• Korean journal of communication and information
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• v.17
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• pp.61-84
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• 2001

Discussions and debates over media education abound in Korra as the number of both institutions that provide media related education and students enrollment for these programs increases rapidly in recent years. In spite of this rather impressive expansion, however, many have raised serious questions about media education of Korea for its not being able to meet the need of the Industry and students, and, moreover, inability to face the challenges brought by new communication related technologies. Who teaches What for what purposes are some of the fundamental questions underlying these heated debates and discussions. To understand these rather complex and interrelated issues more clearly, it is attempted to delineate the nature of these debates by exploring the evolutionary process of media education. The issues related to debates over purposes of media education, curriculum, and faculty qualification have changed through the history of media education, but the nature of the debates, that is the struggle between professionalism and academism, or the tension between practice and theory, has not. Upon this understanding, some argue that what distinguishes opposing sets of dichotomies, such as skills vs. knowledge, training vs. education, now-how vs. know-why. professional vs. academic, practice vs. theory, is more a reflection of social class division and group interests which have privileged theory over practice than a rational scholastic distinction. In addition, it has been often pointed out that the media studies have failed to establish ties with specific industries, and furthermore academic studies seriously lack solid theoretical and practical bases. In the case of the United States, leaders of the industry had contributed much for the Initiation of journalism education in a college setting. However, once inaugurated,, the process of its evolution has depended heavily on academicians. In a country like Korea, where academic and theoretical orientation is much stronger, these problems of media studies and education are even more acute. In this study, it is suggested that academicians and educators be more open-hearted to the realities of changing world, practices of the industries, and recruitment of professionals and practitioners to fill the gap between practice and theory, for the sake of the future of media studies and education.