We will survey Korean cultural history from the twelfth century to the present through close readings of selected major literary works.
Emphasis is on developments in the post-war period, including questions of reunification.
Some of the themes covered during the second half of the course include political and cultural movements in North and South Korea and Korean cultural identities at home and abroad. No previous knowledge of Korea required. All reading materials in English. In addition, several poems and short stories will be available in the form of photocopied handouts throughout the semester. We will return to this later.