General/Humanities Education in the age of Commerce and Technology

Kim, Chin-Woo

Korean Journal of General Education 2009;3(2):23-39.
Published online December 30, 2009.

Chin-Woo Kim

“商工”시대의 인문/교양교육

김진우

Abstract

In Yi dynasty where Confucianism was the dominant philosophy, the hierarchy of social status was 사농공상(士農工商 scholarship-agriculture-craftsmanship-business). This hierarchy has been turned upside-down so that the new hierarchy is the exact opposite: 상공농사(商工農士). The paper discusses how we may maintain general and humanistic education in the age of commerce and technology. The author reviews goals and programs of general education in 8 US universities, then proposes, based on the author’s personal experience and observations, three subject areas of general education for Korean college students: global citizenship, expansion of the circle of empathy, and the spirit of respect for law. The author then introduces Alexander von Humboldt’s cultural geography as a model of humanistic science where he sought a synthesis of man and earth, and nature and culture.

Key Words: General education, Humanities education, Global citizenship, Expansion of empathy, Respect for law, Humanism, Humanistic science