Korea, South

This is a special topics course in Global Korean Studies. Topics are subject to change. The course examines political, social and economic inequality in South Korea. Through rigorous analysis of scholarly literature and critical engagement with the readings, students develop a comprehensive understanding of various dimensions of inequalities, one of the fundamental challenges facing contemporary Korea.  In the second part of the course, students develop an academic research idea and design a research project exploring a specific aspect of Korean society, regarding inequalities. Expect to formulate a well-defined research question, construct a coherent research proposal, and present it in a scholarly setting. While the primary focus of this course is Korea, we adopt a comparative perspective to explore the academic advantages and broader contributions of studying Korean politics and inequality within the wider field of the social sciences.  

Topics include Facts and trends of inequalities in Korea, Unequal representation by age, Unequal representation by gender, Educational inequality, Trends in economic inequality in Korea, Facts and trends of inequalities in Korea, Social consequences of economic inequality, Medical consequences of economic inequality, Gender inequality, Ethnic minorities, Fighting against inequality. 

This advanced topics course covers international trade institutions, trade law, and trade policy. Students explore trade policies, how they are implemented by the United States and other countries, and how their use is constrained by international trade agreements.  

The Fall 2025 offering of this course covers fundamental principles of international trade rules established by the World Trade Organization (WTO), including the principles of non-discrimination, trade remedy measures, SPS, TBT, and exceptions to trade obligations. 

In addition, students examine newly emerging issues in trade, such as environmental concerns, digital trade and e-commerce, intellectual property rights, and trade in services, and delve into the most frequently used methods of dispute resolution: mediation, arbitration, and litigation. Through lectures, simulations, and student presentations, students learn the procedures and actual workings of these three methods at various settings such as WTO, WIPO, and LCIA, inter alia. 

Students should expect to present a substantial case study and produce a final paper.  

This course introduces students to ethical issues, arguments, and disagreements. The course covers contemporary and historical ideas about morality and explores 1) what attitude is to be taken, 2) which factors are morally relevant, 3) how to apply philosophical reasoning. 

Students examine various ethical topics and schools of thought related to how people should act and live.  Students explore moral reasoning that philosophers have discovered (or made explicit) in the course of daily lives, how conflicts between them occur, and how we sometimes fail.   

Topics include characteristics of moral reasoning, responses to subjective or relativistic morality, basic moral theories and principles, analyses, and evaluation of arguments. 

This topical course covers Twentieth-Century American Crime Fiction. This is one of the most popular genres worldwide—especially in the United States. Despite its enormous impact on popular culture, this genre remains one of the least developed areas in terms of recognized literary value, which makes it a fascinating subject for study. In this course, we read a variety of crime fiction works that have captured the American imagination throughout the twentieth century, and we will: 1. Examine each text in detail, discussing its aesthetic, stylistic, and thematic qualities; 2. Explore how the genre has evolved in conversation with popular culture, in order to better understand the sociocultural significance of crime fiction in America; 3. Use crime fiction as a lens through which to critically engage with existing theories of genre in literary criticism. 

This course introduces the fundamental properties and characteristics of solid-state materials and structures used in modern semiconductor devices and integrated circuit (IC) technologies. 

Topics include Solid-State Electronics and applications, Crystal structure of solids, Introduction to quantum mechanics, Introduction to the quantum theory of solids, Semiconductor in equilibrium, Carrier transport phenomena, Excess carriers in semiconductors, The pn junction. 

This course explores how the healthcare services market differs from other markets by examining the characteristics of demand and supply in healthcare services from an economic viewpoint. Additionally, the course covers the role of health insurance in mitigating uncertainty and risk inherent in health and examines its impact on the demand, supply, and pricing of healthcare services. Furthermore, the course addresses various issues such as information asymmetry, problems like moral hazard and induced demand, behavioral economic approaches, the significance of medical technology advancements, the long-term effects of health and medical disparities, and responses to infectious disease crises, aiming to find implications for building an efficient future healthcare system.  

Topics include problems faced by the Korean healthcare system, theories of healthcare service demand, Health production functions and healthcare service productivity, Theory of health insurance demand and the impact of health insurance on healthcare service demand, Comparison of Korea's health insurance system with those of other countries, Latest theories and empirical studies on moral hazard, Information asymmetry issues in healthcare service supply, Impact of payment systems on demand and supply, Future of healthcare supply with advancements in medical technology.

This course introduces and discusses recent theories and studies on the linguistic information processing process from the perspectives of cognitive psychology, linguistics, and artificial intelligence. Students examine the characteristics of language information processing, acquiring effective neuroscience-based learning principles to overcome difficulties in foreign language acquisition, and the specific features of Korean language processing. 

Topics include Introduction to language, Speech production and comprehension, Word processing, Semantic processing, Sentence processing, Discourse/dialogue, Language development in infancy and early childhood, Bilingual language processing, Aphasia, Korean language processing: lexical processing, sentence processing, discourse. 

This course provides a comprehensive introduction to both the practical and rigorous foundations of software engineering as well as both soft and hard skills. With them, students learn how to design, develop, test, verify, and maintain high-quality software systems.  

Topics include software development life cycles, design patterns, testing and coverage, code quality practices such as code reviews and coding style guides, and formal verification techniques.  

In this course, students engage in software engineering by applying coding, refactoring, and testing techniques to support continuous development and maintainability in real-world projects. Students also analyze given software designs or code using design patterns, testing strategies, and code quality standards. We also evaluate the strengths and limitations of various development methodologies and design alternatives to determine the most suitable approach for a given context. We design and implement tools or procedures that verify software correctness using logic-based reasoning and formal methods and build maintainable, high-quality software systems. 

Prerequisites: CAS1102 (Object-Oriented Programming), CAS2103 (Data Structure); students should be familiar with object-oriented languages including C++, Python, etc. Students should be familiar with implementing data structures and be able to analyze pros and cons of several data structures. Students should have a Github account.  

This course provides students with an opportunity to become a sophisticated, critical, and creative user of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI).  

Through this course students gain a practical mastery of current AI tools, but are also challenged and prepared to move beyond basic AI use to develop skills in prompt engineering, tool comparison, and critical output evaluation and to design and implement effective AI-powered workflows to solve complex academic and professional tasks related to research, writing, data analysis, and communication. 

Students also critically analyze the ethical responsibilities of AI use (bias, privacy, integrity) and articulate the broader philosophical implications for your work, your mind, and your identity.  

Topics include Introduction to the course's Syllabus and lab-based philosophy; What is Generative AI?; Understanding our own "mental models" of AI; The principles of effective prompt engineering; The landscape of major LLMs (open vs. closed source); Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) as a tool against hallucination; Overview of specialized AI tools for academic reading and writing; AI capabilities beyond text: Vision, Voice, and Code; Integrating multiple AI tools into a single workflow; Understanding AI "agents," APIs, and the role of local LLMs; The FOCUS Method for AI-assisted research; Finding and organizing information effectively; AI as a writing partner and coding assistant; Ethical considerations in AI-assisted writing; Designing AI-powered workflows for personal productivity, email management, and lifelong learning; Key limitations of AI (bias, privacy, hallucinations); Principles of ethical AI use; University policies on academic integrity; The broader societal impact of AI on science, equity, and the future of work; and The nature of intelligence, creativity, and consciousness in the age of AI. 

In this introductory blockchain course, students explore why and how conventional finance is challenged by leveraging the power of blockchain technology through decentralized finance (“DeFi”). DeFi and blockchain are approached not as buzzwords but as representing a monumental shift in the way we perceive, interact with, and utilize financial services.  

This course equips students to navigate the paradigm shift in the future of finance and instills practical skills to thrive in the "real-world" of the blockchain industry. The course's focus is learning through application; all students are expected to actively engage. Students learn through a mix of lectures, student-led presentations (in teams), guest speakers, and exercises while building their own team projects. Each student completes an individual capstone project by designing a decentralized finance (DeFi) product that addresses a real-world financial problem. The project includes a written proposal and a short presentation, demonstrating the student’s ability to apply course concepts in a practical, innovative, and user-focused way.