Designing a Korean Film Course AATK 2014 Kyung-Eun Yoon - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Teaching Material Dem onstration

Designing a Korean Film Course

AATK 2014 Kyung-Eun Yoon (kyoon@umbc.edu)

Background

 Development of Korean

minor/major at UMBC with

• ver 40 students since 2010

(See Appendix for the curriculum)

 Film course as a big

contribution to developing the Korean minor/major

Course Title

“Images of Korea through Contemporary Korean Films” (Or another?)

Course Goal/ Objectives

 To enhance students’

understanding of a variety of historical, social, cultural issues of Korean society by analyzing relevant contemporary Korean films

Course Objectives

 Upon the completion of this course, students

will be able:

• to develop broad understanding of the

social and cultural issues in Korea through narrative films;

• to develop awareness of, analyze, and

evaluate their own cultural assumptions and how they relate to other cultures;

• to compare and contrast Korean culture

and their own; and

• to apply critical thinking and problem

solving skills to intercultural/ international communication.

Textbooks

New Korean Cinema: Breaking the Waves (2009) by D. Paquet Wallflower Press

Textbooks

The South Korean Film Renaissance (2010) by Jinhee

• Choi. Wesleyan

Course Outline

 Phase 1: Modern Korean History & Society

• Korean War and Aftermath
• 1970’s, 1980’s, & 1990’s in Korea

 Phase 2: Contemporary Korean Movies

• Background of Recent Korean Film Industry
• Movie Trends – (Romance films, Gangster films,

New Wave directors, High Quality films)

 Phase 3: Current Issues of Korean Society

• Family value
• Minority issues

Phase 1 : Modern Korean History & Society

 Textbook by Pacquet  Korean War & Aftermath  1970’s in Korea  1980’s in Korea  1990’s in Korea

Other Suggestions: 태극기 지구를 지켜라 26년 여명의 눈동자 모래시계

Phase 1 : Modern Korean History & Society

 Sample Discussion Questions

• New movement in Korean cinema from the late 1980s by a

group of politically and socially informed film makers who began to explore new themes

• Diversifying subject matters, scales, & genres from the

next decades => What would not have been possible Films 1 & 2 if they had been made in 1970’s or 1980’s?  Message of the movie?  Characters?  Anything else?

Phase 1 : Modern Korean History & Society

 Sample Film Analysis Questions

• “Go Go 70’s”
• Social/political aspects observable?
• Physical settings and the social implications?
• Characters

 Their status within the entertainment industry?  Their social status? (family background/ education/ etc.)?

Phase 2 : Contem porary Korean Movies

 Textbook by Choi  Background of Recent

Korean Film Industry

• Birth of Korean Blockbuster
• Globalization & Film industry

 Movie Trends

• Romance films
• Gangster films
• High Quality films & New Wave directors

 Lee Chang-dong  Park Chan-wook  Kim Ki-duk  Hong Sang-soo

Phase 3 : Aspects of Korean Society

 Family value  Minority issues  Any other?

Course Requirem ents

 Class preparation and participation  Short research assignments on given socio-cultural topics

 Short film reports (on 4 movies)

 Film reviews (on 3 movies)  Final Paper (integration of at least 3 (additional) movies)

Short Film Reports

Movie Title: ________________ Short Film Reports * The contents of # 2 , 3 , 4 should be interpretive and analytical rather than descriptive.

• 1. Provide a *very* brief summary of the movie. (100-150 words. Your
• wn words)
• 2. What character(s) did you find most appealing/interesting? What are

the main personality traits of this (these) character(s) and why is the character appealing/interesting to you? (Minimum 180 words)

• 3. In your opinion, what was the director’s intention or message and why

do you think so? (Minimum 180 words)

• 4. How does the film relate to Korean culture and society? Any aspect(s)

you could observe/analyze/interpret from the movie? (Minimum 180 words)

Film Review s

[Rubric for Film Review Paper]

Movie Title: _________________

 Organization with intro, main body, & conclusion  Contents & Organization of main body

• No summary of the movie
• Clearly & succinctly written points (your reactions, opinions, insights,
• etc. on certain aspect(s) of the movie) together with the facts backed

up with proper referencing

• Emphasis on analytical and evaluative skills, meaning the use of

persuasive analysis and argument to support your personal interpretation or point of view.

• Second-hand interpretations or viewpoints that you found somebody

else’s blogs or even our class discussions should be used only as supports for your arguments and they should be properly cited

• Things you should NOT do!

 Mostly descriptive or narrative writings are NOT desirable.  Do NOT follow the storyline for your writing. You have to organize your writing according to your discussion points.

 College level writing standards (Citation, Grammatical and sophisticated

language choices and mature writing styles)

Final Paper

[Rubric for Final Paper]

 Minimum 3 Korean films or dramas to analyze – class movies can be

used

 NO sum m ary of the story! – If outside-class films are used, just

assume that I know the stories.

 Organization with intro, main body, & conclusion

• Introduction briefly points out what the writer is to say in the body
• Main body presents clearly & succinctly written points – deep-enough

level of analysis or interpretations on certain aspect( s) of the m ovies that are related to Korean society/ culture together w ith the facts backed up w ith proper referencing

• Conclusion

 Academ ic sources to be used as references – class readings can be

used

 College level writing standards (Citation, Grammatical and

sophisticated language choices and mature writing styles)

Final Paper - Exam ples

• Remembering the Korean War
• The Changing Roles of Women in the Family
• Gender Stereotypes and Masculinity in Different Film Genres
• Confucian Influence on Relationships in Korean Dramas
• Spirituality in Korean Films
• Psychology of Death and Dying in New South Korean Cinema
• The Use of Emotions in Korean Films
• Depictions of Violence in Korean Films
• The Stagnation of the Korean Gangster Films
• The Evolution of the Social Hierarchy of South Korea
• Acceptance Without Belonging: Portrayals of Non-Koreans in Korean Cinema
• Group Society and Bias Against the Other
• Korean Family: Divergence from Tradition
• Family Dynamics in Korean Films
• The Ailments of Korean Society in the Movies of Park Chan-wook
• Industrial Militarization and the State of Potential War: Perpetuators of

Hegemonic Masculinity in South Korea, as seen through Korean Films

Appendix: Curriculum for the Korean m inor at UMBC



3 credits: One MLL core course MLL 190 The World of Language I MLL 191 The World of Language II MLL 230 World Language Communities MLL 301 Textual Analysis



6 credits: Two upper level language courses KORE 301 Advanced Korean I KORE 302 Advanced Korean II KORE 309 Business Korean



9 credits: Three Korean or MLL elective courses KORE 309 Business Korean KORE 310 Korean Language in Social and Cultural Context MLL 311 Introduction to Korean Culture MLL 315 Images of Society in Contemporary Korean Films Another course relevant to Korea, with the approval of the Korean coordinator