The idea of cosmopolitanism in Korea's national curriculum

Abstract

The idea of cosmopolitanism is emerging as an explicit aim of the Korean educational system. Over the course of its 5,000-year history, Korea has been characterized by a largely homogeneous population. In recent years, however, it has begun to face the challenges of a multicultural society, and thus the notion of cosmopolitanism plays an important role in providing a vision for the reinterpretation of Korean identity. The purpose of this study is to explore how cosmopolitan perspectives have been reflected in recent changes to the Korean national curriculum. To achieve this aim, the study analyses national curriculum documents put in place after the mid-1990s, when great debates over educational reform emerged in the wake of globalization. In particular, the study focuses on two aspects of the manifestation of cosmopolitan perspectives: the policies associated with the Korean national curriculum, and the contents of the social studies and moral education curricula. The study concludes with a discussion of the conflicts surrounding the idea of cosmopolitanism in the Korean national curriculum.