Admission to BA Korea Studies and BA International Studies students only.
What is (Korean) history (for)? Who is defining it in the process of production, consumption, and circulation? What sociocultural issues and political expressions are at work therein? The Leiden Initiative on northern Korea raises these questions, by examining the histories and historiography of northern Korea as an indentifiable cultural, political and spatial area from a local, regional and/or transnational perspective. Students engage a wide range of written and visual texts, produced by both Korean and non-Korean authors, providing a kaleidoscope of perspectives and understandings. In doing so, the course reveals how a distinct northern identity and/or perspective is shaped within local, national and transnational flows of people, goods and ideas. The course consists of mini-lectures, class discussions, student presentations, and close readings of both written and visual sources. Through this hands-on approach, students develop their analytical skills, critical thinking, and advanced presentation, arguing and writing skills.
to question any presuppositions regarding Korean history and challenge the geographically bounded definition of Korea;
to develop research projects, focusing on an aspect of the historical representation of northern Korea.
to provide detailed and nuanced readings of course materials by practicing textual and visual analysis.
to acquire a historically informed and theoretically sophisticated understanding of Korea by examining major essays in the historiography of northern Korea.
Active paricipation in class Discussions (5%)
Writing Assignments——————————————————————————————————————————-70%
Midterm Paper – 1,500 words (15%)
Kim, Sun Joo, The northern region of Korea: history, identity & culture (University of Washington Press, 2010);
Morris-Suzuki, Tessa, To the Diamond Mountains : a hundred-year journey through China and Korea (Rowman & Littlefield, 2010);
Park, Hyun Ok, Two Dreams in One Bed: Empire, Social Life, and the Origins of the North Korean Revolution in Manchuria (Duke U.P., 2005);