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Evolution Korea The economic crisis which swept Asia prompted a major reappraisal the traditional system of government, business alliances, and public management of risks. In Korea, this meant a change in the development paradigm. In a controversial decision, the South Korean government has requested textbook publishers to ignore requests for removing examples of evolution in science texts for high school students. This includes the evidence supporting the evolution of horses and the avian ancestral Archaeopteryx. 1. Evolution and Religion A group of creationists in South Korea has successfully convinced textbook publishers to omit evidence of evolution in high school science textbooks. The Society for Textbook Revise, an independent branch of the Korea Association for Creation Research that wants to rid biology textbooks of “atheist materialism,” was behind the move. The STR claims that such materialistic views create a negative image for students and leads to their eventual loss of faith. Scientists around the globe expressed worry when the STR campaign was featured in the news. Jae Choe, evolutionary biologist at Ewha Womans University, Seoul and wrote an email to Nature's editor that South Korea had succumbed to religious prejudice. His colleagues backed him from all over the country who formed a group named Evolution Korea to organize an anti-textbook petition. Some scientists are worried that the STR could expand to other parts of the world, where creationism has been on the rise. The letter to Nature warned that the anti-evolutionist movement will increase pressure for textbook revisions in other countries, especially those with large Christian and Muslim populations. South Korea's culture is particularly strong in the debate on evolution. 26 percent of the country's citizens are members of a religious denomination and the majority adhere to Christianity or Buddhism. Many Koreans also adhere to Ch'ondogyo – an ideology based on Confucian principles, which emphasizes harmony in the social, personal self-cultivation and self-respect. Ch'ondogyo is a way of teaching that the human being is one with Hanulnim the God of Sun, and that divine blessings are possible by doing good deeds. All of this has made creationism a fertile field. Numerous studies have revealed that students with religious backgrounds to be more reluctant to learn about evolution than those who do not. The underlying reasons for this phenomenon are not clear. One reason is that students who have religious backgrounds tend to be as well-versed in scientific concepts and theories which makes them more vulnerable to the influence of creationists. Another reason could be that students who have religious backgrounds are more likely to view evolution as a religious concept and therefore less comfortable with the idea. 2. Evolution and Science In recent times the scientific community has been concerned about anti-evolution initiatives in schools. A survey conducted in 2009 revealed that over 40 percent of Americans believe that biological evolution is not true, and that a belief in it would be contrary to their convictions about religion. Many scientists believe that, despite the success of creationism the best way to combat this movement is to educate the public about the evidence for evolution. Scientists are accountable to instruct their students in science, which includes the theory of evolution. They also need to educate the public on the process of scientific research and the way in which knowledge is confirmed. They must also clarify that scientific theories are often challenged and revised. However, misconceptions about nature and purpose of scientific research can fuel anti-evolution views. For instance, many people are able to confuse the term “theory” with the everyday meaning of the word – a guess or a guess. In the realm of science the theory is rigorously tested and verified through empirical data. A theory that has survived repeated testing and observations becomes a scientific principle. The debate about evolutionary theory is a good occasion to discuss the importance of the scientific method and its limitations. It is important to realize that science cannot answer questions about the meaning or meaning of life, but it is merely a means through which living organisms can develop and adapt. Moreover, a well-rounded education should include exposure to all major fields of science, including evolutionary biology. This is important because many jobs and decisions require that people know how science works. The majority of scientists around the world agree that humans have changed over time. In a recent study, which predicted the views of adults on the consensus around this issue those with higher levels of education and science knowledge were found to be more likely to believe there is a wide agreement among scientists about human evolution. People with more religious beliefs and have less knowledge of science are more likely to disagree. It is crucial that educators stress the importance of understanding this consensus to enable people to make informed choices about the use of energy, health care and other policy issues. 3. Evolution and Culture Cultural evolution is a close relative of the popular evolutionary theory. It explores the ways that humans and other species learn from one another. Researchers in this area use explanatory tools and investigative models that are adapted from evolutionary theorists. They also go back to the prehistoric human to discover the origins of culture. This approach also recognizes that there are differences between the characteristics of culture and biological. Cultural traits can be acquired gradually while biological traits are usually acquired at the same time (in sexual species at fertilization). The acquisition of a cultural characteristic can affect the growth and development of another. In Korea the introduction of Western styles in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century was the result of an elaborate sequence of events. One of the most important was the appearance in Korea of Japanese occupation forces that introduced Western clothing and hairstyles. When Japan quit Korea in the 1930s, a few of these trends began to reverse. At the close of World War II, Korea was united once more and again under Choson dynasty rule. Today, Korea is an economic and political power. Despite the recent financial crisis, Korea's economy has been growing steadily over the last decade. It is anticipated to continue to grow in the near future. However, the current government has many challenges to face. The government's inability to formulate an effective strategy to deal with the current economic crisis is one of the most significant challenges. The crisis has exposed the weaknesses in the country's policies particularly its dependence on foreign investment and exports which could not last. The financial 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. It must also revamp the incentive monitoring, monitoring, and discipline systems in place to guarantee the stability of the financial system. This chapter provides a number of scenarios on how the Korean economy could develop post-crisis. 4. Evolution and Education The biggest challenge for educators of evolution is how to teach evolutionary concepts in a manner that is appropriate for students at various age groups and developmental stages. For example, teachers must be aware of the religious diversity in their classrooms and create a setting where students with both secular and religious views feel comfortable learning evolution. Teachers must be able to recognize common misconceptions about evolution and be able to address them in the classroom. Teachers must also have quick access to the many resources available to teach evolution. In this regard, the Thinking Evolutionarily Convocation played an important role in bringing together evolutionary researchers and educators from various sectors to discuss best practices for teaching Evolution. Participants included representatives from scientific societies, educational research, officials of government funding agencies as well as curriculum developers. The convergence of these diverse parties led to the identification of a common set of recommendations that will be the foundation for future actions. One of the most important recommendations is that the subject of evolution should be included in all science curricula at any level. To achieve this the National Science Education Standards (NRC) require that evolution be taught in a unified manner across all sciences, with a progression of ideas that are developmentally appropriate. Additionally, a new publication from the NRC provides guidance for schools on how to integrate evolution into their life science curriculum. Multiple studies have proven that a more comprehensive presentation of evolution is linked to greater student understanding and belief in the concept of evolution. However it is difficult to determine the causal effect of evolution in the classroom is challenging given that school curricula are not assigned randomly and evolve over time as a result of the predetermined dates of gubernatorial election and appointments to the state board of education. To overcome this problem, I use a longitudinal data set which allows me to account for fixed state and year effects and the individual-level variation in teacher beliefs about evolution. Another significant finding is that teachers who feel more comfortable teaching evolution report having fewer personal barriers to teaching it. This is in line with the hypothesis that faculty who are more confident are less likely to be hesitant about questions about evolution in the classroom. They may also be more inclined to use strategies such as a reconciliatory approach that is known to boost the students' understanding of evolution.