2015 CAU International Summer Program Course Syllabus
2015 CAU International Summer Program Course Syllabus Course Title Instructor University Department Introduction to Korean Studies Yung Bin Kwak (PhD) Institute for Media & Culture, Sogang University [email protected] Email Course Description Course Goals Course Procedures Grading And Evaluation Phone # 010-2808-8549 This class is designed to introduce students to contemporary Korean culture. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, it seeks to provide a broad purview of Korea at its most historical, helping you better grasp how South Korea has arrived the present. Rather than offering a mere compilation of factual knowledge, however, it seeks to challenge banal assumptions about Korean Culture being ‘Totally Unique’ or ‘Absolutely Other.’ To that end, it will engage with key aspects of modern Korean history such as Confucianism, comfort women, the Korean War, the Gwangju Massacre, and globalization, focusing on heated debates and recent controversies about them. Set against this backdrop, your understanding of K-Pop and New Korean Cinema will never be the same. No prior knowledge of Korea or the Korean language is expected. - Introducing students to contemporary Korean culture Helping them better grasp its historical multidimensionality Challenging students to call into question their assumptions about Us and Them, Identity and Difference This course is based on lectures, screenings of clips, discussions, and student’s final presentation. . Attendance (10%) + Participation (20%) ONE Research Paper (30%) Final Presentation (40%) 1. Detailed class schedule will be distributed on the first day of class. Additional Course Information 2. You are expected to complete the assigned readings and to bring those readings to class, prepared to think aloud and participate in discussion and debate. Your engaged presence is essential to the success of the course. Attendance is mandatory ―your third unexcused absence will automatically result in a FAIL. If for any reason you cannot attend class, you should inform me in advance. In the case of absences, only documented excuses (doctor's note, jury duty, and so on) will be accepted. 3. Use of mobile phones and laptops in class, except as note-taking devices, is strictly prohibited. Repeated provocations (however unintentional) will lead to an irreparable damage to the final grade. The work you turn in should be your own original work. Defined as the submission or presentation of work, in any form, that is not a student's own, without acknowledgment of the sources, plagiarism is a serious offense and can result in disciplinary action up to and including suspension or expulsion from the College. Text and required supplies There is no main textbook. Readings will be provided in PDF format or via internet links. Instructor’s Profile Yung bin Kwak (PhD) is Research Fellow of Institute for Media & Culture at Sogang University. He received M.A. in Mass Communications (Film Studies and Cultural Studies) at Sogang University, and Ph.D. from Dept. of Cinema and Comparative Literature at University of Iowa, U.S.A. He holds B.A. in Pedagogy from Seoul National University. He taught at Cornell College and University of Iowa before coming back to Korea in 2013 to start teaching courses on cinema, literature, art and media aesthetics. He presented and published essays on contemporary Korean art, literature, and animation. His book of critical essays on contemporary Korean culture and politics will be published by Sogang University Press this year. Weekly Course Schedule Week Topics Assignments 1 Images of Korea: Between Stereotypes and Uniqueness Reading Assignments 2 Legacies of East Asia: From Confucianism to Colonialism Reading Assignments 3 Haunting Historical Traumas: From the Korean War to Gwangju Massacre Reading Assignments & the Research Paper DUE 4 Riding the Korean Wave: From KPop to New Korean Cinema Reading Assignments 5 Final Wrap-Up Final Presentation Remarks
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