How have writers and film directors responded to the rapid transformation of Korean society? In what ways have their works shaped the experience of Koreans and constructed Koreans' notion about the nation and the self? This course examines how Korean literature and film have acknowledged and represented the diverse political, social, and cultural changes that have occurred on the Korean Peninsula in the modern era. It also aims to build an understanding of the ways in which Korea has built the close historical, political, and cultural relationships with other East Asian countries.
Through selected literary and cinematic texts by prominent masters, students will investigate the critical moments of modern history that have deeply affected and altered social practices and the actual lives of twentieth-century Koreans. While observing the flow of change in Korean society, students will examine how gender, class, ethnicity, and generation profoundly impact one's sense of the nation and the self. The class consists of occasional in-class film screenings, lectures, student presentations, and discussions. |