Courses

Korea-related Course Offerings for Spring 2024:

Korea Content Courses

• EALC 0060-401 Introduction to Korean Civilization, taught by So-Rim Lee

What is Korean civilization—is it a singular notion, or are there many that became what we know as South and North Korea today? How have Koreans interpreted and represented their own cultures, traditions, and history through the years? This introductory course offers a broad chronological survey of Korean history, arts, and culture from its early days to the present moment. Our readings will include a selection of literature—from foundation myths, poetry, to modern fiction—as well as royal edicts and political manifestoes and op-eds. Alongside the readings, we will also engage with multimedia resources including various artwork, film, and music. Through these cultural texts, we will explore the political, economic, and social order of different historical eras and identify major currents and events on the Korean peninsula such as shifting political climates, class struggles, gender dynamics, and complex relations with its East Asian neighbors and the West. We will also be treated to guest lectures from the interdisciplinary Korean studies scholars affiliated with the James Joo-Jin Kim Center for Korean Studies at Penn. By the end of the semester, students will become familiar with the many continuities and breaks that constitute Korean culture from ancient to modern times and gain good insight into where it might be headed in the future. No prior knowledge of Korea or the Korean language is required.

• EALC 1371/6371-401 New Korean Cinema, taught by So-Rim Lee

In 2019, Bong Joon-ho's Parasite won the Palme d'Or at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival. This event marked the apex of South Korean cinematic renaissance, having steadily become a tour de force in the international film festival scene since 1997 onwards. This course explores the major auteurs, styles, themes, and currents of the so-called "New Korean Cinema" that emerged in the mid-to-late 1990s to continue to this day. Drawing from texts on critical film and Korean studies, we will pay particular attention to how the selected works re-present, resist, and interweave the sociopolitical climate they concern and are born out of. Using cinema as a lens with which to see the society, we will touch upon major events of the twentieth century including national division, military dictatorship and democratization movements, IMF economic crisis, youth culture, hallyu (the Korean wave), and damunhwa (multiculturalism initiative). In so doing, we will closely examine how each cinematic medium addresses the societal power structure and the role of the "Other" it represents in terms of class, race, gender, and sexuality in the construction of contemporary Korean society. We will also briefly survey the history of South Korean cinema that has evolved hand-in-hand with the history of modern Korea itself, walking through its five different phases (1945-Korean War era;1955-1972 "Golden Age"; 1973-1979 censorship era; 1980-1996 democratization era; and 1997 onwards). No prior experience of Korean studies courses necessary; all films will be screened with English subtitles.

• EDUC 4920 Language, Culture, and Society in Contemporary Korea, taught by Eunsun Lee

In recent years, there has been a growing awareness of cultural diversity and linguistic variation within Korea. However, this phenomenon is far from new, as the Korean language has historically acted as both a mediator and a product of societal shifts and influences, including colonization, modernization, and globalization. This course offers a critical examination of the conventional notion of monolingual and homogenous Korea, inviting students to delve into the nuanced realities of language, culture, and society in modern-day Korea. Through a combination of readings, lectures, and discussions, this course will explore a broad range of topics, including language policy, language education, the Korean diaspora, gender and language dynamics, and honorifics. Guided by the central question of how language mediates social perceptions and categorizations, students will consider the complex interplay between language, cultural identities, and sociopolitical issues in Korea. By the end of the course, students will have gained a robust and holistic understanding of the multicultural and multilingual dynamics that characterize contemporary Korea and its position in the world, informed by the view of Korean as an embodied translingual practice. Students interested in sociolinguistics, cultural studies, or international affairs are encouraged to join.

Korean Language Courses: https://ealc.sas.upenn.edu/course-list/2023A/all/all