Korean Popular Culture: Understanding the Hallyu Wave ((4 Credits))

Catalog description

This course explores Korean popular culture, particularly music and television (K-pop and K-drama). The current global popularity of Korean media ("hallyu wave") is analyzed in historical and sociopolitical context. Topics of study include: the formation of national Korean popular culture under Japanese colonization, the impacts of U.S. imperialism on South Korea's entertainment industries, and the growth of K-pop following the 1997 IMF crisis. The course also explores how the genres of K-pop and K-drama are utilized to address contemporary Korean social issues.