KOS2020

Korean society

Adrian Buzo

8 points - 3 hours per week - Second semester - Clayton

Objectives Students who successfully complete this subject should have an understanding of the main features of traditional Korean society and of major issues in modern Korean society. The course deals primarily with South Korea although reference is also made to the modern transformation of North Korean society.

Synopsis This subject provides an introduction to traditional and modern Korean society. It deals with key aspects of traditional Korean society during the Choson period (1392-1910) of particular relevance to the understanding of modern Korean society and with the modern transformation of Korean society. Over the past 100 years or so, Korea has passed through periods of social upheaval and foreign encroachment to its present status as a divided country. This subject deals with aspects of Korean society since 1876, including topics such as intellectual history, the Japanese colonial experience, religion in modern Korean society, rural-urban migration, gender issues, regionalism and the rise of the new middle class.

Assessment Written (3000 words): 20% - Examinations (3 hours): 50% - Seminar participation/attendance: 30%

Recommended texts

De Bary W T and Haboush J (eds) The rise of neo-Confucianism in Korea Columbia U P, 1985
Eckert C J and others Korea old and new: A history Ilchogak, 1990
Lee P H (ed.) Sourcebook of Korean civilization volume I From early times to the sixteenth century Columbia U P, 1993

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