Summer 2021 Virtual Study Abroad Program to South Korea
Duration: Sunday, May 23, 2021 – Thursday, June 3, 2021
Theme: “Zoom In and Out the Past, Present, and Future of Korea.”
Instructors:
Professor Jisoo M. Kim (jsk10@gwu.edu)
Professor Insung Ko (insungko@gwu.edu)
Description:
By visiting various sites in South Korea, we will use the border as a lens into exploring four main themes: Korean identities, culture, division, and reunification. We will treat these themes not as mutually exclusive but constitutive entities. Thus, these four themes will be reflected in readings, discussions, on-site lectures, and site-visits. In addition, the concept of the border will be the prime into the larger political, economic, social, and cultural conditions that enabled its metamorphosis. In particular, we will trace the transnational processes of modernization, imperialism, colonization, the Cold War, decolonization, and neoliberalism that have shaped and continue to shape Korean identity and culture. Our interdisciplinary inquiry draws from history, literature, anthropology, business, film, media, and performance studies.
Recommended Readings before the Trip:
- Bruce Cumings, Korea’s Place in the Sun: A Modern History (W. W. Norton, 2005)
- Kim Yong and Suk-young Kim, Long Road Home: Testimony of a North Korean Camp Survivor (Columbia University Press, 2009)
*Please note that this is not a credit-bearing program.
2021 Student Testimonials
I thoroughly enjoyed participating in this program! I learned so much in such a short amount of time, and every session brought me new insight into South Korea and its place within the world. Hearing from South (and even North) Korean people firsthand was such a different experience from watching videos or reading books about the region and I’m grateful that we were given the chance to ask questions as well. Being that travelling to South Korea wasn’t possible this year, this was a great alternative.
Chayla Cherry, Spelman College
The program has been very meaningful to me as a current Latin American student about Korea. I have been able to have a complete vision about the history of the nation, its division and the impact of the internal war and the Cold War in his memory. Without a doubt, the program has been very inspiring for my future projects about Korea and it fills me with enthusiasm to continue learning about this nation from my country, Chile.
Carolina Pedreros, Central University of Chile
I’ve been able to attend a Summer School about Korea from Korea and from Korean people, all made with lots of love. Not only it is fundamental for my career, but it also shows once again how beautiful and heart-warming Korea is.
Valentina Tusa, Università degli Studi di Palermo
