Summer in Seoul – K-Pop, Culture, & Language

The following courses are projected for the Summer 2019 term:

Courses in Culture, Sciences, and Arts:

General Psychology I (Morning Class)

Psychologists ask questions about why and how people think, feel and behave the way that they do. This course will provide you with an introduction to the study and application of the science of psychology. We are going to explore the sub-fields of psychology and the basic theories and concepts that are of interest to psychologists.

General Chemistry I (Morning Class)

Chemistry is the study related to compositions, structures and properties of materials. In this course, we will learn overall and basic information about chemistry systematically. We will study atoms and molecules, which are fundamental units of all materials. Also, we will learn diverse principles and theories about chemical reactions between many atoms and molecules.

Calculus I (Morning Class)

Calculus I is mainly for students of the Colleges of Sciences and Engineering. This course will study limits, differentiation, integration ,differential equations and parametric equations.

East Asian World Order (Morning Class)

This course focuses on the historical processes that make (or unmake) “East Asian world order.” Specifically, we will investigate how power dynamics among various regimes and entities have been connected to such historical processes. To this end, we will discuss topics such as Mandate of Heaven, Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, Tributary relations, empires, and the questions of modern world order in East Asia. Moreover, we will examine the encounters between various regimes in East Asian history and how they shape hierarchies and orders in different time periods. Since this is a history class, we will rely on multiple types of primary and secondary sources (translated into English) to discuss these subjects of East Asian history and the use of sources in the construction of history.

Understanding Contemporary Korean Cinema (Morning Class)

This class is designed to introduce students to contemporary Korean culture and history thru cinema. By watching and discussing two films per week, it seeks to provide a broad purview of Korea at its most historical, helping you better grasp how South Korea has arrived the present. Rather than offering a mere compilation of factual knowledge, however, it seeks to challenge common assumptions about Korean Culture being ‘Totally Unique’ or ‘Absolutely Other.’ To that end, it will engage with key aspects of modern Korean history such as the Korean War, the Gwangju Massacre, Confucianism, comfort women, crisis of masculinity and the rise of feminism, and last but not least, globalization, focusing on heated debates and recent controversies about them. Set against this backdrop, your understanding of contemporary Korea and Korean Cinema, I hope, will never be the same.

North Korean Society and Culture (Morning Class)

An intensive undergraduate seminar course on North Korean history, society, culture, and international relations. Students will be introduced to major scholarship and issues in North Korean studies. No prior knowledge of Korea or Korean language is required to take this course.

Investments (Morning Class)

Students will learn the fundamental concepts of investment theory, financial markets, and financial instruments. Topics covered in this course include the structure and operations of securities markets, portfolio theory and asset pricing models, valuation of fixed income and equity securities, and derivative securities. Students will also learn how to collect information from public sources, to use Excel spreadsheet for financial analysis, to analyze and synthesize information, to make conclusions, and to convey results in written and oral manners.

Korean Society (Afternoon Class)

This introductory course is designed to provide an overview of broad issues related to Korean history, society, and culture, with an emphasis on the changes and continuities in Korea. Firstly, this course will begin with an overview of the cultural traits and historical background of Korea. Second, we will explore themes relevant to understanding Korea, such as Confucianism, modernization and industrialization, transition to democracy, US-Korea relations, North Korean regime, and popular culture in contemporary Korea. Third, we will deal with some social problems of current Korean society. Specifically, the focus will be on some noticeable social changes and problems after 1997 Asian Financial Crisis in Korean Society. Some differences and similarities between Korea and other countries, with respect to social problems and changes, will be discussed.

Financial Management (Afternoon Class)

The main purpose of this course is to provide an introductory understanding of the basic concepts of financial management to the students, and to develop the usage of important financial tools and skills to assist the students in the application of the concepts in a real world. Since the business environment of a firm is changing rapidly, a strong foundation in the principles of finance is necessary to understand investment and financing decisions. This course is intended to introduce students to the tools that are needed to implement optimal financial decisions by firms. The focus is on three key issues in corporate finance: capital budgeting decision, capital structure decision, and working capital decision.

History of Korean Politics (Afternoon Class)

This seminar explores one simple question: What makes the two Koreas, North and South, so
different after the national division and the Korean War more than sixty years ago? It examines
this question by highlighting and explaining the defining characteristics of the both systems in
the context of their respective political change, economic development, national security, human
rights and response to globalization.

Understanding Korean Religions (Afternoon Class)

Korea has one of the most diverse and dynamic religious cultures of any nation in the
world today. Koreans are highly religious, yet it is characteristic that no single religious
tradition enjoys dominance. This course will introduce students to the historical and
contemporary study of religions in Korea. In particular, students will be given
information about religious traditions in Korea within a broader context of world
religions, such as shamanism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Christianity, and new religions
that have developed since the late nineteenth century. In addition, an issue of how
religious traditions in Korean peninsula have interacted with each other forming
‘Koreanness’ or ‘a sacred landscape’ will be provided. Based upon this information,
students are expected to understand how religious values, ideas and practices have been
integrated into the modern contemporary Korean culture.

K-pop and Cultural Studies (Afternoon Class)

This course is designed to help students understand South Korea (Korea hereafter) through its K-pop
and Korean popular music, and enjoy Korean culture better by knowing more about Korean history. The
modern forms of Korean popular music, which fascinate people around the globe, did not spring into
existence out of nowhere. Instead, they emerged and have constantly co-evolved within the political, the
economic, and the technological spheres in historical contexts. This course explores how Korean pop
music has come to take on its current forms, corresponding with the national and international contexts.
In doing so, this course focuses on Korean modern history, popular culture, and cultural studies theories
for deep understandings of Korean pop music.

Language Studies:

Elementary Korean I (Morning/Afternoon)

Elementary Korean II (Morning/Afternoon)

Intermediate Korean I (Morning/Afternoon)

Intermediate Korean I (Morning/Afternoon)

Advanced Korean I (Morning/Afternoon)

Advanced Korean II (Morning/Afternoon)