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Korea: Transformation of Korean Society: Gender, Culture and Political Economy

Program dates in 2010: January 2 - 21, 2010

ANTH 498K /WMST 498A /SOCY 398B / AAST 398C (3 credits)

This course examines the intersection of gender, culture and political economy in contemporary Korean society. The turbulent recent history of South Korea has produced a society that is engaged with a variety of local and global social forces in complex and contradictory ways. The sweeping social changes in South Korean society have engaged it in a struggle to redefine and re-examine itself, and its relation to such basic ideas as gender, class, tradition and nation.

The course pays special attention to the industrialization that South Korea has experienced in recent decades and to the nature of political and social movements that appeared in this process. The main question that is explored throughout the course is what kind of modern, industrial society South Korea is becoming as a consequence of all these rapid economic and social changes.

The course will provide learning through field trips and first-hand experience. The program will include visits to government offices, businesses, and civil organizations. We will bring students on the following kinds of study and culture tours:

  • A visit to DMZ or JSA in order to see the ongoing conflict between North and South Korea and the role of the U.S. military. Through this visit, the students will learn about contemporary Korean history, especially the Korean War (1950-1953) and the legacies of the War.
  • A visit to a Conglomerate (Chaebol) will expose the students to the period of rapid industrialization in Korea. Students will learn about the complex relationship between the Korean government and Conglomerates.
  • A visit to the Korean Women's Development Institute will teach students about the research institute that played a pivotal role in transforming the status of women.
  • A trip to a temple outside of Seoul.
  • Several urban tours that will show the students how people lived in Korea in the old days and what is happening in the Seoul of today.

Faculty Director

The program will be directed by Dr. John Finch, Lecturer in the Department of Anthropology.  He regularly teaches ANTH368C Regional Ethnography: Cinema and Society in Contemporary South Korea.  He is currently working on a book, Fitting into the Global Meritocracy: The Multigenerational Project of KirOgi Families in the U.S.

For questions about the application, registration and pre-departure logistics, please contact the Study Abroad Office at 301-314-7473.