The Elliott School of International Affairs announced the appointment of two new faculty members, Kirk Larsen and Holger Wolf June 14.
Wolf will join the Elliott School as an associate professor of economics and international affairs, and will teach two sections of International Macroeconomic Theory and Policy in the fall.
Larsen will become the Korea Foundation assistant professor of history and international affairs. He will teach Korean studies courses, such as Introduction to Korean History, to both undergraduate and graduate students.
Both professors will join the ESIA faculty in August.
“I am very pleased these two impressive young scholars and teachers will be joining our faculty,” said Harry Harding, dean of ESIA. Larsen’s position as assistant professor is funded by the Korea Foundation. The foundation has awarded a grant of $1 million over four years, which is matched by the University, to bring professors specializing in Korean studies to ESIA.
The Korea Foundation is part of the Elliott School’s effort to develop a new field of Korean studies, Edward McCord, associate dean of ESIA said.
The school hopes to add a political science professor for Korean studies in the next few years, giving the school two experts on Korea, McCord said.
McCord said he was enthused about how the two new faculty members would further develop the Elliott School.
“We have a particular strength in international economics, and we are trying to build that field so our students have the best instruction available,” he said. “Professor Wolf brings a lot of experience to that area. He will be a very important addition to our economics department. Professor Larsen will help us to develop a new field of Korean studies.”
Wolf was born in Munich, Germany, and received his bachelor’s degree in economics from the London School of Economics. In 1992 he received his doctorate in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Wolf taught courses on European economic issues and European Union integration at Georgetown University. He also spent six years teaching at New York University’s Stern School of Business.
Wolf has written extensively on macroeconomics, trade policy, emerging markets and finance. He serves as a consultant to the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Soros Foundation and U.S. Agency for International Development.
Larsen is a historian of modern Korea, and has taught courses at the University of Texas at Austin on Korean history and culture, contemporary Korean national and cultural identities, and South Korean economic development. In 1997 he was editor in chief of Harvard University’s edition of Papers on Chinese History.
Larsen received his bachelor’s degree in Asian studies from Brigham Young University and his master’s degree in East Asian regional studies from Harvard University. He received his doctorate in history from Harvard University last year.
