Yonsei Univ. HASS

Origins and Early Development (2012–2014)

The academic foundations of HASS were established with the founding of two divisions in 2012:

• the Techno-art Division (TAD), which included Culture & Design Management (CDM), Creative Technology Management (CTM), and Information & Interaction Design (IID); and
• the Asian Studies Division (ASD).

These divisions introduced innovative curricular models that combined design, technology, management, and regional humanities—years before interdisciplinary education became a broader trend across Korean higher education.

In 2014, UIC expanded further with the creation of the Integrated Social Science Division (ISSD), comprising Sustainable Development & Cooperation (SDC), Science, Technology & Policy (STP), Justice & Civil Leadership (JCL), and Quantitative Risk Management (QRM). That same year, UIC established the Integrated Science and Engineering Division (ISED), complementing emerging STEM fields. With these additions, TAD, ASD, and ISSD were designated collectively as the Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (HASS) Field, reflecting their shared emphasis on creative, ethical, and socially engaged scholarship.

Cross-Campus Collaboration and Institutional Foundations

The HASS Division is distinguished by its unique establishment through extensive collaboration with academic units across Yonsei University. The division’s programs were developed in partnership with:

• the Graduate School of International Studies (SDC),
• the Graduate School of Communication (IID),
• the Department of Integrated Design (CDM),
• the Graduate School of Information (CTM),
• the Department of Public Administration (STP),
• the Law School (JCL), and
• the School of Commerce and Economics (QRM).

These collaborations provided HASS with a breadth of disciplinary expertise and institutional support unparalleled within UIC, aligning with Yonsei University’s long tradition of interdepartmental cooperation and educational innovation.

Unification into the HASS Division (2019)

By the late 2010s, the field–division–major hierarchy became administratively complex. To enhance academic clarity and strengthen the identity of UIC’s interdisciplinary programs, UIC reorganized its internal structure in 2019, unifying the Techno-art Division, Asian Studies Division, and Integrated Social Science Division under the single designation of the Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (HASS) Division. This reorganization clarified the division’s academic mission and positioned HASS as a comprehensive home for interdisciplinary studies in design, humanities, social sciences, public policy, and technology-driven innovation. The first director was Samyoul Lee (Department of Public Administration, STP), and the following director was Soojin Jun (Graduate School of Communication, IID). Several more directors followed before the current Director, Keeheon Lee (CTM).

Advancing Convergence Education through Design Factory Korea (2015–Present)

A defining milestone in HASS’s history was the establishment of Design Factory Korea (DFK) in 2015, Korea’s first member of the Design Factory Global Network (DFGN). Originating from a 2014 partnership with Aalto University in Finland, DFK was created under UIC driven by IID, CDM, and CTM. DFK introduced a new educational paradigm centered on hands-on, interdisciplinary problem solving. Equipped with Ideashop and Protoshop, the institute enables students to develop creative ideas, prototype technologies, and explore commercialization strategies.

Milestones: Research, Grants, and New Educational Initiatives (2018–2025)

The HASS Division has played a leading role in Yonsei’s expansion of convergence research and design-driven education:

• In 2017, HASS professors, together with Design Factory Korea (DFK) and with support from the Creative Korea (CK) Program, hosted major global events such as the International Design Factory Week (IDFW) 2017, which brought together directors and researchers from more than 20 Design Factories across 17 countries. These events strengthened Yonsei University’s global academic networks and showcased UIC’s student-led innovation initiatives. For example, HASS students—Dongkyu Lee (CTM12), Jaekeun Lee (CTM13), Suhyun Kim (CTM13), Jeongwon Jo (CTM15), Hyeyoung Ryu (CTM16), and Sejin Park (CTM/IID16)—presented socially focused IoT systems such as Canary (an assistive technology for individuals with low vision) and PPUCHA (a support system for pregnant women), demonstrating the social impact potential of HASS’s design and technology education.
• 2018: CDM, CTM, and IID faculty secured a national grant to establish Design Intelligence, a graduate program focusing on design and artificial intelligence.
• 2019: The Design Thinking Research Center was launched within the Institute for Convergence Studies.
• DFK has also supported international field projects, including the 2019 Social Impact Boot Camp in Tanzania, where HASS students collaborated with the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST) to address challenges related to water, sanitation, and agriculture using customized design-thinking toolkits. Earlier, HASS ran the Social IoT Project (New York, 2018) as an international collaboration.
• 2020: HASS faculty received support from the Ministry of SMEs to establish a regional Makerspace, strengthening prototyping and entrepreneurial education.
• 2020–2022: Through the University Innovation Support Project, HASS developed interdisciplinary courses such as UX for Emerging Technologies and Game Design for Sustainable Development. These courses—co-taught by CTM, IID, and SDC—produced student work that led to patent applications and revenue-generating projects.
• 2021–2022: UIC introduced Underwood Inside, a design-driven, multidisciplinary education program combining systems thinking, design thinking, and computational thinking, with industry partnerships involving Samsung Electronics, CJ E&M, and Incheon Metropolitan City.
• 2025: Yonsei University established the Center for Future Artificial Intelligence Research (C-FAIR) under the Institute for Convergence Studies to expand research in AI and convergence technologies, further strengthening HASS’s interdisciplinary research environment.

Academic Programs and Degree Structure

The HASS Division offers eight majors spanning the humanities, arts, social sciences, technology, policy, and quantitative analysis:

• Culture & Design Management (CDM) – B.S.
• Creative Technology Management (CTM) – B.S.
• Information & Interaction Design (IID) – B.S.
• Sustainable Development & Cooperation (SDC) – B.A. in International Studies
• Science, Technology & Policy (STP) – B.A. in Public Administration
• Justice & Civil Leadership (JCL) – B.A. in Political Science
• Quantitative Risk Management (QRM) – B.A. in Economics
• Asian Studies (AS) – B.A. in Literature

All HASS undergraduates complete the UIC Common Curriculum alongside their major requirements, ensuring rigorous liberal arts training complemented by advanced interdisciplinary study.

A Human-centered Interdisciplinary Division

Today, the HASS Division stands as one of UIC’s most dynamic academic units, distinguished by its interdisciplinary depth, global partnerships, and commitment to experiential learning. Through its integration of design, technology, humanities, policy, and social sciences, the division prepares students to address complex global challenges with analytical rigor, creative insight, ethical leadership, and a deep understanding of societal systems. Built upon a decade of collaboration across Yonsei University and active engagement with international institutions, HASS continues to expand its educational and research missions. Its programs exemplify UIC’s vision of cultivating globally minded leaders capable of shaping the future of technology, culture, design, and society.

Figure. HASS Class Environment and International Engagement: (Top row) Technoart Capstone Project 2017 gala night at Google Startup Campus; a pitch during the COVID period at DFK Ideashop; Social IoT Workshop at the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, 2019. (Middle row) Technoart Capstone Project 2018 exhibition featuring Hayden Choo (CTM/IS ’14) presenting a VR collaborative office solution; students experiencing VR games in the 2019 winter course “UX for Emerging Technologies”; students discussing a board game addressing the UN SDGs in the 2019 winter course “Game Design for Social Good.” (Bottom row) “Youniversity,” a crowdsourced campus maintenance application; Technoart Capstone Project 2025 gala night at Seoul Startup Hub M+ (Magok); the first HASS faculty member, Younah Kang (IID), participating in a discussion with Yuval Noah Harari in 2025.