Korea, South

This course introduces a series of contemporary motion pictures dealing with human rights issues, including documentaries about the Holocaust of World War II, short films about military slavery and wartime rape, and feature-length works about political refugees and asylum seekers. It frames human rights cinema as a discursive category of filmmaking, one whose roots stretch back to “social problem films” of the 1920s-1930s and which increasingly relies on organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch for financing and distribution. The course examines the historical contexts that not only gave rise to human rights violations but also made possible the production of independent and studio-backed films that seek to remedy social problems of the past and present. In addition to examining the political backdrops against which several historically important films emerged, students gain proficiency in analyzing those films’ aesthetic and formal traits while becoming more sensitively aligned with the struggles and sufferings of people around the world.

Confronting the past and rendering justice are not an easy matter for any society. It is also true in international politics. Historian Charles Maier has lamented that “our current in capacity to entertain trans-formative political projects for the future and hence to invest our collective resources in contesting the past.” The main goal of this course is to think about this problem and propose possible solutions. This course has three components. The first component regards the key conceptual tools and theories needed to examine reconciliation and justice in international politics. The second component regards the situations on the ground. What are the main cases and issues? What are the general trends in international relations with regards to addressing and redressing justice and reconciliation? What kind of national and global efforts have been made in attempts to help solve them? The third component is drawing lessons and insights from specific cases in Asia, Europe and Africa. Why do some states promote particular historical narratives and policies? What are the domestic and international consequences of their particular policy choices? Can a country's success story be emulated by another country? Class is conducted mainly in a seminar format and complemented discussions on current issues. 

Over the past 20 years, digitization and the Internet have transformed business and society. The firms of the digital economy not only affect the daily life of most people in industrialized countries, but they are also highly profitable. In this course, we use the tools of game theory and industrial organization to understand the impact that digitization and the Internet on markets. The topics discussed in this class include internet infrastructure, standards, platforms, price discrimination, bundling, auctions, reputation, advertising, user-generated content, social networks, piracy and privacy.

This course examines central topics on Korean language through cultural perspectives. First, the course provides an introduction to Korean history and culture for the intensive comprehension of Korean. The course then covers main topics and central issues of Korean, such as Han-geul (Korean alphabet), invention, Korean language movement (Han-geul and language purism in Korea), Romanization of Korean, aspects of Korean honorific system, and linguistic ties between Korea, Japan, and China, and finally advertisements and slang in Korean. The course provides a comprehensive understanding of the Korean culture, especially Confucianism which has been related to Korean linguistic phenomena. Knowledge of Korean language is recommended. Assessment: Class attendance and participation (20%), quizzes (20%), midterm essay (30%), final essay (30%).

This course provides a study of culture and cultural evolution. Topics include humans as cultural animals, cultural evolution, physical and mental health, and multiculturalism.

This course provides a study of finite mathematical structures that are widely used in computer science. Topics include logic, number theory, methods of proof, sequences, mathematical induction, recursion, functions, probability, etc.

This course engages students in discussions on multiculturalism as portrayed in the media and how this has been vital to shaping and reshaping the discourse on identity within Korean society. The following are addressed in the course: race; racism; representation; stereotype; identity; assimilation; nationalism; tolerance; citizenship, and right.

This course offers a basic understanding of the judicial system, constitutional law, civil law and civil procedure, and criminal law and criminal procedure of the Republic of Korea. Three of the law school faculty members jointly teach their respective parts as a team during the semester. There is no requirement for the courses to be taken prior to this course or for the major of the students. Each week, some of the essential concepts of law, relevant law and legal system, cases, policies and practices are introduced and discussed. In further detail, the course proceeds along the following themes and topics: a general overview of the judicial system; in the area of constitutional law, a history of the Constitution, the separation of powers and the constitutional institutions, the fundamental rights and the constitutional adjudication; in the area of civil law, distinctive features of the Korean civil law, particularly focusing on contracts and torts, and the civil procedures in Korea; and, in the area of criminal law and criminal procedure, basic principles and core issues of the Korean criminal law, and the structure and recent changes of the Korean criminal procedure.

Food fermentation is one of the earliest technologies developed by humans. This course covers the origin, history, types, manufacturing methods, and efficacy of various fermented foods. It provides understanding of the technological, microbiological, and biochemical processes that occur during food fermentation.