Wednesday, May 14, 2008

[The Hankyoreh, April 29 2008] [Column] The life of a South Korean professor

Yun Tae-jin, Professor of communications, Yonsei University Graduate School

Last weekend there was an academic conference organized by four media studies organizations. Hundreds of professors and media professionals spent meaningful time together presenting a diverse range of research and discussing issues in media studies. Part of the pleasure of conferences, however, is meeting people. It’s nice to greet elders in the field you haven’t seen for a long time and be able to share a beer and some conversation with fellow scholars and classmates who live far away. You share family news, exchange the latest rumors, and chew on the latest political news and wash it down with more beer. While talking with professors from all over the country this weekend, I was suddenly hit with a question. What is being a professor, anyway? What does it mean to live in Korea as a professor?

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