실천인문학의 다양한 가능성과 효과성 고찰

A Study on the Possibilities and Effectiveness of the Performative Humanities

This paper is to examine the background and philosophy of the Korean-Clemente courses-a new way of educational alternative to increase the social and economic participation of mainly disadvantaged Koreans-its operations in Korea, program outcomes and future directions. The Korean-Clemente programs have been built on the work of Earl Shorris, an American journalist and social commentator. who has begun the Clemente Course in New York since 1997. Its philosophy is that tertiary-level education in the humanities can assist socially and economically disenfranchised people out of the vicious circle of poverty and homelessness. In this paper four kinds of humanities programs (three for disadvantaged people and one for Korean youth) have been examined. It has been shown there are significant outcomes in terms of empowering them to think about and reflect on the world in which they live, and of assisting them to exit the cycle of poverty or the status of homeless, leading us to a fruitful conclusion that the idea of ‘Let the humanities be the energy of lives of citizens!’ and its practice would be the best way to overcome ‘the crisis in the humanities.’