The Department of Confucian Studies offers Master's and Doctoral courses. The Masters courses conduct in-depth research on Confucianism in the fields of decorum and arts, Confucian philosophy, oriental arts and the philosophy of religion. These fields closely study the philosophy, aesthetics, and religion of Confucianism which links together the moral culture of Korea, China and Japan. In addition, students are encouraged to understand and compare Confucianism with a range of mutually related ideas from Taoism and Buddhism.
The curriculum also includes modern western philosophies with an emphasis on comparing and contrasting between Western and Eastern culture to define the identity and specialty of eastern culture. With this basis, students of Confucian studies can become true scholars of the new spirit of East Asian Philosophy and capable ambassadors of the world.
To strengthen the knowledge base for Confucian Philosophy-Courtesy:
Studies in Confucian Records, Studies in the History of Thought of Confucian Classics, Studies in Confucius’ Philosophy, Studies in the History of Confucian Thought, Studies in the History of Korean Confucianism, Studies in Zu xi (朱子)’s Philosophy, Studies in Wang Yangming (王陽明)’s Philosophy, Studies in Pre-Qin Philosophies, Topics in Korean Yi-Li Philosophy, Studies in Confucian Thought of Korean, China, and Japan, diverse courses on reading classics and original copies related to the fields.
To research for Eastern Art:
Studies in Aesthetic Thought in Confucianism, Studies in Eastern Aesthetic Thought, Studies in Korean Aesthetic Thought, Studies in Eastern Art Theory, Studies in Japanese Aesthetic Thought, Topics in Theories of Eastern Painting and Calligraphy, Studies in Eastern Musical Thought, Studies in the History of Chinese Art, Studies in Taoist Aesthetic Thought, Studies in the Theory of Literary Painting, diverse courses on reading classics and original copies related to the fields.
To research for Religion Philosophy:
Studies in the History of Buddhism, Studies in Chinese Daoism, Studies in Korean Taosim, Studies in Korean New Religions, Studies in the History of Exchanges among Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism, Studies in Korean Christianity, Studies in Chinese Confucianism, Studies in Korea Confucianism, Studies in Shamanism, courses related to the sociology of religion, courses on reading classics and original copies related to the fields.
Graduate students at the Department of Confucian Studies may build up their knowledge on trends in Western philosophy that have been brought into modern East Asia as well as the traditional philosophy and cultures of East Asia. Through the comparative analysis of Eastern and Western philosophy, students are able to recognize the identity and uniqueness of East Asian cultures included in Korean cultures. They are also able to provide alternative views of East Asian thought to lead the coming era of culture in the right direction based on the comprehensive study of both eastern and western philosophy and culture.
2. Scholarships
We educate Korean classics and provide scholarships to students in Yanghyunjae, the scholarship organization of Department of Confucian Studies & Eastern Philosophy. This organization has existed since the Goryeo dynasty through Joseon dynasty, until today, as the scholarship organization of Sungkyunkwan, founded as the national education school of Goryeo.