects of the issues will then be examined through classroom discussion and debate. The overall goal of the course is to lead students to think for themselves and to form reasonable and justifiable positions on each of the issues discussed. Particular attention will be paid to understanding the East-West cultural differences that affect the issues explored in this course.

Globalization

The substantive focus of this course is globalization, undoubtedly one of the most ubiquitous phenomena that affects, and in many ways defines, contemporary life. Whether relishing the cosmopolitan city life in the most developed parts of the world or mired in a backward countryside of a Third World nation, most people, for better or worse, cannot escape the multifaceted and seemingly growing influences of globalization. It has also become a buzzword in the social sciences, one that has drawn the interests of many observers from various disciplines. Globalization has also been highly contested as an empirical force by its critics and also hotly debated as a theoretical concept by academics of all stripes. In this class, we will examine some of the key issues surrounding globalization, in particular its economic, political, and cultural consequences on host societies around the globe. Our readings will come from multidisciplinary sources, written by sociologists, economists, political scientists, and policy analysts. By exposing ourselves to multiple perspectives, our goal is to get a systematic and unbiased understanding of this phenomenon that has captured the attention of so many scholars and laymen alike the world over.

Special Lectures Series

The main goal of this course is to address the question of what are international studies. This course aims to answer this question by inviting major figures in the political and business world to give talks about current topics facing Korea and the world. Their real-world experience in fields such as finance, manufacturing, diplomacy, politics and media will help students formulate some conceptions of international studies and future career paths.

World History

This course serves as an introduction to political, social, and economic developments in world history from approximately 1450 to the present. We will pay particular attention to the emergence of modern states, nationalism, and global conflict.

Presentation Skills

This intensive participation course trains students in communication and presentation skills. You will learn the key elements of professional presentations including features of an effective presentation, making a good introduction, ways of organizing a presentation, advantages of speaking verses reading, making a well-designed and well-presented visual aid, the importance of body language, making an effective ending to a presentation, how to effectively handle questions and how to evaluate the effectiveness of a presentation. You will be introduced to the cultural differences in business, government and academic presentations.

Creative and Critical Thinking

Creative thinking refers to the cognitive processes through which we generate new ideas, interesting hypotheses, or novel solutions to problems. Critical thinking refers to the analytic skills that we use to evaluate those ideas, hypotheses, and solutions. To a very large extent, one’s success in life depends on one’s ability to think creatively and critically. And yet most people spend little or no time actually thinking about or trying to improve these skills on which their future success so largely depends. This course seeks to address that problem by training students to identify the skills associated with creative and critical thinking and then having them engage in individual and group-oriented exercises designed to strengthen those skills.

Academic Writing

This course is a step-by-step training program to improve business, professional, and academic writing skills. It trains students to organize unclear thoughts and to arrange information in logical units.