The Korean studies courses first started to be offered in 1982 at Stony Brook, making it one of the first academic initiatives in Korean studies in the United States. The Center for Korean Studies, now nearing its twentieth anniversary, has long been a vital center of intellectual innovations and scholarly exchanges not only for the Stony Brook community but also for the entire U.S. Uniquely poised to be a hub for research and education in Korean religions and philosophy, the Center has trained and sponsored many Ph.D. students in Korean religions and Buddhism who are now academic leaders in Korea and the U.S., hosted various conferences, talks, seminars, and various cultural events, and worked with the community in various projects to bring Korea to campus. The most prominent area of the Center’s dedication is publications. It has published a dozens of series of manuscripts and research projects in Korean studies, through which the Center not only helped laying the foundation of the Korean Studies as a new discipline in the United States, but also located and supported emerging young scholars in Korean studies. The Center also has translated several major works in Korean studies into English. The current project is the manuscript translation of Wonhyo, a seventh century Buddhist monk. Many projects at the Center have involved collaboration with universities and scholars in Korea, while others have engaged campus and off-campus communities in teaching and learning about broader global and international society through Korea. 

Directions to the Center

We are located on the 5th floor of the Frank Melville LibraryRoom N5520 in the main campus. Please find section C3 of this campus map.

To find directions to the Stony Brook Main Campus please click this link.