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earthquakez
Joined: 10 Nov 2010
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 Posted: Sat Mar 05, 2011 11:45 pm Post subject: |
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| hondaicivic wrote: |
| ZIFA wrote: |
| happiness wrote: |
| is it just me or does it seem like 2MB is trying to flood Korea with foreign influence to maybe bring Korea into a more "global/multicultural" society and rid it of the mindset brought on by Bak Chung Hee? |
If Korea is developing a "multicultural" image then it is purely for show I would guess. The foreign profs are a ploy to add a veneer of prestige and improve the ratings of Korean universities.
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| I mean all of these NETs and professors and workers, some will end up marrying locals and staying, no? |
Sure, a tiny % of koreans marry westerners- but most then leave Korea to live in the west, leaving this country culturally unchanged. Even all your vietnamese brides have basically been bought for childbearing roles and have zero impact on this society.
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| Korea has kind of already shone the brightest it could (maybe 2002-5/6) and now can only rely on cheap construction abroad |
I'd agree that most development and construction happening in the country at this point is basically excessive and unwarranted. Its all "make work" projects to give people jobs. Korea messed up by electing 2MB, he is another "pyramid builder" in the Pak Chung Hee mould. Instead they should have moved out of the bricks and mortar era and into reforming their tertiary economy and society. |
With a lot of western countries nearly bankrupt these days, I'm not sure they would want to. |
Korea still has a manufacturing base. Korea still makes many things other than electronics. It needs to so as to avoid the massive outsourcing of industries to other, poorer countries with low costs that western countries have done for about 5 or so decades now. I agree completely with hondacivic that our countries are not role models for economic growth.
If you were born in the 1950s in some of our countries, you were of the golden generation that enjoyed social and economic mobility without having to necessarily get a university degree or college credentials. Those born in the 1960s were more likely to go to university, just like those born later, but many of them have missed out on the career paths that were enjoyed by those born in the 50s because of increasing numbers of people with degrees and other credentials.
The numbers of those teaching English in Asia reflects the failure of our countries to provide employment that utilises the skills and qualifications of so many of their younger citizens. I decided before graduation to pursue what I am doing now but so many had no real choice. Lee Min Baek needs to give young people in Korea a real future by removing the stranglehold of outdated university entry exams and making sure the school curriculum and university entry requirements match.
It's rather heartbreaking seeing Korean parents go into debt or spend so much money that could be used better to send their kids to hagwons and other after-school and extra education. Lee Min Baek needs to man up and take a principled stand to take on that vampiric industry. 
The left wing side of Korean politics (most of whom I have no respect for because of their virulent xenophobia which goes against everything that so called progressives should endorse) need to get with the program and start doing real things to assist ordinary and unprivileged Koreans get a decent education and decent access to university/college education that will assist them in having a better quality of life. |
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liveinkorea316
Joined: 20 Aug 2010
Location: South Korea
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| Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 12:27 am Post subject: |
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Yes it does seem to be a deliberate attempt to manipulate University rankings table scores by upping foreign professor numbers. It is sad really.
There are banners all over my university that Proclaim "Towards Global Top 100 by 2020" in Korean. Can you see the pointlessness of that statement? My uni is ranked something like 20th best in Korea and even the third best Korean University struggles to make the Global top 100 at the moment. Internationally my uni would probably be lucky to be in the top 1000. But that is not surprising from Korea, a country with possible the highest number of universities per capita in the world.
But back to the slogan. This is going on all over the country and Deans and politicians will do anything to get noticed internationally. Even small towns fight with eachother to be the best place for something. It is like everyone wants to get attention and accolades....rather than DO THEIR JOBS PROPERLY.
There have been articles recently about Local governments who spend local money on useless buildings and projects which lay idle to this day just to leave a legacy and try to get famous. Then we have the other ideiots in Yonin Government who will not let a completed Rapid Transit between Everland and The Metro system operate just because it was a project of the previous administration. Everland is a popular resort and this petty politics is making me sick.
It is all gambling........but with public money. Hiring of Foreign professors is something which SHOULD happen but it should be done at an orderly pace with long term objectives and a clear rationale.
Buildings and projects DO need to be built but they much be done for the right reasons and not without broad public support.
I think that Korea needs to further privatize it's universities in order to properly entrench academic freedom and to prevent wastage of government money on stupid buildings and projects. Private universities would be more directly affected by the stupidity of decisions made. |
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NohopeSeriously
Joined: 17 Jan 2011
Location: The Christian Right-Wing Educational Republic of Korea
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| Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 3:51 am Post subject: |
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| earthquakez wrote: |
| The left wing side of Korean politics (most of whom I have no respect for because of their virulent xenophobia which goes against everything that so called progressives should endorse) need to get with the program and start doing real things to assist ordinary and unprivileged Koreans get a decent education and decent access to university/college education that will assist them in having a better quality of life. |
The Korean left wing is as xenophobic as the right wing (the right wing has a stronger Fundamental "Redneck-ish" Christian bias). There isn't any difference between the left wing and the right wing here. So far, the left wing is slightly better thanks to 2MB's recent assinine decisions.
Never forget, 2MB (the current right wing president) is also responsible for encouraging EPIK's destruction. |
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livinginkorea
Joined: 11 Jun 2004
Location: Korea, South of the border
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| Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 8:55 am Post subject: |
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| Thiuda wrote: |
I was able to find a full copy of the article on the CHE forums: http://viet-studies.info/SouthKorea_ForeignProf_CHE.pdf
Frankly, I think the article is poorly researched and deliberately sets out to depict the Korean effort in a poor light. Some of the stats in the article are very interesting, however. |
Thanks for this, much appreciated! |
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Epik_Teacher
Joined: 28 Apr 2010
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| Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 2:24 pm Post subject: |
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I've met plenty of people with BA's who work at universities who call themselves a professor. Lots of quality right there! |
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Thiuda
Joined: 14 Mar 2006
Location: Religion ist f�r Sklaven geschaffen, f�r Wesen ohne Geist.
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| Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 3:56 pm Post subject: |
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| Epik_Teacher wrote: |
| I've met plenty of people with BA's who work at universities who call themselves a professor. Lots of quality right there! |
Yes, but this article isn't about English instructors calling themselves professor, it's about academics coming to Korea to assume a TT position.
As far as I'm concerned, Korean universities are on the right track if they want to develop a world-class tertiary education system. It's easy for nay sayers and Korea bashers to point out the faults in the current effort, but they propose no viable alternatives, nor do they argue particularly persuasively - as I stated earlier, in my opinion, this article is poorly researched and doesn't not accurately reflect the situation on the ground. I'll back my statements up a little later, I have to teach now. |
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PRagic
Joined: 24 Feb 2006
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| Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 8:19 pm Post subject: |
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Thiuda rocks. Thanks for finding the article, too. The author again brings up the SNU prof who did a runner, but that prof was a 'SHE', not a 'HE'. Poorly researched, as Thiuda notes.
I found that article in PDF form, the one about integrating foreign profs into Korean universities.
http://competency.snu.ac.kr/pds/2009research/lynnilon09_1.pdf
It covers a lot of ground, but, like it says, there's a lot to be done. At least it's a step in the right direction in terms of foreign faculty getting involved in the process. |
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livinginkorea
Joined: 11 Jun 2004
Location: Korea, South of the border
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| Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2011 8:46 am Post subject: |
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| PRagic wrote: |
Thiuda rocks. Thanks for finding the article, too. The author again brings up the SNU prof who did a runner, but that prof was a 'SHE', not a 'HE'. Poorly researched, as Thiuda notes.
I found that article in PDF form, the one about integrating foreign profs into Korean universities.
http://competency.snu.ac.kr/pds/2009research/lynnilon09_1.pdf
It covers a lot of ground, but, like it says, there's a lot to be done. At least it's a step in the right direction in terms of foreign faculty getting involved in the process. |
Thanks for the article. Korean articles and journals are hard to come by at times. Great stuff. |
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emmahearst
Joined: 10 Jan 2011
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| Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2011 10:10 am Post subject: Re: South Korea Brings in Foreign Professors by the Thousand |
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Did you get it.
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grant gerstners
Joined: 13 Jan 2010
Location: USA
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| Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2011 1:18 pm Post subject: |
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I did not read the article. Just want to mention that South Koreans are also hired as faculty at universities in the USA. So, there is reciprocity.
When I arrived in Korea and took the bus to Jeonju, I was given some assistance by a gentleman on the bus who said he teaches at a university in Pennsylvania. (He used his cellphone to call my co-teacher to let her know, when I arrived at the pick-up location.)
In the small South Korean town where I live, I met a woman who said her husband has been teaching at a university in Texas for ten years. They have lived separate lives much of the time.
There are many, many foreign faculty at universities in the USA. |
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Thiuda
Joined: 14 Mar 2006
Location: Religion ist f�r Sklaven geschaffen, f�r Wesen ohne Geist.
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| Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2011 5:44 pm Post subject: Re: South Korea Brings in Foreign Professors by the Thousand |
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| emmahearst wrote: |
Did you get it.
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Please elucidate. I have no idea what you're trying to say or ask. |
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Thiuda
Joined: 14 Mar 2006
Location: Religion ist f�r Sklaven geschaffen, f�r Wesen ohne Geist.
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| Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2011 6:02 pm Post subject: |
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| grant gerstners wrote: |
| I did not read the article. Just want to mention that South Koreans are also hired as faculty at universities in the USA. So, there is reciprocity. |
Yes, there is plenty of Koreans teaching at universities in the US and other western nations, but it's not the same as having western scholars coming to Korea and accepting TT positions. Koreans hired at a western institution invariably hold PhDs from a top ranked US/UK/Euro uni, have published in respected national/international journals and speak English fluently. Western academics coming to Korea might have done their PhD at a second tier non-Korean university, may not have a stellar publication record and probably do not speak Korean.
In my opinion, the main problem that universities in Korea are facing when hiring foreign faculty is linguistic in nature. Foreign hires come to Korea unable to speak Korean, which isolates them from their colleagues, prevents them from connecting with their students, and makes daily life more stressful than it would be if they spoke even a modicum of Korean. 90% of all problems would be non-problems if the foreign hire spoke (some) Korean and if universities created an office dedicated to the support of foreign hires. |
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UknowsI
Joined: 16 Apr 2009
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| Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2011 6:56 pm Post subject: |
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| I have attended the class of a few different foreign professors here in Korea, and I'm overall positive to the idea of recruiting foreign professors. The quality of their teaching has been a bit varying, but some of it has been excellent. Even when it's not the best, I think it's good for Korean students to experience other teaching methods. For me it feels like a relief to attend a Western style class, while I know some Korean students dread it. Hopefully those who dread it will save them self the trip to America to become an Ivy League drop out for their graduate degrees. |
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cdninkorea
Joined: 27 Jan 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2011 11:06 pm Post subject: |
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| UknowsI wrote: |
| For me it feels like a relief to attend a Western style class, while I know some Korean students dread it. Hopefully those who dread it will save them self the trip to America to become an Ivy League drop out for their graduate degrees. |
Having never attended a university class taught by a Korean professor, I'm curious as to what the differences are: instructor talks the whole time, no student input, memorize without critical thinking, that kind of thing? Or is that an unfair stereotype? |
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