A Study on the Current Status and Prospects of Korean Studies in Italy

This paper aims to present the general panorama of Korean studies in Italy, by examining the universities from the introduction of Korean language course until the future prospects of Korean Studies. In Italy since long time Korean Studies are introduced through a single course and have been enriched by the curriculum of first and second language in BA, MA and Ph.D. degrees, but until 2017 only four universities have been offering those degrees in Korea-related Studies, in particular: University of Bologna, the University of Venezia Ca' Foscari, University of Napoli L'Orientale and the University of Roma La Sapienza. Starting from the academic year 2017/2018, responding to the continuous increasing interest towards Korean and Korean language education in Italy, the University for Foreigners of Siena launched the first courses related to Korean Language and Korean studies and is enjoying great success. The present work intends to examine the current status of various universities involved in Korean studies, by focusing on the University of Foreigners of Siena specialized for the education of Italian and foreign languages, and to estimate the prospects of Korean studies through the adoption and the necessity of some concrete plans and projects, which must be emphasized so as to contribute to development and enrichment of Korean Studies curriculum. The proposals provided in this work might improve the current weak parts: to strengthen and guarantee the quality of the courses related to Korean studies; to invest in the publication of valuable books and articles; to consolidate the teaching staff and to invest in young scholars; to promote the academic research and activities through the collaboration with various universities and expanding the network between the scholars.