Korea has a long history with a rich cultural heritage and dynamic political and socioeconomic changes. Situated at the crossroads of East Asia, Korea has played a significant role in shaping pre-modern and modern transformations within the region and beyond. The division of the Korean peninsula into North and South Korea since 1945 has made Korea as a strategically important player in the politics of the Cold War whose impact still remains significant in driving geopolitical and security issues. The Korean Studies major provides students with a solid foundation for developing a sophisticated understanding of the dynamics that have shaped Korea and its relationship to the world. The major consists of a wide range of courses on history, politics, society and culture, offering an interdisciplinary and transnational perspective. Students will gain nuanced understanding of the past and the present of the peninsula and great insights into current affairs related to North and South Korea.
The Korean Studies major is designed to complement Korean language major, though knowledge of Korean is not required for courses in the Korea Studies major.
Learning Outcomes
- Understand and evaluate historical and current events and developments that have shaped Korea,
- Identify and critique the contemporary socio-cultural and political systems of Korea,
- Analyse developments in Korea in their regional and global contexts,
- Understand the processes and disciplinary approaches through which current knowledge about Korean studies has developed.
Areas of Interest
- Anthropology
- Cultural Studies
- Gender Studies
- History
- Asian Studies
- Asia Pacific Studies
- Asia-Pacific Studies
- Film
- Politics
- International Security
Relevant Degrees
Requirements
This major requires the completion of 48 units, which must consist of:
12 units from the completion of the following course(s):
ASIA2040 - The Making of Modern Korea (6 units)
ASIA3031 - Creative Industries in Korea (6 units)
A minimum of 6 units from the completion of the following list:
ASIA1025 - Asia and the Pacific: Power, diversity and change (6 units)
ASIA1030 - Asia and the Pacific in Motion (6 units)
A minimum of 18 units from the completion of the following list:
ASIA2006 - Gender in Korean History (6 units)
ASIA2049 - Politics and Society in Contemporary Korea (6 units)
ASIA2074 - Popular Culture in East Asia (6 units)
INTR2020 - (In)Stability on the Korean Peninsula (6 units)
WARS2003 - The Korean War (6 units)
ASIA2096 - North Korea: History, Culture, Politics (6 units)
6 units from the completion of the following course(s):
ASIA2001 - Language in Asia and the Pacific (6 units)
ASIA2017 - History of International Relations in Northeast Asia (6 units)
ASIA2016 - The Mongol Empire in World History (6 units)
STST2001 - International Security issues in the Asia Pacific (6 units)
INTR2010 - International Relations in the Asia-Pacific (6 units)
INTR2012 - Chinese Foreign and Security Policy (6 units)
INTR2016 - US Foreign and Security Policy in Asia (6 units)
ASIA2065 - Asian Politics: From Concepts to Causes (6 units)
ASIA2307 - History of Empire in Asia (6 units)
ASIA2301 - Human Migration and Expansion in the Rise of the Asia-Pacific (6 units)
ASIA2302 - Culture and Modernity in Asia: Anthropological Perspectives (6 units)
ASIA2304 - What is Literature? Asian Perspectives (6 units)
ASIA2311 - Gender and Cultural Studies in Asia and the Pacific (6 units)
ASIA2067 - Economies of Emerging Asia (6 units)
ASIA3021 - Engaging Asia: Australia and the Asian Century (6 units)
KORE3015 - Advanced Korean: Film and Society (6 units)
KORE3018 - Advanced Korean: Literature and Media (6 units)
WARS2002 - The Vietnam Wars: 1941-1989 (6 units)
