HKOB01031U KOR, Introduction to Korean Studies (E26)

Volume 2026/2027
Education

Bacheloruddannelsen i asienstudier (koreastudier), 2026-ordningen  

Content

This course offers an interdisciplinary introduction to Korean culture from antiquity to today. Through selected themes and case studies, students explore how Korean society, ideas, and cultural practices have been shaped over time. Drawing on perspectives from history, literature, film, historiography, geography, anthropology, and sociology, the course highlights both continuity and change in Korea’s cultural development.
By engaging with a range of primary and secondary sources and participating in academic discussions, students will gain a solid foundation in Korean cultural studies and develop core academic skills relevant to the humanities and social sciences

Learning Outcome

Knowledge

  • knowledge of and understanding of the multidisciplinary field of Korean Studies, including disciplines such as literary studies, religious studies, history, political science, and anthropology
  • knowledge of academic reading and writing practices in Korean Studies, including correct use of notes, references, and bibliographies
  • knowledge of the role and implications of generative artificial intelligence in Korean Studies
  • knowledge of key developments in contemporary Korea (North Korea and South Korea)
  • knowledge of relevant fields of practice related to Korean Studies.
     

Skills

  • ability to identify an academic topic within a disciplinary framework relevant to Korean Studies
  • ability to locate, understand, and critically reflect on empirical sources (primary sources) and academic literature (secondary sources)
  • ability to use generative artificial intelligence in an academically responsible manner
  • ability to give and receive constructive peer feedback
  • ability to identify relevant fields of practice related to Korean Studies.
     

Competences

  • ability to produce a take-home assignment on a topic related to a discipline within Korean Studies
  • ability to apply digital resources, databases, and generative artificial intelligence
  • ability to communicate developments in both contemporary and traditional Korea to a broader public, for example through story maps (ArcGIS)
  • ability to reflect on how the academic knowledge and skills of Korean Studies can be applied in a specific professional context.
  • Seth, Michael J.. 2016. A Concise History of Korea: From Antiquity to the Present. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield. (please buy)
  • Eckert, Carter J.. 1990. Lee, Ki-baik. Korea Old and New: a history. Seoul: Ilchogak. (optional, but very useful)
  • Graff, Gerald, and Cathy Birkenstein. They Say / I Say” : the Moves That Matter in Academic Writing. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2018.(parts provided online)
  • Belcher, Wendy Laura. 2009. Writing Your Journal Article in 12 Weeks. Los Angeles: Sage. (parts provided online)
Discussion, lectures, group work, presentations
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Lectures
  • 0
  • Total
  • 0
Written
Oral
Individual
Collective
Continuous feedback during the course of the semester
Feedback by final exam (In addition to the grade)
Peer feedback (Students give each other feedback)
Credit
15 ECTS
Type of assessment
Oral examination, 30 minutes including assessment
Home assignment, 4-5 standard pages
Type of assessment details
Free oral examination and free written home assignment.
The home assignment counts for 2/3 and the oral examination counts for 1/3. Both parts must be assessed at a passing level for the overall exam to be passed.
Group exam regulations: The exam can only be taken individually, but the home assignment may be written in groups. For home assignments written in groups, the following applies: 2 students: 6–8 stand pages, 3 students: 9–11 standard pages.
Exam language: English.
Aid
Only certain aids allowed (see description below)

For the oral examination, the submitted assignment may be brought along.
For the home assignment, all aids are permitted (for rules on generative artificial intelligence, see Study Information).

 

Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
No external censorship
Re-exam

Same as ordinary exam

Criteria for exam assesment

See Learning Outcome