UWA Handbook 2025

Unit Overview

Description

This unit examines major social, political and economic developments that have taken place in twentieth century Korea, and the challenges and opportunities that these have created for the two Koreas. The unit investigates national identity discourses and ideas of ethnic nationalism in a divided (and increasingly multi-ethnic) country. Special attention is also given to conceptualisations of gender, body and sexuality that draw on both 'traditional' and more recent neo-liberal discourses of the same, and how these inform such increasingly commonplace bodily practices such as cosmetic surgery, as well as cultural representations of gender and subjectivity in popular culture. The unit will also examine how culturally specific social structures, such as generation, kinship and perceived social status, affect patterns of interpersonal communication and relations. Students evaluate how the combination of indigenous philosophical traditions, the legacy of Japanese colonialism, the presence of US military forces on the peninsula, the civil war and the influx of competing Cold War ideologies have shaped contemporary South and North Korean societies.

Throughout the unit, students are encouraged to actively engage in class through interactive interactive workshop tasks and design a short in-depth research project on a topic of their choice but relevant to the themes covered in workshops. This unit is taught entirely in English, and no prior knowledge of Korean language is assumed.

Credit

6 points

Offering
(see Timetable)

Availability	Location	Mode
Semester 2	UWA (Perth)	Face to face

Details for undergraduate courses

• Level 3 core unit in the Korean Studies; Korean Studies major sequences
• Level 3 option in the Asian Studies major sequence
• Level 3 elective

Outcomes

Students are able to (1) compare South Korea's development of 'compressed modernity' with the modernisation and industrialisation processes in Western post-industrial societies; (2) apply this critical understanding to their own societies, thereby demonstrating 'ethical sensitivity towards our diverse and globalised world'; (3) analyse key events and ideologies that informed the development of the two Koreas in the post-war period; (4) explain how gendered discourses of power and class interpellate individuals within society, as well as apply relevant theoretical frameworks to analyse these in the context of a research project assignment; (5) identify a research topic and develop a coherent and convincing line of argument applying key sociological and political theoretical frameworks utilised in the field of Korean Studies; (6) apply knowledge of Korean society acquired through the unit to their Korean language study (where applicable); (7) use a self-reflective approach to devising, developing and delivering an enquiry-based research project; (8) present their findings orally and in academic English; and (9) work collaboratively within a group with an ability to deal with disagreement and conflict to reach consensus (social-emotional learning).

Assessment

Indicative assessments in this unit are as follows: (1) online reflective tasks; (2) research project (including research proposal and annotated bibliography); and (3) participation (which may include small group work component). Further information is available in the unit outline.

Student may be offered supplementary assessment in this unit if they meet the eligibility criteria.

Unit Coordinator(s)

Dr Arum Kim

Unit rules

Prerequisites

Any Level 2 Humanities
or Social Sciences unit

Incompatibility

Successful completion of

KORE3812 Contemporary Korean Society

Contact hours

Up to 3 hours a week over 10 weeks. This is a blended-learning unit.