Admission requirements
This course is only available for BA2 Korean Studies students who have successfully completed all the requirements for BA1.
Description
This course is designed to introduce BA2 students with scholarly debates and knowledge in South Korea’s economic development and democratization. Economy and politics are two of the main pillars upholding a modern state. Either one of the two cannot exist alone, and the interaction between economy and politics exerts a variety of effects on state- and nation-building processes. The history of South Korea reveals that the parallel courses of economic development and democratization have been deeply intertwined, but the direction and the speed of changes have not necessarily coincided. Through the through reading of required literature followed by active discussion in class, this course will provide students with sufficient knowledge and insights about the foundations of contemporary South Korea through the lenses of economic and democratic transformation.
Course objectives
By the end of the course, students are expected to:
Acquire a strong basis of historical knowledge of South Korea’s economic development and democratization
Understand the drivers, process, and consequences of South Korea’s economic development and democratization
Gain keen insights about the closely intertwined, but sometimes contradictory, development of South Korea’s economy and democracy
Develop the analytical skills through close readings of textual and visual materials
Demonstrate the ability to design and write a long academic paper on relevant issues
Enhance skills for group discussion and oral presentation
Timetable
For more information, see: Timetable
Mode of instruction
- Seminar
Course Load
Total course load: 140 hours
Lecture and seminar: 2 hours per week x 13 weeks = 26 hours
Study of required readings and preparation of seminar: 4 hours per week x 13 weeks = 52 hours
Preparation of group presentation: 8 hours
Preparation and writing of critical literature review and research paper proposal: 14 hours
Preparation and writing of final research paper: 40 hours
Assessment method
- Class discussion and participation (10%)
- Group presentation (20%) – on a movie or a documentary film directly or indirectly dealing with one of the weekly themes of this course
- Critical literature review and research paper proposal (20%) – 1,000 – 2,000 words
- Research paper – a final draft (50%) with 3,000 – 4,000 words including footnotes, graphics, figures, and tables
To pass the course, students must receive an overall mark of 5.50 (=6) or higher and a passing grade for the final paper assignment (5.5 or higher). Students who failed the course (receiving an overall mark of 5.49 [=5] or lower) or who failed the final paper assignment (5.49 or lower) must take a resit. The resit consists of a revised and expanded version of the final research paper of 5,000 – 6,000 words. The final grade is the aggregate average of all components.
The course is an integrated whole. All categories must be completed in the same academic year. No partial marks can be carried over into following years. Students may make an individual appointment with the instructor within 30 days after the publication of their final grades in order to review the grades.
Blackboard
Blackboard is used for delivery of relevant course information and materials and for the submission of assignments.
Reading list
A reading list will be included in the syllabus to be uploaded on Blackboard.
Registration
Enrolment through uSis is mandatory.
General information about uSis is available in English and Dutch.
Registration Studeren à la carte and Contractonderwijs
Not applicable
Contact
Remarks
As is the case for all Korean Studies courses, a strict attendance policy will be enforced. Attendance to all lectures and seminars is expected. Failure to attend results in a lower grade. If you do not attend more than three classes, you will not be able to continue attending the classes and your exam and/or paper may not be graded by the instructor. If you have a valid reason not to attend, you may get dispensation from this rule, but you have to consult the coordinator of studies on this.