다문화 시대의 외국어 교육을 위한 인문학의 필요성

Abstract

This paper aims to discuss the topic of foreign language education in Korea by first re-examining the word culture' in this age of multiculturalism. In order to prevent understanding of culture as a popular catch phrase and to move beyond the one-sided discussion, this paper considers culture as proposed by Reinhold Viehoff and Rien T. Segers(1999). Suhrkamp(1999) studied closely the issue of cultural identity based on the concept of ' culture as a program. 'Culture as a program' means, in short, a culture in process. The true picture of culture in the current state of internationalism is yet undefined and in the process of being formed. This concept is better understood when discussed within the context of interculturality and transculturality. Transculturality is the creation of a new culture based on the workings of interculturality. Thus, culture as a program is closer to transculturality than to the workings of interculturality. In sum, this paper argues for a curriculum for foreign language education in Korea basd on the interdisciplinary approach. Since language is a manifestation of ones culture, one cannot simply study a foreign language without from the context of its cultural background. The study of foreign languages is a learning process of taking a language from another culture and making it your own. Therefore, it is necessary that in this age of globalism， Korea must also revise its curriculum of humanities education to include transculturality which results from applying interculturality.