YISS 2017

Korean Cinema (IEE 3306-01 & 02)

Instructor: Prof. Jung-Bong Choi (Academy of Film, HKBU) Class Meeting: M ~ Th 1:20pm—3:00pm & 3:20pm—5:00pm Office Hours: TBA Email: [email protected]

1. Overview

Course explores key directors and texts of the post-1990 (South) Korean Cinema. Blending film aesthetics with socio-cultural criticism, the class will survey a wide variety of Korean film alongside socio-political transformations the nation has undergone. The general course objective is to equip students with knowledge and concepts needed for comprehensive understanding of contemporary Korean cinema/visual cultures in conjunction with macro-scale social changes. Class consists mainly of lecture, screening (clips), discussion and tests.

2. Course Requirements & Grading

Midterm Essay (20%): Write a 500-word essay about your visit to local movie theater: it’s atmosphere inside/outside, decors, technological conditions, audience demeanors, mode of reception, cultural vibes, etc. Due on Sunday, July 16

Final Exams (40 %): Final exam is scheduled for the last day of the class, Aug 3. Questions will be based on lecture, reading, discussion, and screenings. Test format includes multiple-choice, fill-in-the- blank and short essays.

Film Commentary/Analysis (20 %): Two essays on the films listed as additional screening. Each entry should be two-page long (roughly 500 words, A 4, double space). No bland plot/narrative summaries; instead, cut to the chase and offer a concise and cogent evaluation of main themes and stylistics of a designated film.

Attendance & Participation (20 %): Regular attendance and active class participation are expected and mandatory. Missing class multiple times will seriously jeopardize your grade, as each absence will result in a 2.5% deduction from the final grade. Over six unjustified absences will automatically result in the failure of the course. Missed test/presentation may NOT be made up and full class participation points will NOT be rewarded to those missing class.

Presentation (up to 6 % extra credits): 10 (or more) volunteers needed for about 10 minute presentations using PowerPoint (have your USB ready) on designated films, directors or genres. Films: focus on themes, characters and outstanding visual, aural, narrative features. Directors: focus on stylistics/themes, filmographic & biographic information. Genres: focus on history, notable films, and codes & conventions. Please refer to the readings for your presentation and submit the electronic file for the grading purpose.

Grading

Your grades will NOT be curved. As an alternative, a point system with a maximum of 1000 points will be used.

B+ 899 – 870 C+ 799 – 770 D+ 699 – 670 A 1000 –950 B 869 – 830 C 769 – 730 D 669 – 630 A- 949 – 900 B- 829 – 800 C- 729 – 700 D- 629 –600

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3. Texts and Reading

Required Text: Reading materials will be provided as PDF files on YSEC. The readings will be numbered in keeping with the class number appearing in the ―Proposed Schedule‖ below (p.3). If there are two articles assigned for the class on July 4 (session 4), for example, the first article will be numbered 4_1 and the second one, 4_2.

Websites & Info for Korean Cinema:

 Yonsei Multi-media Center: http://library.yonsei.ac.kr/multi/  Korea Film Council http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/index.jsp  Cine 21 (Korea’s leading film magazine) www.hani.co.kr.c21  Pusan International Film Festival www.piff.org  Darcy’s website www.koreanfilm.org  The Korean Herald Newspaper (for individual film reviews) www.koreanherald.co.kr  USC’s Asian Pacific Media Center Page www.asianfilms.org

4. Major Policies

Screening: Unlike viewing of DVDs in the privacy of one’s abode, viewing films in this course requires serious commitment and focus. A single class time falls short of screening a full-length feature film. Hence, the remainder will be shown in the following class session or asked to be watched at home individually.

Assigned Seating: Note that this class adopts an assigned seating system to save time for the roll call. Refer to the seat map and stick to your own seat to avoid penalties for mistaken absence.

Class Demeanor: Entering the classroom late, leaving the room during screening, toying with one’s cell phone, iPad, or any other intrusive devices is strictly prohibited at any time. Keep your cell phone turned off at all time; repeated violators may forfeit all class participation points and be asked to leave the classroom.

Problems and Concerns: Please keep me informed to account for special circumstances or for physical or social disability. I will make some modifications and appropriate arrangements for seating, testing or other class requirements. Should any problems or concerns arise throughout the term, please don’t hesitate to talk to me about them.

E-mail: Do NOT use email for any important matter, such as notice of absence, late submission of exam, and the likes. Nor should you presume that your e-mail will be viewed immediately: allow sufficient time before your email reach me. Emails without proper etiquette will be ignored.

5. Proposed Schedule

 The following schedule is only tentative and subject to change.  P: Presentation schedule

Class Focus Readin Clips Prstn g

1 Intro & Syllabus

6/28 2 Defining Contemporary #2_1 Korean Cinema #2_2 6/29 3 Defining Korean Auteur #3_1 Sopyonje P1 #3_2 6/30 Screening 1 4 Auteur I: #4_1 ChunHyang 2

Im KwonTaek #4_2 7/3 5 Screening 2 #5_1 Lady Vengeance P2 #5_2 7/4 6 Auteur II: #6_1 Cut from Three Monsters Park Chanwook #6_2 7/5 7 Wiggle Room 1 Additional Individual Screening: JSA by Park Chanwook 7/6 Writing #1 Due by 10 pm 8 Screening 3 #8_1 Women on the Beach P3

7/10 9 Auteur III: Hong Sangsoo #9_1 Woman is the future of man; The Day #9_2 a Pig Fell into the Well 7/11 10 Screening 4 #10_1 Three Iron P4 #10_2 7/12 11 Auteur IV: Kim KiDuk #11_1 Bad Guy; The Isle #11_2 7/13

7/16 Midterm Paper Due by 10pm

12 Screening 5 #12_1 Oasis P5 #12_2 7/17 13 Auteur V: #13_1 Secret Sunshine; Poetry Lee ChangDong 7/18 14 Screening 6 #14_1 P6 #14_2 7/19 15 Auteur VI: #15_1 The Host; Mother Bong JoonHo #15_2 7/20 7/23 Additional Individual Screening: Peppermint Candy by Lee ChangDong Writing #2 Due by 10 pm 16 Wiggle Room 2

7/24 17 Korean Blockbuster #17_1 Welcome to Dongmakgol; Shiri; P7 #17_2 TaeGukGi; Haewondae 7/25 18 Screening 7 #18_1 The Good, the Bad, and the Weird #18_2 7/26 #18_3 19 Family, Gender and #19_1 200 Pounds Beauty; Family Ties; A P8 Romance #19_2 Wife of a Good Lawyer 7/27 #19_3 20 What is Genre? TBA Scandal; Masquerade; The King & P9 the Clown 7/31 Historical/Epic dramas 21 Violence, Crime and TBA Breathless; Friend; My Wife is P10 Gangsters Gangster 8/1 3

22 Wiggle Room 3 Additional Individual Screening for extra credit (up to 3%): & The Chaser by Na HongJin or Breathless by Yang IkJoon 8/2 Final Review Due by 10 pm 23 Final Exam

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