Understanding South Korea with Film

Catalog description

This course explores the historical development of South Korea since the division of the Korean Peninsula into North and South following liberation from Japanese colonial rule in 1945. By combining films with primary documents and scholarly readings, the course provides a comprehensive and vivid understanding of South Korea?s history, society, culture, and politics from the mid-twentieth century to the present. In particular, it critically investigates key issues that emerged during this turbulent period?including the legacy of Japanese colonialism, national division and the Korean War, military dictatorship, rapid economic development, and the democratization movement?through both textual analysis and cinematic representation. In doing so, the course examines how memory and remembrance of the recent past have shaped contemporary South Korean society. No prior knowledge of the Korean language is required. (ASIAN-SC)