Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)

This course examines history of modern Korea from the late nineteenth century to the early 2000s through Korean film by analyzing selected films as historical documents on Korean history, politics, society, and culture. The course explores themes such as the open port period, colonial Korea, liberation/occupation/national division, the Korean War, the post-war development in ROK, military authoritarianism, democratization, the Sunshine Policy, globalization, and multiculturalism. Students examine both the accuracy of each film’s representation of history and the counter narratives of some historical events. 

This survey course examines the visual and material culture of Korea from prehistoric times through the Joseon dynasty (1392-1910). It presents key artifacts and artistic traditions in a chronological framework, exploring them within their historical, cultural, religious, and social contexts. While the lectures primarily focus on the diverse works of art that emerged within the Korean peninsula, attention will also be given to the transcultural dynamics of East Asian art history. 

This course is an in-depth exploration of the mechanisms underlying inorganic and organometallic reactions, with a particular focus on understanding their fundamentals and applications. Students examine key aspects of organometallic chemistry, including bonding, reactivity, and catalytic cycles, while also delving into spectroscopic and non-spectroscopic techniques used to probe reaction mechanisms. Techniques such as NMR, IR, UV-Vis spectroscopy, and kinetic studies are emphasized to elucidate reaction pathways and intermediate characterization. The course also highlights cutting-edge trends in inorganic and organometallic chemistry, showcasing recent advancements in catalysis and chemical transformations. By the end of the semester, students will develop a strong foundation in mechanistic analysis and contemporary methodologies used in inorganic chemistry research. CH344 is recommended as a prerequisite course. All lectures will be in English.

This course, offered entirely in Korean, is designed for students who have basic knowledge of the Korean language and have completed more than 50 hours of Korean language education or taken Korean Language 1. It enables students to deepen their understanding of the Korean language and to acquire a beginning level of communicative competency in Korean. This class employs a comprehensive approach for reading, writing, speaking, and listening.  Topics include how to use honorific forms, speaking in formal settings such as presentations, how to engage in phone conversations, daily topics like travel, transportation, family, culture, and Korean life. 

This course is a non-academic creative writing course intended to foster student creativity through the practice of creative expression in written English. Topics include creative nonfiction, poetry, and fiction. Students analyze readings from a writer's perspective to heighten awareness of features common to successful creative writing. Students adapt these features to their own work as appropriate, using a process approach that encourages thoughtful peer review and revision for personal expression.  

The goals of this class are to articulate eloquently in English about creative texts, write in multiple genres that demonstrate an engagement with course readings and discussions, and enhance creativity and critical thinking by synthesizing feedback into one's own work. 

This course covers the technical foundations of photography and the unique aesthetic experiences it offers, incorporating aspects of photographic philosophy, media aesthetics, and the use of AI generators in various projects. Topics also include innovative photo projects utilizing AI generators and keeping pace with evolving media trends. Through this exploration, students examine the linguistic value and role of photography across fields such as research and business. 

This course covers various topics in probability theory and introductory random processes such as probability, random variables, expectations, characteristic functions, random vectors, random processes, correlation functions, and power spectrum. A number of engineering examples are examined for students’ better understanding of principles. 

This course covers basic design theories and form construction techniques required for three-dimensional forms and functions. Topics include basic shape elements and principles that consist of form and shape, and practical methodology of creating form, function and aesthetics. Students acquire basic form-giving abilities as industrial designers by learning design materials and the characteristics of form composition. 

This course covers the fundamental principles of graphic design through small assignments, two big projects, critiques, readings, and lectures. Topics include the elements of form and color, understanding visual forms (points, lines, and surfaces), and visual grammar such as scale, repetition, rhythm, balance, etc.  

For practicing visual grammar, students learn graphic software such as Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop. For the projects, students develop their expressive ways to transfer meaning and values based on practicing visual grammar. 

This course covers financial engineering theories including fixed-income securities, interest rate risks, modern portfolio theory, capital asset pricing model, and derivatives. Students explore and build hands-on experience for application of Al techniques such as dimension reduction, supervised/unsupervised learning, natural language processing, and deep reinforcement learning.