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KOREAN WAVE: Contemporary Korean Popular Culture

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KOREAN WAVE: Contemporary Korean Popular Culture HANKUK UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN STUDIES (HUFS) 2015 INTERNATIONAL SUMMER SESSION in KOREAN STUDIES July -August, 2016 IS 207 KOREAN WAVE: Contemporary Korean Popular Culture Instructor: Professor Nemo Kim Film Critic and Journalist (KBS, CNN.com and Nikkei Asia Review) and former lecturer at the Asian Studies Department, SOAS, University of London BA (hons) English Literature & MA Comparative Literature, Univ. of London, Mst Int’l Relations (Cambridge) Class Meetings: Mon-Fri COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course introduces major approaches to the study of globalization of contemporary popular culture and the formation of Korean identity as expressed by the media. The course consists of viewing and reading assignments, guest speakers/performers, along with analysis and discussions which explore cultural phenomena of South Korea as presented in media such as K-pop, TV dramas and shows, films and other products of the Korean Wave. This course also investigates aspects of “Koreaness” such as familism, fatalism, and customs, from the perspective of post modernity to contemporary neoliberal era. Limitations, backlashes, and future prospects of the Korean Wave will also be examined. There are no prerequisites but an interest (not of a fanatic sort!) will be useful. COURSE GRADING AND REQUIREMENTS: 1. Homework assignments – Viewings & readings 20% 2. Attendance and participation 40% (If you merely attend classes and remain passive, you will not get a good grade. Even if you’re shy and feel that your English a weakness, try to speak up in class, as everyone’s input is valuable.) 3. Final Presentation on a topic of your choice (individual) 40% **Topic to be discussed with the professor in Week 3 REQUIRED CLASS MATERIALS: TV Dramas (first &last two epidodes at least): Winter Sonata (2002), Daejanggeum (2004), My Name is Kim Sam-soon (2005), Goong(2006), Joomong (2006), Coffee Prince (2007), Boy over Flowers (2009), Tree with Deep Roots(2011), and The Brain(2011) Movies: JSA (2000), YMCA The Baseball Team (2002), Welcome to Dongmakkol (2005), The King and the Clown (2005), Haeundae (2009), Mother (2009), Ajeossi (2010), Azooma (2012), Snowpiercer (2013), Love, Lies “해어화” (2015), Cart (2014) CLASS SCHEDULE: (subject to change) WEEK 1: Introduction: Globalization of Korean Popular Culture and Gangnam Style To be Organic or Not: Korean Wave Post-Psy. A look at the major Entertainment Companies as well as up-and-coming Entertainment Companies representing K-Wave artists. Korean Wave in Europe, Africa, Middle East, Asia, N. America and S. America. A social Analysis of Psy’s Gangnam Style and some background info Social Messages in Global Pop: individual presentations. Readings: Gangnam Style Dissected: the Subversive Message Within South Korea’s Music Video Sensation http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/08/gangnam-style- dissected-the-subversive-message-within-south-koreas-music-video- sensation/261462/ Cho Hae-joanng:“ Reading the Korean Wave as a Sign of Global Shift” Doobo Shim: “Hybridity and the rise of Korean popular culture” Lee Byoung-Hoon: Globalization and Industrial Relations in Korea WEEK 2: The Birth of the Korean Wave: “How was the birth and how Korean was it?” Why Korean Wave? Ride or take off? Impact and Effects. Who does this “wave” belong to and does it need to have an owner? AFKN or KBS? Local Marketing Strategies: team presentations WEEK 3: Korean Drama: Cinderella Ambassor in the Middle of the Repeating Recovery of Koreaness: Sentimentalism, Familism and Fatalism <What is Love>, <A Wish Upon a Star> Clon, H.O.T, NRG, Baby Vox, S.E.S, G.O.D, TVXQ, Sechs Kies, Shinwha, BoA, Rain etc. Swiri, JSA to Pieta and Moebius: is the flow going smoothly? Readings: Kim EM: “S.Korean Culture Goes Global: K-pop and the KoreanWave” Shin Hyunjoon: “Have you ever seen the Rain? And who will stop the Rain?: The Globalizing project of Korean pop (K-pop)” Angel Lin and Avin Tong: “Crossing Boundaries: Male Consumption of Korean TV Dramas & Negotiation of Gender Relations in Modern Hong Kong” Toru Hanaki:“Hanryu Sweeps East Asia: How Winter Sonata is Gripping Japan” K.Hayashi & Lee EJ: “ Potential of Fandom & the Limits of Soft Power: Media Representations on the Popularity of a Korean Melodrama in Japan” WEEK 4: Korean Wave in Cinema, Games, Fashion, Language, Internet, Food & Cultural Tourism Management of Fans, Psychological Mechanization of Internet (analyses of K- Wave websites) American Billboard Chart, Canada’s Dance genre in K-Pop, Hulu.com’s separate genre of Korean Drama, Youtube and MBC’s decisions Viewing: Bizarre Food by Andrew Zimmen 2009 (In class)//Fan Vids (in class) Readings: Kim BC: “Production & Consumption of Contemporary K.Cinema” Shin Chi-yun and Julian Stringer: “Storming the Big Screen: Shiri Syndrome” Han Kyung-koo: “Kimchi War in Globalizing East Asia: Consumption, Gender, Health, and National Identity” Final Exam: Individual presentations on a topic decided after consultation with the professor. .
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