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Abstract:

The university ranking system is one of the educational phenomena in South Korean society combined with a meritocratic way of social behavior that justifies privilege or discrimination based on which universities people graduated from (Hakbul ideology). These morbid social phenomena make it impossible for education to fulfill its primary function of human emancipation. Instead, endless competition and discontent become the norm. The prevalence of hateful expressions such as “Gozol” for high school graduates and “Zibangdae” in reference to non-Seoul provincial university reflect and intensify this phenomenon. Despite these negative effects and long-standing criticisms, why does this mindset persist unchanged in South Korea today? The lecture will explore the causes, diagnosis and proposed solutions to this refracted educational reality.

About the speaker:

Jihye Bae wrote her dissertation “A Comparative Study on History Education in Germany and South Korea (2022, Heidelberg).” In this work, empirical data of curriculums, textbooks, and assessment at system-level for history teaching in Germany and South Korea are juxtaposed and compared applying the methodology of comparative education. She worked as a correspondent in Germany for the Korea Educational Development Institute (KEDI, 2019-2021). Her current research interests are school curriculum at state-level and essay-type assessment (Abitur). She has been working as a lecturer at Chungang University and Dongguk University in Seoul since 2023.