Korean language and culture teaching and learning at Mykolas Romeris University Institute of Humanities

Abstract

Institute of Humanities is among the youngest academic structural formations at Mykolas Romeris University. Along with the design of the bachelor degree programmes in the area of humanities such principles of language learning approach were developed through the project work at IOH as multilingualism; language for professional purposes studies; translation studies. Korean language has been introduced as a second foreign language of bachelor degree studies programmes and studied at IOH ab initio. The study environment for Korean language studies has been greatly enhanced by the presence of King Sejong Institute at Mykolas Romeris University, and also by the growing rate of exchange students moving to Lithuania from South Korea and from South Korea to Lithuania. Yet, a part of studies of Korean culture and literature are still carried out through the intermediary language, the language of many Korean text translations - the English language, the language of major studies of IOH students. Such possibility of approaching the culture and literature of Korea is grounded in the comparativistic belief that such "reverse" knowledge of culture can facilitate student learning and cultural immersal.