Korean History 111. Traditional Korea
This course is a survey of the history of Korea, from prehistoric times to the mid-nineteenth century. It examines various interpretative approaches and issues in the political, social, economic, intellectual, cultural, and diplomatic history of premodern Korea. Historical themes to explore include the bureaucratic and yet aristocratic system of government; the tools for integrating various status groups within a hierarchical society; the conflict and competition over resources among the state, social and political elites, and commoner producers; the resource control mechanisms developed by the state and the local elites; the idealized societal patterns and hindrance to reforms; the role of religion; the diplomatic relations and strategic means for maintaining dynastic independence; and cultural borrowing and indigenous cultural development. An integral part of the course is to introduce diverse primary source materials—including conventional official histories; visual materials such as murals, paintings, and other artwork; and underused written sources such as letters, diaries, short stories, and poems—that will shed light on the quotidian aspect of Korean history and culture. The ultimate goal of the class is not only to learn how to read, contextualize, and interpret these sources with critical and analytic eyes but also to gain insight into how the historical knowledge and methodologies attained from the class are directly relevant to the world in which we live today. The lectures will be of topical as well as chronological nature, designed to emphasize and expand upon certain ideas, themes or issues that are deemed important in the study of Korean civilization.
Korean History 115. Korean History through Film
This course examines the history of Chosŏn Korea through a selection of contemporary Korean feature films and dramas. Films and dramas with historical themes and personages have been very popular in Korea. We will examine the content of such visual materials and investigate how “true” or “false” their representation of Korea’s past is, how they imagine and invent that past, and the ways in which they help us better understand Korea’s history and its people’s lives and cultural practices. One of the aims for this course is to help students develop the tools to watch and analyze films with a historian’s eye. To this end, we will also be reading academic writings about Korean history and society as well as primary sources. Some of the historical topics that this course introduces are: Chosŏn kingship, court structure, and politics; Confucianism; religious traditions; war and technology; social structure and people on the margin; gender relations and family; law and society; arts and material culture; subversive culture; language practices; and quotidian lives of people.
Freshman Seminar 43w. History, Nationalism, and the World: The Case of Korea
This seminar will explore the quandary that faces all historians: To what extent is the understanding of past episodes influenced by current politics and to what extent is current politics influenced by people’s understanding of the past? In the study of Korean history, this question is particularly sharp since the postcolonial division of Korea into North and South has thrust the memory of past events into current political discussions as well as scholarly debates. The seminar will investigate selected topics and events in Korean history to map the interaction between historical writing and politics: the origins of Korea; Korean territory and the Korean people; cultural contacts with China and Japan and indigenization; Confucian transformation of Chosŏn Korea and its legacy in contemporary South Korean culture; social and regional marginalization and discrimination; colonial experiences and the postcolonial transformation of North Korea’s national identity and nationalism; and the contending history of popular movements and film representation of popular memory. Why have some historians pictured Korea as a miniature replica of China, or a local variant of Chinese civilization? Why have other historians emphasized certain periods and aspects of Korean history while ignoring others? How have historians described Korea’s relationships to China, Japan, and the rest of the world? Are there any connections between popular traditions and social protest movements and this historical and scholarly discussion? Reading will include translated primary documents as well as political and historical studies. The class will also examine artistic objects as well as visual materials such as films and documentaries.
Korean History 230r. Readings in Premodern Korean History
Examines the social, political, economic, and intellectual history of premodern Korea. Designed primarily for graduate students preparing for the general examination.
Korean History 240r Selected Topics in Premodern Korean History, proseminar
Introduction to the major Engllish-language scholarship and historiographical debates on the history of premodern Korea.
Korean History 231a: Documents and Research Methods for the Study of Premodern Korea I, seminar
Introduction of the different types of primary sources and research methodologies useful for study of Chosŏn Korea. Students are required to write a research paper.
Korean History 231b: Documents and Research Methods for the Study of Premodern Korea II, seminar
Continued training in reading and interpreting primary sources and exploring innovative research methodologies. Students are required to write a research paper based on original sources on a topic of their choosing.