A Study on Re-positioning General Education in the <Classification Table of Academic Research Fields>

Abstract

In recent years, general education has grown more sharply than ever in the number of dedicated organizations and professors in universities. The “Korea Association of General Education” has grown rapidly into an organization with more than 2,000 members, and its academic achievement has grown so rapidly that the IF (Impact Factor) of the <i>Korean Journal of General Education</i> ranked 1st in the major category of ‘Complex Studies’ and ranked 7<sup>th</sup> among all academic journals.The National Research Foundation of Korea's <Classification Table of Academic Research Fields> is used as a coordinate for establishing academic status in Korea and as a criterion for distributing shares of the national R&D budget for research support projects. The organizational size of the Korea Association of General Education and the academic level of its journal definitely deserves a higher ranking than the ‘Medium Classification’ in the <Classification Table of Academic Research Fields>, which is hierarchically divided into “Large Classification, Medium Classification, Small Classification and Detail Classification.” However, in reality, it is located in ‘Detail Classification’, which is the lowest rank under the name of ‘Basic and General Education’. This classification system does not sufficiently reflect the academic characteristics of general education. As a result, it is difficult to receive an appropriate evaluation in terms of academic research activities and research support. Over the past decade, the Korean Association for General Education, the National Council for General Education, and the Korea National Institute for General Education have continuously made many attempts to correct such contradictions.This study summarized the past efforts into a history of Korean general education and sought where and how we should relocate general education in the <Classification Table of Academic Research Fields> in order to live up to the spirit of the era of the 4<sup>th</sup> Industrial Revolution. In the era of the 4<sup>th</sup> Industrial Revolution, which calls for fostering convergence talents, a renaissance of general education designed for a fusion of the academic fields, is expected, instead of one that promotes specialization. If the placement of general education in the <Classification Table of Academic Research Fields> is a matter falls under the knowledge category, the subsequent classification method is determined by how, in our times, we can conceptualize general education. In order to study the category and concept of general education, it is necessary to establish a new academic field called ‘General Studies’.This study proposes to set the academic status of ‘General Studies’ in the <Classification Table of Academic Research Fields> in the following three ways. The first option is to take the spirit of the 4<sup>th</sup> Industrial Revolution and upgrade it to the ‘Large Classification’. The second option is to position it as a division of various basic studies in humanities and sciences, because ‘General Studies’ encompasses “almost all knowledge that humans need to know.” The third option is to adjust it to the middle classification under the Large Classification of ‘Complex Studies’. Ultimately, the resetting of the <Classification Table of Academic Research Fields> is to secure the identity and independence of general education. This study is meaningful in that it specifically presented three options for the <Classification Table of Academic Research Fields> and that it is a preemptive preparation for future institutional discussions on the classification of academic research fields.