KOR1506 – South Korea's Popular Culture
Schedule, syllabus and examination date
Course content
South Korea, erstwhile consumer of the imported films, music and comics books from USA and Japan, has succeeded during the last decades in developing a formidable popular culture industry. In addition to saturating the domestic market, this industry has also grown into a prodigious exporter making its influence palpable worldwide but especially on the Asian cultural marketplaces.
This course is aimed at understanding:
- How South Korean state and capital has been nurturing country’s popular culture industry and promoting its exports.
- How South Korean popular culture attracts audiences, both domestically and globally, and what its strengths and weaknesses are.
- How South Korea popular culture (mis)represents the current conditions of South Korean society.
The course will deal with the full spectrum of the popular culture developments, with special focus on films and music.
Learning outcome
Upon the completion of this course you should:
- Have gone through a historically and theoretically informed overview of the contemporaneous popular culture in South Korea.
- Have learned about both more traditional genres, such as films and comics books, and the newly prominent genres, notably ‘idol groups,’ internationally recognized popular singers etc.
- Have concurrently studied the developments on the South Korean television, particularly within the drama genre and its divergent sub-genres (melodrama, period drama, historical epics etc.).
- Have understood the underlying mechanisms of the state-promoted popular culture exports from South Korea, and have learned about the South Korean popular culture fandom overseas.
- Have familiarized yourself with research and popular literature about South Korea’s popular culture in full diversity of its genres and styles.
- Have discussed in the class the various ways of analysing and interpreting South Korea’s modern mass culture.
Work-related skills
While taking this course, you will receive training in the following skills that are potentially relevant to working life:
- Absorb large amounts of information from your obligatory readings and present it in an easy-to-read and concise manner in your exam essay.
- Participate in discussions and debates during the class, argue for one’s viewpoints in writing and orally.
Digital skills
While taking this course, you will have opportunities to practice to use digitally based primary and secondary sources on South Korean popular culture.
Admission to the course
Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.
Teaching
The course consists of lectures, in total 12 classes of 2 hours each. Active participation in the classes is encouraged.
Compulsory activities:
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A digital multiple-choice test in Canvas. The test will consist of 5 multiple-choice questions.
You will find more information about the requirements for the compulsory assignment and the submission deadline in Canvas.?
All compulsory activities must be approved to qualify for the exam. It is your responsibility to verify that you have obtained approval for all compulsory activities.?
Absence from compulsory activities:?
It is important that you familiarize yourself with the rules regarding absence from compulsory activities, to prevent being excluded from teaching and losing your eligibility to take the exam.?
More information on compulsory activities at the University of Oslo:?
The approved compulsory activity remains valid for the two following spring semesters in which the course is offered. However, exceptions may arise if the course undergoes changes in its assessment format, teaching, or other significant modifications.?
Access to teaching?
A student who has completed compulsory instruction and coursework and has had these approved, is not entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework. A student who has been admitted to a course, but who has not completed compulsory instruction and coursework or had these approved, is entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework, depending on available capacity.?
Examination
- 4 hour written examination.
You must submit the exam in Inspera - see guides for digital exams.?
You are personally responsible for familiarizing yourself with the requirements and deadlines for the exam.?
All compulsory activities must be completed and approved in order to take the exam.?
You can find more information about the exam on the semester page of the course.?
Previous exams and grading guidelines.
Examination support material
No examination support material is allowed. If you need to use dictionary or other support materials due to problems with language proficiency, you may apply to the department at least 4 weeks before the exam date.
Language of examination
The examination questions are given in English. You may submit your response in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.
More about examinations at UiO
- Use of sources and citations
- Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
- Withdrawal from an exam
- Illness at exams / postponed exams
- Explanation of grades and appeals
- Resitting an exam
- Cheating/attempted cheating
You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.