David Tizzard, Assistant Professor at Seoul Women's University and HYU GSIS Korean Studies Program alumnus
Today, I teach Korean Studies at both Hanyang University and Seoul Women’s University. I also write a weekly column for The Korea Times¸ the country’s oldest English-language newspaper, appear on Arirang Radio every morning, and host the Korea Deconstructed podcast. In many ways, Korean Studies has become not only my profession but also my life’s great passion. Every day I have the remarkable privilege of exploring the many varied cultural, political, and historical stories that make-up this remarkable country. And none of that would have been possible without the Hanyang University Graduate School of International Studies (GSIS).
I completed my PhD there under the guidance of Professor Kim Yo-eun and was thankful to study under the tutelage of someone so experienced and deep in their thinking. But more than the actual qualification, what I gained from GSIS was something intangible. It was a way of thinking: a curiosity, a discipline, and a confidence that continue to shape everything I do. The program immersed me in a multicultural, intellectually demanding environment that asked me to read more deeply, think more critically, and engage more fully with the world around me. It was there that I learned not just how to analyse societies, but how to understand them.
Ultimately, I was tasked with learning to live a culture rather than merely study it. The faculty were inspiring, the resources outstanding, and the community diverse, challenging, and endlessly supportive. Some of my closest friends and professional collaborators today are people I first met in those classrooms and corridors. We now find ourselves in various professional positions around Korea and the world more broadly, but we still contact each other often and meet for dinner and drinks annually. GSIS didn’t just prepare me for a career; it prepared me for a life of inquiry, empathy, and purpose.
There are many paths one can take when deciding the future. For me, Hanyang GSIS was the perfect choice. I’m proud to say that I studied there, and even prouder to continue my connection with the university and its students today. For anyone wondering where their next step might lead, I can only say this: Hanyang GSIS doesn’t just help you achieve your goals, it helps you imagine entirely new ones and start you down a road you never knew existed.
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