Global Humanities

The course is structured into five thematic units that explore the construction and transmission of memory across diverse Korean cultural domains, running from October 1 to December 10, 2025. Unit I: Literary Memory Narratives (October 1 - 15) • Focus: Analyzing Korean history as a memory repository and studying primary sources (such as the 16th-century letter) and female literary narrative strategies (Shin Kyung-sook, Cho Nam-joo) as material artifacts of memory, trauma, and emotion. • Key Objective: To analyze canonical and non-canonical sources and understand how Korean women writers construct intergenerational memory. • Relevant Content: Yi ŭngt'ae’s Epistle, Kim Ji-young, Born 1982 (book and film). Unit II: Historical Memory Narratives (October 21 - November 5) • Focus: Examining how historical and political trauma shapes Korean collective memory, covering the colonial experience, the "Comfort Women" issue, the war and division, and democratization. • Key Objective: To analyze how the colonial experience and war trauma create competing memory narratives. To understand the role of propaganda (North Korea) and memory in political transformations (South Korea). • Relevant Content: Film "The Age of Shadows", oral testimonies of the "Comfort Women", "The Brotherhood of War", "1987: When the Day Comes", documentary on adoption. Unit III: Cultural Memory and Shamanism (November 11 - 12) • Focus: Exploring shamanic traditions and contemporary cultural practices (K-Pop, cinema) as systems for preserving cultural memory and maintaining collective identity. • Key Objective: To explore shamanism as a system of cultural memory preservation and examine how cultural practices maintain collective identity. • Relevant Content: Documentary "Manshin: Ten Thousand Spirits", Film "The Housemaid", Documentary "K-Pop Evolution". Unit IV: Material Culture and Memory (November 18 - 26) • Focus: Understanding how built environments (architecture, urban spaces) and material objects embody and transmit memory, with particular attention to the contrast between Hanok and modernity. • Key Objective: To understand how built environments and material objects function as vehicles of cultural memory. To analyze urban "contested spaces" as a claim to grassroots social memory. • Relevant Content: Film "Architecture 101", Documentary "Hanok: The Korean House", Film "The Handmaiden". Unit V: Cultural History of Food and Memory Narratives (December 2 - 10) • Focus: Analyzing how memories of hunger and satiety, and the experience of migration, influence contemporary attitudes towards food and help maintain cultural identity across borders. • Key Objective: To understand how memories of hunger have influenced attitudes towards food. To analyze how food maintains cultural identity in transnational contexts. • Relevant Content: Documentary "Our Daily Rice", Film "Minari", Final summary lecture and review of "Poetry" (2010 Film)

no prerequisites required

Shree, Ruchi. Colonialism in Comparative Perspective: Forms and Dimensions. In Comparative Government and Politics. SAGE Publishing, 2019. ISBN: 978‑9353285692. Book chapter Abramson, G. Variations in Japanese Colonial Policy: Taiwan and Korea, 1895–1945. The Association for Asian Studies (The Journal of Asian Studies), 1984. ISSN: 0021-9118. Article (Vol. 43, No. 2, pp. 341–362). Wininger, Jessica. Broken Bodies, Shattered Dreams: The Aftermath of a Life as a Korean "Comfort Woman." Gettysburg College (The Gettysburg Historical Journal), 2003. Article (Vol. 2, Iss. 1, Art. 5). Online ISSN: 2327‑3917. Ohn, Chang‑Il. The Causes of the Korean War, 1950‑1953. International Journal of Korean Studies, vol. 14, no. 2 (Fall/Winter 2010), International Council on Korean Studies. Kang, Hye Yun. Korean War Narratives and the Subject Formation of South Korea. Oxford University Press (Global Studies Quarterly), 2025 (online: approx. 2024). ISSN: 2634-1929. Article (Vol. 5, Iss. 3). Lee, Hyeon Ju. Remembering and Forgetting the Korean War in the Republic of Korea. Suomen Antropologi: Journal of the Finnish Anthropological Society, vol. 35, no. 2 (2010), pp. 48‑55. Print ISSN: 0355‑3930; Online ISSN: 1799‑8972. DOI: 10.30676/jfas.127468. Koh, Dong Yeon. The Korean War and Postmemory Generation: Contemporary Korean Arts and Films. Routledge, 2021. ISBN: 978-0367439743. Monograph Kim, Won-Chung. The Korean War, Memory, and Nostalgia. Purdue University Press (CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture), 2015. ISSN: 1481-4374. Article (Vol. 17, Iss. 3, Art. 7) Hübinette, Tobias. Adopted Koreans and the Development of Identity in the 'Third Space.' SAGE Publications (Adoption & Fostering), 2004. ISSN: 0308-5732. Article (Vol. 28, No. 1, pp. 16–24) Kim, Seong-nae. Shamanic Epics and Narrative Construction of Identity on Cheju Island. Asian Folklore Studies, 2004. ISSN: 0385-2342. Article (Vol. 63, No. 1, pp. 57–78) Lee, Jee Sun. Post-Unification Korean National Identity. Working Paper Series, U.S.-Korea Institute at SAIS, Johns Hopkins University, 2009. Available at: https://uskoreainstitute.org/publications/working-paper-series/unification-considerations/identity/post-unification-korean-national-identity/ Pearce, Susan M. “Objects as Meaning; or Narrating the Past.” In Interpreting Objects and Collections, edited by Susan M. Pearce, pp. 19–29. London: Routledge, 1994. ISBN: 9780415112895. Book chapter Pearce, Susan. “Objects as Meaning; or Narrating the Past.” In Interpreting Objects and Collections. Routledge, 1994. ISBN: 978-0415112888. Book chapter Hoskins, Janet. “Agency, Biography and Objects.” In Biographical Objects: How Things Tell the Stories of People's Lives, in Handbook of Material Culture, SAGE Publications, 2006. ISBN: 9781412900393 (print). Book chapter Kim, Michael. Collective Memory and Commemorative Space: Reflections on Korean Modernity and the Kyŏngbok Palace Reconstruction 1865–2010. SAGE Publications (International Area Studies Review), 2010. ISSN: 2233-8659. Article (Vol. 13, No. 4, pp. 75–95) Heersmink, Richard. Materialised Identities: Cultural Identity, Collective Memory, and Artifacts. Review of Philosophy and Psychology, 14(1), 249–265 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13164-021-00570-5 ISSN (print): 1878-5158; ISSN (online): 1878-5166. Article Antonetta L. Bruno, lecture handout

• Attendance is not compulsory by rule. • However, regular attendance, active contributions to class discussions, and participation in group activities are strongly encouraged. These are essential to gaining a deeper understanding of the course’s materials, objectives, and scope.

The final assessment is a comprehensive oral examination. Students must demonstrate a solid grasp of the sociopolitical and cultural contexts of the narratives studied, the ability to synthesize scholarship, films, and literature, and strong critical engagement with key theoretical frameworks. Evaluation will focus on the clarity and coherence of argument, familiarity with course materials, and the depth of critical analysis. The minimum passing grade is 18/30. The maximum grade is 30/30, with cum laude awarded for exceptional performance. A grade below 18/30 constitutes a fail, and the exam must be retaken.

Each lesson is divided into two parts: 1. Lecture (1 hour) – given by the instructor. 2. Discussion: Student (one or two person)-led presentation, optional, and discussion (30 minutes). For each class, the instructor will upload one or two articles to Google Classroom. During the 30-minute discussion, students are responsible for leading the debate. You may prepare a PowerPoint presentation to support your arguments. The debate topic must be closely related to the lesson theme. The material listed in the syllabus serves as a guide. You may replace or supplement it with additional sources of your choice, except the articles upload before the class by the professor.