Duksung Women’s University (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Apr. 24 (Korea Bizwire) — Duksung Women’s University said Wednesday it will not assign new students to the German and French language departments starting next year, signaling its intent to abolish the two European language majors.
The northern Seoul university’s board decided on the abolition of the German Language & Literature and the French Language & Literature in its meeting Tuesday, citing the two departments’ low popularity, it said.
The university’s president, Kim Gun-hee, said late last month that the academic structure of majors that cannot be sustained, such as those ranked lowest in annual evaluations, should be reorganized.
Some professors and students criticized the abolition decision as undemocratic.
The decision, the first of its kind made by a university in Seoul, also raises concern about the collapse of humanities.
“The German language and literature association and local universities have been paying close attention to the situation at Duksung Women’s University. I’m concerned that the decision may have a negative impact on the overall humanities majors at other schools,” a German language professor said.
(Yonhap)
