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Methods and Issues in Korean Studies

Vak
2024-2025

Admission requirements

This course is only available for BA students in Korean Studies who successfully completed the BA1 course, Koreaanse geschiedenis tot 1876.

Description

This seminar introduces research methods and issues in various fields in Korean Studies through the examination of a range of texts and research practices. The seminar consists of five 2-week modules and students will follow all five modules during the semester. Students will register for a group, which has a maximum number of 20 students per each. Application happens on a first come, first served basis.

The five modules cover the following fields:
Dr. Steven Denney / Politics and Society of Contemporary Korea: This module examines Korea's political landscape and social dynamics in both democratic and authoritarian contexts. It emphasizes the significance of civil society, social diversity, and democratic pluralism, with a focus on immigration. The curriculum integrates the comparative politics literature with work focusing on Korea. Students will engage with social science theories, consider Korea-specific content and questions, and develop an understanding of some of the research methods used to study Korea today.

Dr. Yoonai Han / Korea as Method – Methods to Study Spaces in Korea: How do we study physical and digital spaces in South Korea? What does researcher’s positionality mean? In this module, we look at different methods that we can use to explore spaces in Korea. We critically engage with case studies paying attention to methods, positionality, and decolonising knowledge production.

Dr. Chris Green / Sociologies of Modern Korea: This course uses a range of research articles to explore themes in the evolution of the post-war North and South Korean societies. As well as exploring the results, the course looks at the methods used: how do others go about answering questions about the driving forces of modern societies?

Dr. Jin Hee Park / Korean Sociolinguistics: This module begins with an introduction to sociolinguistics and goes further into selected research topics and themes in sociolinguistics, as well as relevant methodologies. The module centres around this question: how do different social factors, such as age, gender, and social class, and contexts like communicative settings influence language variation and use?

Dr. Bonnie Tilland / Korean Media Studies: This module provides an overview of Korean media cultures. Together we answer the question: How do shifting modes of production and consumption of cultural forms including but not limited to popular music, TV dramas, film, and new media/social media contribute to new understandings of Korea and its place in the East Asia region?

Each module introduces selected texts or practices and focuses on specific topics and approaches in the above fields. The core concern of this seminar is to investigate what some of the main debates in each field are, and how they can be approached through research. The seminar sessions consist of mini-lectures, class discussions, group and individual presentations, and film viewings (to be decided by the individual instructors).

Course objectives

Oral skills:
1. to make clear and substantiated arguments;
2. to provide an answer to questions concerning (a subject) in the field covered by the course;
3. to actively participate in class discussion

Basic research skills, including heuristic skills:
1. to collect and select academic literature using traditional and digital methods and techniques;
2. to analyze and assess this literature with regard to quality and reliability;
3. to critically review and report both orally and in writing on this literature

Writing skills:
1. to write up clear and substantiated academic outputs;
2. to actively engage in key discussion concerning (a subject) in the field covered by the course

Timetable

The timetables are available through My Timetable.

Mode of Instruction

Seminar

Assessment method

Assessment

To pass the course, students should comply with the attendance policy and fulfil all course requirements and assignments, which means that students should 1) submit all the required assignments and 2) take a resit of all non-passing assignments and pass them. The final grade is the average of the end grade of all the assignments. Students need a passing grade (5.50 or higher) as the final grade in order to pass the course.

Weighing

  • Assignments (oral, written): 100%

Resit

The resit consists of a second attempt for the final assignment of the module(s) which students failed.  For details, students are required to check the syllabus of each module.

Inspection and feedback

How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will have to be organized.

Reading list

Specific readings per week are listed in the course syllabus for each module.

Registration

Enrolment through MyStudyMap is mandatory.
General information about course and exam enrolment is available on the website

Contact

  • For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar.

  • For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Education Administration Office Herta Mohr

Remarks

  • Attendance policy: a strict attendance policy is imposed. Missing more than three sessions during the semester may get you barred from further attending the course and your papers may not be graded. Any absences must be notified in advance. Dispensation from the attendance rule for extenuating circumstances can only be granted by the Board of Examiners after consultation with the teacher.

  • All categories must be completed in the same academic year. No partial marks can be carried over into following years.

  • Deadlines are to be kept. Failure to fulfill the assignments counts as an absence. Late submission of assignments may result in a grade deduction of 0.5 per day.

  • Deadlines and extensions: if you foresee that you will not be able to keep a deadline because of extenuating circumstances, contact your instructor well in advance (at least one week before the deadline). For extensions beyond the end of the semester, please contact your instructor and the study coordinator and file a request with the Board of Examiners at least one week before the original deadline