HKOB00016U Korean Cinema from the 1980s to the 2000s: A Critical Survey

Volume 2016/2017
Education

Curriculum for the BA programme in Asian Studies with specialisations in
Indology, Japanese Studies, China Studies, Korean Studies, Southeast Asian Studies and Tibetology The 2015 Curriculum and

Curriculum for the BA programme in Asian Studies with specialisations in
Indology, Japanese Studies, China Studies, Korean Studies, Southeast Asian Studies and Tibetology The 2010 Curriculum

Curriculum for the Elective Studies in Korean studies The 2007 Curriculum

Curriculum for Master’s Programme in Cross-Cultural Studies The 2015 Curriculum

 

Content

While the 1960s has been called the ‘Golden Age of Korean Cinema,’ it was not until the early 1990s that South Korean cinema really began to achieve sustained critical success at home and abroad. Since that period, there has been a phenomenal growth in the popularity of South Korean film. This course aims to analyse critically a key period in South Korean cinema, what Jin-Hee Choi calls the two ‘New Waves.’ The first ‘Wave’ of Park Kwang-su (Pak Kwangsu) and Jang Son-woo (Chang Sŏnu),  and the second ‘Wave’ of Lee Chang-dong (Yi Changdong), Hong Sang-soo (Hong Sangsu) and other filmmakers. This course will examine the political and social context of the period 1985-2000 and the main changes that led to the two ‘Waves’ of South Korean film.

Cinema north of the border also experienced a radical shift in the early 1980s after the famous South Korean filmmaker Shin Sang-ok was kidnapped on the orders of Kim Jong-il and brought to North Korea to revolutionize the local film industry. This course will investigate the mammoth changes that occurred to North Korean cinema following Shin’s arrival.

This course will explore work of filmmakers closely associated with 1980s, 1990s and 2000s cinema in both North and South Korea. The course will also explore major subjects and themes treated in these films, film style, and the fluctuating fortunes of the industry in both North and South Korea. The students will investigate the fluid quality of cinematic notions like auteur, realism, genre and national cinema and discuss the appropriateness of these terms in relation to Korean cinema. In addition, students will be given weekly study skills guidance on essay preparation and production. This course is open to all BA students and there are no pre-requisites for non-Korean Studies majors.

Learning Outcome

Korean BA 2015-Curriculum:
Korean Content Course 1 (HKOB00831E)

Korean BA 2010-Curriculum:
Korean Content Course 1 (HKOB00671E)
Korean Content Course 2 (HKOB00731E)
Korean Content Course 3 (HKOB00761E)

Korean BA 2007-Elective:
Korean Content Course A (HKOB10041E)
Korean Content Course B (HKOB10071E)

Cross-Cultural Studies MA 2015-Curriculum:
Regional Specialisation with language (HTÆK03261E)

The course is taught entirely in English and all learning materials will be in English. No knowledge of Korean is required. Recommended pre-course reading:

Bordwell, David and KristinThompson. 2008. Film Art: An Introduction. Boston: McGraw-Hill.

And

Kim, Kyung Hyun. 2004.The remasculinization of Korean cinema. Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press ; Chesham : Combined Academic.

Or

Lee, Hyangjin. 2000. Contemporary Korean Cinema: Identity, culture, politics. Manchester: Manchester University Press.

Classroom teaching with active student participation, teaching emphasizes reading of key texts on cinema and discussion. There will be a weekly film screening and also clips will be shown in class.
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Lectures
  • 28
  • Preparation
  • 384,5
  • Total
  • 412,5
Credit
15 ECTS
Type of assessment
Other
Criteria for exam assesment