Korean Popular Culture

Catalog description

Korean popular culture has gained global momentum over the past two decades, creating the phenomenon known as Hallyu [the Korean Wave]. This course explores the technological innovations, sociopolitical changes, and historical forces behind South Korea's cultural rise and what it reveals about global cultural shifts. We will engage with various forms of Korean popular culture—graphic novels, folk songs, music, TV, film, digital media, and food—as both reflections of contemporary Korean society and active sites of cultural production and exchange. The course includes theories on media politics, authorship, and cultural consumption. No prior knowledge of Korean history or culture is required.