Statement of Teaching Philosophy
Yung Suk Kim, Ph.D.
Full Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity
Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology, Virginia Union University
Core Pedagogical Vision: Critical Diversity and The Integrated Self
My teaching philosophy centers on fostering a deep, transformative understanding of who we are in a profoundly diverse and complex world. I do not treat diversity as a static, passive reality to be tolerated; rather, I approach diversity as a vital source of active, critical engagement. My classroom operates as an intellectual ecosystem where students are challenged to examine how their unique identities intersect with ancient texts, contemporary societies, and global communities.
Having transitioned to higher education after a decade-long international business career spanning Latin America, my pedagogy is directly informed by firsthand encounters with global cultural diversity. This cross-cultural background drives my desire to dismantle individualistic models of thinking and education. In every course, I guide students to move past isolating frameworks to confront essential, communal questions: What does it mean to live in this world with each other? How do we read sacred and historical texts together when we differ?
Strategic Pedagogical Goals
To translate this vision into concrete classroom outcomes, I structure my curricula around four core pedagogical commitments:
Learning from the Other: I teach students to actively engage with perspectives that differ radically from their own, using the text and classroom dialogue as a bridge to understand the "Face of the Other".
Cultivating Epistemological Humility: I train students to maintain both a critical and self-critical stance toward any absolute claims of knowledge, truth, and reality, pushing them to question internalized biases.
Affirming Transformative Identity: I design assignments that empower students to recognize, articulate, and affirm their own evolving voice, historical location, and narrative identity.
Advancing a Common Humanity: I challenge students to translate academic insights into ethical actions that advocate for human solidarity, justice, and collective well-being in the modern world.
Theory and Praxis in the Classroom
My instructional design naturally mirrors my active interdisciplinary research, bridging the gaps between historical-contextual criticism, political philosophy, and cognitive science. In my courses, students do not just memorize ancient history; they apply contemporary cognitive frameworks to analyze the psychological interiority and mental worlds embedded within textual traditions. This method equips future ministers, scholars, and community practitioners with the diagnostic tools needed to address the fragmented identities and mental health struggles facing modern individuals.
Ultimately, my mandate as an educator is to communicate critical diversity and cultivate a transformative identity across a wide variety of life contexts. By demanding rigorous critical inquiry alongside a deep ethical commitment to human solidarity, I prepare students to leave my classroom equipped to engage a fractured world with intellectual clarity, empathy, and a unified sense of self.
I foster and teach to engage in the knowledge of who we are in this world in which we see our diversity and differences. In my teaching, diversity is not a given but a source of critical engagement with each other. I value both a critical and self-critical stance toward any claim of knowledge, truth, and reality. I emphasize the following as pedagogical goals: learning from others, challenging one another, affirming who we are, and working for common humanity in differences. In my teaching, all in all, I communicate critical diversity and transformative identity in a variety of life contexts.
I keep thinking about what it means to be a balanced teacher, down-to-earth scholar, and authentic human being in the community and society. I have a passion for human transformation, rooted in self-knowledge and self-criticism.
- "I am no-one" is an attitude of humility before God (the love of God).
- "I am some-one" is an attitude of agency and confidence in God (the love of self).
- "I am one-for-others" is an attitude of recommitment to others (the love of others).
- A good teacher satisfies students, a wonderful teacher teaches what they need, and an ideal teacher teaches them with love, helping them to teach themselves.
- A good student follows the teacher's instruction, a remarkable student asks critical and self-critical questions, and a formidable student knows that learning is limitless.
- A good author satisfies readers, an admirable author stimulates their interest, and an exceptional author creates new needs for them.
Trust God.
Trust yourself.
Trust your instructor.
Trust each other.
Trust the process.
We are in this together.
When you feel there is no hope within you, trust God. When you think you hit the bottom of yourself, that is not the end of the story. Don't beat yourself up. Look up to heaven. Remember that you are an able student. Trust yourself. Honor your instructor, and you may learn more than you expect. Consider your peers not as competitors but as learning partners. When things go rough--through hump and bump--stay the course. Ask for help. There is always a way out if you ask. Trust the process. We are all in this together.
Adjective
My adjective is "conscientious." I listen to my inner voice as often as possible. I am meticulous in my work. Often, I am impatient and imperfect. However, I am always resilient and come back to do better and more.Like a vapor, I am evanescent.Like a reed, I am wavering.Like dust, I am small.But I'm not vanity.
