In this age of ever-increasing globalization, intercultural communicative competence in English is a required skill of the most effective international leaders. In realization of its commitment to nurturing global leaders, Sookmyung Women’s University raised the bar on elite education in Korea by establishing the first internationally recognized TESOL program, in collaboration with the University of Maryland/Baltimore County in 1997.
Since its inception, Sookmyung TESOL has maintained a stellar reputation as the national leader for over 20 years. Such recognition is due to our excellent faculty members, prominent alumni reshaping the educational sectors, and continuous collaboration with prestigious universities, including the University of Pennsylvania, New York University, and Temple University. Sookmyung TESOL has evolved to include diverse programs to accommodate the specific needs of the field. Notably, it has been the governmental center for in-service teacher training since 2007.
Sookmyung TESOL continues to evolve as a globally-recognized TESOL institution. To accomplish that aspiration, our programs started providing blended, distance, and fully online synchronous format of education even well before the Corona Pandemic Period. Our brand name, TESOL BEYOND, indicates our vision as the industry leader in the global arena. It is an inclusive image embracing many possibilities, ‘beyond the disciplinary boundary,’ ‘beyond the sociocultural distinction’ and ‘beyond the national borders.’
Particularly, in the post-method period in the TESOL field, we explore critical concepts and models for successful teaching in the larger socio-cultural and trans-linguistic global contexts. Sookmyung TESOL welcomes all the teachers, teacher educators, and scholars for that enterprise!
Namjoon Kang, PhD
Director, Sookmyung TESOL