SOFEX Exchange withSogang University Relaunched as aNew Academic ProgramSOFEX (Sogang-Sophia Festival of Exchange), an exchange program between Sophia and Sogang University, was inaugurated in 2010 as part of the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Sogang’s founding. In 2018, SOFEX was relaunched as an academic program. Fr. Sali Augustine, S.J., Trustee for General Affairs of Sophia School Corporation, and Fr. Mark Koo Chung-Mo, S.J., Professor of Faculty of Theology, who played central roles in the working group that discussed how to implement the new-style SOFEX, explained the features of the new program, the awareness it will give students, and the expectations they are pinning on it.Sophia and South Korea’s Sogang University are both Jesuit universities in Asia, and sister schools sharing remembrance of Fr. Theodore Geppert, S.J., who taught at Sophia and also contributed to the establishment of Sogang. With the aim of facilitating a wide range of exchanges between the two insti-tutions, SOFEX was first launched in 2010 with the program continuing for five years. Annually, around 300 individuals from both universities participated in a variety of sports and cultural activities, including baseball, soccer, and basketball games; debates in English; and music and dance perfor-mances. Here, Fr. Sali explains the significance of the first iterations of SOFEX, and why the program was reinvented. “It was gratifying to realize exchanges between young peo-ple from two countries with a complex historical and po-litical relationship. This was made possible by Sophia and Sogang both being Jesuit universities that advocate a com-mon educational spirit. However, students not involved in competitive sports or cultural activities were previously un-able to participate. Also, since it was limited to just sports and cultural activities, academic learning in a bilateral con-text was not achieved. In light of that, a working group to discuss alternative approaches to SOFEX was set up at both Sophia and Sogang, in a bid to update the program frame-work to include learning and experiences that are in accor-dance with the times and befitting of Jesuit universities.”After exchanging ideas and opin-ions for around two years, Sophia and Sogang established the new SOFEX: a program to bring stu-dents of the two schools together for learning via firsthand experi-ences and discussions on a theme selected from the social issues intrinsic to the Jesuit mission, and on concerns shared by both institutions as schools located in East Asia.A total of 40 students, 20 from each university, participated in SOFEX 2018. Its theme of “Ref-ugees and Immigrants in East Asia” was studied in joint lectures, with discussions also held online prior to its commencement dur-ing the fall semester. At the end of the program, participating students had opportunities to travel to Tokyo and Seoul for three days each, where they ex-changed views and visited locations pertinent to the event’s theme. “The new SOFEX program has received an enthusiastic response. I encountered an occasion where both teach-ers and students were moved to tears while disclosing the prejudiced images of each other’s nationality that they had held prior to SOFEX, and the very different reality they ex-perienced while participating. I think the program certainly elicited a positive ‘change’ in the students who took part,” Fr. Sali reports.Fr. Koo further elaborates, “We focused on creating a frame-work where young people from neighboring countries could have genuine interactions. It was also our hope to witness the formation of friendships among students of the same generation, through their time together spent studying, thinking, visiting places, and enjoying meals.”Thanks to the support of various individuals, the first event of the new SOFEX was a huge success. It will continue to take the same theme for a while, but in the future additional topics or multiple programs may be incorporated into the new format.Fr. Mark Koo Chung-Mo, S.J.Fr. Sali Augustine, S.J.30Learning
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