Two Koreas: The Politics of Division

Catalog description

In today's world, the inter-Korean border or DMZ (demilitarized zone) is widely regarded as one of the most impermeable and conflictual frontiers. The purpose of this course is to explore the dynamics of its formation between, and impact within, the two Koreas. The course therefore proposes to analyze how the division of the Korean peninsula not only came into being but also how it has shaped the socio-political trajectories of both the North and the South since 1945. The course also aims at introducing students to conceptual frameworks and comparative debates relevant to understanding the Korean case(s) from a social science perspective.