Financial support for MA students in Korean Studies at Leiden University

Thanks to a generous grant from the Academy of Korean Studies , which has recently selected Leiden University as a central institution for the study of Korea in Europe , financial support will be available in the academic year 2009-2010 to four students who intend to obtain a Leiden University MA degree in Korean Studies. Support will be available to students who possess basic training in Korean Studies (BA) and will vary, according to personal circumstances, between € 2,000 and € 4,000.

The Leiden MA degree in Korean Studies aims to provide fresh perspectives to the study of Korean history  and culture, breaking down distinctions between modern and pre-modern and between high culture and low culture, while at the same time developing the language skills needed for such study. In accordance with the research project “History as Social Process” the MA programme will be focused on the complex interactions between historiography and various forms of culture, including literature, film, tv drama and digital media. Leiden University has been designated as a “hub-library” by the Korean Film Council and consequently possesses ample resources for the use of film for such purposes. The research project also devotes attention to the role of religions in Korean history and society.

For students with sufficient language skills (equivalent to those of graduates of the highest level of the language courses of Korean universities) the MA programme lasts one year. Students who have not yet achieved this level are expected to study an additional year in Korea (in the second semester of the first year and the first semester of the second year) within the framework of exchange agreements concluded between Leiden University and a number of prominent Korean universities.

The deadline for applications for the MA programme by students from abroad is 1 April 2009.

Inquiries should be directed to the programme director, Professor Boudewijn Walraven: B.C.A.Walraven@hum.leidenuniv.nl

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