Exploring Korean Culture and History through Film

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

This course provides an introduction to Korean culture and history through contemporary Korean films. Exploring Korean culture and history through films is recognized as an effective method which helps students understand the past events and interpret embedded messages from the periods as well as explore cinematic representations of past events. This course will guide students to an extensive understanding of modern and contemporary Korean history and thematic issues, including colonization by Japan and Korean nationalism until 1945, the division of the Korean peninsula and Korean War in the 1950s, rapid industrialization in the 1960s to 1980s, democracy and human rights in the 1980s to 1990s, social issues in the 2000s such as Korean diaspora, multiculturalism, inter-Korean confrontation and reconciliation, feminism, familism, cultural hybridity, Korean capitalism and social class. No prior acquaintance with the Korean language and history is required.