There is an argument that the standard for establishing liberal arts option courses should be placed in departments, not full-time lecturers, because students could suffer from damage due to the regulations that enforce the lectures of the full-time lecturer.

The Pusan National University (PNU) Branch of the Korean Irregular Professor Union (Non-regular Branch) revealed that it has been campaigning to improve the lecture environment, including "expanding liberal arts option courses," since March 9th.

The branch argues that PNU does not have courses to satisfy students' right to choose. An official in charge from the branch secretariat said, "PNU has the responsibility to provide various courses for students. However, the number of liberal arts options is not enough. It violates the students' rights."

They also claim that it is urgent to change the establishment of the courses from the existing "full-time lecturer" to the "department." According to PNU's "Curriculum Organization and Operation Regulations," full-time lecturers must participate in optional courses. When a class is opened per subject, they must give lectures. If two divisions are opened, more than half of them should go into teaching, and if three are opened, more than a third of them should do it. This system is a regulation created under the PNU 'Promotion Plan for the Quality Advancement of Undergraduate Education and Academic Management' in 2007.

The issue is that these regulations often cause problems. Some courses may disappear when a full-time lecturer retires or enters the research year (sabbatical year), or the school may establish fewer courses than the previous semester. In the case of the Department of Philosophy, after the retirement of a full-time lecturer who was teaching ancient and medieval philosophy, the liberal arts option course "Mutual Cultural Philosophy" has been reduced from three and a half to one and a half.

Another problem is that an irregular lecturer will have to teach a field far from the actual major while taking courses made by a full-time lecturer. There is a possibility to deteriorate the quality of teaching.

An official in charge said, "As instructors have to take courses established by full-time lecturers regardless of their majors, subordination to full-time lecturer will intensify and undermine academic diversity." 

The emergency committee of the PNU student council didn't grasp the situation, and PNU has not come up with any clear measures. Kang Kun-Wook, chairman of the emergency committee of the General Student Association (18, Dept. of Business Association), said, "If the students' right to learn has been violated and many students need to take action against it, we are willing to improve the system actively." However, the liberal arts education center said it has not yet received related information from the Ministry of Education.

Reporter Shin Yu-Jun

Translated by Shin Ji-Won