ಮ

Since its opening in 1979, Incheon National University's Humanities College has made various efforts to lay the foundation for basic studies that meet the needs of the times and sometimes to present a model for leading studies of the times. In the process, professors, instructors, staff, and assistants have led and sometimes supported each other, continuing their cooperation and efforts. In particular, Professor Yoo Hye-bae of the Department of English Literature played an important role at the center. On June 5th, the College of Humanities held an interview with Professor Yoo Hye-bae, who is retiring at the retirement age in August, along with a lecture commemorating her retirement.

ಮ

[Professor Yoo Hye-bae of English literature department will retire in August]

ಮ Her first appointment at Incheon National University was in 1995. What is the most memorable thing in your first year at Incheon National University? If there are any impressive changes in the school you have seen during your tenure from 1995 to now, please tell me specifically what they are. 

When I first took over in 1995, the university was in its first year of municipalization, and tensions between university members were high due to several previous trials. Through close cooperation with Incheon City Hall, which supports the budget, the executive department established trust with the community and promoted the developmental university operation. At that time, the role of the professor was treated importantly, especially as a city university, cooperation with the Incheon Metropolitan Government's policy was emphasized. I devoted a large part of my work to volunteer activities in connection with the local community and gave English lectures at educational institutions in Incheon. I also participated in the development, implementation, and evaluation of the English education policy of Incheon City.

During my tenure, until 2013, when the national university was converted after the relocation of Songdo Campus, it was too much to say that one university went through. According to the Ministry of Education's policy, the implementation of the undergraduate system, integration with junior colleges, relocation to Songdo Campus, and conversion to a national university have gone through a tumultuous period. As a result, it was difficult to focus on personal research as a scholar due to endless consumptive meetings, conflicts between professors and departments, and the development and implementation of programs to improve student competency. 

After much labor, the situation stabilized greatly after the campus was relocated to Songdo and converted to a national university. As school disputes are reduced and stabilized, it is currently highly evaluated in various university evaluations due to effective program operation, recruitment of competent and passionate faculty through national university premiums, and attraction of excellent students. 

In humanities universities, professors' academic capabilities have been greatly strengthened, and they are leading studies in their respective departments and research institutes, either on their own or through cooperation with other departments. These research activities promote the development of the academic field and at the same time improve the quality of education.

Through various programs such as overseas cultural experiences and surveys, the students' abilities have also improved remarkably. These programs provide students with an international perspective and practical experience, greatly helping their academic and personal growth.

ಮ I'm curious about your thoughts on reaching retirement age this year after 29 years of service. 

When I look back on my career ahead of retirement, I feel very rewarded for the significant improvement in the school's recognition and evaluation. However, it is very unfortunate that professors in the department suffered from health problems and that many professors died before and after retirement. Seeing that junior professors are still losing their health, this is still a concern.

In the tumult of municipal universities, there is a regret that they have not achieved much development as a scholar or educator, wasting time and energy on many things that are not related to their main job. Nevertheless, in the research, we tried to acquire the latest knowledge and sincerely worked for the real development of the students. This was especially true when helping students in need. It's a shame to leave my beloved school, but I feel grateful that I can proudly hand over my post to my junior.

In the process of preparing for the future, I have been thinking about and trying a lot about farming. Since I studied abroad, I have grown a garden in pursuit of living with nature, and now as a farmer, I farm with my husband on about 100 pyeong of land. We don't sell agricultural products, we only leave what we need and share the rest with those who need it around us. 

When you sow the seeds in the evening and see them sprout and grow a few days later, you will be welcomed and overwhelmed. Also The way each plant sings its own song and eventually blends into a single chorus makes you feel the wonders and harmony of nature. This beautiful chorus finally comes to an end, enduring the difficult times that hang over autumn. This course is similar to the current situation where I was passionately educating my students and now organizing them. Farming is difficult, but in the process of raising, putting it on the table, and sharing, various parts of life are projected and I feel great reward and learning. All of this gives me deep happiness.

ಮ What is a memorable episode during your tenure as a researcher, instructor, and in your position? What is the reason?

The most memorable experience was when I received unexpected great resistance to various programs that I tried to develop and reform as a language director. Students strongly opposed the strict academic operation and the introduction of new programs with banners and protests.

In response, I gathered representatives from all departments and held a briefing session and presented a statement explaining the purpose and reason of the program. The situation at that time was so disastrous that I even felt skeptical about leaving school, but this experience remained one of the greatest in my life, reminding me of the dangers of bold reform and making me refuse to work. 

As a result, I have deeply realized the importance of listening to the opinions of relevant members and seeking understanding when pursuing any changes since then.

A happy experience is also a music-related activity. In 2007, Incheon City held an English festival to promote the use of English. At that time, we had a gala and band performance for the musical 'Greece', and after six months of practicing with students for the musical. At that time, Chad Anderson, who is currently a professor, and Lee Hyun-mi, who is a faculty member, hosted the event. The logo song of the English festival was composed by our students and resonated every day, and the festival ended with musicals and band performances by the students.

I also remember episodes related to overseas training programs that are still continuing. For the experience of students, we have implemented a program to support overseas training since 2004, and in 2006, we sent students to the UK and Ireland for business English training. I have visited Dublin and London at my own expense to check the appropriateness of the program and the adaptation of my students. The students wanted to eat kimchi, so I took 10kg with me, but I remember having a hard time because my luggage was not connected when I transferred. 

Dublin was impressive at the time, with so many people working abroad, I learned amazing information that the average age of the population is 27. However, I didn't send it there after two years because the training institution felt like forcing students to pay passion.

I love speaking and I am sure that speaking helps improve and utilize English, so I worked hard on international conference-related activities. Taking advantage of the environment in which several international organizations enter Songdo, an international conference preparation club was established in 2009 and several mock international conferences were held around the club. 

Among them, a mock international conference in 2014 with the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL-RCAP) was memorable. It was an interesting event, with President Choi Sung-eul, Joao Ribeiro, the head of the UN International Commercial Law Commission's Asia-Pacific Regional Office, and the Incheon city official attending, Professor Lee Yong-hwa hosted the event as the head of the department, 28 students presented, and I gave a speech. 

In cooperation with this institution, graduate students and undergraduates tried to translate and maintain close relationships, but it was a pity that the program was canceled during my research year. The English used by the institution was unfamiliar to English students, so it was difficult, and UNCITRAL became interested in other schools with the aim of participating in various schools.

After this, we decided that sustainability was guaranteed by considering the level and interests of students in relation to international conferences. In 2018, when I was serving as dean, we created a preparatory group to participate in the APYE (Asia-Pacific Youth Exchange) conference and operated a three-month curriculum for all students. It was a program that selected and educated 100 students and sent 20 students with good results to Asia such as Vietnam and the Philippines as school expenses to participate in international conferences.

Students studied, discussed, and gained experience in mock meetings with Professor Ha In-hye, as well as Chad Anderson, William Davis, and Alana Cumming. Unfortunately, however, due to the COVID pandemic, most of the overseas programs were canceled, so only some of the selected students were actually able to participate in international conferences abroad.

ಮ Please briefly describe your views on the academic world. And if you have anything you want to say to the subsequent generation of academics or English literature, please leave it.

Looking back ahead to retirement age, I often think of the conflict I felt between the pressure and the value of actual research in college. I feel sorry for the reality that many professors, including myself, had no choice but to publish papers with low academic value to fill their performance. Despite having a meaningful research topic, I often experienced being kicked out on the deadline for submitting a paper and eventually having to settle for a normal outcome.

However, it is difficult to be satisfied with a small number of papers. In a rapidly changing modern society, it is also burdensome that my research may not properly reflect the times and that I may not be able to update my latest knowledge as a scholar. In this situation, how it would be desirable to conduct research as an English scholar is still a task to be solved. This is because each discipline has a different research method and the practicality of research is different. Researchers should pursue in-depth research at their own pace, discuss and share insights gained in the process with academia.

It is not easy to maintain the depth and authenticity of research while meeting the changing needs of modern society. But The value of humanities, such as linguistics, cannot ignore its depth, so it requires a balance of pursuing academic depth along with efforts to reflect the changes of the times. This is an important role as a humanist.

In order to solve this problem, the Ministry of Education, evaluation agencies, and universities must shift their evaluation perspectives on the humanities. This is essential for recognizing and supporting the true value of humanities research.

ಮ Introduction to Professor Yoo Hye-bae of the Department of English Literature

academic ability  1982 Sogang University (History of Literature)

      1986 State University of New York at Stony Brook in the United States(TESOL master)

      1992 State University of New York at Stony Brook in the United States(a doctor of linguistics)

Career  1995~Currently a full-time lecturer, assistant professor, assistant professor, and professor at Incheon National University

      2018~2021 President of the College of Humanities, Incheon National University Graduate School of Culture

      1993~1994 Full-time lecturer at Suwon University

      1991~1992 State University of New York at Stony Brook Instructor

a representative thesis

      1992. thesis, dissertation: External evidence for representations, rules and constraints in Korean & Japanese.

      2004. A longitudinal study of consonant cluster acquisition. Studies in Phonetics, Phonology and Morphology 10, 481-503.

Research results (Out of a total of 48 episodes)

      2023. Relationship between fluency and rhythm measures and proficiency level in 

      spontaneous English speech of Korean EFL learner. Studies in Phonetics, Phonology and

      Morphology 29, 59-80.

      2018. An acoustic analysis of English prosody by Mongolian learners of English. Humanities Research30, 153-177.

      2017. Comprehensibility of Korean EFL speakers’English pronunciation: Changes over time. Studies in Phonetics, Phonology and Morphology 23, 95-115.

      2016. An acoustic analysis of Korean EFL learners’ English prosody: A longitudinal study. Studies in Phonetics, Phonology and Morphology 22, 55-75.

      2014. Phonetic reduction of English function words in the passage reading by Korean EFL learners. the study of English literature 20, 179-202.

      2012. Acquisition of English sentence stress by Korean speakers. the study of English literature 18, 201-222.

      2010. Acquisition of English interdental fricatives by Mongolian speakers. Mongolian Studies 29, 213-238.