Topics in Korean Cinema

Catalog description

Variety of topics offered. See current listings for updated topic/description. Summer 2025: Korean Media and the City This course aims to study the idea of the city through various audio-visual media, using Seoul as the main case study. Seoul, the capital of South Korea, has garnered international attention as both the site of economic and cultural “miracles” since the 1970s and a city marked by ongoing political and social conflicts. Going beyond viewing the city as a central location for popular media production, exhibition, distribution, and consumption, this course considers Seoul as a microcosm of South Korea’s post/modern and post-colonial history and politics. The course explores the city's reflexive and reflective relationship with diverse media, spanning from newspapers and silent cinema in the early 20th century to contemporary “new” media such as VR/AR/XR, K-pop music videos, YouTube media, social media content, and more. Furthermore, this course encourages students to see, analyze, and experience their own cities in new ways.