I remember with deep emotion that, when AKSE (Association of Korean Studies in Europe) held its Biennial Conference near Rome in 2003, I said: "For the first time since the Association of Korean Studies in Europe was founded in 1977, it has crossed the Alps, to hold its 21st Conference in Frascati, in cooperation with the Faculty of Oriental Studies of University of Rome 'La Sapienza.'" It was only two years earlier, at the end of 2000, that a Korean Language course had been established thanks to a cost-sharing agreement between the Korean Research Foundation and the then Department of Oriental Studies. Initially, all hopes rested on only seven students who, out of pure curiosity, started to attend the Korean language class. The cooperation with AKSE played a decisive role: it gave us the courage and confidence that we could eventually overcome all difficulties.
The successful development of Korean Studies at the Faculty of Oriental Studies is the result of various interrelated factors, and yet it has not been easy. In the end, our optimism and persistence gained the trust of the Faculty and of other international institutions (AKSE, Korea Research Foundation, and the Korea Foundation) and successfully created a cooperative network, which achieved an outcome that no individual effort, however sincere, could have produced. The people to whom I would like to express my gratitude for their help, in various ways, are too many to be mentioned here.


¡ã Korean Civilization course at University of Rome (April 2, 2007)

From the very beginning, I attempted to establish a regular program for majors of Korean Studies within our institutions, although there was no tenured professor at that time. At the Faculty level, a new way to handle the curricula was implemented, in such a manner that Korean Studies, together with Japanese and Chinese Studies, could offer a wider view of East Asia, as part of a package of courses related to this cultural sphere. This proved to be a successful strategy. According to this approach, courses in Korean Studies were included in the Japanese and Chinese curricula, allowing students to take examinations in subjects belonging to Korean Studies as well as their major subject. Another important aspect was the inclusion of Korean Studies courses in the BA, MA, and PhD programs that were newly created as part of the so-called "Bologna process." The Faculty also provided financial support through the offer of scholarships and sufficient funds to cover one-year contracts (since 2002) and a short-term contract for language teachers.
However, the fact that there was not yet a tenured professor of Korean Studies limited the stability and development of the program in several ways. It was possible to tackle this problem through international cooperation, which came in the form of generous support offered by the Korea Foundation. From the outset, a procedure was envisaged that would formalize this cooperation by adopting the Italian ministerial regulations for National Examinations, a guarantee of serious commitment. The agreement that was reached for the creation of a tenured professorship in Korean Studies stipulated that the costs would be shared by the Korea Foundation and the University of Rome "La Sapienza." The university announced an Italian National Examination (concorso) to select an Associate Professor, which took place only one month after the formal agreement was signed by both institutions. This was the first time that such a procedure was adopted by the Korea Foundation in Italy, and, as far as I know, in any country. For the first time in Italy, it has become possible to offer courses in Korean Civilization and Korean Art History, besides the Korean Language and Literature courses. We hope to add Korean Philology, Korean Literature, and Theories of Translation classes from next year, as there has increasing demand from the students to match the number and variety of courses for the Korean curriculum with the Japanese and Chinese curricula. This needs to be adequately addressed if the aim is to raise Korean Studies to the same level as that of the study of the other two Far Eastern countries.

At present, the course in Korean Civilization is funded by the Exchange Program of European Lecturers (EPEL), sponsored by the Korea Foundation. Under the EPEL program, a certain number of European scholars are invited each year to present lectures on specific topics pertaining to their area of research. The Faculty of Oriental Studies has turned this program into a regular course entitled "Korean Civilization," which confers credits and also is formally included in the curricula of Japanese and Chinese Studies. To make up for a lack of teaching staff and funds, the EPEL program, since its inception, has enriched Korean Studies courses and raised the overall quality of Korean Studies scholarship.

In the future, we expect that interest in the acquisition of Korean Language books will further expand with the publication of two relevant books in the Italian language. At this time, we are working on BA and MA grammar books for Italians. Besides institutional initiatives, other factors have also contributed to the development of Korean Studies in Rome: the so-called "external activities" of various cultural activities designed to build "bridges" within the faculty between Korea and other areas, as well as between the Faculty and the city of Rome and Italy as a whole. In 2003-04, we organized a "Workshop on Korea's Traditional Dance." Since the first year, we have also held an "Annual Encounter with Korean Film." In 2005 "Gut, Azione rituale," the performance of a shamanic ritual, was organized in cooperation with the Korean Folk Museum, the Italian National Museum of "Pigorini," and the Korean Embassy. The shaman Kim Keum-hwa was invited to perform for the first time in Italy. Moreover, we organized several academic conferences over the years as well. The Korean Embassy very generously contributed to the AKSE conference in 2003 by hosting a sumptuous dinner for all participants.
Finally, a few words need to be added about the efforts to keep in touch with the fountainhead of Korean Studies, back in Korea. The offer of scholarships, thanks to cultural agreements with Korean universities is certainly a good way to let students feel that Korea is "within reach." Moreover, the Korea Foundation also includes us every year in the distribution of reference books and related materials.
It has been exciting to see the program being fully institutionalized and grow substantially over the past years, which have encouraged me to be optimistic about the future. I also draw vital energy from the ambitions of the students who expect a rising standard of Korean Studies and look forward to a further expansion in the variety of courses and number of hours of instruction.

¡ã Shaman Kim Keum-hwa performs a ritual at the Faculty of Oriental Studies in Roma ¨Ï2005

Antonetta L. Bruno antonetta.bruno@uniroma1.it Professor of Korean Language and Literature Faculty of Oriental Studies University of Rome "La Sapienza"antonetta.