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CS92PROD
Irreducible Distance: Japan-Korea Relations through Literature and Visual Media
CEAS 255
Spring 2017
Section: 01  

Despite physical proximity and shared cultural origins, the specter of imperialism and constant influence of economic competition has seemingly resigned Japan and South Korea as two nations that remain forever "close and yet so far." Beginning with the colonial period (1910-45) and ending with the current day, this course examines works of literature and visual media from both the Japan and Korea sides that address issues of intercultural relations and communication. What position does Japan for Korea and Korea for Japan occupy in the cultural imagination and how has this image shifted since the end of the colonial period? What role does Japan have in the formation of the North Korean state and articulation of ideology? How do political developments and ongoing issues of war responsibility (comfort women, etc.) continue to dictate the state of Korea-Japan relations? This course will also examine the influence peripheral spaces (such as Jeju Island) and marginalized groups (such as the Korean minority in Japan) have in mediating discourse between these nations. Finally, recent cinematic works such as Assassination (2015) and Spirits' Homecoming (2016) have witnessed a rekindled interest in the colonial period. We will thus discuss how these films constitute an effort to reexamine and reconstruct these historical events and how they view them as relevant to an understanding of the present day.
Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: HA CEAS
Course Format: Lecture / DiscussionGrading Mode: Student Option
Level: UGRD Prerequisites: None
Fulfills a Major Requirement for: (CEAS-MN)(CEAS)(CEAS-Lit&Cult)
Past Enrollment Probability: 90% or above

Last Updated on MAR-28-2024
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