ASIAN 4454 - Gangnam Style: Seoul and its Layered Histories

(crosslisted) VISST 4454
(GB) (CA-AS)

Spring. 4 credits. Letter grades only.

E. Choi.

This course will take an interdisciplinary, dynamic and experimental approach to study the Seoul city within the larger context of spatial discourses in history, urban culture, literature and visual media. It will provide students with a tour of this emerging cityscape as it developed from a royal/imperial capital (1392-1910) to a colonial one (1910-45), before becoming the economic hub of a divided peninsula (1945-present).

Seoul, the capital of South Korea, has in the past several years emerged as a truly global cosmopolitan city, boldly aspiring to be the “Center of the World” (“Chongno segye ŭi chungsim i toeja”) and a 21st century “Design City.” With a population of 12 million, congested streets, and soaring skyscrapers, Seoul has become an important socioeconomic, political, and cultural center, both within Northeast Asia and throughout the globe. However, underneath the glitter of modernity and globalization visible in the urban sprawl of contemporary Seoul are forgotten stories, stratified claims, and a tumultuous history which Japanese rule, a civil war, and US military presence. We will examine Seoul’s symbolic place in the world community as seen through the 1988 Olympics and how its minorities make this city their home. Special attention will be given to the entrance of technologies, the transformation of architectural spaces, and the emergence of new subjectivities. By the end of the course, students will not only become familiar with Seoul’s past, but also learn important concepts informing the burgeoning field of Korean studies. (SC)