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Evolution Korea The economic crisis that swept Asia caused a significant rethinking of the old model of government-business alliances and the management by the public of private risks. In Korea, this meant a shift in the model of development. In a controversial move, the South Korean government has requested publishers of textbooks to ignore calls to remove examples of evolution from science texts for high school students. This includes the evidence for evolution of horses and the avian ancestral Archaeopteryx. 1. Evolution and Religion A South Korean creationist group has pushed textbook publishers to eliminate evidence of evolution from high-school science texts. The move was a result of a campaign led by the Society for Textbook Revise (STR), an independent branch of the Korea Association for Creation Research, which wants to rid biology books of “atheist materialism.” The STR claims that such materialistic views create a negative image for students and leads to their eventual loss of faith. When the STR's ad campaign made the news, scientists across the globe expressed alarm. In a letter addressed to the editor of Nature evolutionary biologist Jae Choe at Ewha Womans University in Seoul complained that South Korea had given in to religious prejudice. He was supported by colleagues from all over the country who gathered into an organization called Evolution Korea to organize an anti-textbook petition. Some researchers are concerned that the STR will expand to other parts of the globe, including areas where creationism is growing. The letter to Nature warned of the anti-evolution campaign increasing pressure on textbook revisions, particularly in countries with large Christian and Muslim population. South Korea has a particularly significant cultural context for the evolution debate. Twenty-six percent of the country's residents belong to a religious denomination and the majority practice Christianity or Buddhism. Additionally, a large portion of Koreans adhere to the philosophy of Ch'ondogyo. It is that is based on Confucian principles that emphasizes social harmony and individual self-cultivation. Ch'ondogyo teaches the human being is one with Hanulnim, the God of Sun, and that divine blessings can be achieved through the good works of one's. All of this has created an ideal environment for the spread of creationism. Numerous studies have revealed that students with a religious background to be more reluctant to learn about evolution than those who don't. However, the root causes of this phenomenon are unclear. Students who are religious may be less experienced with scientific theories, which makes them more vulnerable to creationists' influence. Another possibility is that students who have religious beliefs are more likely to see evolution as an atheistic idea, which may make them less comfortable with it. 2. Evolution and Science In recent years, campaigns against evolution in schools have raised concerns within the scientific community. A study conducted in 2009 found that over 40% of Americans believe that biological evolution is a lie, and that a belief in it could be in conflict with their religious beliefs. Despite the fact that creationism has been a huge success in some states, many scientists believe that the best way to stop this trend is not to actively engage in it, but rather to inform the public on the evidence for evolution. Scientists are accountable to instruct their students in science, which includes the theory of evolution. They should also inform the general public about the process of science, and how scientific knowledge is gathered and validated. They should also explain that scientific theories are frequently challenged and reformulated. However, misperceptions regarding the nature of scientific research frequently create anti-evolution beliefs. For instance, some people may confuse the word “theory” with the everyday meaning of the word – a hunch or a guess. In the realm of science, a theory is rigorously tested and verified with empirical data. A theory that is tested and observed repeatedly becomes a scientific principal. The debate over evolution theory is an excellent occasion to discuss both the importance of scientific method and its limits. It is important to be aware that science does not provide answers to questions about life's purpose or meaning, but rather offers a way for living things to develop and adapt. Moreover, a well-rounded education must include exposure to all major fields of science including evolutionary biology. This is crucial because a lot of jobs and choices require people understand the way science operates. The vast majority of scientists around the world agree that humans have evolved over time. A recent study predicting adults' opinions of the consensus on this subject found that those with higher education levels and knowledge of science were more likely to believe that there is a broad agreement among scientists on the subject of human evolution. The people with more religious faith and less science-based knowledge are more likely to disagree. It is critical that educators insist on the importance of understanding the general consensus on this issue to ensure that individuals are able to making informed decisions regarding their health care, energy usage and other issues of policy. 3. Evolution and Culture Cultural evolution is a close cousin of the mainstream evolutionary theory. this article focuses on the ways that humans and other species learn from one another. Researchers in this area use explanatory tools and investigative models derived from evolutionary theorists. They also go back to the prehistoric human to discover the origins of culture. This method also acknowledges that there are some differences between the characteristics of culture and biological. Cultural traits can be acquired slowly while biological traits are usually acquired at the same time (in sexual species at fertilization). In the end, the emergence of one cultural characteristic can affect the development of another. In Korea for instance the introduction of Western fashion elements in the latter part of the 19th and early 20th centuries was the result of a complex series of events. One of the most important was the arrival of Japanese occupation forces, who introduced Western clothing styles and hairstyles to Korean society. When Japan left Korea in the 1930s, a few of these trends began to reverse. At the end of World War II, Korea was once more united but this time under Choson dynasty rule. Today, Korea is a vibrant economic and political power. Despite the current global financial crisis, the country's economy has grown steadily in the past decade and is poised to maintain its steady growth in the future. However, the current administration is facing a variety of challenges. One of the most serious is its inability to find a coherent policy to deal with the economic crisis. The crisis has revealed weaknesses of the country's policies, especially its over-reliance on foreign investment and exports which could not last. The crisis has shaken the confidence of investors. In the aftermath, the government needs to reconsider its approach and find other ways to boost the domestic demand. To ensure a stable financial climate the government will need to reform its incentive, monitoring and discipline systems. This chapter presents several scenarios for how the Korean economy might develop post-crisis. 4. Evolution and Education The challenge for teachers of evolution is how to teach evolutionary concepts that are appropriate for different stages of development and ages. Teachers need to, for instance be mindful of the religious diversity in their classrooms and create an environment where students of both religious and secular beliefs are at ease. Additionally, teachers must recognize common misconceptions about evolution, and how to confront these in their classrooms. Teachers should also have quick access to the many resources to teach evolution. In this context, Thinking Evolutionarily Convocation had a key role in bringing together evolutionary researchers and educators from a variety of sectors to discuss the best methods of teaching about Evolution. Participants included representatives from scientific societies, educational research, government funding agency officials and curriculum designers. The convergence of various participants helped to identify some common guidelines that will serve as the basis for any future actions. One important recommendation is that the subject of evolution should be integrated in all science curricula at every level. National Science Education Standards (NRC) that call for the integration of evolution across all life sciences, with an educational progression that is developmental appropriate, are one way to achieve this goal. A new publication from the NRC provides guidelines to schools about how to integrate evolution into the life science curriculum. Numerous studies have shown that a more thorough and comprehensive understanding of evolution is associated with more knowledge and belief in the existence of evolution. It is difficult to estimate causal effects in the classroom since school curricula don't change in a random manner and are dependent on the timing of state board of education and gubernatorial elections. To overcome this limitation I employ an ongoing data set that allows me to control for year and state fixed effects as well as individual-level variations in teacher beliefs about changes in the curriculum. Teachers who are more comfortable in teaching evolution report fewer internal barriers. This is in line with the notion that more experienced faculty are less likely to be hesitant about teaching about evolution in the classroom, and may be more inclined to use strategies such as the reconciliatory method that is known to boost undergraduate students' acceptance of evolution.