The Institute for Multicultural Studies selected as the social integration program organization
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- Writer 커뮤니케이션팀
- 보도일자 2014-05-12
The Institute for Multicultural Studies, which was first selected as a Ministry of Justice social integration program foothold operation organization in 2012 manages and supervises general operation organizations located in 4 areas - Yongsan-gu, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Jung-gu and Seongdong-gu. 164 foreigners in 2012 and 406 foreigners in 2013 registered to take Korean language and Korean society classes, and the operation organizations have expanded now from the 3 in the beginning to more than 5.
The Institute for Multicultural Studies has focused on the emotional 'jung' and 'we' side of Korean sentiments over the years, unlike other foothold operation organizations. People not only take classes, but also directly experience and learn about Korean culture, with a focus on making them get a sense of belonging as a member of Korean society. As part of this effort, a chekgori, or time of reward, is conducted at the end of each lesson, and students are asked to bring food or snacks form the home country and share each other's food as the classes end. Also, ecosystem experience learning was conducted at Yeoeui-do during the cherry blossom festival season, through which organization personnel, lecturers and students learned about each others' culture. In addition, an environment where lecturers and students can actively participate is created through events such as international person's day and the mingling competition, with the focus not just on results, but on creating good memories in the process of the events.
In recognition of these efforts, the Ministry of Justice re-selected the Institute for Multicultural Studies as a foothold organization, and requested that the related duties continue until 2015. In just the first semester, 227 people registered and took part in the classes, which is a successful result and more than the total number of students in 2012.
Meanwhile, in addition to the Ministry of Justice social integration program, the Institute for Multicultural Studies was selected as a Ministry of Justice ABT university and simultaneously conducts education and projects such as a multicultural social expert training program. It also produces 2 journals per year, 'Multicultural Society Research,' in Korean, and 'OMNES,' in English An institute personnel said, "We will continuously hold spring and fall academic conferences, forums and talks to provide a place for academic discussions, and put all our effort into fulfilling the role of a core research center of our university."