ATS2160 Language, culture and society on the Korean Peninsula

The unit critically examines language, culture and society on the Korean Peninsula. The first half of the unit adopts a socio-historical perspective to look at the emergence of linguistic and cultural practices in Korea against the backdrop of over 2,000 years of history, starting with the Three Kingdoms period (57BC-666AD) and culminating with the annexation of Korea by Japan (1910-1945). The second half of the unit focuses on language and culture in the post-war societies of North and South Korea. The unit introduces major developments in the formation, distribution and projection of languages on the Korean peninsula, as well as accompanying cultural and historical changes in historical and contemporary Korea. Through specially prepared online materials, students will also learn basic facts about Korean history. The unit will provide students with the tools to look objectively at how language reflects the society we live in, and how language itself becomes an important marker of cultural identity. An important goal in the unit will be to get away from a monolithic view of Korean language and culture and encourage students to engage in critical analysis of the inevitable variation and change that characterizes linguistic and cultural practices. Through a variety of reading materials, students will be exposed to different approaches for analyzing language, culture and society. The unit will be conducted in English and will be open to students without any specific competence in Korean.