ASIAN 202
Special Topic: Korea through TV Drama and Film
Please note: this is archived course information from 2016 for ASIAN 202.
Description
When Psy’s “Gangnam Style” recorded as the first video to reach one billion hits on Youtube it was widely considered to be a surprising yet singular happening which does not indicate any significant change in the map of the globalised media culture. However, a close look at the viral success of his music video will confirm the ongoing contact between Korean popular culture and overseas audience since early 1990s through the spread of Korean films, television dramas and popular music across neighboring Asian countries. The course aims to investigate such encounter between national and local cultures and the globalised media landscape with Korean contemporary popular culture as an example.
First, the course will offer students the overview of the Korean wave, or Hallyu, a term that refers the broad popularity of Korean popular culture in Asian markets and beyond. By reading the contexts of the Korean wave students can understand the multi-faceted link between Korea’s historical, social, political and economic dimension and its popular media culture. Each week the course will help students analyse one of exemplary Korean films or television dramas in close relation to Korea’s path to modernity as well as to a developed, multicultural nation as it is now. Students can enhance the scope of their critical reading of cultural texts by learning relevant theoretical approaches that will remain useful for their further study of society and culture. Ultimately, Korea through TV Drama and Film will guide students so that they can develop necessary skills for critical reading of a modern society through popular media texts of everyday life.
No knowledge of Korean language is required.
Availability 2016
Semester 2
Lecturer(s)
Lecturer(s) Hee Seung (Irene) Lee
Reading/Texts
Readings will be available on the comprehensive course website. All viewing materials with English subtitles will be available in the AV library.
Assessment
Assignment 1 (20%) Assignment 2 (30%) Final exam (40%) Participation (10%)
Points
ASIAN 202: 15 points
Prerequisites
45 points at Stage I in BA courses
