The announcement was made on July 7.
Students will not decide their major among Journalism, Advertising & Public relations and Television & Film.
Department of Mass Communication was established in 1960. It was renamed as Division of Media Studies divided into three majors as above in 1998. In 2015, the division will be renamed into Communication & Media integrating three majors.
Instead of three majors, six tracks will be provided for students to choose.
“For example, if you choose ‘journalism track,’ then high-quality education will raise you as a journalist who can fit in everywhere regardless of specialty of the media you chose,” professor Park Sung-hee (Media Studies) said.
Most students welcome the change.
“I think it is for the best of the students, since acquiring knowledge in the broader field will benefit us in the future,” Cho Yoon-sun (Journalism, 2) said.
However, there were some complaints considering the sudden notice of the change to the students.
“Despite the good intention, there was a lack of communication between students and professors about the decision,” Lee Young-sun (Journalism, 2) said.
The reason behind the reform derives from the change in media environment.
According to professor Park, professors in Media Studies have felt the need to change the curriculum to meet the demands of a new media environment.
Ranging from publication, television, news agency, public relations and newspaper, employers are looking for people with interdisciplinary background.
“We seek to raise intellectuals with cross-media competency,” professor Park said. “By breaking barriers between three majors, the division is planning to nurture media experts who can fulfill the need of the society. To summarize, we aim toward holistic education and students will be able to understand matters from an interdisciplinary perspective.”
Lee Yoon-soo
yoonpamom@ewhain.net