Liberal arts: Focused on the case of Wonkwang University

ABSTRACT

This study aims to examine the current status of religious education in Won-Buddhism and to organize its tasks accordingly, focusing on the case of ‘Religion and Won-Buddhism’ as a liberal arts course. The religious education at Wonkwang University provides first-year students with three credits of ‘Religion and Won-Buddhism,’ a required liberal arts program. It also offers five additional courses as a general elective course, including the course ‘Meditation and Personality Cultivation’. Full-time faculty are more responsible for these courses than part-time lecturers. The textbook, Religion and Won-Buddhism, published by the Textbook Research Association for Won-Buddhism, is distributed to all the students. All the lecturers are using this textbook and delivering the lectures at their own discretion. The contents of Religion and Won-Buddhism consist of four main parts: ①the essence of religions, ②various religions in Korea, ③the introduction of Won-Buddhism, and ④the position and role of Won-Buddhism on the problems, which we are facing these days. This situation proves that Wonkwang University does not set religious education as a subcategory of education for religious faith, but rather aims for it as a liberal arts. Besides, the tasks according to the current status of religious education at Wonkwang University can be presented as follows. First, it is necessary to re-establish the instructional goals of these courses related to religious education and promote the establishment of plans for desirable lectures and systematic syllabus to achieve the instructional objectives. Second, the contents and methods of the class need to be adjusted to suit the intellectual levels or needs of the students at a detailed dimension. Third, the particularity of religious education requires dedicated classroom space and a fair number of participants. Fourth, it is necessary to develop new courses and programs to attract students’ attention and response. Fifth, lecturers with competence and passion for taking charge of desirable religious education should be prepared and invited.