Popular Music (K-Pop) and Culture - Korea

Catalog description

K-pop, Korean pop and dance music, has become increasingly popular throughout the world since the 1990's. As a form of cultural studies, the history of Korean pop music helps students widen their perspectives in a global society. In this introductory course, students will examine the history, mythology and healing function of art objects and musical expressions from ancient world to contemporary times as a means of understanding the cultural and musical identities of Koreans, and how this relates to the development of K-pop culture. By exploring how ethnic music has been used to facilitate physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual transformation, this course explores how the rapid shift toward modernity has affected the use of and relationship to healing in contemporary society. Students are encouraged to examine their own preconceptions about Korean music and culture by investigating the conflicts and intersections in Korea between spirituality and music in traditional and modern contexts.