From McDonald's to K-Pop: New Movements in East Asia

3 units

This course introduces contemporary East Asian cultures and societies from transregional and transnational perspectives through the lens of consumer and popular cultures. We employ McDonald's as the first case study to look into East Asian responses to Western cultural products and ideas. For K-pop, we examine its emergence and transregional reception and impact across different regions in East Asia as well as in the US. Beginning with these two subjects, our investigation extends to other examples of transnational cultural phenomena originating in or being adapted to the East Asian context. In doing so, our discussions also reflect on key topics in the study of East Asian cultures such as face, filial piety, and social networks.