Culture of Korea
Professor: Jong Chol An (안종철)
Class: (Wed) 16:00–18: 00
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This is a general survey of the Korean culture within the context of East Asia. We will pay close attention to the Koreans’ dynamic culture such as Shamanism, Buddhism, and Confucianism while partially dealing with modern western ideas and institutions. Also, we will study Korea’s historical understanding of its own cultural identity and position in East Asia. However, because “culture” is always mutable and changeable, we will review current “culture” issues too. That approach would bring comparative perspective between Korean and East Asian perception of Korean experience. Through this class you will obtain the general picture of the Korean culture and heritage.
No Pre-Requirement. Come to class with passion to learn Korean culture.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING
1. 30% Class attendance, Presentation and Discussion (Everyone does presentation with a summary of a reading assignment).
2. 30% Mid-term Exam (Quiz and Short Answer) on May 28 (Wed)
3. 40% Final examination (Quiz + One essay question) on July 16 (Wed).
4. Please read weekly reading assignment.
5. Please do not be absent from the class. The Policy on Absence in this school might strictly apply to you. Three absences in the semester would affect your grade very negatively. I will count two late appearances as one absence. The class will be composed of student presentation, lecture, and Q & A session.
6. If you anticipate difficulty attending class or completing an assignment for any reason, please contact the instructor as soon as possible. Special arrangements can be made, but not without prior notice.
Required and Optional Readings
Required Readings (excerpts from three books)
1. Patrica Ebrey, Anne Walthall, and James Palais, East Asia: A Cultural, Social, and Political History, Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2009 (2nd edition) (Ebry, Walthall, and Palais).
2. Peter H. Lee and Wm. Theodore de Bary with Yongho Ch’oe and Hugh H. W. Kang, eds. Sources of Korean Tradition, volume I. New York: Columbia University Press, 1997. (SKT I).
3. Yongho Ch’oe, Peter H. Lee, and Wm. Theodore de Bary, eds. Sources of Korean Tradition, volume II. New York: Columbia University Press, 2000. (SKT II).
4. Articles.
Optional Readings for General Background
1. Eckert, Carter J. et al. Korea Old and New: A History. Seoul: Ilchogak, 1990. (Yonsei Bookstore)
2. Michael E. Robinson, Korea’s Twentieth-Century Odyssey: A Short History. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii Press, 2007.
3. Please refer to journal sources at www.jstore.org or muse.jhu.edu for your research. I will upload all the other materials in website.
Class Schedule
Week 1, April 9 (Wed): Introduction to Korean Culture and Culture Intdustry
“Introduction: History and Theory in the Study of Cultural Collaboration,” in Nissim Otmazgin and Eyal Ben-Ari eds., Popular Culture Co-Productions and Collaborations in East and Southeast Asia (Singapore: National University of Singapore, 2013), pp. 1-25
Questions: How the study of popular culture can impact the study of Asia as a region and specific Asian societies? What are the features of Korean culture? K-pop is representative of Korean culture? What are unique features of Korean culture compared to other Asian countries?
Week 2, April 16 (Wed): Current Korean Culture and Its Representation
Doobo Shim, “Korean Cinema Industry and Cinema Regionalization in East Asia”; Hyunjoon Shin, “Transnational K-Pop Machine Searching for “Asian” Model through Crossbreeding?” in Nissim Otmazgin and Eyal Ben-Ari eds., Popular Culture Co-Productions and Collaborations in East and Southeast Asia (Singapore: National University of Singapore, 2013). pp. 52-67, 136-149.
Qs: What are the features of Korean Cinema and K-Pop? What are the elements of “East Asia” or traditional Korea?
Week 3, April 23 (Wed): China, Foundations of East Asian civilization, and Ancient Korean Identity
Ebry, Walthall, and Palais, pp. 20-54, pp. 98-106; SKT I, ch. 1, pp. 3-17: “Tangun Myth” & “Korea in the Chinese Dynastic Histories.”
Qs: Why do Chinese thoughts and culture matter in traditional Korea? In what senses, it is important? What was the ancient Korean culture like? Does it have any relationship with China? What is “Tangun Myth”?
Week 4, April 30 (Wed): Origins of Korean Culture
Ebry, Walthall, and Palais, ch. 6, pp. 107-113; SKT I, ch. 2, pp. 27-33: “Ancient Customs”
Qs: What information of Korean ancient do Chinese historical documents teach to us? What kinds of relations does ancient Korean culture have on contemporary Korean culture?
Week 5, May 7 (Wed): Introduction of Buddhism
Ebry, Walthall, and Palais, ch. 6, pp. 55-59: “Buddhism Spread”; SKT I, ch. 3
Qs: What is Buddhism? What were the conditions of Korea when it accepted Buddhism?
Week 6, May 14 (Wed): The Rise of Buddhism and Founding of Koryŏ Dynasty
SKT I, pp. 80-93, 101-105, 154-156
Qs: What relationship did the different schools have on social conditions? How much Buddhism is related to
contemporary Korean culture? What are the founding ideas of Koryŏ Dynasty?
Week 7, May 21 (Wed): Koryŏ Dynasty and Its Culture
Ebry, Walthall, and Palais, ch. 10, pp. 167-179, SKT I, pp. 156-168
Qs. Why is Koryŏ culture relevant to contemporary Koreans? What was like Koryŏ dynasty? What is the legacy of Mongol dominance over Koryŏ?
Week 8, May 28 (Wed): Mid-term exam (Quiz and Short Answer)
Week 9, June 4 (Wed): The Rise of Neo-Confucianism and Early Chosŏn Dynasty
Ebry, Walthall, and Palais, ch. 15, pp. 240-257; SKT I, pp. 210-215, 231-239, 251-258, 271-278, 296-305.
Qs. What is the Neo-Confucianism? Why did Buddhism in late Koryŏ dynasty get criticism from intellectuals? How is it related to late Koryŏ society? Why did Neo-Confucianism appeal to early Chosŏn intellectuals? What was the political culture of the early Chosŏn dynasty?
Week 10, June 11 (Wed): No class due to Whitsun Holiday (Pfingstpause)
Week 11, June 25 (Wed): The Height of Chosŏn Dynasty and Neo-Confucian Culture
SKT I, pp. 313-326
Qs: What were the basic elements of Neo-Confucian Culture? What is the relationship between Neo-Confucianism and Statecraft? What was the impact of Hideyoshi and Manchu invasion?
Week 12, June 25 (Wed): The Late Chosŏn Dynasty and Culture
Ebry, Walthall, and Palais, ch. 15, pp. 257-261, ch. 21, pp. 353-359; SKT II, pp. 23-33.
Qs: What were the European history and its relations to Korea during 17th and 18th century? What were the problems that the late Chosŏn Dynasty faced in terms of social culture?
Week 13, July 2 (Wed): Korea in the Turbulent Late Nineteenth Century and the End of Its Traditional Culture
Ebry, Walthall, and Palais, ch. 17, pp. 296-303, ch. 21, pp. 359-368, ch. 23, pp. 387-391; SKT II, pp. 181-193.
Qs. What was the western approach to East Asia, particularly Korea? Are there any new trends of culture or identity in Korea?
Week 14, Cultural Policy in Korea and Concluding Remarks.
“Introduction: Cultural Industries and the State in East and Southeast Asia”; Jung-yup Lee, “Managing the Transnational, Governing the National: Cultural Policy and the Politics of the “Culture Archetype Project” in South Korea,” in Nissim Otmazgin and Eyal Ben-Ari eds., Popular Culture and the State in East and southeast Asia (Singapore: National University of Singapore, 2012), pp. 123-243.
Qs. What is the relationship between culture and state? What is the Korean government policy on traditional culture? What is the prospect in the future?
Week 15, July 16 (Wed): Final Exam
* This schedule is subject to change.