Youjeong Oh

This course will explore contemporary Korean society and culture during the post-Korean War period. By reading texts about compressed modernity, developmental state, social movements, gender politics, financial crisis and its aftermath, and globalization, this course will address the tensions between industrialization, nationalism, authoritarianism, democratization and neoliberalism in South Korea. At the same time, we will contemplate contemporary South Korea in the global context by exploring such topics as Cold War geopolitics, transnational migration and adoption, the globalization of Korean popular culture, and K-pop tourism. It is a reading- and discussion-extensive course.

Study of various Asian studies-related topics that do not focus on any single geographic region.  Specific offerings are listed in the Course Schedule.  Prerequisite: Graduate standing; additional prerequisites vary with the topic and are given in the Course Schedule.

This course discusses following questions: Why are countries, cities, communities and individuals enthusiastic about the idea of development? How do they actually practice development? Why are East and Southeast Asian cities particularly obsessed with the idea of development? Why does development frequently entail massive and violent displacement, dispossession and disempowerment, despite its promises of betterment? How has contentious politics unfolded against development-induced displacement across diverse historical periods and geographical areas? How do you define Right to the City?

This course consists of four parts. In Part I, we will do various readings to understand the notions of development including developmental desires, development as international project in the post-WWII era, and the ways in which development is associated with state building, moral economy, political performance, and accumulation regimes. Part II will explore the development of civil society and social movement in East Asia, particularly focusing on Sunflower Movement, Umbrella Movement, and Candlelight Movement. Part III will cover the explanations about the mechanisms and drivers of displacement associated with infrastructure construction, industrialization, urban redevelopment, land speculation, and tourism development. In Part IV, we will conceptualize Right to the City, exploring alternative right-based approaches to land, housing, infrastructure, commons and public resources.

Urbanization in East Asia has taken place in rapid, massive, and turbulent ways. The purpose of this class lies in employing urbanization as an analytical category through which we can examine development, modernization, the politics of accumulation and distribution, state-society relations, urban struggles, and activism in East Asia. The class lectures are organized, therefore, around topics rather than by country and/or city. For more critical examinations, we will also learn and discuss key concepts in geography and urban studies, such as commodification of urban space, spectacles and place-making, gentrification, uneven development, media and place, tourism, and the creation of peripheries. This year, a special topic of “Covid-19 and Changing Urban Experiences” is added. Reading various books and articles on urban issues, this course aims to advance the understanding of East Asia’s contemporary dynamics and East Asia in global context. We will supplement our readings by drawing various other materials including maps and illustrations, films, and video clips of TV programs.

This class explores various interpretations, methods, and policies of development mainly focusing on the cases of East and Southeast Asia. We will trace the history of development as a post-war international project that emerged in the context of decolonization since the 1940s. Particular attentions will be given to the state-driven developmentalism in East and Southeast Asia, intertwined with the Cold War geopolitics, decolonization, post-colonial desires, economic development, and the US-led neocolonizing capitalist incorporation of the greater Asia region. Then we will move to practices of development/counter-development/post-development in the era of globalization and neoliberalism. Topics included land, labor and livelihood struggles; race, gender, power; activism and social movements; transnational development and the reinterpretation of foreign aid; and civil society and the future of the state.

Description

This course will explore the political economy of South Korean development during the postwar period. The purpose of this course is to develop critical understanding of history, society, and culture of South Korea. By reading texts about compressed modernity, developmental state, social movements, gender politics, financial crisis and its aftermath, this course will address the tensions between industrialization, nationalism, authoritarianism, and democracy in South Korea. At the same time, we will contemplate contemporary South Korea in the global context by exploring such topics as Cold War geopolitics, transnational migration, transnational adoption, the globalization of Korean popular culture, and K-pop tourism. It is a reading- and discussion-extensive course.

Grading 

Class Participation: 20%
Reading Responses: 20%
Midterm Exam: 20%
Final Paper: 40%

Introduction to Korea's history, culture, and civilization from antiquity to the present.  Asian Studies 301M (Topic 10) and 302D may not both be counted.

Urbanization in East Asia has taken place in rapid, massive and turbulent ways. The purpose of this class lies in employing urbanization as an analytical category through which we can examine development, modernization, the politics of accumulation and distribution, state-society relations, urban struggles and activism in East Asia. The class lectures are organized, therefore, around topics rather than by country and city. For more critical examinations, we will also learn and discuss key concepts in Geography and Urban Studies, such as modernity, uneven development, place-making, gentrification, cultural agglomeration, global cities, and urban social movements. Reading various books and articles on urban issues, this course aims to advance the understanding of East Asia’s contemporary dynamics and East Asia in global context. We will supplement our readings by drawing various other materials including maps and illustrations, films, and video clips of TV programs.

.

Urbanization in East Asia has taken place in rapid, massive and turbulent ways. The purpose of this class lies in employing urbanization as an analytical category through which we can examine development, modernization, the politics of accumulation and distribution, state-­‐society relations, urban struggles and activism in East Asia. The class lectures are organized, therefore, around topics rather than by country and city. For more critical examinations, we will also learn and discuss key concepts in Geography and Urban Studies, such as modernity, uneven development, place-­‐making, gentrification, cultural agglomeration, global cities, and urban social movements. Reading various books and articles on urban issues, this course aims to advance the understanding of East Asia’s contemporary dynamics and East Asia in global context. We will supplement our readings by drawing various other materials including maps and illustrations, films, and video clips of TV programs.

Description: 

This course explores the practices of the production of space and place-making in East, South, and Southeast Asia. Instead of seeing space as a passive container of socio-political processes, we emphasize the active role of space in shaping such processes, and the interaction between the spatial and social. Rather than conceiving of place as a hermetically sealed site, we will explore the relational, translocal processes that produce distinctive localities in which multiple identities and histories are constantly (re)formed and challenged. By considering multiple aspects of the political economy, discourse, and representation, we will examine how the production of space and place-making is associated with state-building, the capital accumulation and distribution, the changing relations between state, society, and market, the operation of power, developmentlaism, postcolonialism, neoliberalism, and compressed modernity in East, South, and Southeast Asia.

Readings:

David Harvey, 2006. Paris: Capital of Modernity.

You-tien Hsing, 2010. The Great Urban Transformation: Politics of Land and Property in China.

Yeh, Emily T. 2013. Taming Tibet: Landscape Transformation and the Gift of Chinese Development. 

Lindquist, Johan A. 2008. The Anxieties of Mobility: Migration and Tourism in the Indonesian Borderlands.

Levien, Michael. 2017. Dispossession Without Development: Land Grabs in Neoliberal India. 

Inoue, Masamichi S. 2017. Okinawa and the U.S. Military: Identity Making in the Age of Globalization

This course will explore the political economy of South Korean development during the postwar period. The purpose of this course is to develop critical understanding of history, society, and culture of South Korea. Topics include compressed modernity, developmental state, social movements, gender politics, financial crisis, urbanization, migration, and recent globalization of Korean popular culture. In the context of the relations among state, society, and culture, this course will address the tensions of industrialization, nationalism, authoritarianism, democracy, and globalization in Korea. We will read various audio-visual sources (photo, film, drama, music, cartoon, podcast, and blog), as well as scholarly articles, as a lens through which to reflect upon various sociocultural issues in Korea.  

This course carries the Global Cultures flag. Global Cultures courses are designed to increase your familiarity with cultural groups outside the United States. You should therefore expect a substantial portion of your grade to come from assignments covering the practices, beliefs, and histories of at least one non-U.S. cultural group, past or present.

This course will examine the production, distribution, and consumption of East Asian popular culture. Specific topics include Hong Kong cinema, Japanese animation, Japanese trendy dramas, Korean television dramas, and K-pop music. Noting the “globalization” phenomenon, this course will address what has caused the increasing visibility of East Asian cultural products outside of the region. The growing recognition of East Asian pop culture around the globe, however, has also accompanied by more vibrant circulations of the cultural products and interactions among recipients within the region. Therefore, this course will take the globalization of popular culture as an analytical lens through which to reflect modernity, tensions of (trans)nationalism, urbanization, gender politics, and identity formations in East Asia.

This course carries the Global Cultures flag. Global Cultures courses are designed to increase your familiarity with cultural groups outside the United States. You should therefore expect a substantial portion of your grade to come from assignments covering the practices, beliefs, and histories of at least one non-U.S. cultural group, past or present.

This course is designed as an introductory overview of Korean history, culture, and society from ancient times to the present. It aims to encourage students to locate their knowledge about Korea in relation to perspectives from other disciplines, while thinking critically about how history, culture, and society are understood. Class lectures will be supplemented with films, slides, and other audio-­‐visual materials. This class has no prerequisites.  

This course carries the Global Cultures flag. Global Cultures courses are designed to increase your familiarity with cultural groups outside the United States. You should therefore expect a substantial portion of your grade to come from assignments covering the practices, beliefs, and histories of at least one non-­‐U.S. cultural group, past or present.

Description:

This course will explore the political economy of South Korean development during the postwar period. The purpose of this course is to develop critical understanding of history, society, and culture of South Korea. Topics include compressed modernity, developmental state, social movements, gender politics, financial crisis, urbanization, migration, and recent globalization of Korean popular culture. In the context of the relations among state, society, and culture, this course will address the tensions of industrialization, nationalism, authoritarianism, democracy, and globalization in Korea. We will read various audio-visual sources (photo, film, drama, music, cartoon, podcast, and blog), as well as scholarly articles, as a lens through which to reflect upon various sociocultural issues in Korea.

Description:

This course will examine the production, distribution, and consumption of East Asian popular culture. Specific topics include Hong Kong cinema, Japanese animation, Japanese trendy dramas, Korean television dramas, and K-pop music. Noting the “globalization” phenomenon, this course will address what has caused the increasing visibility of East Asian cultural products outside of the region. The growing recognition of East Asian pop culture around the globe, however, has also accompanied by more vibrant circulations of the cultural products and interactions among recipients within the region. Therefore, this course will take the globalization of popular culture as an analytical lens through which to reflect modernity, tensions of (trans)nationalism, urbanization, gender politics, and identity formations in East Asia.

Please check back for updates.

Description: 

This course explores the practices of the production of space and place-making in East Asia. Instead of seeing space as a passive container of socio-political processes, we emphasize the active role of space in shaping such processes, and the interaction between the spatial and social.  Rather than conceiving of place as a hermetically sealed site, we will explore the relational, translocal processes that produce distinctive localities in which multiple identities and histories are constantly (re)formed and challenged. By considering multiple aspects of the political economy, discourse, and representation, we will examine how the production of space and place-making is associated with state-building, the capital accumulation and distribution, the changing relations between state, society, and market, the operation of power, and modernity in East Asia.

Readings:

David Harvey, 2006, Paris: Capital of Modernity.

James Scott, 2009, The Art of Not Being Governed: An Anarchist History of Upland Southeast Asia.

You-tien Hsing, 2010, The Great Urban Transformation: Politics of Land and Property in China.

Anne-Marie Broudehoux, 2004, The Making and Selling of Post-Mao Beijing, 2004.

Lily Kong and Brenda Yeoh, 2003, The Politics of Landscape in Singapore: the construction of “nation.”

Grading:

Weekly Reading Memos and Class Participation 60%

Final Paper 40%

Please check back for updates.

Please check back for updates.

Please check back for updates.

Introduction to Korea's history, culture, and civilization from antiquity to the present.  Asian Studies 301M (Topic 10) and 302D may not both be counted.

Please check back for updates.

Please check back for updates.

Study of various Asian studies-related topics that do not focus on any single geographic region.  Specific offerings are listed in the Course Schedule.  Prerequisite: Graduate standing; additional prerequisites vary with the topic and are given in the Course Schedule.