Goal to improve self-initiated learning capacities by reading classics, debating, and writing focus education
Selected four out of 100 classics selected by YU to apply in class
Four professors per sector lectures through team-teaching... Operating small group system
[January 17, 2020]
The YU Education Innovation Center (Director Kim Byung-joo) held an outstanding essay award ceremony for the ‘Great Books, Great Thoughts’ general education class on January 7. ‘Great Books, Great Thought’ is the most famous program of the University Innovation Support Program hosted by the Ministry of Education. It began in the second semester of 2019 with the goal of improving self-initiated learning capacities through reading classics in various academic disciplines, debates, and concentrating writing education.
Stronger altruistic sympathy and bold challenges ‘Great Books, Great Thoughts’ is a one-semester (15 week) education program combining reading classics, debates and writing education models for three weeks at a time in fields such as literature, humanities and arts, society, and natural science. It is comprised of small (20 people or less) groups (total 4 groups) and professors were assigned to four different fields. The participation faculty (team-teaching lectures) is in charge of operating the four sub-groups under the advisor for each sub-group.
After completing the three-week classes, professors review submitted essays to give excellent essay awards to students with 4 gold medals, 4 silver medals and 4 bronze medals, and held meetings about the class with the winners. Plans are to publish a book using the essays selected as outstanding essays.
The first semester of 2020 will offer ‘Great Books, Great Thoughts – Benevolence’ and in the second semester, ‘Great Books, Great Thoughts – Justice’ will be offered. ‘Great Books, Great Thoughts – Benevolence’ will be comprised of lectures by Professor Nam Jung-seop (Department of English Language and Literature) with ‘The Great Gatsby’, Professor Woo Jae-ho (Department of Chinese Language and Literature) with ‘Analects of Confucius’, Professor Kim Jung-goon (Business Administration with ‘The 4th Industrial Revolution’, and Professor Seok Ho-young (Life Science) with ‘Selfish Genes’. The class will be operated as absolute evaluation schemes.
Meanwhile, the Education Innovation Center is also planning to select outstanding students among those who took two or more classes of ‘Stronger altruistic sympathy and bold challenges Great Books, Great Thoughts’ from the second semester of 2019 to the first and second semesters of this year to offer them the opportunity to an overseas humanities trip (Europe) during the 2020 winter vacation. Students who took the class for three straight semesters will be given preference when selecting participants for the overseas humanities trip.
