Admission requirements
- Familiarity with the history of (North) Korea; – Knowledge of Korean is helpful; – Interest in art & culture; – Open mind.
Description
North Korea intrigues. This fascination is a result of the fact that standard approaches fail to make much sense of North Korea. This seminar zooms in on North Korea as a propaganda state where culture is subordinate to the revolution and the leadership. Propaganda is not reduced here to political agitation only, but it is treated as part and parcel of cultural production in North Korea. This seminar analyses verbal and visual narratives in North Korean literature and film, public art, and posters and paintings. The seminar also looks at North Korea’s art theory and pays attention to the organisation of cultural production under party control.
Course objectives
- Analytical skills: analysing visual materials; – Critical analysis: contextualised interpretation of North Korean cultural products; – Presentation skills: present a review of a North Korean artwork; – Collabartive skills: group presentations; – Debating skills: engage in critical discussions about North Korean artwork; – Heuristic skills: locate and critically evaluate source materials on North Korean art.
Timetable
Mode of instruction
seminar
Course Load
- seminar participation: 2hrs/week: 28hrs; – seminar preparation: 5hrs/week: 70hrs – writing assignments: 4× 1.5hrs: 6hrs – essay: 35hrs
Assessment method
- 4 assignments – critical reviews a North Korean cultural product (40%); – 1 presentation (10%); – 1 final essay (50%)
Blackboard
Blackboard will be intensively used.
Reading list
Reading list to be posted on blackboard.
Registration
Enroll via Usis