Korean is the official language of North and South Korea and is spoken by Korean communities around the world; altogether more than 80 million people worldwide speak Korean. Korean is distinguished by a unique indigenous alphabet developed in the fifteenth century by the sage King Sejong. Sophisticated yet easy to learn, the Korean alphabet or Hangeul is widely known as “the beautiful script”. At ANU, Korean is taught in a way that balances learning to communicate with developing student’s ability to access the rich cultural resources available in Korean literature, film, culture and society.
The study of Korean gives students unique access to South and North Korea and in depth knowledge of their cultures, histories and social change over time. In an era of rapidly increasing connections between Korea and Australia a knowledge of Korean offers students the possibility to participate in the growing ties between these countries. Studying Korean as a major can also lead to opportunities outside the classroom and students are encouraged to spend time studying in South Korea through a variety of in-country courses including semester and year abroad options.
Learning Outcomes
- Recognise and pronounce all consonants and vowel sounds of Korean.
- Read and write the Korean alphabet and its consonant clusters with accuracy.
- Summarise, analyse, and evaluate texts, with limited use of a dictionary, in such authentic media as television and print news, magazines, films, and literature.
Express ideas using grammatically and stylistically appropriate language to the situation to give explanations, make academic presentations, evaluate other's opinions, and confidently engage in debates.
- Communicate confidently in speech and writing, in polite, neutral or informal registers, on such topics as interpersonal relationships, cultural events, popular culture, politics and history.
- Demonstrate an understanding of cultural practices such as national festivals, customs and folk traditions; cultural and linguistic regional differences in Korea; cultural communication practices in interpersonal relationships in formal and informal settings.
Other Information
Students with previous “language experience or exposure” are required to take a language proficiency assessment to ensure enrolment at the most appropriate level.
Relevant past experience includes:
- Previous study of the language (both formal and informal, for example but not limited to, at school, or, home, or through online activities, etc.)
- Being exposed to the language in childhood via a family member or friend
- Travel or living in a country where the language is spoken
- The language being spoken in your home (even if you do not speak it yourself)
Students who are not sure if they need to take a proficiency assessment should seek advice from the course or language convenor.
Students who intentionally misrepresent their language proficiency level may be investigated under the Academic Misconduct Rule 2015 as having failed to comply with assessment directions and having sought unfair advantage. This may results in a penalty such as reduced grades or failure of the course.
Students are not permitted to enrol in a language course below one that they have already successfully completed, except with permission of the language and/or course convenor.
Areas of Interest
- Asian Languages
- Translation Studies
- Asian Studies
- Asia Pacific Studies
- Language Studies
- Asia-Pacific Studies
- Linguistics
Relevant Degrees
Requirements
This major requires the completion of 48 units, which must include:
6 units from the completion of the following course(s):
KORE3013 - Korean 6 (6 units)
A minimum of 30 units must come from completion of courses from the following list:
KORE1020 - Korean 1 (6 units)
KORE1021 - Korean 2 (6 units)
KORE3012 - Korean 5 (6 units)
KORE2522 - Korean 4 (6 units)
KORE2521 - Korean 3 (6 units)
KORE2525 - Learning Language Locally: Korea (6-12 units)
KORE3015 - Advanced Korean: Film and Society (6 units)
KORE3018 - Advanced Korean: Literature and Media (6 units)
A maximum of 12 units from the completion of the following list:
ASIA2103 - Language in Asia and the Pacific (L) (6 units)
ASIA2098 - Asian and Pacific Studies Internship (12 units)
ASIA2100 - Linguistic Histories in Asia and the Pacific (L) (6 units)
CHIN2019 - Literary Chinese 1 (6 units)
CHIN2021 - Literary Chinese 2 (6 units)
LANG3001 - Translation across Languages: the translation of literary texts (6 units)*
LANG3002 - Translation across Languages: specialised material (6 units)*
* These courses must have a Course Topic of Korean to be included in this major.
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