The Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies is excited to announce our first-ever summer online Asian Studies course. Global Korea, taught by Liu Faculty Fellow Sharon Yoon, associate professor of Korean studies at the Keough School of Global Affairs, will investigate the social construction of race and nationhood within the context of South Korea. While many believe South Korea to be ethnically and racially homogeneous, the country has increasingly opened up its borders to foreign migration to offset the adverse impact of its rapidly aging society. More than one in ten marriages in South Korea involves a foreign-born person today, and growing numbers of racially mixed people consider themselves Korean. In addition, members of the Korean diaspora have started to "return" to their country of origin in recent years, only to find that they are marginalized because of their culturally different backgrounds. This course introduces students to sociological theories of race, ethnicity, and nationhood by analyzing how South Koreans define self and Other. Students will learn how racial and ethnic identities continue to evolve as the contexts of migration change. They will also learn why it is difficult for individuals of particular backgrounds to find a sense of belonging in the societies in which they live and work.
GLOBAL KOREA (ASIA 20300)
Instructor: Sharon Yoon
Monday and Wednesday 8:00-9:30 p.m. (June 3 to July 26)
Cross-listed: KSGA 20300, ANTH 20303, LLEA 20300, GLAF 20109