梨花女子大學校 「女性學」 講座의 敎育內容 및 運營에 있어서의 問題點과 改善方案

Problems and Revisional Plans for the Content and Administration of Women's Studies Course at Ewha Womans University

The purpose of this study is to evaluate problems and areas of improvements within the women's studies courses currently offered at Ewha Womans University as a liberal arts course. Women's studies was established in 1977 at Ewha Womans University as the first of its kind in Korea. At present, there are twenty other universities/colleges offering courses in women's studies with a trend towards differsification in topics as demands from students continue to increase. As a forerunner during the past fifteen semesters, it is felt necessary, at this point in time, to examine and re-evaluate the courses and search for improvements not only for Ewha Womans University, but for other institutions offering similar courses as well in order to clarify directions for future courses. The following are problems identified through the present study: 1. Although there is a rapid increase in the number of students wishing to enroll in women's studies course, the number of courses is not sufficient enough to fully meet the required demand. 2. Although the course was originally designed to include lectures and small discussion groups, students needs are not fully met due to a rapid increase in the number of students which invariably led to a decrease in the total number of discussion sessions. 3. Currently with only one professor who specialized in women's studies, there is a lack of specialized academicians in the field of women's studies. 4. Lack of focus and in-depth examination of Korean women's issues as the current trend focuses on the Western women's liberation movement and ideologies. 5. Under current team-teaching design, the lectures do not provide an in-depth review, tend to overlap, and lack a consistent system. In addition, the following are some areas in which future improvements can be made: 1. An increase in the number of courses. 2. An increase in the number of teaching assistants and classrooms to provide adequate discussion sessions. 3. Recruiting additional teaching staff who specialized in women's studies. 4. A sharp increase of in-depth study on Korean women's issues. 5. Formation of an integrated course design by covering a wide range of topics rather than the current team-teaching approach.