The Challenge from the Era of Being Undeclared: On the Ground of Undergraduate Major Education in History

In line with the South Korean government’s policy to expand undeclared major admissions, 25% of incoming university freshmen in 2025 will be admitted as undeclared students. This shift is expected to bring significant changes to undergraduate major education in South Korea. This article reviews the debates over the past decade within the history academic community regarding how to reform undergraduate history major education in response to rapidly changing societal and educational environments. It also introduces the current state of history major education at major universities in Seoul, based on various publicly available materials and student interviews. Additionally, by comparing history major education in foreign universities, the article highlights the potential challenges that the expansion of undeclared admissions may pose to the field of pure humanities. Nonetheless, it argues for the necessity of developing a Korean-style model that considers the distinct conditions of each university and the broader context of Korean society.