2015 Revised Curriculum for Religious Studies and Christian Unification Education

ABSTRACT

Different from recent researches in the field of Christian unification education and religious education, this paper conducts the ‘critical (praxis) correlation’ work between ‘2015 Revised Curriculum for Religious Studies’ and Christian unification education as one of the efforts to find some points of agreement to bridge the gap between the purpose of ‘2015 Revised Curriculum for Religious Studies’ and Christian schools’ complaints and suggestions. More specifically, prior to the critical (praxis) correlational discussion, this article indicates that both Christian unification education and public education have a clear possibility and necessity of entering into dialogue with each other about ‘Curriculum for Religious Studies,’ based on each other’s qualities and strengths by taking ‘unification’ as a common ground because both unification and unification education are remarkably important in Korea. Then, inspired by ‘Curriculum for Religious Studies,’ this study proposes some ways of transforming Christian unification education; nurturing ‘multireligious and multicultural sensitivity,’ enhancing ‘critical reflection’ as a competency, and expanding its universal features by reaching agreement on the need for unification, improving opportunities for dialogue with other unification educations, and considering participants’ contexts and characteristics. This paper also provides, conversely, some suggestions for the revision in ‘Curriculum for Religious Studies’ in the future as its transformation, from Christian unification perspectives. In detail, the upcoming Curriculum should include ‘religions in North Korea’ as a part of its contents, describe more concretely religions’ social and public roles including peacebuilding and conflict resolution, and add some ‘integrated competencies’ to its existing competencies as follows: hospitality, care, and ‘peace-oriented global citizenship.’