Kangnam Style: South Korea's Soft Power Empire

Catalog description

South Korea has become a global hub of popular culture and fine art. The musical/audio-visual genre known as K-pop is globally mainstream, and Korean dramas and films reach viewers around the globe. At the same time, Korean artists have broken into the international art market, their work speaking for the more pernicious effects of globalization and capitalism. In this seminar, students will get a front-row view of South Korea's economic, social, and political conditions that have enabled such cultural dynamism. Through field trips we will explore the following questions: How did the K-industries emerge? Who are the people driving their success, and what has sustained the industry thus far? At what cost has Korea achieved cultural dominance, and what voices are speaking up for the multiplicity and complexity of the Korean experience? Students will visit entertainment industries and art fairs; and they will meet executives, activists, and contemporary artists. The class will provide an opportunity to contemplate the relationship between history and culture, and will interrogate the boundaries between the authentic and the commercial.