AMES3558

This course is an introduction to contemporary Korean popular culture, with a focus on television, video, and online media. We will learn how to think critically about a variety of popular culture phenomena, including dramas, variety shows, comedy performances, video games, food-related programs and videos, political satire and commentary, and music videos. By engaging with the academic scholarship on popular culture, we will learn how to analyze the stories, images, and sounds of Korean popular culture, while situating these within their various cultural and social contexts. Topics covered will include the Korean Wave (hallyu), the culture industry, digital platforms and economies, celebrity, fandom, and globalization. Attention will be given both to the local conditions of cultural production and the transnational influences of Korean media on East and Southeast Asia, as well as Europe and the Americas.