From 2027, the course title will be updated to “Cultures in Korea: Language, Music and Film.” 2026 Theme: Language.
The Korean Wave (Hallyu) has brought South Korean popular culture to audiences worldwide. This course explores the key elements of contemporary Korean culture and examines how they have both reflected and shaped South Korean society in the past and present. Students will engage with a wide range of cultural practices and products, including language, music, film, television, and digital media, to gain a holistic understanding of Korean society. Through foregrounding workshops, creative tasks, or student-led practice, students will examine how identity, power, and social values are expressed, negotiated, and contested in everyday life and in broader social contexts. By the end of the course, students will be able to critically analyse cultural practices, understand their social and historical significance, and communicate their insights effectively in discussion and research.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- Understand how Korean media, popular culture, and everyday practices reflect and shape cultural meanings, and trace their historical development and significance.
- Apply theories and analytical skills from the humanities and social sciences to explore cultural practices and texts, connecting them to wider regional and global social, political, and cultural developments.
- Analyse identity, power, and ideology in Korean cultural contexts from multiple perspectives, including political, economic, personal, and ideological.
- Engage critically with scholarship, combining different viewpoints to develop clear, well-supported, and independent arguments about Korean culture.
- Design, conduct, and communicate independent research on Korean culture, demonstrating strong historical and social understanding and effective academic communication skills.
Indicative Assessment
- Participation (10) [LO 1,2,3,4]
- Creative and Critical Presentations: Talking Cultures (20) [LO 1,2,3,4]
- Mid-term Research Project: Researching Cultures in Practice (30) [LO 1,2,3,4,5]
- Final Research Project: Translating Research into Practice (40) [LO 1,2,3,4,5]
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
Total contact 36 hours, total workload for the course is 130 hours including independent study. In general 120 mins lecture, 60 mins seminar/tutorial per week. Activity may include excursions and relevant films or similar material.
Inherent Requirements
N/A
Prescribed Texts
All required readings will be made available online through the course website.
Assumed Knowledge
Students enrolling in this course should have completed a 1st year course in humanities or social sciences and should have basic familiarity with online research and academic writing. Gaining basic familiarity, before the start of the semester, with Korean history, popular culture, and politics and society is highly recommended.
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 14
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
Second Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9877 | 26 Jul 2027 | 02 Aug 2027 | 31 Aug 2027 | 29 Oct 2027 | In Person | N/A |