Sociology

A general survey of the historical development of various aspects of Korean civilization, including politics, society and economy, thought and religion, and the arts. Half of the course covers the main themes in Korean history and their historical interpretations, from prehistoric times to the modern period. It also pays special attention to social systems, religion and culture, as well as the changing geopolitics of the region. The discussions take a comparative approach by examining contemporaneous China, Japan, and northeast Asia, identifying similarities and differences between the regions. Through this course, students have a better understanding of the challenges Korea faced in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and the historical processes through which Korea, China, and Japan developed. 

This course is an introduction to sociology. It treats sociology as a science and a profession, emphasizing scientific questions, theories, methods, findings, and their applications. It covers a wide range of topics and social phenomena, such as inequality, crime, immigration and ethnicity, intergroup hate, misperceptions, polarization, religion, gender, and modernization. The course introduces useful sociological ‘tools’ and ‘principles' designed to describe and understand social phenomena scientifically. Furthermore, students receive an introduction to key sociological concepts, theories, perspectives, methods, and stylized findings.

Through weekly readings and class discussions, this course considers how individual bodies are gendered and how gender is constructed in individual bodies. The course explores how social norms strongly construct gendered bodies, thus generating problems, and delves into possibilities to change the norms related to bodies.  Lecture topics vary, but may include problem's created by women's beauty work; radical feminist perspectives from the 1960s through today; why do many women wear makeup; and how to resist gendered norms of body. 

This course examines contemporary Spanish reality and the different cultural forms and manifestations within Spain. Site visits to various places in Madrid provide an immersive experience and academic and social context. This course also reinforces Spanish language learning through oral and written communication skills.

This course examines Korean culture and its current societal issues. It looks at Korea’s path to its recent success and developments from the historical, socioeconomic, and cultural perspectives. Topics covered include the top-down economic development until the 1980s, transfer from authoritarian to democratic governments, post-industrial innovative strategies including technology, entertainment, and tourism, and continuing geopolitical tensions with North Korea and neighbouring superpowers.