Faculty

Dr. Mark K. Setton
Associate Professor of World Religions and Martial Arts Studies
Carlson Hall, Room 234
Phone: (203) 576-4965
Fax: (203) 576-4967
martialarts@bridgeport.edu

Dr. Mark K. Setton, who serves as academic chair of the martial arts program, has studied East Asian philosophy for the past 30 years. He earned his B.A. and M.A. at Sungkyunkwan University, the only Confucian university in Asia. He comes to the University of Bridgeport after having taught at the State University of New York at Stonybrook, the University of California at Berkeley, and Oxford University, where he earned his doctorate. Setton speaks Korean and Japanese and has studied classical Chinese. Dr. Setton writings are widely consulted and published. His book Chong Yagyong: Korea's Challenge to Orthodox Neo-Confucianism (SUNY Press 1997) pioneers a new area of academic inquiry in the West.

Dr. Setton maintains that knowledge of the philosophical traditions of East Asia can enrich people's perspectives on the martial arts and rectify many misconceptions which are often derived from the popular media. This will be accomplished, he explains, by "providing a rich array of courses clarifying the historical, philosophical, and socio-psychological foundations" of the martial arts. Dr. Setton notes that there is an internal dimension to the study of the martial arts that took shape through the mediation of Buddhism and Daoism.

Professor Yongbom Kim is an internationally recognized Martial Artist who serves as Director of the Martial Arts Institute and co-chair of the degree program with Dr. Setton. He earned his B.A. and M.A. in Martial Arts from Korea's Kyung Hee University, the first institution in Korea to offer a bachelor's degree in martial arts. He holds a seventh degree black belt in Taekwondo. He has been teaching courses in Taekwondo and self-defense at the University of Bridgeport since 1997. Professor Kim was chosen by the United States Olympic Committee in 2003 to coach the U.S. Women's Taekwondo Team in the Universiade Games in Taegu, Korea. The team won one gold, one silver, and two bronze medals and finished second in the world competition.

Professor Kim is proud of the University of Bridgeport's Martial Arts Studies program, which represents the first comprehensive formal academic study of the martial arts of Asia in the Western world. He points out that more than one million Americans are studying Taekwondo, but that martial artists have been waiting for a professional degree program to develop in the United States.

Sifu Dan Zegibe
Adjunct Professor of Martial Arts Studies
Carlson Hall
Phone: 203-576-4966
Fax: (203) 576-4967
dlzegibe@yahoo.com

Master Sifu Dan Zegibe is a pioneer of Taiji studies in the New York region, where he has practiced for 30 years. While his primary focus has been the Yang Style taiji form he earned masters level in Qigong and advanced status in Push Hands practice. His experience also includes Da Lu fighting form and Chinese long sword form. He continues study with Sifu C.K. Chu at Chu Tai Chi, New York City where he teaches. His work also includes a publication review on Sifu C.K. Chu’s latest book on Qigong.

Master Jong Chul Lee
Adjunct Professor of Martial Arts Studies
Carlson Hall
Phone: (203) 576-4966
Fax: (203) 576-4967

Master Jong Chul Lee, who is a 7th degree Black Belt, has been studying Taekwondo for almost thirty years. He is a fifteen-time Korean National Champion and Head Coach to several US national teams including: U.S. National Team in the PAN-AM Championships (Costa Rica 1994); U.S. National Collegiate Team in the 3rd World University Championships (Mexico 1993) and the U.S. National Team in the Summer Universiade Games (Daegu, Korea). Master Lee also served as coach for the U.S. Olympic Festival (San Antonio 1993), and Head Coach of the Mexican National Olympic Team (1983-1988). In addition to coaching, Master Lee is the President of the World Champion Masters Association of N.Y. (1992) and an Adjunct Professor of Martial Arts at the University of Bridgeport CT.

Dr. Stephen Healey
Director of World Religions, Interim Director of Social Sciences
Carlson Hall
Phone: (203) 576-4212
Fax: (203) 576-4967
healey@bridgeport.edu

Dr. Stephen Healey, who holds degrees in Religion and Society from Eastern Nazarene College, Andover Newton Theological School, and Boston College, taught at Boston College, Andover Newton Theological School, and Merrimack College, before assuming his current role as Director of the World Religions Program at the University. His research and publications have focused on Religion and Human Rights, the Phenomenology of Conversion, Globalization in Religion, and Public Theology. He is currently writing a book with colleagues on Theories of Human Nature. His major teaching and research methods are the comparative analysis of religions and enquiry into the public dimensions of religious belief and practice. He is a member of seven professional societies, including the American Academy of Religion, the Association for the Sociology of Religion, and the Association for Applied and Professional Ethics. His teaching motto comes from Max Muller: "He [or she] who knows one religion, knows none."