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The Korean Conflict: Current Issues and Historical Context

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The Korean Conflict: Current Issues and Historical Context Sample syllabus #2 (Ohio State University, Fall 2015) The Korean Conflict: Current Issues and Historical Context Instructor: Pil Ho Kim Course Description This is an introductory course for undergraduate students who want to make sense of the volatile geopolitical situation surrounding the Korean peninsula by learning the modern history of the divided Korean nation. Starting from examining the current military tension between North and South Korea, it traces the origins of the conflict back to the early modern period of Japanese colonization, liberation and the subsequent national division, and the Korean War. Then we will see how each of the two Koreas has developed its own political economic system, and how it has been coping with internal crises as well as external challenges to the system, such as security, poverty, democracy and human rights. All these topics will be primarily pursued from political, economic and sociological perspectives, yet we will also have opportunities to see the cultural aspects of life in the two Koreas by means of films, music, print journalism and other available media. In the end, the course returns to the current tension. The crucial role that the U.S. has historically played in the Korean situation will be considered, along with the role of other powerful neighbors of China, Japan and Russia. In conclusion, the prospects of Korean reunification and a peaceful Northeast Asia will be discussed. Course Materials Required textbook Michael E. Robinson, Korea’s Twentieth Century Odyssey (hereafter Odyssey), Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2007 – ebook access available through the OSU library website. Other required texts All other course readings listed on the syllabus are required and readily accessible through Carmen; they are online resources available either in public domain, OSU Library, or under fair use. Assignments, Exams, Evaluation Weekly discussion memo Each week, all students are required to write a minimum of 400-word memo that reviews required readings and raises questions for in-class discussion. Students are supposed to formulate their own ideas rather than simply summarize readings. Each memo counts for 2% of the final 5 grade. Memo is due on Tuesday BEFORE beginning of class, preferably to be uploaded on Carmen but email or paper copy also accepted. 1% deduction for late submission after Tuesday’s class; no late submission accepted after Wednesday. Midterm exam One in-class midterm exam will be given before the Thanksgiving Break (refer to Course Schedule on this syllabus). Contact instructor immediately if there is any foreseeable schedule conflict. Otherwise, make-up exams will not be given unless extraordinary circumstances exist. The midterm exam counts for 20% of the final grade. It will test students’ comprehension of course material, lectures, and class discussions. More details will be announced later. Final research project: presentation and term paper Each student is required to conduct a research project on a self-selected topic upon instructor’s approval. Research proposal should be at least 1,000 words in length (about 4 double-spaced pages), including a statement of research question(s), a brief literature review, and a list of references. Presentation should be about 10-15 minutes long for an individual and 15-20 minutes long for a group. Final paper should be at minimum 3,500 words (about 15 pages) including proper citations, endnotes and bibliography. The research project counts for 50% of the final grade – 10% for proposal, 10% for presentation, and 30% for term paper. Refer to Course Schedule for relevant due dates. If possible, upload all submissions (proposal, presentation slides, final paper) on Carmen for record keeping. Class attendance and participation A missing class without prior notice will result in 1% deduction from attendance and participation, which counts for 10% of the final grade. Attendance check will be done at the beginning of class, and leaving early after attendance check without instructor approval constitutes an absence. Those who are late (arriving at class after attendance check) will have 0.5% deduction; same for classroom distraction with digital devices (cell phone, tablet, notebook computer, etc.). Course Schedule Thursday, Aug 27 Course introduction Week 1 (Sep 2-4) Ongoing military tension in the Korean Peninsula Tim Beal, “Theatre of War and Prospects for Peace on the Korean Peninsula on the Anniversary of the Yeonpyeong Incident,” The Asia-Pacific Journal Vol 9, Issue 51 No 1, December 19, 2011. Charles K. Armstrong, “The Korean Crisis,” The Koreas 2nd edition (New York: Routledge, 2013) pp. 88-110. Week 2 (Sep 9-11) Nuclear North Korea: Engage or let it collapse? Morton H. Halperin, "Promoting Security in Northeast Asia: A New Approach", NAPSNet Policy Forum, October 30, 2012. 6 Victor Cha, “Challenges for North Korea’s Nuclear Endgame” in K. Park ed., New Challenges of North Korean Foreign Policy (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010) pp. 185-204. John R. Bolton, “How to Answer the North Korean Threat,” The Wall Street Journal, February 20, 2013. Mel Gurtov, "Time for the U.S. to Engage North Korea," The Asia-Pacific Journal, Vol. 11, Issue 33, No. 2, August 18, 2014. *Recommended video: PBS Frontline (2003) Kim’s Nuclear Gamble Week 3 (Sep 16-18) The Korean Peninsula from the international security perspectives Ming Liu, “Korean Peninsula Division/Unification and China: From the Security Perspective of China,” pp. 57-80; Tomohiko Satake, “Korean Peninsula Division/Unification and China: From the Security Perspective of Japan,” pp. 119-138; Leonid Petrov, “Korean Peninsula Division/Unification and China: From the Security Perspective of Russia,” pp. 161-180 in K. Kim and J. Park eds., Korean Peninsula Division/Unification: From the International Perspective (Seoul: KINU, 2012) *Recommended video: Patty Kim and Chris Sheridan (2006) Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story Week 4 (Sep 23-25) Origins of the Korean conflict I: National division and war Odyssey Chapter 5, “Liberation, Civil War, and Division,” pp. 100-120. William Stueck, “Why the Korean War, Not the Korean Civil War?” Rethinking the Korean War: A New Diplomatic and Strategic History (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2002) pp. 61-86. Bruce Cumings, “The Party of Memory,” The Korean War: A History (New York: Modern Library, 2010) pp. 37-76. *Recommended video: Byun Young-joo (1995) The Murmuring Byun Young-joo (1997) Habitual Sadness Week 5 (Sep 30-Oct 2) Origins of the Korean conflict II: Colonial subjugation Odyssey Chapter 1-2, pp. 8-55. Andre Schmid, “Introduction,” Korea between Empires (New York: Columbia University Press, 2002) pp. 1-22. *Recommended video: PBS (1992) The Pacific Century, “The Meiji Revolution” Week 6 (Oct 7-9) Korea’s modernization under Japanese rule: Colonial modernity? Odyssey Chapter 3-4, pp. 56-99. Suk-Jung Han, “Imitating the Colonizers: The Legacy of the Disciplining State from Manchukuo to South Korea,” The Asia Pacific Journal, July 10, 2005. Week 7 (Oct 14-16) Political Economy of the Cold War South Korea Odyssey Chapter 6, pp. 121-145. John Lie, Han Unbound: The Political Economy of South Korea (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1998) pp. 54-101. *Recommended video: PBS (1992) The Pacific Century, “The Fight for Democracy” Week 8 (Oct 21-23) Democratization and authoritarian legacies in South Korea Odyssey Chapter 8, pp. 167-181. 7 Youngmi Kim, “Fission, Fusion, Reform and Failure in South Korean Politics: Roh Moo-hyun’s Adminstration” in Korea Politics, Economy and Society: Korea Yearbook Vol.2 (Amsterdam: Brill, 2008) pp. 73-94. Jae-Jung Suh, "The Failure of the South Korean National Security State: The Sewol Tragedy in the Age of Neoliberalism," The Asia-Pacific Journal, Vol. 12, Issue 40, No. 1, October 6, 2014. *Recommended video: Kim Dong-won (2003) Repatriation Week 9 (Oct 28-30) North Korea: The building of a ‘partisan family state’ Odyssey Chapter 7, pp. 146-166. Heonik Kwon and Byung-Ho Chung, "North Korea's Partisan Family State," The Asia-Pacific Journal, Vol 10, Issue 28, No. 1, July 9, 2012. Bruce Cumings, “The Kims’ Three Bodies: Toward Understanding Dynastic Succession in North Korea” in K. Park and S. Snyder eds., North Korea in Transition: Politics, Economy, and Society (Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2013) pp. 67-90. *Recommended video: Daniel Gordon (2004) A State of Mind Pieter Fluery (2004) North Korea: A Day in the Life PBS Frontline (2014) Secret State of North Korea Week 10 (Nov 4-6) Midterm exam week No reading assignment; midterm summary on Tuesday, Nov 4. Midterm exam on Thursday, Nov 6. Week 11 (Nov 13) North Korea: Famine and humanitarian crisis Tuesday Nov 11 (Veterans’ Day): No class Stephan Haggard and Marcus Noland, “Introduction,” Witness to Transformation: Refugee Insights into North Korea (Washington DC: Peterson Institute, 2011) pp. 1-17. W. Randall Ireson, “Building Food Security in North Korea” in K. Park ed., Non-Traditional Security Issues in North Korea (Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2013) pp.100-132. *Recommended video: Jim Butterworth, Lisa Sleeth and Aaron Lubarsky (2005) Seoul Train Ann Shin (2012) The Defector: Escape from North Korea Week 12 (Nov 18-20) North Koreans in South Korea: reality vs. cultural representation Hae Yeon Choo, “Gendered Modernity and Ethnicized Citizenship: North Korean Settlers in Contemporary South Korea,” Gender & Society, Vol. 20, No. 5, 2006, pp. 576-604. Sonia Ryang, "North Koreans in South Korea: In Search of Their Humanity," The Asia-Pacific Journal, Vol 10, Issue 25, No 1, June 18, 2012. Christopher Green and Stephen Epstein, "Now On My Way to Meet Who? South Korean Television, North Korean Refugees, and the Dilemmas of Representation," The Asia-Pacific Journal, Vol. 11, Issue 41, No. 2, October 14, 2013. *Recommended video: Marc Wiese (2012) Camp 14: Total Control Zone Week 13 (Nov 25) Final research proposal discussion No reading assignment Final research proposal due: Nov 25 before class Thursday Nov 27 (Thanksgiving Break): No class 8 Week 14-15 (Dec 2-9) Prospects for peace and reunification Thursday Dec 4: No class Charles K.
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