History

The Department of History is one of the oldest and most respected academic units of Sungkyunkwan University, which has functioned as a major institution for education and research in Korea since its establishment in 1398.

The Department of History seeks to develop undergraduate students' abilities to learn from history and to train graduate students' skills as necessary to undertake rigorous and critical research by offering a wide range of courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. In particular, the Department puts a strong emphasis on learning foreign languages such as classical Chinese, modern Chinese, Japanese, Russian, English, French, and German in order to raise students' comprehension abilities so they can understand a wide range of historical sources. Twice every year, the Department of History also provides students with an opportunity to visit historical sites in the country.

The Department's faculty members include specialists in Korean, Asian, and Western histories of various periods. They are working on cutting edge historical research. They not only help undergraduate and graduate students develop the ability to critically analyze and thematically synthesize all significant aspects of the past but they also assist them to be familiar with various theoretical approaches to historical research and writing. Historians at Sungkyunkwan are especially interested in developing students' academic abilities to produce original works on history by integrating interdisciplinary approaches into the study of history.

Thanks to the efforts of our students and faculty, the Department has maintained its excellent reputation in education and research.