Religious Studies

Subject studies include the faith and form, structure and function of religions situated in various periods in history, as well as their myths, rituals, symbols and world-views. The study of religion entails the consideration of both the composite nature and the universal character of religious phenomena, the study of which in turn fosters an understanding of other's religious cultures as well as that of one's own. Those engaged in the study of religion do not seek to defend the beliefs of particular religions. Rather, they suspend all normative judgement on religion and attempt to record, analyze and interpret innate human religiosity and their forms of expression. Thus, religious studies is a humanistic discipline which views religion as a reality to be studied with objectivity. Given that religion has the power to move individuals and communities and is a force for dynamism in human life, the study of religion is bound to contribute to human self-understanding and development. Religion has always changed appearance in accordance with the times, and takes different forms according to change in socio-political structure, the particular traits of a people, geographical conditions, cultural conditions, social class and even styles of individuals. The study of religion takes all these factors into consideration. Therefore the study of religion is an appropriate discipline not only for those with an intellectual interest in religion, but also for those who are earnestly drawn to questions concerning history, culture and society, regardless of their religious affiliation.

Students' extra-curricular activities within the department revolve around the Department of Religious Studies Students Association and various academic societies. The student association is vigorous in its defence and promotion of student autonomy, and is responsible for organizing events such as freshman orientation, alumni night, departmental sports festival, volunteer work in farms, and field trips. It also serves as the forum for the exchange of views between junior and senior students and coordinates student opinion on a diverse range of subjects. The academic societies were formed as a respond to the demands of students of the department for a deeper and more thorough inquiry into diverse academic subjects. There are three notable academic societies that have been in existence for more than ten years : the philosophical society, the literature society, and the religion society.

1st Year:

• World Religions
• Religion & Religious Studies

2nd Year:

• Introduction to Buddhism
• Introduction to Christianity

3rd Year:

• Religions in China
• Introduction to Islam
• History of Religious Studies
• Phenomenology of Religion
• Sociology of Religion
• Psychology of Religion
• Contemporary Religions
• Religions in India
• Introduction to Confucianism
• Introduction to Taoism
• Philosophy of Religion 
• Religions in Korea

4th Year:

• Anthropology of Religion
• Christianity in Korea
• Confucianism in Korea
• Mysticism
• Guidance in Senior Thesis Writings
• Ancient Religions
• Mythology
• Comparative Study of Religions
• Buddhism in Korea
  Religions in Japan
• Canons & Classics
• Guidance in Senior Thesis Writings
• Primitive Religions

1. Online
   application
2. Either
   proof
   of
   Korean
   or
   English
   proficiency
   is
   required;
   
   
   
   
   1)
   Korean
   Proficiency:
   TOPIK
   level
   3
   or
   higher
   
   
   
   
   2)
   English
   Proficiency:
   TOEFL
   (PBT
   550,
   CBT
   213,
   iBT
   80),
   TEPS
   551, IELTS
   5.5
   or
   higher
   
   
   
   3)
   Other
   official
   documents
   indicating
   proof
   of
   language
   proficiency (ie.
   SNU
   Korean
   Language
   Center
   Level
   4
   or
   higher)
3. Personal
   Statement
   and
   Study
   Plan
4. Letter
   of
   Recommendation
5. Counselor
   Reference
   
6. Official
   High
   School
   Transcript
   and
   Graduation
   Certificate
7. A
   Copy
   of
   the
   Applicant’s
   Passport
8. Certificate
   of
   Facts
   concerning
   the
   Entry
   and
   Exit
9. Portfolio,
   Records
   of
   Achievement,
   etc.
10. Agreement
    for
    Verification
    of
    Academic
    Record

If you wish to apply for the scholarship program, please fill out the scholarship application form every semester. Application period:

• During November(1st semester)
• During May(2nd semester)

New  Student (Merit scholarship)

• Funding: Fully funded or partially funded (admission fee + tuition 10%)
• Eligibility: New undergraduate student (Full fund – 2 by college (excluding science and engineering);

Partial fund – selected within the 30% of the registered students)

Current Student (Merit scholarship)

• GPA requirement: Completed more than one semester; 3.6 GPA or higher (average of all semesters)
• Funding: Fully funded
• Eligibility: Undergraduate student (selected from the allotted pool)

International Student Scholarship:

• GPA requirement: 2.4 GPA or higher (average of the previous semester)
• Funding: Tuition and fees (partial or fully funded)
• Eligibility: International student in the government-funded (government-invited) scholarship, international

  student (self-funded), Korean student living overseas and studying in Korea (undergraduate and graduate course)

SNU Foundation Scholarship:

• GPA requirement: 2.7 GPA or higher (average of the previous semester)
• Funding: Tuition and fees (partial or fully funded)
• Feature: Scholarship funded by some 200 funds created by Seoul National University Foundation

The following is the scholarship programs offered for undergraduate applicants. Students may apply for the programs before or during the admission application period. Applicants may find program details via this website http://en.snu.ac.kr/apply/info or supporting organizations.

Korean Government Scholarship Program (KGSP)

Eligibility

• International applicants who wish to apply for 4-year undergraduate programs of SNU.
• * Those who wish to study in the programs longer than 4 years – such as medicine, veterinary medicine, pharmacy, and architecture – cannot apply for this scholarship.

Number of Recipients

• Approximately 20~40 every year

Subsidies

• Full tuition fee: tuition exemption for 8 semesters
• Living expenses: 800,000 KRW per month
• Airfare: one economy round trip
• Korean language training fee: one year
  * Korean language training is mandatory and when the student does not achieve TOPIK grade 3 within a year, she/he is not eligible to enter the degree program.
• Others: medical insurance, settlement and returning expenses

Application Period

• September

Selection Procedure

• Applicants submit applications for this program to Korean embassies in their countries ⇒ the embassies make the first selection ⇒ the National Institute for International Education make the final selection

Contact

• SNU staff in charge: 82-2-880-6971, sck590@snu.ac.kr

Reference

• NIIED: http://www.studyinkorea.go.kr (English version) ⇒ GKS ⇒ Introduction to the projects ⇒ Korean Government Scholarship Program
• 2016 KGSP Guideline Download

Overseas Koreans Scholarship

Eligibility

• Overseas Korean students who wish to take undergraduate degrees at SNU

Number of Recipients

• Approximately 5 students

Subsidies

• Full tuition exemption for a maximum of 8 semesters
• Living expenses: 800,000 KRW per month
• Airfare for one economy round trip
• Korean language training fee: fee exemption at the Language Education Institute for 8 months
• Medical insurance fees

Application Period

• March

Selection Procedure

• Applicants submit applications to Korean embassies in their countries ⇒ the embassies make the first selection ⇒ the Overseas Koreans Foundation make the second selection

Contacts

• SNU staff in charge: 82-2-880-2519, intlscholarship@snu.ac.kr
• Overseas Koreans Foundation: 82-2-3415-0174, ljh@okf.or.kr
  * The latest announcement on this scholarship can be found only via the foundation’s website.

Reference

• Overseas Koreans Foundation: http://scholarship.korean.net (Korean)