Asian Studies

This course examines Korean popular culture and its related issues in historical and sociocultural contexts. For this examination, the course surveys a history of Korean popular culture in the 20th and 21st centuries, focusing on forms of media culture (popular music, cinema, and TV dramas/shows) that has not only led to but developed through Korean Wave both within and outside of Korea. Also, the course delves into a variety of phenomena and issues in Korean popular culture in conjunction with contemporary Korean society. The course then aims to critically and analytically discuss the ramification of Korean popular culture and Korean Wave in the global, local, and glocal perspectives.

This course offers a general introduction to the language and various aspects of Korean culture to the foreign students currently studying at SNU. Topics to be discussed in the course include the outline of the Korean language with honorific forms. Other topics are Korean history, nature, economy and society; Korean art, music, literature and philosophy; as well as problems concerning the traditional culture such as family, relatives, wedding, funeral ceremony, folk belief, shamanism, seasonal rite and custom.

This is a second-stage seminar on music-related materials in the Japanese language. The main purpose is to read some of the latest publications in musicology in Japan and thereby to grapple with thematic issues and concerns that are currently under debate in Japanese academia. A special reference is given to writings in music history, popular music studies, and sound studies. Students are expected to become confident in using Japanese as a research instrument.

This course critically examines China's relationships with Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the five Central Asian countries, focusing on the implications of its economic and security policies. It explores China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and its impact on regional dynamics, particularly in light of rising radical and terrorist groups. The course addresses the heightened scrutiny of South-Central Asia (SCA) due to geopolitical competition and the aftermath of NATO's withdrawal from Afghanistan, which has allowed terrorist organizations to exploit the situation. Counterterrorism emerges as a central theme, analyzing how China's strategies intersect with its foreign policy objectives in SCA. Additionally, the course contextualizes China's approach within Global international relations frameworks and historical Chinese concepts during Xi Jinping's era, examining interactions with various international stakeholders and their implications for the evolving global order. Through this lens, the course engages critical discussions on the complexities of China's influence in SCA and its broader geopolitical ramifications.

This course is an introductory study of Korean music and culture that focuses on the significance of music and musical practices in a holistic manner that includes court music, religious music, folk music and contemporary music. It is intended to provide basic knowledge of terminology, history and the characteristics of important genres that might emerge in discussing theoretical aspects of Korean traditional music.

Goals are 1)To introduce Korean musical instruments and their historical relevance in Korean, Chinese, Japanese and Central Asian Music. 2)To appreciate various Korean traditional music genres such as classical (court and ritual music) and folk music (folk songs, pansori, sanjo). 3)To discuss the philosophical backgrounds of Korean religious music: Shamanism, Daoism, Confucianism, Buddhism, Christian 4)To distinguish Korean musical features in pansori and sanjo. 5)To learn how to analyze music within a cultural context. 6)To discuss Hallyu and Korean popular music.

Laurea Magistrale program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrolment is by consent of the instructor. This course sheds light on the nature and problems in the relations among the main regional actors in Northeast Asia (including the United States), by examining the changes that have taken place, especially in the last decade. These countries’ economic systems and their characteristics are also carefully discussed. This course is an overview of international relations of the East Asian region, which aims at broadly exploring the economic and political issues surrounding the Asia-Pacific rim. At the end of the course students are able to examine topics related to historical and contemporary patterns of state relations in East Asia, US security alliances in East Asia and the new Asian Pivot, the rise of China, nuclear crise in the Korean Peninsula, territorial disputes, regional multilateral institutions, East Asian development models and economic integration, environmental challenges, energy security, and other related issues.

This course introduces the democratization process of East and Southeast Asian Countries. The countries are categorized by regime types into four groups: liberal democracy, electoral democracy, electoral autocracy, and non-democracy. Systematic comparison will be focused on the application of the modernization theory, democratic citizenship theory, critical citizenship theory, and political socialization theory.  

This course introduces the background of China’s political institution and culture and provides overview of the relationship between China’s media and politics in a global context. It provides a broad perspective of China’s political communication and a familiarity with China’s media system and its political consequences. Four general topics are explored: China's media system; China's international communication system; Chinese nationalism in international conflicts; China's public diplomacy and international relations.