Grant adds Christianity to Korean studies curriculum

By Bethany Tang
Daily Bruin Contributor

The Henry Luce Foundation gave a $504,000 grant earlier this
year to begin the study of Korean Christianity at UCLA.

The grant will fund a visiting professor, postdoctoral and
graduate fellowships, and a regular colloquium and conference
series on Korean Christianity.

“Korea has one of the most dynamic and creative Christian
traditions in the world today, but it is a tradition that is little
studied in the West,” said Professor Robert Buswell, chair of
the department of East Asian languages and cultures.

Compared to other universities in the country, UCLA has the
largest number of Korean American students at 10 percent. Out of
that percentage, 80 percent are Christians, Buswell said.

Even with the large number of Korean American Christians, there
are no Korean Christianity courses available at UCLA.

“It is time for Korean Christianity to enter the
mainstream curriculum,” Buswell said.

The foundation was established by the late Henry Luce,
co-founder of Time, Inc., in 1936. According to its Web site, the
foundation’s interests lie in higher education, the
relationship between Asia and the United States, and the study of
religion.

Daniel Jeong, a fifth-year psychobiology student, who is a
Korean American Christian, said Christianity is a big part of many
Korean Americans’ lives.

“Church is something they grow up with,” Jeong said.
“It is a lot of their culture.”

Jeong said he would most likely not have taken any Korean
Christianity class even if they were offered because he would be
focusing on his major and other requirements. But he added that he
hopes people will take it to learn more about Korean culture.

Three years ago, Buswell asked Soon Chung, a Presbyterian
Chaplain and a pastor at the University Presbyterian Church to help
start the study of Korean Christianity. He helped find different
sponsors and worked with the Luce Foundation for the grant.

For Chung, the addition of Korean Christianity fulfills an vital
component of the Korean studies curriculum.

“Students will have a holistic view of what Korean culture
is all about,” Chung said. “If you want to understand
Korean culture, you have to understand Christianity.”

Buddhism and Confucianism used to be the most important
influences in Korea, Buswell said, but in the early 20th century,
Christian leaders were influencing the Korean independence
movement.

“Christian churches are ubiquitous throughout the Korean
countryside, giving the church a presence that is unrivaled by any
other institution, either religious or governmental,” Buswell
said.

More than 36 percent of South Koreans are Christians compared
with only 2 percent in other Asian countries, according to
Buswell.

UCLA would be the best place to have Korean Christianity studies
because of the already large Korean studies program, he
continued.

“We have the largest Korean Studies program in the
continental United States, with more full-time professors and more
courses on Korea than any other university,” Buswell
said.

Buswell expects over 100 students to attend the undergraduate
courses in Korean Christianity. Graduate seminars will be limited
to 12 students.