Two Unique Courses on Korea Offered This Fall

Thanks to a grant from the Korea Foundation, the Croft Institute is proud to host Dr. Shine Choi as a visiting professor.  Dr. Choi will teach two classes this fall, Inst 310: North Korea in the World, and Soc 451: Gender in (Transnational) Korea.  Both classes will count for the East Asian thematic concentration.

Inst 310 North Korea in the World

This course is designed to discuss socio-political and economic issues of the Democratic Peoples’ Republic of Korea (DPRK, hereafter North Korea) in an international context. The international consensus is that North Korea is a bizarre place where laughable dictators rule, famine continues, and dysfunctional socio-political and economic structures await radical reforms. Using a wide range of popular as well as expert writing from and about North Korea, the course introduces the historical developments of the country in the Cold War era. It then examines key external actors and relations (the US, Japan, China and South Korea) that have shaped and continue to shape North Korea. The course covers key contemporary issues that keeps North Korea in international headlines, namely the nuclear crisis, famine, human rights and humanitarian issues, the political status of overseas North Koreans, and Korean unification and reconciliation. It is also a rare opportunity to encounter North Korean culture, so all curious minds are welcome.

Soc 451 Topics in Sociology: Gender in (Transnational) Korea

Korea as a place, culture, and sign extends far beyond the Korean peninsula and is deeply entangled in international and regional processes, debates and politics. The course examines the rapid changes that North and South Koreas and beyond have undergone since the Korean War and their significance to issues of gender equality, political power and issues of representation. This course provides students with: (1) an understanding of the contemporary Koreas; (2) an understanding of gender as a concept and site of politics; and (3) analytic and critical skills to read and communicate about societies other than their own in an age of globalization. The course introduces and engages a wide range of socio-cultural and artistic productions involving the Koreas and East Asia from blockbuster films, contemporary art, pop music, poster art and photography. Students of all levels of exposure to East Asia, Korea and gender are welcome.