About the Center
The Korean studies courses first started to be offered in 1982 at Stony Brook, making it one of the first academic initiatives in Korean studies in the United States. The Center for Korean Studies, now nearing its twentieth anniversary, has long been a vital center of intellectual innovations and scholarly exchanges not only for the Stony Brook community but also for the entire U.S. Uniquely poised to be a hub for research and education in Korean religions and philosophy, the Center has trained and sponsored many Ph.D. students in Korean religions and Buddhism who are now academic leaders in Korea and the U.S., hosted various conferences, talks, seminars, and various cultural events, and worked with the community in various projects to bring Korea to campus. The most prominent area of the Center’s dedication is publications. It has published a dozens of series of manuscripts and research projects in Korean studies, through which the Center not only helped laying the foundation of the Korean Studies as a new discipline in the United States, but also located and supported emerging young scholars in Korean studies. The Center also has translated several major works in Korean studies into English. The current project is the manuscript translation of Wonhyo, a seventh century Buddhist monk. Many projects at the Center have involved collaboration with universities and scholars in Korea, while others have engaged campus and off-campus communities in teaching and learning about broader global and international society through Korea.
Vision for the Future
The Center for Korean Studies at Stony Brook is a key resource for education of and academic exchange with Korea in the United States and it will continue to undertaking this role in the future. The Center reaffirms its commitments to three levels of activities: First, the Center will continue supporting training and education of growing number of students who will become future Korean specialists in various fields that this country needs. With the growth of Department of Asian and Asian American Studies, the Center will do its best to enrich and expand academic curriculums and programs in Program in Korean Studies. Second, the Center’s commitment to publication in Korean studies will also continue, but it will explore more innovative forms of publications in the age of digital technologies and internet publishing. Journal publishing in Korean religions and philosophy and an international conference commemorating the Wonhyo publications are two main projects being actively discussed at the Center. Lastly, the Center will continuously remain committed to bringing cultural exchanges with Korea and awareness thereof to Stony Brook University and broader community it serves, through various forms of cultural events and programming.
