JNU to launch online courses on Korean language and literature

NEW DELHI: India’s flagship academic institution Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) is planning to start online courses on Korean language and literature, under its e-learning initiative. The online courses will help the students to learn the language and literature of Korea from different corners of the country.

It was disclosed by Prof. Ravikesh, the Chairperson of Centre for Korean Studies, JNU during International Interdisciplinary Webinar titled “Emerging Trends in Korean Studies in India & South Asia” organised by the Centre for Korean Studies, JNU on  June 8 and 9, 2020.

Eminent academicians and dignitaries like Ambassador. Vishnu Prakash, Former Ambassador to South Korea and Canada, Prof. M. Jagadesh Kumar, the Vice-Chancellor of JNU, Prof. Mark Caprio, Rikkyo University, Japan, Ms. Lee Sejin, First Secretary, Embassy of Republic of Korea and Prof. Ravikesh, the Chairperson of Centre for Korean Studies were the speakers of the inaugural session of the webinar.

According to Prof. Ravikesh, the university was likely to launch the online courses subject to approval from the concerned ministry. In all likelihood, the courses may be started from the next semester by the end of this year.

On May 17, while launching Study from Home initiative by the Modi government, the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced that the top 100 universities of the countries will be automatically allowed to start online education courses. The finance minister announced several new initiatives that will be started by the government in the education sector to promote “technology-driven education with equity post-COVID.”

The inaugural session of 7^th AKS International Interdisciplinary Webinar under the title “Emerging Trends in Korean Studies in India & South Asia” which was attended by more than five hundred participants and speakers from different countries like India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Mongolia.

The program was initiated by Prof. Ravikesh, the Webinar Director who mentioned about the rising popularity of Korean Studies in India and South Asia. He also elaborated on the purpose of organizing this webinar which aims at discussing the culture and literature of Korea and its take on COVID-19.

Prof. Ravikesh mentioned that in the recent years, Centre for Korean Studies has emerged as the hub of Korean studies in India and in the South Asian region and has successfully connected with the various institutions through collaborating with them in organizing international conferences and academic exchanges.

He also mentioned that the University will soon start with the online courses on Korean language and literature, under the e-learning initiative of JNU. The online courses will help the students to learn the language and literature of Korea from different corners of the country. He also talked about the impact of COVID-19 on academics in general and stressed on the need to foster an academic platform that can benefit the scholars post COVID-19. Centre for Korean Studies, JNU under the AKS project has been constantly working on developing localized textbooks, publishing quality journals, and books from the past few years.

Prof. M. Jagadesh Kumar, the Vice-Chancellor of JNU congratulated Prof. Ravikesh and his team from Centre for Korean Studies for taking the initiative to organize an International Webinar especially when the Universities are working towards academic resilience in the times of pandemic.

He also reiterated that the University will soon flag online certificate and diploma programs for Korean Studies. Prof. Kumar said, “This International Webinar will strengthen the academic collaboration between India and Korea, and together they can contribute to creating a sustainable world.” He also discussed the existence of ancient links between India and Korea and also mentioned Tagore’s poetry which has a notable significance in Korean literature.

Ambassador Vishnu Prakash talked about Korea’s repose to COVID-19 and its “triple T” (Trace, Track and Treat) initiative to fight with the pandemic which helped Korea to restore normalcy and foster economic growth.

He also discussed the growing bilateral relations between India and Korea which have benefited both the countries. Amb. Vishnu Prakash mentioned India and Korea’s joint initiative to establish a start-up hub in Seoul and Gurgaon and South Korea’s investment in ‘Make in India’ project. He also talked about Korea’s active participation in North-East Asian politics and its engagement with the M4 countries like the U.S, China, Japan, and Russia and Quad policy which includes Australia, India, Japan, and the U.S.

While Amb. Vishnu Prakash discussed Korea’s international policy, Prof. Mark Caprio talked about the historical insight, which is necessary to consider while understanding the emergence of Korea from rubbles to richness.  He discussed the nuances of Cairo Conference under the title, “The Contradictory of Open and Hidden Histories of the 1943 Cairo Conference and Communiqué.”

Ms. Lee Sejin, in her special remarks, mentioned about Korea’s expertise in art and other domains of knowledge that remains unexplored and can benefit the other countries. She also talked about the significance of developing a digital academic platform that can contribute towards access to education for all and sustainable development for both India and South Korea.

There were more than 25 presentations covering a wide range of Korean language, literature, culture, history, and politics. The webinar was concluded with a comprehensive discussion on the areas covered under 6 sessions. Prof. Ravikesh thanked all the paper presenters and the members of the organizing committee which consisted Sanjay Kumar Jha and Satyanshu Srivastava (Coordinators), Dr. Saurabh Sharma, Mr. Kaushal Kumar, Dr. Neerja Samajdar and Manish Kumar Barnwal for their efforts in making the webinar successful.