Beyond the Korean Wave: A Critical Exploration of K-pop
Course Number: 82-255
Fulfills 'The Arts' GenEd requirement!
Over the last thirty years, K-pop has gained global exposure exponentially and has been quickly incorporated into the Korean Wave (Hallyu) phenomenon, along with other elements of Korean popular culture (TV shows, movies, beauty products, and more). BUT STILL, K-pop is either introduced in the mainstream media as a "new phenomenon" or as a "dark industry" while being assimilated into other Korean popular culture elements that have very different audiences. Even though the discourse around the Korean Wave is essential to understand how K-pop gained global exposure, it does not tell you the whole story.
To understand the multiple facets of K-pop, it is necessary to take some distance from the "Korean Wave" and consider K-pop as a single entity. On the other hand, by over-focusing on the global attractivity of K-pop, we tend to forget about the national context, when it is crucial to understand where K-pop originates. Informed by a production and a reception focus and using an interdisciplinary approach that combines Area studies, Ethnomusicology, and Gender Studies, this seminar does not aim at teaching you "exactly" what K-pop is. Instead, it provides you with the tools to define it in your own way.
Students will learn how to express their critical thinking through both non-academic and academic writing. It engages students in critical readings of written and audiovisual texts, as well as allows them to practice writing as a recursive process of drafting and revision. Consider this seminar as a safe space where students use their interest (whichever type of interest it could be) in K-pop as a gateway to understanding its cultural conditions through engaging academic discussions.
This course is taught in English.
Units: 9
Format
| TR | 2:00–3:20 p.m. | in-person |