About KNU

The Institute of Humanities Studies at Kyungpook University (the Academy) was established in October 2013 and is comprised of four related institutions: the Research Center of Human Sciences (founded in 1973), the Research Center of Eastern and Western Thought, the Institute of Sino-Korean Interchange, and finally, the Open Humanities Center, which was an annexe of the College of Humanities. The merging of these four organs has a great significance. Today, more than ever, there is a great need for interdisciplinary research and joint projects. The field of the humanities is no exception to the academic requirements of our epoch. These can be accomplished either through a metamorphosis or a branching out and instilling the essence of humanities into other domains of academia.

In line with such a goal, two academic periodicals, hitherto published separately, were combined together to form the Humanities of the East and West Journal.

On a smaller scale, this periodical means to bring together the domains of language and literature and that of history and philosophy. On a bigger scale, it also means to combine a sense of the Eastern soul with Western skills and methodologies. These also are the aims and objectives set out by the Academy. The studies of humanities will be expanded by combining them with the knowledge of many other related fields. In particular, classical studies, which are the root of the humanities, are given particular attention. A further objective we mean to fulfil is to combine and promote humanity education with modern media. We hope that all these efforts will come to fruition.

Objectives

Aims set out by the Academy of Humanities

• Assuming the promotion and production of creative knowledge from the previous humanities field
• Interpreting anew traditional and classical culture
• Increasing the value of humanities studies by means of international academic exchange
• Promoting and popularizing the humanities
• Adapting the existing research on classical and traditional culture to meet modern standards and needs

Establishment context

• The fusion of the various research institutes that the Academy is composed of (literature, history, philosophy etc.) and, moreover, which have been working independently up until now is seen as a progressive transition that will have a great synergetic impact on the performance of research and academic projects.
• As classical studies, upon which the humanities were founded, embrace the universality of human culture and see an increase in interest and demand, it has become clear that a classical research organ, hitherto rare in our nation, has to be incorporated within the humanities studies that already brings knowledge from the East and the West together.
• As the need for publicizing academic research in the field of humanities arises, the prospect of ‘Open Humanities’, that share knowledge and popularize the field, has improved.
• Studies that merge and communicate with various fields have become a growing necessity, thereby creating a need for a research institute that would boost research and academic projects in response to such trends.
• There is a need for a dynamic research institute that would push forward with projects in accordance with public demand and novel skills.

Establishment process

After a year of preparation: the Research Center of Human Sciences; the Research Center of Eastern and Western Thought, the Institute of Sino-Korean Interchange, and the Open Humanities Center have strengthened their ties and proceeded with their integration.
In March of this year, the head office of the University took the decision to provide the ‘Open Humanities Project’, run by the Academy, with an annual income of 120 million won for a period of five years. In August, this proposal was approved by the academic board and took effect from October.

Domain of research and projects

• Producing and diffusing creative knowledge based on the previous humanities field.
• Focusing the research on classical studies and traditional academic cultures of the Eastern and Western humanities
• Providing citizens with lectures in the field of the humanities to help promote humanities studies
• Encouraging the application of new technical skills to classical studies and traditional cultural research.

The Open Humanities Project

In accordance with the objectives set out by Kyungpook National University, the Academy is founded on the production and diffusion of creative knowledge and aims at becoming a world-class research center in the field of the humanities. The Academy endeavours to promote the ‘Open Humanities Project’ in order to preserve the dynamism and efficiency resulting from the merger of the Research Center of Human Sciences, the Research Center of Eastern and Western Thoughts, the Institute of Sino-Korean Interchange, and the Open Humanities Center.

The ‘Open Humanities Project’ consists of the following three programs:

• The Classical Studies Project: translation of classical texts and publication of storytelling texts
• The Classical Humanities Teaching Project: critical explanation of classical texts through lectures designed for the citizens
• The Humanities Mobile Project: production of storytelling mobile text messages

With the financial support of the University Head Office, three researchers in the field of literature, history, and philosophy are employed full-time to carry out the ‘Open Humanities Project’. In addition, they also strive forward with research projects funded by other institutes.