Researchers of EWHA Selected for the NRF Humanities and Social Science Research Professor Program
- Date2024.08.06
- 23281
Five research professors from Ewha Womans University were selected for the 2024 National Research Foundation of Korea's (NRF) Humanities and Social Science Research Professor Program (Type A), which supports the next generation of scholars.
The NRF aims to strengthen the foundation of academic research, which is essential for innovative growth, by establishing a research safety net that enables continuous research activities for scholars in the humanities and social sciences.
Professors selected as researchers from Ewha for Program Type A include Professor Kim Joo-hyun from the Ewha Gender Law Research Institute, Professor Choi Seung-wan from the History Research Institute, Professor Lee Ji-yeon from the Social Welfare Research Institute, Professor Jeong Ok-hee from the Dance Research Institute, and Professor Yim Su-won from the Research Institute for Smart Living. They will receive research support for the next five years (2+3 years) to carry out their projects.
(From left) Research Professors Kim Joo-hyun, Choi Seung-wan, Li Je-yeon, Jeong Ok-hee, Yim Su-won
Professor Kim Joo-hyun from the Gender Law Research Institute will focus on "Data Feminism," analyzing the gender inequality issues that arise in the era of big data and artificial intelligence, and will research legal and policy solutions to address them. Data Feminism is a theory that combines data science and feminism, highlighting how data reflects and reproduces existing gender inequalities, and seeking ways to address biases in the processes of data collection, analysis, and interpretation. This research aims to establish a legal theory of Data Feminism and propose new legal policies by reviewing current laws and policies from a Data Feminism perspective.
Professor Choi Seung-wan from the Ewha History Research Institute was selected for a project titled "The Past and Present of the East-West German Border Area—From a Space of Division and Conflict to a Space of Harmony and Peace?" The East-West German border area, which spanned about 1,400 kilometers during the division era, was a battlefield where ideologies and systems clashed, providing a vivid space to examine the issues of the Cold War and division from political, military, and ideological perspectives. Additionally, since there were people who lived in these border areas, the project allows us to explore how the Cold War and division impacted human life from socio-cultural, economic, and ordinary perspectives. Furthermore, the border area is the first place where East and West Germans, who lived under different social systems, encountered each other during the reunification process. The border area serves as a microcosm of the conflicts and confusion faced by German society after reunification. The project will analyze the history of the East-West German border area from 1945 to the present, considering various political, economic, social, and cultural aspects.
Professor Lee Ji-yeon from the Social Welfare Research Institute in the College of Social Sciences has been continuously conducting research related to the positive development of children and adolescents. In 2022, she published a paper titled "The Developmental Trajectories of Prosocial Behavior in Adolescence: A Growth Mixture Model" in the SSCI-level international journal “Child Indicators Research(IF 2.42)”. As she was selected for the program, she will deepen her doctoral dissertation research by investigating the positive development mechanisms that help overcome adverse childhood experiences. Professor Lee has been teaching undergraduate courses such as "Social Issues in Our Society" and "Data-Scientific Thinking and the Social Problem-Solving Process" at Ewha since the second semester of 2016.
Professor Jeong Ok-hee from the Dance Research Institute in the College of Music will analyze the double structure of disdain for dancers in the Korean dance field and the interaction with the subject model. Disdain is an experience almost universally shared by dancers in the intricately divided Korean dance field, yet there exists a double structure of disdain where artistic dancers look down on popular dancers. This research views disdain for dancers as an effect caused by the modern subject-making of power and aims to reconstruct how this double structure of disdain was formed, reinforced, fractured, and transformed through the Japanese colonization period, modernity, and neo-liberalism. In particular, by examining how the modern subjects surrounding the Korean dance field—'worker,' 'artist,' and 'expert'—coexist and resonate, converging into the neo-liberal 'self-manager' model, the study proposes an epistemological framework that integrates artistic and popular dance in Korean society.
Professor Yim Su-won from the Research Institute for Smart Living was selected for a project on "Development of Career Crafting Measurement Tools and Programs for Workers." The importance of proactive career development by workers has been emphasized due to the pandemic and the advancement of digital technology. Particularly in modern society where career environments are uncertain, career crafting—where workers proactively develop their careers and align them with their values—has gained attention. Career crafting offers a new paradigm in career development by providing opportunities for individuals to actively create their career paths. This research aims to identify the characteristics and sub-factors of career crafting among Korean workers, develop measurement tools, and propose a comprehensive conceptual model along with a career crafting program.